Mark Crutcher, Paul Hadley and Graham Cheney have combined to acquire PBR Distributions and the TA2 Muscle Car Series, marking the first ownership change in the category’s history in Australia.
PBR – until now owned and run by Peter Robinson – has long underpinned Trans Am racing in Australia as the exclusive car importer and parts distributor, as well as the technical partner for the National Trans Am Series.
The PBR-run TA2 Muscle Car Series typically runs on the HiTec Oil Super Series bill, while Australian Racing Group owns and runs the National Trans Am Series at Motorsport Australia events, using TA2 hardware.
There have been some moves to diverge Trans Am and TA2, such as the introduction of a new, non-PBR gearbox, however it’s thought this sale will re-strengthen ties between the two series.
“The TA2 Muscle Car Series started out many years ago as a passion project for myself and some racing friends but has quickly grown into two National Series, a West Coast Series and a New Zealand Series,” said Robinson, who has been at the helm for eight year.
“However we have never forgotten our core goal which was to provide drivers a cost effective, high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive, big bang-for-buck experience.
“With over 100 cars sold, this has now become a big business and the time is right to hand the baton to a group of individuals that I trust implicitly, and I know have both the desire and resources to further grow and develop the TA2 Muscle Car Series bigger than what I ever could.
“This series has been our family’s pride and joy for the last eight years, and we’re thrilled to pass the torch to a group of people who know this sport inside and out, share the passion and who are dedicated to seeing it thrive for years to come.”
Crutcher added: “Our series is full of passionate and loyal competitors, many who have been there from day one and we’re all so grateful to the Robinsons for what they have created and feel privileged to be chosen as the group to lead it into the future.
“Our collective goal is to continue providing great service to our customers through the PBR Distributions business which has also been acquired, and to further enhance our position in the motorsport landscape.”
TA2 is yet to announce its schedule for next season.