C360R | Compass360 Racing 2008

Hopwood, Burrows Lead Compass360's Hot Streak to Jersey

2008-08-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

Millville, NJ (26 August, 2008) -- With wins in two of the last three races, 2007 KONI Challenge Champions Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood are the hottest drivers in KONI competition as the series gathers once again this weekend for round 8 of the 2008 championship season at a new venue in the Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Burrows and Hopwood, who doubled up their win tally on the season with a fantastic run to the checkered flag at Trois Rivieres a fortnight ago, will look to add their names to the history book with another strong run to the podium in the No. 76 Fischer Skis Compass360 Racing Acura TSX on Saturday in the first professional race at the freshly built 2.25-mile 14-turn New Jersey Motorsports Park facility.

“This track is going to be new for everyone, and that gives us even more confidence because we know that Compass will have the Fischer Skis Acura TSX all sorted, and we both have a lot of experience learning new tracks quickly, so this should be another good weekend for us,” said Hopwood. “We switched it up for Trois Rivieres with me qualifying and Adam finishing the race and that obviously worked out well, so we will see what strategy Ray Lee has us on this weekend.”

“There are going to be nearly 70 cars on this track, which isn’t that big, so being smart and patient with the mixed class event is going to be really important,” said Burrows. “Winning races was a big goal for us and now we have the taste for it, we’re pretty hungry to do it again! The Compass360 guys have done an awesome job with the car and we’d like to take as many championship points as we can from the weekend. We know we have a lot of ground to make up, but there is a lot of racing yet to go this season, so we’re going to try to make the most of this weekend.”

A promoter test day will open the weekend on Thursday, with Friday practice preceding Saturday’s qualifying session. Sunday is scheduled for an early 8:45 AM race start.

C360R wins at Trois Rivieres with Hopwood and Burrows

2008-08-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Trois Rivieres, Quebec -- Trevor Hopwood and Adam Burrows combined for their second Grand-Am KONI Challenge victory in three races after making an impressive run to the checkered flag at the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres in Compass360 Racing's No. 76 Fischer Skis Acura TSX on Saturday.

Hopwood qualified on the outside pole on Saturday morning and then moved to the lead once the race started before turning the Acura over to Burrows, who made several strong moves to the front before establishing a nearly ten-second lead on the field.

A late-race caution erased his advantage, but the defending KONI Champ had no problem fending off the advances of Pierre Kleinubing in the final moments of the race, setting the fastest lap of the race after taking the white flag to charge to the checker.

"This is just perfect, to dominate and win a race like this," said Burrows. "We switched roles to have Trevor qualify and me finish the race today, and it worked out perfectly. You have to be conservative with the brakes here, but we were still able to get up front and build a good lead without using up the car at all. The Cobalt Brakes were perfect all the way through and held up exactly as you would hope. I’m really happy to be a winner on this track because this event has so much history, and I’m excited that we are part of it. This feels great, and I can’t thank all the guys at Compass360 enough, they did a great job once again."

Trois Rivieres, set on an unforgiving, concrete-lined and tight street course layout, has seen names like Villeneuve, Tagliani, and Empringham grace the top step of the podium in the over thirty years of the annual August race weekend. Long a student of the sport, Hopwood was happy to add his name to that list of winners at Trois Rivieres.

"I had a lot of fun qualifying this morning and the car was just perfect, the Compass360 guys did a great job," said Hopwood. "I was able to just set a pace and was still just saving the car for Adam. Ray Lee called a great race for us and the car was perfect. It felt great to win at Watkins Glen and this is even better to do it again. We were disappointed with what happened at Iowa, but we just shook it off and now we're back on top of the podium, so it feels fantastic. This is such a great event, that to be a winner here is a special thing, and that we can do that for a Canadian team is awesome. They are going to need a merchandise trailer here for these guys next year!"

