Patrick Lindsey Racing

Wet and Wild in Miami!

Patrick — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:35:23 +0000

Growing up in Southern California was “awesome”. The weather was one of the many things that made it great, and oddly enough, I never really knew how good I had it until I moved to Manhattan to start my career in finance. I arrived in New York in mid March and I’ll never forget staring out the window of the office watching snowflakes fall, realizing I didn’t own a real jacket. What does that have to do with racing? Well I started my racing career on the west coast and always enjoyed sunny days at the race track. February in the desert was the only time we had to worry about weather and that was because it was just cold. Only one time can I recall racing in the rain in SoCal and that was my first actual club race at California Speedway. I tip toed around as I was more worried about getting past my provisional licensing period than I was about finishing order. Other times, either in Northern California or on the occasional pro visit to Ohio, did I ever have to don the treaded tires and skate around the racetrack.

Going into Homestead Miami Speedway for the third round of the Rolex Sports Car Series last week, the weather man said we’d have thundershowers to deal with over the weekend. I had been in this situation before and somehow always lucked out with a dry racing surface when race day rolled around. This time, however, it appeared as though my luck was about to change. My co-driver, Eric Foss, was oddly optimistic about the chance of rain and seemed almost as if he were looking forward to it. He taught at the Panoz School at Sebring though, and I believe they spent more time teaching under umbrellas than they did the clear blue sky. It had been a while since I had taken any rain laps, and as it so happened, the last time I saw the wet was a World Challenge qualifying session in which I went into the tires at 100 miles an hour. I am normally a confident competitor, but my confidence was certainly dull in comparison to my co-driver. I would say Eric is the exception to the rule when it comes to a driver’s feelings about rain.

The week was going rather well and we had anticipated as much. The Horton Autosport team had a chance to develop and prepare our Neo Synthetic Porsche GT3 for the Homestead race and it showed. Eric was right at the top of the time sheets in practice, and I found myself quickly learning the partial oval road course and knocking off very quick times. There was little doubt that we would be in the mix for a top finishing position on Sunday; although first we would have to qualify, and as Saturday approached, so did the rain clouds.

For this particular race, the Horton Autosport team had the pleasure of staying in a vacation rental about 25 minutes north of the track, and as we got underway Saturday morning we had noticed that it had been raining overnight. Eric took some laps around a drying track and soon pitted as the rain was starting up again in earnest. While we waited for our Continental rain tires to be mounted, we chatted about the rain line. People might not realize, but when you race in the wet you drive a different line than in the dry. As cars take the most efficient line around a dry race track, variables like radius and camber in the road surface play an important role in determining where to place the car. The track surface gets worn smooth over the dry line in most cases, and if you drive over that part of the track when it is wet it can be very slick…something I didn’t learn in California.

As our qualifying session drew closer, there was talk that Grand Am would cancel the session due to rain; the idea being that you don’t want to put driver and equipment at risk if it isn’t necessary. As it turned out, our qualifying session would be canceled; however we were given a chance to use the time as a practice, which Eric and I did. As it turns out, I was pretty quick around the wet Homestead track and had a blast running the oval at 150mph plus in the wet. Our Porsche was again near the top of the time sheets and we returned to our vacation rental to relax and prepare for Sunday’s race. Part of that preparation was gathering everyone to sit down after dinner and watch Days of Thunder. Afterward we couldn’t wait to attack that oval!

To say it plainly, Sunday was just miserable. From the first step out the front door we were wet, and just when you thought you couldn’t get any more soaked, the skies would open up and dump even harder. I would start the race nearly last as the grid was set based on points, and unfortunately, we did not run the first race at Daytona. We were still very confident as both Eric and I had the speed to get our Porsche to the front. When the race began and we went green the rain was so heavy that the anti-fog on the windshield could not stop the condensation, and I spent the first twenty minutes of the race unable to see out of the center and left side of the windshield. It was so bad that I had to rely on my spotter to guide me around the oval and tell me where the cars around me were running. After a stop under yellow, the boys fixed the issue by rubbing soap on the inside of the windshield. This way I had a streaky view, but at least I had some view of where I was heading. It was surprisingly just as scary when I could finally see because cars were spinning constantly as they searched for grip on the rain soaked track. We moved from 18^th to 8^th before stopping to put Eric in the car with just over an hour remaining. Eric got adjusted to the conditions under yellow laps, and thanks to a great strategy by the boys at Horton Autosport, we were good on fuel to the end. The only hiccup in our plan proved to be the Grand Am officials who felt the conditions were too adverse to continue. The race was called after only 2 hours and we had to settle for 11^th with a car, driver and strategy that was no doubt worth much better. Sometimes the racing gods just don’t offer the rewards when they ought to. I believe in the one true Lord and He must get a good laugh when we curse the racing gods for our bad luck.

