For the Trans Am Series 2014, Derhaag Motor Sports Will Have Both Ladies and Gentlemen Starting Their Engines as Mickey Wright Accepts a Seat on Their Championship Roster
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 27, 2014 -- The iconic Trans Am Series has quickly become one of the most competitive and challenging classes in American road racing. Kicking off the season on March 2, 2014 at the Sebring International Raceway, motors will be running, racing enthusiasts will be roaring and team owners will be eagerly showing off the skills of their drivers. Derhaag Motorsports has granted Mary "Mickey" Wright, the first woman in race car history to lead points in the V8 Stock Cars series, a spot on its prizewinning roster of champions. Mickey will join Amy Ruman as the next generation of female competitors since Debra Gregg and Lyn St. James in Trans Am.
Jim Derhaag debuted as a driver to Trans Am in 1981 on his home track of Brainerd driving a Chevy Camaro. He made a career out of overcoming obstacles, setting records and making history. His driving record has included 151 career starts-ranking fourth all-time, 16 top fives, 91 “Top 10” finishes-ranked third all-time, 14 straight seasons of competition (only four drivers have done more), 17 overall seasons of competition (only seven drivers have completed more) and placed “Top 10” in career earnings. Jim’s unparalleled guidance has led to him build the successful team of Derhaag Motorsports.
Derhaag’s first victory as racing team owner and entrant was delivered by Ken Wilden at Laguna Seca in 2000, followed by Justin Bell in the same circuit. Finishing the season with a Houston victory, Randy Ruhlman added two additional victories at Long Beach and Cleveland in 2005. The victory by Wilden at Laguna Seca was the richest payday in Trans Am history, with the driver earning a $74,000 bonus for the Simple Green Clean Sweep (winning the pole, having the fastest lap and leading the most laps and winning the race), in addition to the regular race purse. Driver Simon Gregg has three victories, one championship and two runner-ups in the professional Trans Am Championship.
Derhaag's driver alumni includes Ron Fellows, Dorsey Schroeder, Chris Neville, Darin Brassfield, Kenny Wilden, Tony Ave, Simon Gregg, Steve Pelke, Tim McAdam, Randy Ruhlman, Derek Bell, Doug Harrington, Peter Morhauser, SCCA National Runoffs’ 2009 Champion Bill Gray and 2001 Rookie of the Year Justin Bell. Mickey recently told a member of the press, “One of the reasons I chose to go with Derhaag Motor Sports is
because of Simon Greg. I’ve studied how they’ve worked with him over the years, going from the back of the pack onto becoming a champion.”
Mickey’s need for speed began in 2007 at the age of 45 when she took middle age by the steering wheel at Competition 101’s Racing School. By 2010, she had won 18 qualifying and feature event races on both dirt and asphalt tracks. In June 2011, Mickey began road racing with SCCA, NASA and V8 stock car series. Mickey won first place in the 2012 SPO South Atlanta Road Racing Championship, making her the first woman to win first place in the history of that division. She also won first place for the SCCA Central Florida region for the 2012 season. Mickey was the first woman in history to lead Super Production Over (SPO) points in the V8 Stock Car series for the 2012 racing season, finishing overall in second place. Though 2013 may have been a shortened season and year of transition in search of finding a new racing team to call home, Mickey triumphantly placed in the “Top 10” at the Historic Stock Car Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, along with a handful of other first place victories.
Ecstatic to continue driving as notorious number six, Mickey said, "I am truly excited about being a part of the Derhaag Motorsports team. I feel it's a major accomplishment and merely the beginning of a phenomenal racing season. My new 875 HP Corvette has five speeds and five gears…it’s like a lightening bolt on the track." After Sebring’s seasonal send off on March 2, Mickey and team Derhaag will be racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 9, 2014. Collectively they look forward to the racing synergy and successes for many wins to come.
On your mark, get ready, get set…Go Mickey Go!
Stacey Barker, Jade Umbrella, http://www.jadeumbrella.com, 323.833.8358, [email protected]
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