Kenneth Lau Wins in Trois Rivieres CCTCC

2008-08-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Trois Rivieres, Quebec -- Kenneth Lau, car chief of Compass360's #74 Honda Civic, took to the track this weekend in the Castrol Canadian Touring Car races. On Saturday afternoon he piloted the #39 Durabond Honda Civic to a solid second place, and followed that up with a fantastic win on Sunday morning. Best of all, his team's other Hondas, driven by Rapone brothers Andre and Andrew, finished second and third, giving them a clean sweep of the podium. Congratulations guys!

Willard an Exceptional Athlete

2008-08-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

There's a certain focus that you see in the eyes of a truly professional athlete. It's that of a single-minded purpose. One that is able to cut through the cacophony of our modern world, that manages to focus on the task at hand: to do what it takes mentally, physically, to win.

Compass360 Racing has an interesting contrast in the drivers of our #75 Acura TSX this year. On one hand we have Kenny Wilden, a man who needs no introduction to fans of road racing in North America. He's one of the paddock's most experienced racers, with a career spanning decades through Firehawk, Player's GM, Motorola Cup, Trans-Am and Champ Car Atlantics. Kenny's co-driver is Jeremy Willard.

Willard is an exceptional athlete, but is new to racing. In the mid-90's he was an internationally seeded windsurfer, an IMCO Olympic-class champion twice. Over a three year period he won nearly every championship he entered and travelled to Maui to further his pursuit of a professional career, but left the island to complete his education in British Columbia. Back in Canada, he took up wakeboarding and soon after was competing professionally in the U.S. and Canada.

Two years ago Jeremy took up golf for the first time. He now carries a single-digit handicap. It's this kind of dedication and focus that's beginning to show real results in his KONI Challenge efforts. Proof positive? Jeremy and Kenny took third place at Iowa after Jeremy qualified the car ninth. It was his sixth car race, ever. You read that right. Sixth race EVER. No regional racing, no BMW Club. He's jumped in to the KONI Challenge with both feet and has steadily improved race after race, notching a podium finish at the season's half-way point.

I think it's interesting that competition experience in one discipline can help in honing ability in another. As Jeremy says, "I like to do things competitively or not at all."

Clearly, he's given himself the best tools possible. A strong driver coach and a proven car and team are important components to maximum performance improvement in a short time. Says Jeremy, "I had to put together the ultimate package. If I didn't have the coach, didn't have the team and car, I couldn't have had this level of success so quickly." Willard continues, "There are so many variables... I'm now at a point where I'm competitive and I want to attack the field. I want to drive longer stints, and I'm having a blast!"

Jeremy's qualified strongly in the past few races, and we're expecting more of the same, especially at New Jersey, a track which is new to most of the drivers.

Triumph for C360R's Willard and Wilden at Iowa

2008-08-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Newton, Iowa -- Compass360 Racing (C360R), fresh off their win at Watkins Glen, brought three cars to Iowa in hopes of scoring their second win in a row.

Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood, who notched their first-ever KONI Challenge win at the hands of their C360R TSX a few weeks earlier, took to the track in their #76 Skunk2 / Fischer Skis / Sunday Management Group TSX, while rookie Jeremy Willard was joined by season-long team-mate Kenny Wilden in the #75 Pure Body Care / Skunk2 TSX. Christian Miller and Benoit Theege, both long-time Grand-Am competitors and Compass360 drivers, piloted the team's new #74 C360R / King Motorsports Honda Civic Si.

All three cars were strong in each session, with the crew working through some early teething troubles with the #74 Civic. Come the end of qualifying, Burrows put the #76 TSX in a strong fourth position, with Willard notching the first top-ten qualifying of his career.

The team knew that this race would be one of attrition. For the front-wheel drive cars, the combination of the tight oval and the tight infield means it's very hard on the drivetrain, which is entirely in the front end. For the rear-drive cars, it's easy to over-drive the car on corner exit, which means you've no tire left to put down the power at race end (resulting in some rather spectacular power slides). And that transition from infield to banking is hard on all of the cars!

