Seattle Pacific Raceways & The Ridge - seeking team

Personal info:

• Location: Seattle, WA

• Available for: pit-crew, car prep, race driving for Pacific Raceways and The Ridge

• Height: 5’ 10”

• Weight: 165 pounds

• Age: 45

Experience summary:

• Track driving: Pacific Raceways, Bremerton, and Portland (50+ HPDE days - I lost count over the last 20 years)

• Racing: League kart racing (50mph) at PacificGP (5 years)

• Mechanical: brake/suspension/axle/electrical

• Chassis experience: VW Golf/Jetta Mk4, Subaru Legacy/Outback Gen2/Gen3, Subaru Impreza Gen2, Toyota MR2 SW20

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Hi,

I wasn't a car enthusiast until I bought my first car, a 2001 VW Golf. I had just graduated from college, moved across the continent and knew absolutely nothing about cars. But this car was the only thing I owned, so I figured I better learn how it worked. So I bought the 1200 page Bentley publishers service manual and read it front-to-back. Yeah I was a big nerd and still am.

Soon after, a friend invited me to a ProFormance novice driving school at Pacific Raceways and I was hooked! I joined IRDC and got my novice race license, but never actually raced – I just continued doing HPDE days at Pacific and Bremerton with the Porsche and NWAlfa clubs.

Over several years, I upgraded my Golf and did multiple suspension swaps and brake upgrades in my driveway. I also helped fellow VW drivers with their upgrades as well. Not knowing anything about engines but wanting more power, I had a shop install a turbo kit, upgraded transmission with a limited slip, and an oil cooler, to get a reliable 300 HP. Going 140mph at Pacific Raceways was scary, so I stopped racing that car and sought a new vehicle to play with.

A friend had recently purchased a Boxster and took me for a ride; the mid-engine handling was exhilarating. I wanted something like that but I couldn’t afford anything so fancy. So I ended up getting a beat-up 1991 Toyota MR2 with 130hp for $3000 and fixed it up over a few months.

The transition from FWD to RWD was challenging and I had two minor incidents at the racetrack - one caught on video. The only significant damage was to my ego but there is still a dent in the bumper reminding me every time I drive to cool it just a bit.

For two summers I volunteered to be part of the SaveDrives Rally America team. Having done so many brake and suspension swaps, it was a natural fit, as most of the maintenance for rally seems to be in those areas. Me and my buddy did a full 4-corner suspension swap in 10 minutes flat.

Around the same time, the NW Alfa Romeo club invited me to be a junior driving instructor which I did for a few summers. It was quite rewarding to help teens become more responsible drivers.

Since having kids of my own, I haven't been to the track much. Instead, I've been racing 50mph go-karts at PacificGP every other weekend. But I miss the big cars.

While I have a dream of starting my own Lemons team one day, I’m not ready for that level of commitment and responsibility. Instead, I’d like to join a team that needs help for the two Pacific NorthWest races at the Ridge, and Pacific Raceways. I can help prepare cars, perform pit crew duties, and/or drive.