Formally known as Hagopian Engineering, Driven Performance has been serving the racing community for over 25 years. What started as a small parts and service shop in the late 80′s, has turned into a full scale performance speed shop today. Owned by Mark Hagopian, Hagopian Engineering was transformed into Driven Performance in 2010. The addition of Gary Olson as shop manager has catapulted Driven into becoming one of central California’s most reliable and trustworthy speed shops.
In 2012, we saw the addition of D1 Chassis to the Driven Performance brand. Over the course of the last five years, this addition has created a swift growth of the D1 Chassis. The D1 brand continues to gain ground in the competitive micro sprint market everyday. Driven not only offers its own 600 micro sprint chassis as well as a Jr Sprint chassis, but also has its own line of components and parts for use on all major micro sprint chassis brands.
In the fall of 2015, Jake Hagopian purchased Driven Performance and D1 Chassis from his late father Mark, in an effort to continue pressing forward in the Micro Sprint Racing industry. With Jake’s talented team of Gary Olson (Sales Manager), Michael Faccinto (Sales), Alex Berry (Fabricator), Dillon Reeves (Production), Adam Cortez (Production), KJ Snow (Assembly) and they look forward into the future to grow the Driven brand across the United States and into Australia.
Expansion
Soon after Jake’s purchase of Driven Performance, a directive to expand into the heart of the Midwest was established. This establishment was formed through a well bonded relationship with none other than Frank Flud and Harley Hollan. With their prominent stature in the Oklahoma micro sprint scene, Frank and Harley were able to create an extension of Driven Performance and D1 Chassis by opening a central headquarters in Tulsa, OK naming it Driven Midwest. Currently, Driven Midwest services customers up and down the Midwest corridor providing sales and service equal to what Driven Performance in California would extend to their new and returning customers.
2018 brought the opportunity to deliver our Australian customers with access to the Driven & D1 product line within the boundaries of Australia through Nathan Pronger and GW Racing in Queensland. This was thus the birth of Driven Australia, in what is an effort to bring quality chassis, parts, and service to Australia more efficiently and effectively.
D1 Chassis
D1 Chassis set forth in 2012 to help push the Driven Performance brand. Shortly thereafter, it was apparent that D1 Chassis would accomplish more than it was expected to be due to the Driven team’s dedication. Our staff’s love for the sport of micro sprint racing has allowed D1 Chassis to grow and evolve each year, becoming one the nation’s premier chassis brands. Totaling nearly 300 chassis built in just 7 seasons, D1 has accumulated wins on a national level, wins worldwide, wins in multiple classes, and championships to boot including and not limited too:
Tulsa Shootout
Highbanks Hustle
California Speedweek
POWRI National Championship
NOW 600 Series National Championship
USAC National Championship
Mark Hagopian Memorial
Clay Cup Nationals
Where it began
A small background on the Hagopian family racing history begins with late grandfather Martin Hagopian and his Good Earth Farms full midget race team that began in the early 1980’s. During that same period, Mark Hagopian, son of Martin and father of Jake Hagopian, began his racing endeavors in the micro sprint ranks in central California. Mark would go on to become a key fixture in the micro sprint culture in Central California, winning many races and multiple championships through the mid 90’s. In the same time period, Martin would be fielding full midget entries with drivers by the likes of Bob Cetti, Roy Cook, Jimmy Sills, Brent Kaeding, John Andretti, and finishing his car owner days with good friend Craig Dillard. Martin carries the most notable accomplishment in midget racing of the Turkey Night Midget Grand Prix Championship in 1985 with Brent Kaeding behind the wheel.
As Martins time as car owner ended, Mark’s time as driver begin to turn to a crew chief for none other than multi time World of Outlaw Champion Jason Meyers. Mark would mentor Jason through his earliest days of micro sprint racing, accomplishing a great deal of wins and multiple NMMA National Championships. For a short while, Mark spent time with Jason when his Sprint Car career began, but soon it would be time for Mark’s sons Matt and Jake to begin their time in the seat of a race car.
In 1997, Mark’s twin sons Matt & Jake began racing in the Jr Sprint division of Micro Sprints. At the time, a beginning class with a small following, Mark played a key role in developing and growing the class into the strong starter division we have today. As Mark’s sons grew, so did the class, which saw Mark begin to build Jr Sprint chassis to help support the demand for the growing popularity of the beginner’s class. In the early 2000’s, Matt and Jake would move on to the Restricted 600’s ranks and Mark moved on from constructing Jr Sprint chassis. It would be from here that Jake continued to seek more from his passion for racing a lead him to the path that has been taken today….