Burrows did what the team has come to expect from him: move towards the front. Within a few laps he was second, a position he held until handing over to Hopwood under a mid-race yellow. Although Willard had fallen back a few places from his ninth-place starting position, he was still on the lead lap and handed Wilden a car with lots of brakes and tires, and with nary a nick on the bodywork. After the damage he'd taken in the few races prior, this was the kind of great driving the team knew he'd deliver. Theege and Miller had some troubles during their driver change, which (due to the very short Iowa track), put them a two laps down.

With twenty minutes to go, Burrows was comfortably in second, with Wilden power-sliding his way through the oval banking into the top seven. Miller, though, was on fire in the new Civic, managing to make up a lap and find himself knocking on the door of the top ten.

Iowa is the embodiment of "it ain't over 'till it's over", and so with just a few minutes to go, heartbreak ensued with Trevor's #76 losing a drive shaft going into the infield section, putting an end to their day. "It would have been real scary if that'd happened on the oval," remarked Hopwood. The #76 TSX ended the day in 17th place.

Christian, meanwhile, was turning times lap after lap that were better than the front-runners, finishing a strong eighth. If the race had been longer (or their driver change been flawless), there's no question that the new Civic could have been on the podium. A good event for the new car, then! "I love the new Civic," exclaimed Miller. "It's such a great platform, it's wonderful to give it a top-ten in this car's very first race."

But the glory has to be reserved for Jeremy Willard and Kenny Wilden, who take their first podium for Compass360 Racing, snagging third. It's one of many for Wilden, but it's the very first for Willard, and it's richly deserved. The team cheered the duo as they took to the stage and sprayed the champagne, for what the team is sure will be the first of many. "We knew Jeremy and Kenny were two great drivers," noted Team Principal Karl Thomson. "It's wonderful to see them deliver on the promise we knew they have. I think we'll see more solid results for the rest of this season!"

The C360R team has just a few short days to repair and freshen the cars for their race in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, an event that promises to be at least as exciting as Iowa.

Fans Love Iowa and Trois Rivieres

2008-08-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine, the Compass360 Racing (C360R.com) team is coming off a major high, winning our second-consecutive race at Watkins Glen, with our drivers Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood notching their first-ever KONI Challenge win.

The three-week break to the next race hasn't meant the team is lounging by the pool; on the contrary, there's lots of action in preparation for Iowa.

Our new four-door Civic Si, which replaces the one that was destroyed at Lime Rock earlier this year, is now at the shop. King Motorsports did an amazing job of taking a zero-mile Civic and installing a cage even more robust than the one that kept me from serious injury in the five-barrel-roll wreck I had at Lime Rock. This is the first car we've had that was essentially fresh from the factory. No water damage, no theft recovery. This was a pristine car, and the hope is that it'll make our best race car yet. Watch for my notes on our "Civic 2.0" that'll debut in New Jersey in a few weeks time.

Prior to that, a two-door Civic coupe will be added to our fleet for Iowa. It'll join our two Acura TSXs (#74 and #75) as part of our three-car effort at that event. For Trois Rivieres, a week later, our Acura RSX will join the fray, and we'll be back to our usual four-car line up.

Iowa and Trois Rivieres are worlds apart. But one thing that they share are their enthusiastic fans.

Last year, in Iowa, we had 12,000 fans at the race. When we went to dinner, our drivers and crew were deluged with fans, young and old, who wanted to talk to us about our race, and get autographs. It was fabulous! And with the promotion that's been done this year, we're expecting even more interest. It promises to be an interesting race, with GS and ST on track at the same time on a 55-second lap circuit -- there won't be much between each class and we'll all have to give each other room if we want to make it to the next race!

That'd be Trois Rivieres, one of the highlights of the KONI season, in my opinion. It's pretty close to home for us (about seven hours drive), and my wife and kids will be there. Mary has attended the past few years, but this is the first time for daughter Laura (11 years) and son Miles (8). The rest of our drivers are also bringing their families (Kenny Wilden's wife and two boys, Kevin York's wife and son, Jeremy Willard's new bride, and Christian Miller's dad will all be there), and it promises to be a blast.

