Champion Racing founder Dave Maraj has passed away from a boating accident....
Champion Racing founder Dave Maraj has passed away from a boating accident. https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/maraj-champion-racing-founder-dies-in-boating-accident-1062971/ BHW
Has there been any more information published about the accident itself? The first account I read which was on Monday said that his body was found in the water next to a dock, but gave no additional details. I believe it also said that he had been missing for a couple of days.
RIP I loved that Champion Audi Porsche dealer back in the day and seeing some of their race cars on display. Having a dealership with a race team like that is the dream and he made it work perfectly.
The thread on Dave Maraj got more attention in the racing forums but a friend of mine sent me this report that he found on a local news site... Apparently he was docked in Boca told his girlfriend he was going back to the boat, it looks like he slipped off the boat hit his head and drowned then all went looking for him, divers found him under the boat. There hasn't been any further news of the incident even on the Sun Sentinel site which is quite curious. BHW
Really odd that there haven't been any details. Wasn't Champion in trouble with Porsche a few years ago?
Something was going on. Was it that they were out of trust on their floor plan line? I seem to recall that they were in bankruptcy for a while, but I could be wrong.
I think you’re close. I took my Pcar there and they were closed for a day or something. At the time I thought it had to be something material. It’s THE dealership. But it’s SoFla so who the heck knows . The gigantic dealer in West Broward had to pull a bunch of business from them.
Does anybody have an idea about ownership succession there? Did Dave have a son in the business at one time?
Nice. My friend went to high school with him for a year in Boca. Supposedly he had a 2001 or so S4 and his dad put on RS4 body panels like their race cars. I hope he stays in the business. Sounds like a true car guy that does that.
It seems not that long ago, Brumos Porsche (NE: Porsche of Jacksonville) and Champion Porsche were squabbling over east coast Florida territory. The fight was evidently rather nasty at times but just like that, Hurley Haywood jumped into the Champion Racing Lola Porsche prototype and the waters were smoothed and Hurley recalls fond memories of driving for Dave Maraj alongside James Weaver. In the years that followed, Porsche dealers have popped up in Melbourne, West Palm Beach, North Orlando, Miami (The Collection) and of course the huge Porsche of West Broward right in Champion's back yard, the argument over east coast territory seems like a long time ago. That Champion also offers other brands such as Audi (and I'm not sure if they own the Mercedes-Benz dealership on that same piece of property or not) they're big enough to absorb the inclusion of all these new Porsche dealerships. BHW
and Porsche West Broward is owned by....Penske also, I believe Champion sold the Audi store during the recession. it's now Audi of Coral Springs IIRC.
I'm sure Porsche needed more coverage for one of the hottest markets in the country and they needed to mitigate risk of having one dealer with a high share number. The Benz dealer by Champion is an Automation (Yuck) store.
I still find it surprising there is no news on a major businessman who died in an accident. I'm also surprised there is no news of the passenger that was ejected from the Tesla in the Ft Lauderdale accident in May. There will be lawsuits around that incident until the cows come home.
I believe the MBz dealership adjacent to Champion is an Autonation store, as is Land Rover. The estimable Gerry Sutterfield was an owner (perhaps the first) of the WPB Porsche dealership.
Tom, Can you post a link to an article about the Tesla accident you mentioned? This is the first I've heard of it. Thanks. I agree that it's odd that there isn't more information about Maraj's death.
Kids from PineCrest. Doing 116MPH in a 30 zone in Harbor Beach. South past the Yankee Clipper and didn't make the turn. Had a previous stop about 1 month before for 112MPH. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-sb-lauderdale-fatal-tesla-ntsb-20180626-story.html
at 100+ it is astounding a bunch of people weren't killed or injured. As you know, it's packed with other cars and people walking to the beach. The car hit the west side and then went across all the lanes and hit on the east side.
Hmm...what happened to Autohaus Mercedes Benz? Was it sold and renamed MB of Pompano Beach? We had a family friend come out of retirement since he got bored and sold cars there sometime ago when it was called Autohaus. I haven't been there in ages. Also, what's that gigantic Wal-Mart store used now for next to Champion? It appears to be labeled as Champion Porsche building now.
Autohaus has been Autonation for a while. The Walmart is full of Porsches. Makes sense, that location was a car security nightmare.