March 20, 2002

Sebring: A Run with the Big Dogs.

Wow, what a weekend. From driving a 750hp Prototype car for the first time, to riding in one of only three B-17 bombers still flying in the world, Chad had an exciting weekend.

Leading into the weekend Chad was a little skeptical about his first time in a LMP900 car but was calm and collected as always...he had this to say at the beginning of the weekend..

"I can't even describe my emotions right now. The past two months have brought me the opportunities to come from an aspiring racer, to a real prototype driver. I couldn't ask for much more. I am a little nervous about the Panoz, but I'm sure it will be fine. I need to thank Gestetner for making this happen for me, their support has been unbelievable, and I love representing them. I also need to thank Wayne Jackson and 962.com, and Kevin Jeannette of Gunnar Racing for making this happen, these guys are truly first class and I look forward to a fun-filled week."

After the test sessions Chad was on pace turning identical times to his teammates, which was impressive considering he had never driven a full size ALMS prototype before. The car is twice the horsepower than that of the car he drove for Archangel at the Rolex 24 just over a month ago. The 6.0 Liter front engined Panoz LMP-01 produces the most power of any car in the ALMS field, but the team struggled with the Goodyear tires they were using. The car is designed for Michelins, but they will only supply factory teams. Regardless Chad picked up the car quickly.

"I really need to thank Mark Shoman, our lead engineer, for making me immediately comfortable. He used to be with the Dyson team, which made me immediately know he was top-notch, and after every debrief it was obvious. I tried not to make any mistakes and bring back feed-back to help move us forward, and I think we gelled very well right away."

The car qualified 14th overall, but fell out about 6 hours into the race after terminal brake problems, the same which sidelines the Doran Dallara/Judd Entry.

"I think a new type of Carbon rotor was used,and it didnt seem to hold up to the heat cycling of this layout. We were cracking rotors, and none of us wanted to risk crashing the car so we parked it, it was a little dissapointing, but hey I drove in the 50th anniversary Sebring 12 hour, you can't beat that. Had I not gotten to ride in that awesome B-17 bomber brought by the Collings Foundation, it would have been more dissapointing."

When Chad was asked about the most fun parts of the race he went on to say:

" Every minute was great, especially for the 5-6 laps when I battled with Chris Dyson of Dyson racing. I have known Chris since we both started racing a few years back, and it was fun to get to dice with a Dyson. Other fun moments were everytime I got to mash the throttle, horsepower is just entertaining."

In closing Chad was asked what he will be doing the rest of the season, and he had this to say...

"I was informed that a top-notch championship winning Prototype team may be interested in me. I think we are proving that I have a lot to learn, but that I am willing to do whatever it takes to do so. I just want to learn with the best, so I will do whatever I can to get there. Otherwise I am still in consideration for a 675 team, and would love to be able to join Knighthawk and Archangel's MG effort. We have been discussing the idea for sometime, and I believe we are the perfect fit for each other. If everything continues as it has been, I think more great things will come, I will certainly keep everyone posted. Again, I need to thank Gestetner for making these most recent opportunities achievable, I hope it all continues."

(note: Mini-Champs will be producing the #00 Jackson/Gunnar/Gestetner Panoz in the near future, we will post when the cars are available)