Horton Autosport continues to gain momentum in just our second race this year. We will go to New Jersey Motorsports Park for round 4 of the Rolex Sports Car series with the expectation of doing even better. Thanks for the continued support of our sponsors Neo Synthetic Oils and Carbotech Brakes, as well as the support from Porsche Motorsport North America, a vital part of our program. See you in Jersey!

We’re “Those Guys”

Patrick — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:00:01 +0000

More often than not, when someone I have recently met finds out that I drive race cars at a professional level I find myself receiving questions of intrigue and sometimes envy; especially from men. My brother-in-law and team principal, John Horton, is also met with similar responses in regards to his motorsports engineering career. I would be lying if I didn’t say it’s pretty awesome to have been blessed with the opportunity to drive some serious machinery at its limit just inches from another loose nut in a race car. Then there is the whole media and autograph thing that helps separate reality a little farther. I often hear people tell me “oh, I’d love to do that”!

Are you ready for the truth mister or miss aspiring race car driver? Take away the race day glamour and it can be a pretty miserable way to spend your time. Allow me to elaborate on just a few of the duties outside of driving I’ve gotten to experience. Like organizing and labeling a 53 foot race trailer which has to hold spare parts for two cars and thousands of individual pieces that make the whole show happen at the track. Cleaning tire boogers out of a hot metal wheel at a dusty track in the middle of summer. Being the team gofer and hunting down food or any item needed in the backwoods of America. And don’t forget the main attraction; the act of covering one’s body in multiple layers of non-breathable material then jumping into a 140 degree object that is loud enough to make your ears ring for hours and is capable of putting several times the force of gravity on your body. Sound like fun?

With that in mind, John Horton and I committed to fielding our 2012 Porsche GT3 Cup Car in Grand American Road Racing’s Rolex GT series. We have had success in other professional road racing series and decided it was time to step up and take the leap. Our 2012 Porsche arrived in our possession last November and immediately we had to rip off most of the bodywork and throw out the whole undercarriage to develop it for the Rolex series. Months later as the end product was drawing within sight we seemed to be missing a key component, the gearbox. Just as it was looking like we’d have to postpone our 2012 debut, Friday afternoon a FedEx truck delivered our shiny new gearbox. We had a lot of work to do in order for the trailer to leave by Saturday evening to make it to Barber Motorsport Park in Alabama on time. The work resumed, but we were running behind. Saturday 10pm we began the loading process. At 2am it started to rain. Somewhere around 4am after two hours of being soaked to the bone I lost the sensation in my limbs. At 6:30am I handed the trailer keys to the driver and went home praying that I didn’t have pneumonia.

Most teams wouldn’t dream of taking an untested car to a professional event. I’m not sure if that makes John and I daft or overconfident, neither one of which is good. We had been banking on the fact that the hard work we were putting in at the shop would give us a leg up despite our lack of track time. We have had our backs against the wall before and always seemed to pull through okay. Besides, Wednesday was a promoter test day, a shakedown in our case. Except due to tight paddock space the transporters took longer to park than originally planned. A starter issue which diagnosed later as a missing piece of the flywheel meant we missed our test day. Not a promising start to the event. Scratch that, this was not good. We would only have about an hour of track time before we’d have to qualify for a professional event with a brand new car.

I think I forgot to mention that Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama is one of the most technical tracks we will see all year. Oh, and I have never been there before. Not to worry though, my co-driver, Eric Foss spent the better part of 7 years teaching Porsche owners performance driving at Barber. He walked me around the track and tried to guesstimate were we’d be braking and turning in our race car which really doesn’t resemble the road going version. Eric was pretty spot on with the exception of the braking zones. Later I found some humor in the fact that he had shorted me a solid 50 feet. Thanks buddy.

