INSTRUCTORS /

Desiré Wilson

Nationality: Born in South Africa – United States Citizen 1993

Started racing: Started racing at the age of 5 years in South Africa in Micro Midgets.  Won numerous races, regional championships, on dirt and asphalt tracks.  Finished 2nd in the South African National Midget Championship at age12.

Series participated in:

• South African Formula Vee Championship 
• South African Formula Ford Championship
• South African Formula Atlantic Championship
• South African Springbok Endurance Series
• South African Formula One Grand Prix
• South African World Sports Car Championship
• Dutch Formula Ford 2000 Championship
• European Formula Ford 2000 Championship
• European Touring Car Championship
• British Formula First Championship
• British Formula Ford 2000 Championship
• British Sports 2000 Championship
• British Formula Atlantic Championship
• British Formula 3000 Championship
• British Aurora Formula One Championship
• British Formula One Grand Prix
• Goodwood Historic Event
• Tasman New Zealand Saloon Car Championship
• Tasman New Zealand Formula Atlantic Championship
• Macau Grand Prix
• Corvette Challenge Series-USA
• Escort Endurance Series 
• Supervee Championship
• Formula Atlantic Championship 
• SCCA Trans-Am Championship
• American Racing Series (Indy Lights)
• IMSA Endurance Series
• HSR Historic Series
• PPG IndyCar World Series
• World Endurance Championship
• World Sports Car Championship

Raced professionally for over 30 years

Teaching and Administration:

• Administrator of Brands Hatch Racing School (UK) 1978-1982 and  Pro race driver instructor.
• Pro driver – Manager – driving program for Worldwide Dealer launch of BMW 3 series in San Diego.
• Instructor for BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Nissan, Lincoln, in new product launches, dealer and consumer product launches and comparison tests - 10 years
• Completed BMW “Instructor” course at BMW M3 driving school in Munich and Salzburg
• CART PPG Pace Car Team – 14 years
• Miller Performance center –  Instructor – 3 years
• Ford Racing Mustang Challenge – Driver coach – 1 year

Current racing and business interests:

Retired from full time professional racing.  Still participate each year at Goodwood Revival Historic event in England.

Owner of Wilson Motorsport Inc and Principal in Wilson Sahara Motorsports – full service race track design and construction companies.

Accomplishments:

• 1976 South African Formula Ford Champion
• Winner of two FIA World Championship Sports Car Endurance races – Monza 1000, Silverstone 6 hours
• Winner of British Aurora Formula One Championship race – Brands Hatch Circuit
• Finished 7th overall in 1983 – 24 hours of Le Mans – World Sports Car Championship
• FIA Formula One Superlicence – 1980 and 1981
• Winner of 24 Hours of Mosport, 6 Hours of Sebring, 6 Hours of Sears Point – Escort Endurance Series in 1986/1987 – Ford Saleen Team
• Winner of 1987 Manufacturer’s Championship – Escort Endurance Series – Ford Saleen Team

Honors received:

• 1978 South African Sportswoman of the Year
• 1979 South African Newsmaker of the Year
• 1980 London Guardian Newspaper Sports Personality Award
• Presented Life membership in the exclusive British Racing Drivers Club – great honor for a foreign driver
• 1983 Hilton Hang Tough Award – PPG IndyCar World Series
• Brands Hatch Circuit in England has a Grandstand named in her honor

Cindi Lux

Your nationality: American

The age at which you first started in motorsports, where this occurred and the activities in which you first participated.

Started racing back in 1988 at Willow Springs Raceway in California.  Raced a Dodge Shelby Charger in SCCA club racing.

The names of the Racing Series you have participated in.

• American Le Mans Series
• IMSA Firehawk Series
• SCCA ProRacing- World Challenge GT
• NASA
• Grand-Am
• INEX- Legend Cars
• NASCAR Northwest Late Model Stock Car
• SCCA Club Racing

The number of years that you have raced: 20 years

The number of years that you have taught – here at MMP and elsewhere.

Started at MMP 2005 (when the facility first opened)

Been teaching at racing schools and manufacture sales training programs since 1990.

Any significant accomplishments.

• 1999 American Le Mans Series Women’s Global GT Series Champion
• Four-Time SCCA NorPac T1 Class Champion (2003-2006)
• Has won twelve road racing championships, more than 81 victories, over 150 podium finishes and nearly 50 pole positions
• Dodge Motorsports factory supported team driver (2005-2007)
• Mopar factory driver supported driver (2008)
• SCCA World Challenge GT Driver (2007, 2008); 2-time Piloti Rookie of the Race Winner
• Only the 2nd Women in history to win the prestigious June Sprints at Road America in both a Viper and Corvette.
• Presented with the Pro-Driver of the Year Award in 1999
• 2003 Oregon SCCA National Driver of the Year
• Race series in which you currently participate.
• SPEED World Challenge GT Series

Other performance training schools where you have taught or currently teach.

