Team Montelo - Our Story
by Pat Montelo
My first autocross 18 years earlier |
Some 18 years earlier I had been exposed to the sport of autocrossing by a friend who had invited me to attend an autocross event put on by the Windy City Z Club. At the time my car was a somewhat less powerful car than a Z06 Corvette. It was a 1980 Datsun 210 Coupe. With a whopping 1237cc engine, bucket seats, a 4 speed and add-on tach from JC Whitney, it wasn't much to brag about, but I was ready for the challenge. My outing with the Z club was a memorable one, not only did I beat several Datsun Z car drivers at autocross; I would smoke the clutch in my poor little Datsun 210 over that weekend toying with some of the Datsun Z drivers egos. Back then I never dreamed I would have my own Z car someday! |
Autocrossing the Z06 Photo by Andy Seipos |
The answer would be relatively straight forward: just get everyone last one of them involved in the sport. Thankfully my pocket book was blissfully unaware of what this would mean to it financially going forward and so I proceeded to get the whole damn family involved. Fortunately autocrossing is a motorsport that is fairly affordable (not that any form of motorsport is inexpensive). |
So the first step was to get my wife Laurie involved. The last time she drove a stick shift car, she totaled it in a head-on collision. Considering where she was mentally at the time, I had my work cut out. But after a few rides with me driving and a bit of encouragement, she was soon in the driver's seat at her first autocross. After a few stalls and missed shifts, and a little more encouragement, she too was hooked. |
Laurie in the family Z06 Photo by Bill Crawford |
Anthony in our first kart at age 10 |
The next step was to source a ride for my pit-crew. After a little digging, I found our first kart that would serve us well for the next few years. It was a well used but in good condition 1995 Coyote Freeroller with Yamaha KT100 engine. In 2003 Joey (8) and Anthony (10) were old enough to compete in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Formula Junior program. And once they had their first ride in the Yamaha powered kart, they were clearly hooked. Michael would patiently continue to be spectator for the next couple years until his 8th birthday and then join in the fray. |
In the beginning everything was new and we would spend many of our weekends figuring out how to get faster at this sport. The kart was just a new challenge for all of us to figure out. As the ever present engineer, I would keep notes and wrench on the kart, while Laurie would be helping the boys in the paddock and grid. We started knowing nothing about karts and would learn on the job each weekend. With 4 drivers and 2 vehicles instead of one, the work load would start to get a bit bigger too. If only I knew then what was coming down the road! |
Trying to figuring it all out Photo by Andy Seipos |
But as the kids longed for the thrill of wheel-to-wheel competition, they would continue to build the type of driving skills that autocrossing develops: Precision driving and the ability to adapt to a new racing course very quickly without having prior track experience. And while their skills improved, so did their desires for more chances to race competitively. |
Michael (8) finding the course and building skills at autocross Photo by Andy Seipos |
And when we come back someday, who knows who might be driving at Indy... but lets not skip too far ahead in the story. |
Laurie with future grand prix champions: Anthony, Michael, and Joey |
And so it went... first there were two, then there were three, and then four race vehicles. |
Laurie (Kart Mom), Michael, Joey, Grandma Sonya, Uncle Roland, Anthony and Patrick Photo by Andy Seipos |
Things started coming together near the end of 2005 |
By the end of 2005, all three karts were starting to come together. |
Then as the winter of 2005 set in, the boys took up residence at the local indoor karting track, Chicago Indoor Racing. They soon began to win their share of the trophies. |
Right to left: Joey, Anthony, Michael |
Anthony Racing at Norway |
In the spring of 2006 the boys would begin to do some wheel-to-wheel kart racing outdoors. This provided ample opportunity for this crew chief to learn each weekend a little bit more about kart setup, maintenance and repair. Kart prep was now a full time sideline of this dad. But with all the seat time the boys were now getting, they really began to blossom as drivers. |
Team Montelo at home in our new 2006 Monaco Knight RV. Aptly named given where we want to go... |
Our new home away from home |
Left to right: Anthony, Michael, Joey |
By 2006 the boys were cleaning up in the SCCA Formula Junior classes taking home the top trophies wherever they would go. The sibling rivalry was also going strong... |
In 2007 the weekend madness would continue all summer long with the 65' Team Montelo tow rig/mortgage on wheels rolling into racing venues and parking lots across the Midwest. |
65' Team Montelo Rig |
Team Montelo serving the hungry autocross competitors Photo by Andy Seipos |
Laurie and I would take also take on some additional responsibilities by volunteering our time to help run the Chicago Region SCCA Solo program. In 2006 I became our club's Chairman and Laurie our Registrar. We were spending so much of our life in the parking lots anyway, so why not add some more fun to our day jobs as well... Here the team is on Mother's Day 2007 getting ready to serve apple pie and ice cream to the hungry autocross competitors. By now Laurie was used to spending her Mother's Day in a parking lot! |
And on the journey goes... |
Team Montelo Racing in Milwaukee |