Thursday was official practice and we had a car that started and ran and was somehow on all four wheels rolling freely. This was a good start. Eric was in the car for the first practice session and just minutes after taking to the track was back in the pits due to a shift linkage issue. In what seemed like hours, but was really only 10 minutes the boys resolved the issue and Eric began to set the track on fire with a blistering pace. We made some progress on the handling of the car and whether we were ready or not, would have to qualify and race what we had.

Turns out what we had was a good car and a very determined driver. Eric was on pole after the first several laps, backing it up after a short break in qualifying due to a car off track. Late in the qualifying session several cars snuck past us in the time sheets, but we remained fourth and the fastest of the Porsche’s. We were pleasantly surprised, but not nearly as much as the other teams. It’s a good feeling to surprise the folks who have been at it for a long time and a great way to introduce our team to the series.

The race was hit-and-miss for us with a great opening half hour in which Eric drove up to 3^rd before a stuck throttle put us in the pits. I jumped in the car with an hour to go and experienced the same issue which resulted in a 14^th place finish. We were disappointed with our finish, but knowing there are always teething issues with a new car and team, we left the track excited for our next race. April 29th we will be just outside of Miami at Homestead Speedway. Another venue I have never seen before, but Horton Autosport will carry plenty of confidence into Homestead. We will be prepared, tested and ready to do battle against the best in North America. SPEED channel will show the race live that Sunday so be sure to tune in!

Yes, sometimes being a race car driver is not very glamorous; actually most of the time. Yet when you are rewarded with a great result and can see the fruits of your labor it is definitely worth it. That is why I am writing this from a Best Western in Cresson, Texas where we have just finished a short test at Motorsport Ranch. Horton Autosport is always striving to be at the sharp end of the field and we expect no less in our future races. I’d like to thank Neo Synthetic Oils for their support of our work to be the best. Porsche Motorsport in Santa Ana has also been crucial to our success as we could not make it to the track without their support. And finally, Carbotech brake pads gave us that extra edge at Barber and we plan on stretching that advantage in races to come.

2011

Patrick — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:07:51 +0000

2011 was a year that showed why determination and strength of character are two commodities that one must bring to the fight in order to be a success in racing. Upon accepting an offer to drive for CRP Racing in their brand new #12 Hawk Performance Corvette it was clear that there would be very little time to test prior to the start of the season. After several early DNF’s there seemed to be a cloud over the team, but just like when pressure turns molecules into solid properties so it turned our team into a fantastic force on the race track. The #12 Hawk Performance Corvette was a staple on the front row and in the top five throughout the second half of the season, finishing second at Mid Ohio and sharing the podium with teammate Mike Skeen to celebrate his win at Laguna Seca. Another great milestone was my first start in the Grand Am Rolex GT series in the Traxxas Porsche GT3 fielded by Horton Autosport. With 20 minutes of testing prior to our first event at Watkins Glen I qualified our Traxxas Porsche in 11th and finished 13th with teammate Eric Foss.

2010

Patrick — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:48:13 +0000

2010 Was an amazing year as 9 starts in the World Challenge Grant Touring series resulted in 7 top five finishes, two of which came with a trip to the podium. Making the jump into the Porsche GT3 Cup Car was difficult, but in the very first race of the season fellow competitors were put on notice with an impressive 4th place finish. Later in the season another fourth place finish would result in earning the MTM Speacial Ops “move of the race” for a pass on racing legend Andy Pilgrim.

