The dynamic duo of Dirk and Dom behind the wheel of Dowe's Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 has been a threat at every round this year. They've claimed half of the races so far in 2008. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
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Batting .500
Tafel Racing has gone from being a secondary player in the ALMS GT2 category in 2007 to a team that’s batting .500 in 2008, having won three of the six rounds to far. I sat down with technical director, team manager, and co-owner Tony Dowe and lead driver Dirk Müller to find out just how this been accomplished.
Dowe was quick to point out the team’s brief tenure in the ALMS shouldn’t be confused for a lack of racing experience. “I think people have forgotten that we have been around for some time. We finished second in the Grand-Am championship in 2006 and had five wins. Just because you’re not in the right place at the right time doesn’t mean you’re not a good team, it just means that you’re not in the right place at the right time! Same for the crew and drivers. It requires that people ‘keep the faith.’”
Part of Dowe’s master plan in the formulation of his Tafel Racing team has come from hiring crew members that hail from top teams in the world’s most prestigious racing series. Ex-F1 personnel comprise a number of Dowe’s trusted staff, and he’s also brought back many people he’s worked with over many decades in the sport.
“Well, it means that we don’t have to train people to work in the way we want things done. In effect, they are working below their ability level because they already know what is expected; not having to overreach because they are inexperienced, if that makes sense!”
It’s allowed the luxury of developing speed and success rather than mentoring inexperienced technicians. “Yes, I would not have asked them to join us if we did not have a long standing relationship and knew we all worked well together. It’s the ‘English Mafia’ at work!” he said with a laugh.
Just as Dowe’s crafted a team of familiar crew members, his long-standing relationship with Dirk Müller has been vital in turning the team into a championship contender. Müller’s already won a GT2 title with Dowe at the helm. “In my championship-winning year, 2000, I had Tony [Dowe] and [Tafel team member] Dave [Fullerton] with me on the team, so there is no big difference. Yes, the structure is a bit different and the data guys plus the mechanics are different. But the professional way of how the team works is something I really like and what I am used to. The very familiar way we work together at Tafel Racing is another reason why we are so successful.”
Porsche was Tafel’s choice of car in 2007, and Müller’s made a carrier out of winning in Porsches, but with the transition to the Ferrari F430 for Dirk last season at Peterson/White Lightning and Tafel’s transition to the car for 2008, Müller’s brought valuable experience with the Italian chassis to shorten Tafel’s learning curve this season.
“First of all I am very proud that Porsche gave me the opportunity to take part in their education program; still today I am using these basics. Obviously, with all the success with them and for sure with BMW, I got a lot of experience which I can use to develop the Ferrari F430. Dom [Farnbacher] got a couple of years as well on the Porsche, so we know where they are good and where we are better. That is always a big help. We get a lot of support from Ferrari and Tony knows exactly how to use it, that is why we are able to fight for the championship.”
What Dowe found lacking in manufacturer support last year has been vastly improved with the makers of his 2008 entry. “One of the attractions of the Ferrari program was that we were going to have the same access to the same things as Risi, or any other Ferrari team. Unlike the previous year where we were a Porsche ‘factory’ team and then found out later we were not getting the same as the other factory team. We now have the confidence that we are treated exactly the same as all the Ferrari teams. That’s great; all you can ask for. Working with Ferrari/Michelotto has been a breath of fresh air. They are real racers; they are very passionate about their racing and are great to be around. I can ring Cristiano [Michelotto]
at 1:00am, his time in Italy, and he answers, and the same for me, so that’s how it works.”
If Dowe’s influence on the team’s results this year has been concentrated in any one area, it’s been in race strategy. For a man that’s run everything from the TWR-Jaguar IMSA GTP team to the Ligier F1 program, Dowe’s been through more tactical choices in racing than anyone in the ALMS paddock.
Dirk prepares a smooch for Tony Dowe after winning the last ALMS round at Mid-Ohio. (Photo: Courtesy of Tafel Racing)
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“I suppose the truth is somewhat in between. We have a lot of good data people that crunch numbers for fuel strategy - Mike Menapace and Scott Besst - we have great tire guys in Kenny Szymanski and Andrew Simrell from Michelin, so they all contribute. The pit guys know that if we make a call, then it’s down to them to finish the job.
“Last year, Wolf Henzler was always banging on about how we needed a specific strategy guy. I always felt that you only need a strategy guy when you have all of the parts of the puzzle brought together. He may be right for his mental approach but I happen to think that with our team and drivers, our way is what works best for us. This year we have most of the bits brought together.
“Race strategy is an inexact art so sometimes you just have to follow what you think is right. Long Beach was well planned; Mid-Ohio was shoot from the hip! We don’t always beat the factory guys on strategy but, when under pressure, they have the same chance of getting it wrong as we do!”
Dowe’s also quick to note that no matter how good their race strategy might be on the average weekend, the two drivers he has driving the #71 car are the ones to make the team’s hard work pay off.
“Without them everything would not have happened… fact! They are the end result of everything. What is nice is that they don’t have agendas that are different from the teams; they are part of the team.
“Dominik has been a long term situation. We signed him back when he was still very new to ALMS racing, so I’m obviously very pleased that he has stuck with us and prospered. Clearly he has a difficult situation with his father running against us, but he’s his own person and handles it well.
“As Dirk said, he and I go back to our Dick Barbour days in 2000, so when he came along and drove for us in 2007 at Daytona we agreed to keep in touch. So again, I’m very happy that we have his experience to add to Dom’s youth. It works very well.”
Müller was happy to join in sharing the mutual admiration between each other. “His ton of experience and the way he really wants the success makes Tony so strong. There is not a single area where Tony likes to lose a bit of performance. Only a 100% work makes him satisfied. He is also looking into the near future which I believe makes things much easier. He created the manpower around him to be perfect together and his really calm behavior makes it very nice working with him. There is not a single incident which brings him into an uncontrolled situation. That is vey impressive.”
The final question I posed to dirk and tony was a simple one: ‘What do you have to do for the remainder of 2008 to win the GT2 championship?’ Dirk was the first to answer. “Having won a couple of championships in my career I know the approach how to get there. This means you have to finish every race without winning every weekend. This sounds very simple but it is not so. As a driver you like to win every time you are out. To know when to back-off is very difficult. I like to support the team as much as possible, so does everybody, and with that we like to fight very strong to the end.”
In his familiar direct manner, Tony Dowe’s response was all of two words. “Work Harder!”
Müller claimed Tafel Racing’s first pole position today, and if all goes according to Tony and Dirk’s plans, another strong finish at Elkhart Lake will help them in their quest to add a second championship to the one they claimed together in 2000. Dowe’s old age and treachery is hard to match in the GT2 paddock…
Questions? Comments?
