GTWC America Acura NSX GT3 Evo
- Matt McMurry
- Rodrigo Sales
- Michael Di Meo
- Ashton Harrison
- Mario Farnbacher
C360R Team Principals Ray Lee, Karl Thomson, a number of our crew members, and (of course) our championship drivers spent the weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. We were there for Grand-Am's year-end gala at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a really amazing facility that also houses some of NASCAR's corporate offices. Our #74 Honda Civic was on prominently featured outisde the building, which is pretty notable as it's the first time a sports car has been on display there.
The evening was special, as our drivers David Thilenius and Lawson Aschenbach were honored for winning the Street Tuner-class Driver's Championship. Driver Zach Lutz took third place in the Driver's standings, which means that Compass360 Racing has taken two of the three year-end podium spots two years in a row. That is a supremely impressive achievement, one that we don't think will be bested any time soon.
We were honored to have Lee Niffenegger from Honda Performance Development with us to receive the Manufacturer's Trophy. Also with us were C360R driver Kevin York and his son Evan, and up-and-coming star Andrew Novich, who will drive with us in 2011.
Thomson received the First and Third-place trophies in the Team's Championship on behalf of Ray and all the guys. Here's a copy of his speeches:
Team Owner, Third Place
"I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have the opportunity to stand here and accept an award that reflects the combined efforts of an entire team. I’m told I’m being given the rare chance to be at the podium twice, and I’ll try and make the most of that without being too pompous or self-aggrandizing. But, I am a driver, so we’ll see how that goes.
We’re here in celebration of a great year of racing. If we look at the North American motorsports landscape at the end of 2010, I think you’ll agree that one of the bright spots is our Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. We’ve had strong, very well-subscribed fields throughout the year and been part of ten fabulous race weekends.
We’ve got great manufacturer involvement. One of Honda’s top dogs from their HPD division is here as our guest. We’re excited to be the top-tier of their “grassroots motorsport” ladder, which we’re hoping will bring even more interest in our series and Honda from club racers at the regional and national level. Lee, we thank you so much for your support.
Which brings me to this third-place trophy. I think one of the best things about the Grand-Am paddock is the opportunity it presents to up-and-coming drivers. Guys and gals that have done well in their local pond and are looking to move up and become pro racers. There are a lot of drivers in Rolex and Continental that started out funding their own racing, and have used this series to demonstrate they’re capable of being paid professionals. That kind of opportunity is something I believe no other paddock offers, and is one of the things that makes Grand-Am truly different.
Compass360 is the marketing partner and advertising agency for the Mustang Challenge, and through my involvement in the series, I’ve had the chance to see some of the driving talent there. I was impressed with Zach Lutz in his rookie 2009 season, and offered him an opportunity to drive with Ryan Eversley in our #75 Honda.
Zach and Ryan both exceeded my expectations. The two of them were fighting for the championship the whole way, and I’m pleased to say we’re working to give Zach the chance to move into the “closing” role in 2011, where he’ll have to battle against his old co-driver in the closing stages. I have every confidence he’s up to the task.
To take third place against the competition in the Continental Tire series is a great achievement, and I have to say, Zach and Ryan, thank you for delivering all season long."
Team Owner, First Place
"Last year I was privileged to accept the award for our team’s first Street Tuner Championship. If you’d asked me then if we had a chance to win again in 2010, I would have said “it’s possible but unlikely”.
We’ve been at or close to the front in the last few years. We’ve won the Manufacturer’s title for Honda three out of the last four seasons, and our pilots were second in the Driver’s standings in ‘07 and ’08. All the pieces fell into place in 2009, and we won Driver (with my friend Christian Miller), Team and Manufacturer’s titles.
During last year’s off-season, rumor had it that Bimmerworld was going to move from World Challenge to Grand-Am and I took the opportunity to ring up James Clay to welcome him to our paddock. On reflection, if I’d know how competitive his squad would be, perhaps I’d have been a little less welcoming!
Seriously, we knew James, Seth and their team would arrive ready to win in Street Tuner. Our other regular competitors already bring great game to every event, which is why we see such amazing battles throughout the field. Thanks so much to the folks at Grand-Am and NASCAR that work to make this series a place where we want to compete and one that fans want to watch.
As I’m fond of saying, auto racing is a team sport. And we’ve proven year after year that we’ve got one of the best in the business. The first time I had the chance to speak, at the ’07 banquet, I had the privilege of announcing that my business partner, Ray Lee and I were opening a dedicated shop in Toronto that would operate our Grand-Am program. Our success since that time is a testament to Ray’s fanatical attention to detail, his uncompromising work ethic, his ability to attract top-caliber crew, and the tireless work of our guys, a few of whom are here tonight.
As you may have seen, our #74 Honda is parked at the entrance to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I’m told this is the first time a non-NASCAR vehicle has ever been on display here, and I must say, that’s quite an honor. And it wouldn’t have happened without David Thilenius and Lawson Aschenbach.
Dave’s been a friend of ours for many years, driving Hondas for other teams, and Lawson was one of the guys Ray and I were really worried about in the championship run last year. The two of them were absolutely magical right from the get-go, and they looked strong favorites to help Compass360 Racing take a second consecutive title. But then racing luck intervened and we had a few poor results which allowed Bill and Seth to catch up and then take the lead.
Going into the season finale at Miller, with a 19-point difference between first and us, I openly said I was satisfied with a second and third place finish in the year-end standings. Of course, it’s never over until it’s over and our crew was gunning for victory, even if we didn’t think we could win the championship.
And then, on lap two the racing luck changed, and it was Bimmerworld’s turn for a bad race. Honestly, given the performance they’d had all year, it was a totally unexpected turn of events. But it made – and I think we all agree – an absolutely epic finish to the Street Tuner battle. Thanks to the SPEED folks for turning our nail-biting, furious point calculations into eminently watchable TV.
To win our second straight championship tied with a team we admire, and to have it hinge on not first-place, not second-place, but third-place finishes, is akin to a story-book ending.
David and Lawson, congratulations. Thank you for making this season so exciting. I’m looking forward to doing it again next year, but for now, it’s time to celebrate!
Thank you."