2011 World Challenge Summer Break

Patrick — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:58:50 +0000

Summer is here and that means afternoons by the pool, hamburgers, watermelon, fireworks and racing. However, those of us who run in the Pirelli World Challenge series aren’t racing at the moment. For the first time in forever we have a big summer break in our season which means we get to be lazy and spend our time by the pool or beach! Well, not really. Racing in a professional road racing series like World Challenge means that when you do get a break, it ultimately means more work. It’s time to test, redesign, rebuild and for our CRP Corvettes a little touch up paint and a nice detail.
I got to see my #12 Hawk Performance Corvette last weekend as we were doing some testing at a vintage event and the car looked better than ever. The spectators at the event agreed too and we got hundreds of compliments on not only the look, but the sound! There was some pretty nice hardware that showed up for the vintage weekend. I was surprised to see two Audi R8 prototypes, an LMP2 car which was driven very well and a big group of Trans Am cars which were great fun to race with. It was refreshing for Mike, myself and the rest of the CRP team to be at the race track with very little stress or obligation. We got to see and relish in the enjoyment people were getting out of what we do and it was a great reward for us. It was also fun watching Dave Roberts, the CEO of Carlisle, take the Hawk Corvette around the track. He may be one of the biggest car nuts I’ve ever met and his enthusiasm for driving is contagious. I left our test weekend smiling and with a great feeling about the second half of the season. Watch out GT field!
Although my team has been busy working on the cars, I did manage to sneak in some play time in California. I jet skied over to Catalina where I spent the Father’s Day weekend with the family. I also played golf with dad and last month I passed my check ride for my pilot’s license. It’s not as fun as racing against the best in North America, but I am still enjoying my summer.
One other thing I managed to do away from the track was see a movie. I know, not that exciting, but this wasn’t just any movie. I had been scouring theaters and box offices to find a showing of one special film: “Senna”, the documentary of Ayrton Senna, the three-time Formula 1 champion from Brazil. I saw a showing in New York at a small independent theater and was totally blown away. The passion and emotion with which Senna had for life is really best shown by his actions on the race track. God blessed Ayrton with talents that are just not comprehendible to me even as a racing driver. The things he did in that race car would seem impossible yet somehow he made it happen. Besides being a fantastic driver, Ayrton was a philanthropist in his home country of Brazil. When thinking of his life I find myself challenged to be a better driver and a better person. There is always room for improvement.
So I hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as I am. I love the Facebook posts of my fellow racers swimming, hiking, biking and of course testing. You guys and gals be careful out there because we are back on track at Mid Ohio August 5th… I’m counting the days! Our CRP Corvettes will be strong, but I am expecting our competitors have been just as busy on our little break. The second half of the World Challenge season will be a great one; points battles are heated in every class and the remaining races take place at some fantastic tracks. You will not want to miss even one race!
To my fellow World Challenge racers, crew and officials and to the best fans in motorsport have a happy and blessed Fourth of July and see you in August!

