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There is a lot more that goes into making APR Motorsport a successful team then what can be captured in print. (Photo: James Hunt) ยป More Photos
The word "Team" has different meanings for different people. In Motorsports, it's often tossed out in post-race interviews, podium celebrations or after the dreaded all-night wrench session to get the car running again for 8 a.m. qualifying. To me, being a member of a team has a very deep and important role both on and off the race track. Thanks to incredible parenting, the importance and responsibility of being a team member was hard wired into my brain early on (thanks Mom and Dad).
Our team for the 2008 Grand Am KONI Challenge is APR Motorsport. I say "our team" because there are a lot of talented, intelligent and fun loving people that make up APR Motorsport. In a sport where there is an over abundance of individual egos, I pride myself in being a part of something much bigger and powerful then myself, a team. As a rookie, I learned very quickly (even after running only a partial season), that most professional drivers think the world revolves around them. More often than not, however, they forget that if it weren't for countless hours of work behind the scenes, they wouldn't even have an opportunity to use their talents behind the wheel.
This past weekend, the Grand Am KONI Challenge stopped at Mid-Ohio for round 4 of the 10 race season. While I was not driving for our team at Mid-Ohio, I nevertheless felt it important to attend the race. Whether I'm driving or not is irrelevant. I'm an APR Motorsport team member and want to fully support our effort to win a championship; no matter what it takes. By attending and lending moral support (as well as an occasional helping hand), I not only continued to learn more about our cars, the competition and the Grand Am series, but was able to continue building trust and friendship among team members.
Trust between a race team and its drivers are crucial for success. Both the Team management and the crew have to trust that the driver will take care of the equipment and run a competitive race; and the driver must trust the crew to prepare the car to highest level of safety and performance. Such
Looking up the word "team" in the dictionary isn't going to help you understand what it truly means to be on one. For example, there is a lot more that goes into making APR Motorsport a successful team then what can be captured in print.
In past entries I have touched on the wealth of knowledge and talent behind APR Motorsport, but haven't really gone into detail about the individuals that comprise the effort. As a result, I'd like to introduce the "behind the scenes" people that enable me to get into the #191 APR Motorsport VW GTI and compete against some of the best driving talent in North America. The following list is one small way I can say, "thank you for all your hard work" and "this wouldn't be possible without you" to the unsung heroes of our team at APR Motorsport. Believe me, without a massive effort on behalf of everyone involved, no race team on the planet would be successful. No matter how good of a driver you are (or think you are). With that said- deep breath- here goes:
Team Owners, Bill Baas and Stephen Hooks, Crew Chief- Jeff Mishtawy, Strategist and setup connoisseur- TC Kline, Data extraordinaires- Jeremy Lucas and Greg Amy, Randy Lambert- Diagnostics Lead, Jeff Sorge, John Murphy and Doug Armstrong- Pit lane and equipment setup, Paul Devore- Car Chief #171, Wade Powell- Car Chief #181, Chas Gorton- Car Chief #191, Andrew Tucker- Tech #171, Gary Berecek- Tech #181, Kevin Pringle- Tech #191, Martin Whitehouse- Float man. Let's not forget our guys back at the APR home base in Auburn AL, Dave Robel- Machinist, Mike Turnpin- Engineer, Joel McKay- Calibration/ Engineer, Michael Miller- APR Tuning Production Manager, Johnny Petrina- APR Tuning Director of Operations, Keith Lucas- APR Tuning Director of Sales and Marketing and last but certainly NOT least, the entire Sales, Production and Engineering Departments. You guys all ROCK; thank you!! Without you this amazing team wouldn't be possible.
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