• Porsche Driving Experience: Barber Motorsports Park, Alabama
• Chief Instructor Campbell Productions Autosports: Corporate Motorsports Training Programs and Endurance Go-Kart Racing Experience
• Panoz Racing School: Road Atlanta and Texas Motor Speedway
• BMW Performance Center: Spartanburg, South Carolina
• BMW South America Programs
• Fast Lane Racing School: Willow Springs Raceway
• Toyota Long Beach Pro-Celebrity Race
• ProDrive Racing School: Portland International Raceway
• Skid Car Instructor
• Skip Barber Racing: Laguna Seca

David Blackburn

Nationality:  U.S.

First started in motorsports:  Skip Barber Racing School in 1986, at age 22.
 
Racing Series participated in:  "extensive" Skip Barber, Jim Russell, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), Miller Park Racing Association
 
Number of years racing:  "off and on" for 18 years
 
Number of years teaching:  2 (at Miller)
 
Significant accomplishments:  Wins in every series participated.
 
Currently race:  MPRA
 
Other schools:  None
 
Any other honors:  Maximum Slip-Angle Achieved Without A Spin

Charles Espenlaub  

Racing Experience:

2007: Speed World Challenge Touring: 9th in Championship, 1 podium, pole, 6 top ten finishes, 1 Hard Charger award. Grand American Rolex Sports Car and Koni Challenge Series: limited schedules in GT, GS, and ST Classes (4 races) – 1 podium, 4 top ten finishes.

2006: Speed World Challenge Touring: 8th in Championship, 1 podium, 1 pole, 6 top ten finishes, 1 Fast Race Lap award, 1 Fast Qualifier award. Grand American Sports Car and Cup Series: limited schedules (12 races) in GT, GS, and ST Classes – 1 win, 1 pole, 11 top ten finishes.  

2005: Speed World Challenge Touring: 7th in Championship, 1 win, 3 podiums, 1 pole, 2 Urban Racer Hot Lap award, Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and Historic Sports Car Racing: limited schedules, 10 wins, 9 poles, 19 top ten finishes, 5 fastest laps.

2004: Historic Sports Car Racing (HSR): Klub Sport Champion, HSR Rolex Historic co-champion with Dave White. Speed World Challenge Touring: 1 Holeshot award, 1 Sunoco Hard Charger award, Urban Racer Hot Lap award. Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series: limited schedule, 5th in SGS at Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, helped develop the first “Prep 2” chassis “Horizon Motorsports GTO”.

2001-2003: Speed World Challenge, Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand Am Cup: 1 win, 2 poles, 15 top ten finishes.

1999 – 2000: Motorola Cup: 1 win, Most Pole Positions award.

Pre 1999: 1998 Professional Sports Car: 4th in points, 10 podium finishes. 1997 Rising Star: 1 pole, 6 top ten finishes, 1 fastest lap.

Instruction: 

1998 – Present: Panoz Racing School, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Porsche Driving Experience. Instruction including: Advanced road racing, executive protection, military performance, off-road, rally and teenage driving. Private or group training. 

Competition Licenses:

• FIA Class B
• SCCA Pro/National Racing Competition 
• Grand Am Competition License 
• IMSA 
• NASA
• HSR Superlicense

Charles Putman

Nationality: USA

Started motorsports by attending Bondurant Driving School in Phoenix, at age 41.  Completed several schools before being convinced that I should try racing.  First racing efforts were in Denver, CO in SCCA regional races.  Quickly moved on to the IMSA Panoz GT racing series.

Have competed in SCCA SPEED World Challenge, Grand AM Koni Challenge, IMSA Panoz Pro GT Championship, SCCA Pro Miata, SCCA Regional and National Races, NASA regional races.

Number of years racing: 7

Number of years teaching: starting third year.

Significant accomplishments:  17 race wins, 20 podium finishes, 2008 Overall winner of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill (world's longest endurance race).

Current racing;  SPEED World Challenge, NASCAR's Grand AM Koni Challenge.  Note in 2008 I competed in 20 professional races and an additional 10 sport races.