May 2011 Victoria Day Speedfest at Mosport

Patrick — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:00:13 +0000

I was less than thrilled Wednesday evening as I sat in a gloomy La Guardia airport waiting for my American Eagle flight to Toronto. Not the beginning I wanted to the 5th and 6th rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge Series or “Sports Car Wars” as we call it. Rain storms had delayed anything that was flying that day and I had a long time to reflect on how I would try to tame the wild rollercoaster known as Mosport Raceway. The blind crests and unforgiving walls that line high speed corners are enough to chill the spines of the most veteran race drivers. Fortunately my teammate, Michael Skeen, and I are young and confident enough not to worry about little things like that.
My CRP team had worked nonstop to give our Corvettes the reliability we’d need for the Mosport double header weekend. In Utah we had suffered from differential issues in both Mike’s Cragar Wheels Corvette and my Hawk Performance Corvette. The extra adhesion of the amazing Pirelli tires we run has caused added stress on our driveline. Nick Short and the CRP team were on top of things and had completely redeveloped and rebuilt our differential and driveline package. I was excited!
That excitement would be fairly short lived as I finally arrived at a very damp Toronto airport. Scattered showers were forecast for the Victoria Day Speedfest weekend, but I had hoped for better weather since Mosport is treacherous enough in the dry. Thursday morning’s test session was fairly damp, but the track soon dried and the sun came out… not that the improved weather did us much good. A fuel issue had parked our CRP Corvettes along with many other cars in the field. Contamination of our Sunoco fuel had caused a shortage and left us dry until mid-day Friday. So with the down time Thursday my team took the opportunity to change the motor in my #12 Hawk Performance Corvette and I, as a team player, promptly left the track to go eat and see Fast Five (which did nothing to inspire my driving).
Friday was a beautiful day in the Great White North and Mike and I were first and second quickest in practice. The new engine in my Corvette was a monster! One thing Mike and I noticed about our track time was the increased closing speeds on the GTS and Touring Car fields. Our Corvettes make fantastic downforce which means we get into and out of corners much quicker than the other classes of cars in the series. We put a lot of trust in each other when we’re running around the track at 160mph and it is a tribute to the drivers of World Challenge that we can all cooperate and share the track safely.
Saturday’s qualifying saw Mike on pole with my #12 Vette joining him on the front row. It was a nice birthday present for Jenny Short, team owner Nick’s wife. Two Cadillac’s qualified right behind us and made it a GM sweep of the first two rows in GT. Paul Brown, Ben Crosland and Eric Foss used their big Ford V8’s to qualify 1-2-3 in GTS and Toronto native Aaron Povoledo gave Volvo the pole in Touring Car.
The amazing Canadian fans made our World Challenge “March to the Grid” a great success as they joined us on the front straight prior to the race. I enjoyed chatting with Vette owners and other race fans who always seem to be attracted to the Hawk Performance Corvette. I also noticed a lot of buzz around the two Cadillac’s since there were a host of GM exec’s and VIP’s at the track.
I really enjoyed strapping into my car with a clear view in front of me, a true benefit of qualifying on the front row. Fortunately the CRP team had done some work with our launch control and both Mike and I had very good starts. Johnny O’Connell and James Sofronas, however, had great starts! Johnny made it around me and nearly got Mike into turn 1. I had trouble getting back around Johnny as he is an ace, but I finally wised up and patiently got a good run onto the back straight; using the big wake left by the Cadillac, I pulled alongside and past Johnny into turn 8. On a side note, I may have made it around Johnny on the race track, but there is no passing that man on the streets. I noticed Johnny O. hauling the mail Saturday morning on my way to the track. His CTS-V street car is a serious machine. Mike and I ran 1-2 in the race for a while until the engine in my Hawk Performance car expired in spectacular fashion on the front straight going into turn 1. Almost as if it was waiting until I was right in front of the Corvette coral to give up. Talk about a letdown… a really nice Canadian fan offered me a water as I climbed over the wall. I thanked him and declined, but thought later I should have taken a page out of Charles Espenlaub’s book and asked him for a beer. Mike marched on to win his first of the season in his Cragar Wheels Corvette. Way to go!
Ben Crosland won his first World Challenge race in GTS with my buddy Eric Foss finishing hot on his heels. I had a chance to watch the finish after trekking back to the pits and it was definitely worth seeing. Those guys battled till the end, pleasing the fans with some great driving.
“Awesome” Lawson Aschenbach somehow got past the two Canadian’s, Povoledo and Rapone, on the same lap to win in Touring Car. I can’t wait to watch the coverage on that one!
I was pretty down after the race, but very excited for my teammate. He drove flawlessly and deserved his win. I went back to the hotel to do some laundry while the CRP team put the old motor back in the #12 Corvette. It took me a while to figure out what a loonie is (Canadian dollar), but I eventually got my driving suit clean.
Sunday’s qualifying was fairly similar to the previous day’s results, however, the old motor in my Hawk Corvette wasn’t quite up to the task and I had to push hard to qualify a mediocre 8th. Mike once again sat on pole in GT while Patrick Long nabbed the 2nd spot. In GTS youngster Ben Crosland was quickest and again Aaron Povoledo put his Volvo in front of the Touring Car field.
The weather threatened right before the start of Sunday’s race. As my buddy, Ethan visited me on the starting grid, the intermittent rain showers subsided and the track started to dry. Ethan is a very cool kid I met at Mosport the year before and we instantly bonded. He may be my biggest fan (or only fan) and I definitely didn’t want to disappoint him so I tried to figure out how I was going to drive from 8th to the front.
While my drive to the front wasn’t going well during the race, I did have a blast racing with my old teammate Rob Morgan who drives the Truspeed Entrust Porsche. Rob slid past me when I passed the Volvo S60 of Alex Figge, which looks amazing with the new bodywork. Rob made a great move entering turn 1 and I had to work hard to get my spot back. I tried Rob a few times into 8, but didn’t quite have enough of a run on him. Then I finally kept with Rob’s Porsche out of turn 5 onto the back straight – Rob ran defensive against the inside of the track, but not defensive enough. There was almost a full car width to be had to the inside and I went for it, putting a couple wheels in the grass in the process. We drove clean through 8 and I squeaked past Rob entering turn 9. Thanks for a good run, Rob, nice driving. And note to self, two wheels in the grass at 150+ is not well advised (VIDEO BELOW!).
Mike Skeen made it a clean sweep of the weekend as he took home top honors on Sunday too. Way to go Mike and everyone at CRP! It was a nice birthday present for CRP owner Nick Short, who celebrated the day after wife Jenny. Cadillac had a great weekend in front of many supporters and they have enforced their position as top contenders in GT.
Long time series veteran Paul Brown won in GTS and again “Awesome” Lawson Aschenbach took the top step in Touring Car.
Canada again treated us to a great event. I want to thank all the fans who came out to Mosport Raceway, we were truly honored to race in front of such a fantastic crowd. Thanks to Dan Lacy for a great chapel service on Saturday, Road Race Ministries is a true asset to the World Challenge family. Also, thanks to Carlisle Companies and Hawk Performance for their support of the #2 and #12 CRP Corvettes. And finally thanks to the great folks of the Corvette Coral, I enjoyed meeting all of you and sorry for the smoke show on Saturday.
I’m really looking forward to our next event at Mid Ohio. The World Challenge teams will be hard at work over the next two months to develop and fine tune these amazing machines. Hope to see you there!

