Blog

Autumn Update

By Steve Ulfelder Oct 23, 2014

As summer gives way to autumn, we’ve been staying busy with builds, track weekends, and big plans that must for now, alas, remain under wraps.

Sept. 19 and 20 found us in Connecticut for a Lime Rock Drivers Club event. Two renters were hotshoes who spend most of their time racing Skip Barber open-wheel cars; we were honored to introduce them to fenders! Pat Daly and Leland Englebardt had a ball and took several podium finishes. Returning renter Jeff Stern also had an excellent weekend.

We headed to Watkins Glen Oct. 3-5 for one of the year’s best events: Last Chance Weekend, which features an SCCA driving school and Regional racing and a Pro-IT and a 4-hour enduro. There was much great racing, but the headline is that Flatout client Amy Mills, who’d suffered a hard wreck just six months earlier at Road Atlanta, won the competitive STL race in her Miata! Amy was flying all weekend, as were Whit Gregg and company president Nick Leverone, who ran our number 91 Spec Miata and walked the field in Pro-IT. Mark Anthony rented for the school and a pair of races, and did great. So did Paul Schulman, who drove in the school. John Kuitwaard ran Regionals, then teamed with John Wechsler for the enduro – and they brought home a third-place finish! Just ahead were Gregg and Mills in second.

As if that weren’t enough for one weekend, we also sent a crew to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where Keith Knickerbocker and old chum Joe Stadelmann rented Miatas (Joe chose number 37, our ITS rental, which has been rented a lot this season as folks come to understand its potential).

Oct. 17-19 we visited New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Thunder circuit, where Whit Gregg was speedy again in both the SM and STL classes. Leverone ran a couple of our cars for testing purposes, taking a second in SM and a win in STL. He passed number 37 to longtime client and hotshoe Eric Thompson, who proceeded to win everything in sight. (We’re telling you, this car is fast!) Phil Danza double-dipped in Spec Miata and STL, and he too had an excellent weekend.

In addition to Leverone, crew hands Adam Desrosiers, Rob Newton, Seamus Erskine, Evan Consolazio, and Andrew Burke pitched in – thanks, gents!

Now we’re prepping four cars for a 13-hour enduro at Virginia International Raceway; looking forward to swinging south for our winter series; and readying for that top-secret news we can’t yet share!

Welcome Olivia!

By Steve Ulfelder Sep 28, 2014

How’s that for a happy family? Jody and Nick with Olivia at her Watkins Glen debut!

Ladies and gents, we present the 2034 F1 champion! Olivia was born to Jody Fisher Leverone and Flatout prez Nick Leverone on August 28. Within a couple of weeks, she was riding in our hauler to Watkins Glen for a race weekend. Start ’em young!

We were busy even before the blessed event. August 8-10 found us handling a split weekend. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, renter Tom Mariano ran our number 91 Spec Miata with crew help from Nick (who was staying close to home for obvious reasons). Tom has really been upping his game lately, and he drove well. Moreover, this was the annual Racing Against Leukemia weekend. Flatout kicked in a substantial donation as racers put together more than $4000 to see veteran racer and volunteer Dick Patullo shave his beard and his head. ‘Twas money well spent, and of course it went to a great cause!

Meanwhile at Pocono International Raceway, Steve Tullman, Max Tullman, Jim Walker, and Eric Thompson (who had a great weekend) raced hard at the high-speed track.

The following weekend, a Flatout cast of thousands hit New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Thunderbolt course for SCCA Regional racing and a Pro-IT battle. The Tullmans returned, as did Jim Walker and Neal Walker. Hotshoe Jon Farbmanshowed up to pilot his stunning rotary-powered STL Miata, and he was joined by other beloved clients: Keith Hammitte, Amy Mills, and Whitfield Gregg. John Raudat ran with us for the first time and made a grand entrance, suffering a high-speed hub failure in his first session! (John bounced back with an excellent weekend.) Finally, Phil Danza rented our ITS ’99 Miata, which is getting more and more rental attention as people understand this car’s potential.

A mere three days after his daughter was born, Leverone was at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, racing the ITS Miata in a Pro-IT event. Forced to start at the rear, Big Daddy ended up in second. the next day, after starting up front where he belonged, Nick comfortably won.

Sept. 5-7 pulled us north to NHMS again, where Tom Mariano continued his march toward the front. The next weekend marked Olivia’s at-track debut at Watkins Glen. Farbman blew people’s minds, effortlessly testing in the 2:11s (!). Old friendBob Varca, feeling racy, had excellent battles all weekend. Amy and Whit were back, with Amy scoring a podium finish in the hyper-competitive SM class. Eric Thompson rented the ITS Miata, won on Saturday, and would have won Sunday but for a busted diff. And Grand-Am driver Matt Fassnacht showed up just for Saturday – and won in SM! John Raudat ran our number 89 car, and Dennis Valet and James Gregorius rented as well.

Phew!

We’ll take a moment to thank crewmen Adam Desrosiers, Nick Ustin, Evan Consolazio, and Seamus Erskine for great work during a challenging time. At the shop and on the road, these cats make it happen!