Other teaching experience: instructor for SVTOA (Ford's Special Vehicle Team Owners Association)

Melanie Snow

Nationality:  American

First started in motorsports:  I was 18 and started in the POC and PCA in California at Willow Springs Raceway

Racing Series participated in: I have raced in American LeMans Series, IMSA, SCCA Pro, World Challenge, Women's Global Series, MPRA, POC and PCA.

Number of years racing: I have raced for about 15 years but took time off while pregnant with each of my 4 kids.

Number of years teaching: I have taught at Miller for 1 year.

Significant accomplishments: My husband and I are the only Husband and Wife team to win the 12 hours of Sebring, I placed 3rd in the World Challenge Championship and last year placed 2nd in the IMSA GT3 Challenge Championship

Currently race:  I currently run in the IMSA GT3 Challenge

Bob Read

Nationality:  USA

First started in motorsports:  Motorcycle racing at age 22, Northern California
Racing Series participated in:  NASA, BMW Club, Porsche Club of America, Porsche Owner’s Club

Number of years racing:  4

Number of years teaching: 6

Teach for BMW, PCA, Miller PTC

Owner of Lapping Days, a track day driver’s education program at tracks in the Southwest… Utah, Nevada, California

Driving events director Utah Chapter, BMW Club 

Currently race:  Porsche 996 GT3 Cup in PCA and POC series

Any other honors: 

• Former national class cyclist … 20 years
• Category 1, New York State Champion
• Former Canadian national indoor track record holder

Pete Mercier

Nationality:  American

First started in motorsports:  I started racing at age 5. My parents sponsored a Big Wheel race in our home town of Kokomo, Indiana. I won my class. The rest is history.

Racing Series participated in:   I have participated in the following series- SKUSA Karting, Jim Russell, Skip Barber, Formula TR (Renault 2.0 Liter), Pro Formula Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, and ALMS P1 and P2 class.

Number of years racing:  I have raced 6 seasons as a driver

Number of years teaching: As an Engineer I always coach my drivers, so combined with teaching at racing schools…10 years

Significant accomplishments: As a crew member, won the 1995 Toyota Atlantic Championship, As a Driver, won the Rookie Championship in 125cc Karts in 1996, and many races in the lower formula. As an engineer, won races in Formula TR, Pro Formula Mazda, ALMS P2 class, and competed in the 2003 24 Hrs. of LeMans.

Currently race:  I am currently and engineer/ coach in Pro Formula Mazda and part time in ALMS.

Other schools: I taught at Jim Russell and the Derek Daly Academy

Any other honors: I won Mechanic of the Year after graduating from the Russell school in 1994

Yamaha Champions Riding School Instructor Bios

Nick Ienatsch, Lead Instructor

Nick spent the last 11 years heading the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School and writing for Cycle World magazine. His racing resume includes two AMA SuperTeams national championships with Erion Racing and four top-three annual finishes on Yamaha’s TZ250 in AMA 250GP competition. Throw in some WERA GNF championships, a pair of No. 1 plates at Willow Springs and you get the picture. Nick still races, plays at track days and rides on the street and in the dirt.

Ken Hill

Ken has been a dominating fixture in the northern-California club scene for almost a decade, racing at the front of the AFM crowd and finishing in the top 10 when mixing with the AMA Superbike field. The Spencer School hired Ken in 2003 and he worked there until the school closed in 2008. Ken tests and writes for Roadracing World magazine and continues to race and enjoy track days on bikes and in cars.

Dale Kieffer

Dale stays busier than a dog at the Alpo plant. As the owner of The Racer’s Edge in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dale stays close to the sport he loves. He continues to race and do track days, including hosting them through his business. He is also a major retailer for Michelin tires. Dale’s impressive racing resume includes multiple club class championships, plus a pair of national No. 3 plates in AMA competition. Dale worked at the Spencer School for nine years until it closed in 2008.

Shane Turpin

Shane “Tornado” Turpin has dominated club racing in Utah and Colorado for almost a decade, winning multiple class championships to date. He has stood on the AMA podium as well in ProThunder, and is the national sales manager for Bimota. Shane is devastatingly fast in every discipline of racing, from Supermoto to roadracing to motocross, and worked with Nick, Ken and Dale at the Spencer School.

Mark Schellinger

Mark has a pair of No. 1 plates on the wall from Colorado’s MRA and is also the club’s new-rider coach and representative. He runs the Michelin tire distributorship for the Rocky Mountain region and can be found on his street or dirt bike just about every weekend. Mark had joined the other four instructors at the Spencer School for special Michelin programs and has worked extensively with Nick on rider training. He also trains military personnel in advanced driving techniques.