You Better Take A Jacket

Patrick — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:48:51 +0000

So I’m catching up from a busy year… here is a writeup before we hit the track in Utah.

The 2011 season is flying by and already we’re packing our bags for Utah, the third stop in our Pirelli World Challenge season. A lot has changed for the 2011 season, but the competition is better than ever and field is growing larger at every event! There is no doubt World Challenge offers a great show for spectators, but it’s a great place to be as a competitor as well. Sprint racing with the best talent in North America is quite a thrill!
A lot has changed for me as well this season as I left the seat of a Porsche for that of a fire-breathing Corvette. My new team, CRP Racing, fields two corvettes in the GT class; the #2 Cragar/Carlisle Companies car driven by my teammate Mike Skeen and my car, the #12 Hawk Performance Corvette. Mike made his World Challenge debut with a win last year at Mid Ohio and has been at the top of the timing charts at every race this year. When he wins Le Mans in a couple years and I am sitting on my couch, I’ll feel really proud that we used to race together! It has taken me a little longer to warm up to my Corvette which was basically a shell the first time I saw it in January. The CRP team worked tirelessly to prepare it for the St. Petersburg race and we were pleasantly rewarded with a top ten finish.
The upcoming race in Utah at the Larry H. Miller race track (Miller Motorsports Park) is one a lot of drivers look forward to. The beautiful Tooele, Utah facility was a project of passion for the late Miller who was an avid race fan and car nut. Miller even chartered a Mustang driving academy which has been the jumping off point of many young talents competing in motorsport today. Our very own Ben Crosland cut his teeth racing mustangs at Miller Motorsports Park. I look forward to heading to Utah because it gives me a chance to play some golf in Park City, but that won’t be in the cards this coming weekend as the weather is forecast to be very chilly; maybe even some snowflakes on Friday. Too bad because I was hoping my buddy Nick Esayian would be available so I could make a quick buck on the links. I guess maybe we can hit the slopes instead? I knew I loved Utah!
The track itself at the Miller Motorsports Park is absolutely beautiful. When it was first built there were many naysayers commenting on how bland it was, but they obviously had never driven it before. The layout is spectacular and extremely challenging for drivers. The track rewards a properly setup car like none other we visit in the year. The big mistake I often see of teams coming to Miller is that they like to setup the cars as if it were a horsepower track. The long long long front straight consumes the thoughts of crew chiefs and blinds them from the secret of Miller – it’s a momentum track. That’s not to say I’m not a little excited about letting my CRD-powered Corvette stretch its legs on that LONG straight!
Miller Motorsports Park is one of very few facilities in the world that was built to FIA standards and capable of hosting a Formula 1 race. So needless to say the racing surface is immaculate and the curbs, burms and gators are also inviting and useful. When I ran the touring car race there in 2008 there was no curb untouched and even the reflectors through the section of track called the attitudes fell victim to the splitters of Kuno and Pierre in the RealTime Acuras. I got spun exiting turn 6 by Michael Galati (apparently the saucy Italian didn’t like the nudge I gave him entering the corner) and so I had to drive back through the field to finish 10th. I encourage spectators to watch those touring cars battle it out, I’m actually sorry I won’t be able to watch until after.
In the GT class the Porsche’s have been dominant and I don’t expect that to change much for this weekend. Like I said, it’s a momentum track and those nimble cars are good at carrying speed through the corners. No doubt my teammate will be up there in the fray and we’ll have to see if Cadillac turns those bad CTS-V’s loose. I expect to see Jason Daskalos in his Viper up there as well; I was really delighted he was on the podium in Long Beach.
The GTS class will be a battle royale as PD looks to defend last year’s win in his Acura. The mustangs have shown a lot of muscle though and driver Paul Brown is certainly talented enough to hustle his Boss Mustang through those high-speed corners. I would also keep my eye on Eric Foss whose touring car background will come in handy this weekend.
Touring car will be an amazing race and I have to say I’m looking for my buddy Chip Herr to pull one out of his hat. He’s in a momentum car on a momentum track, look out!
Fun Times in Utah… I can’t wait for this weekend, hope to see everyone there!

#12 Hawk Performance/CRP Racing Corvette

Patrick — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:37:27 +0000

as posted on the World Challenge Website

Patrick Lindsey made his World Challenge Touring Car debut at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2007. After two years in Touring Car, 2010 found Lindsey run a successful partial season in World Challenge Grand Touring, starting nine races and finishing in the top five 7 times, with two podiums. Lindsey also received the MTM Special Ops Watch “Move of the Race” at the Toronto Grand Prix.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the #12 Hawk Performance/CRP Racing Corvette,” says Lindsey. “I was impressed by CRP’s success last year and I am confident we will build on that success in 2011. Hawk is a motorsports icon. I look forward to the chance to represent Hawk on the track, showcasing how their outstanding product can inspire confidence in every corner.” Regarding his new teammate, Mike Skeen, Lindsey says, “I was really impressed with Mike’s drive at Mid-Ohio last year, as was everyone. There is no doubt that we will help push each other to get to the podium. I just hope we have enough quarters for the laundry…champagne is tough to clean!”

CRP Racing owner, Nick Short, believes Patrick is the perfect fit to complete the team. “We’re thrilled to have Patrick on the team. He’s young, fast and passionate about racing,” says Short. “I think the pairing we have chosen is two of the best up and coming drivers out there today.

Hawk Performance will be the primary sponsor for the No. “12” Corvette. David Roberts, Chairman, President and CEO of Carlisle Companies, Inc., who acquired Hawk Performance Braking products in 2010, said, “Patrick Lindsey validated himself as one of the premier drivers in World Challenge last year and we wanted him in the Hawk Vette for the 2011 World Challenge season, so needless to say, we are pleased that he has agreed to drive for us this year. The CRP Racing/Carlisle Team will be a force in 2011 with Patrick in the Hawk Corvette and Mike Skeen in the Cragar Corvette. Both the Hawk and Cragar cars will be equipped with Hawk Performance brake pads and the latest Cragar racing wheels in 2011. Hawk pads have been the choice of World Challenge champions for 6 consecutive seasons and 12 of the last 14 years. Hawk Performance brake pads continue to be the #1 used brake pad in all of SCCA and we will continue our R&D efforts, in the test lab and on the track, to continue that tradition of success.”

The team invites fans to stop by the transporter at all World Challenge races to meet Patrick, Mike and the crew and to check out the Cragar & Hawk Corvettes.

Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing and managed by WC Vision, the World Challenge Championship will offer three categories this year – GT, GTS and Touring Car. The series will feature 12 races at eight different venues, beginning with the doubleheader weekend at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 25-27.

Patrick Lindsey Mid-Ohio 2010 Video

Patrick — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:41:57 +0000

Here we are about half way through the exciting 2010 season with our next entry in our video journal. I hope you enjoy it! Hit play below.

Patrick Lindsey racing from Patrick Lindsey on Vimeo.

Team Horton Prepares For VIR

Patrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:53:07 +0000

With the VIR race nearly here, I flew out to Ohio over the Labor Day weekend to help crew chief, John Horton, get our #57 Porsche GT3 ready for the challenging task ahead.

The weather was beautiful, our host, John Wright of Wright Motorsports, was terrific and gracious enough to lend us the use of his amazing facility and of course the Cincinnati food was fantastic!

Saturday morning John Wright gave me a tour of his facility and I was very impressed with the history and accomplishments that were represented in the hardware parked on the shop floor and of course displayed on the walls. After two and a half days of wrenching on the car and detailing those beautiful Porsche lines, we felt ready to load her on the trailer for VIR. I flew back to NYC for a couple days of work and training in the gym and left John to sort out the nitty gritty details. Now in a few hours I’ll meet up with the Truspeed / Horton Autosport team in Virginia and we’ll start our quest to dominate the twists and turns of the beautiful VIR racetrack for rounds 10 and 11 of the World Challenge season. Wish us luck!