Canadian fans are so passionate about racing! Trois Rivieres is one of the best examples of that, with the entire town shutting down its main street over the weekend, and turning in to what can only be described as a Carnivale. We dine on absolutely stunning food overlooking the shores of the St. Lawrence River. The next day, tens of thousands of fans show up to cheer the teams on. We've had good results (second place in 2007) and have run strongly there in the past few seasons. But Trois Rivieres, and Iowa, are more than just races. They're great celebrations of motorsport that give us the opportunity to connect with real fans, who are truly passionate about street stock racing, and who are hungry for more.

I'm hopeful we'll be able to give them something to cheer about!

Watkins Win - 2nd Time for C360R, 1st for Hopwood/Burrows

2008-07-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I was celebrating Compass360's first win of the season at Watkins Glen. It was fabulous to see Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood take their first KONI win after battling with them, right down to the wire, in 2007. As we all know, they won the championship last year, but my co-driver Billy Johnson and I took the most wins, including one at the Glen. Which means we've won this race two years in a row.

It was a great battle, which interestingly enough came down to a late-race duel with our friends at HART, with Shane Lewis driving their Accord for (what rumor has as) the very last time. It mirrored 2007, when Billy passed Shane on the last lap, managing to hold on to the win. This year, our Acura TSX was out in front, with Trevor holding off Shane as the race drew to a close.

So the roles were reversed: we were leading and HART behind. On a late-race restart, Shane got a massive run going, and tried a move very similar to the one Billy pulled on him the year before. But although the Accord has absolutely astonishing power, it also weighs a lot more and Shane ended up in the gravel trap. I think any driver would have tried the same thing because Shane was not just going for the lead of the race, but was hoping to give the Accord a great send-off after a remarkably successful career in KONI Challenge.

The Accord got going again many places back, which left the race to be decided between our proven TSX and the relatively new Civic Si of Bill Fenton Motorsports, at the hands of the experienced and talented Bob Endicott. At the end it was our Acura on top, and a Honda second, so I know the folks at Honda of America were pretty happy with the result (we'd spent time talking racing and business with them during the weekend since the Indy Racing League (IRL) was on the ticket at the Glen and Honda supplies all the engines for those cars).

Standing in Victory Circle at the Glen, I was absolutely gleeful. I was thrilled for Adam and Trevor, but even more so for our crew, who have persevered through some tough challenges we've presented to them this year, and who always give their all.

We'd started the year well, with Travis Walker and I taking third at Daytona, and being first in the points going in to Lime Rock after some technical problems bumped the top two cars out. But then I got taken out at Lime Rock, barrel-rolling five times in the process and destroying our brand new Civic Si that seemed set for a top-five result. The next weekend one of our TSXs was destroyed in practice, which set us back even further.

But our crew soldiered on. At Mid-Ohio, we gave them clutches to fix and engines to swap. During the race, Ivan went back to the trailer to repair a broken hub on Adam and Trevor's car to get them back out to take a few valuable points (great TV coverage of that, I will admit!). And our crew showed up at Watkins, ready to do what was necessary to win, as they always do.

So as the champagne sprayed, I thought, that this win belongs to the team and our amazing crew. To Adam and Trevor who brought the car home without a mark on it (while our other two cars suffered rather serious damage that kept them from being in the top ten where they belong). To Ray, our Team Manager and my business partner, who brings these guys together and has everything mapped out to the tiniest detail. To Petr, who (like Ivan the race prior) repaired the 73 car after a massive shunt to get it back out to try and get some points. To Turtle, who managed the 76 RSX to a good result, on the lead lap, despite the fact it hit the wall and suffered substantial damage. To Ivan and the 74 team, who finally got the win they deserve! To my father, and all of our team. You guys made this happen, and you do it every weekend. Congratulations, and thank you!

That was brought home to me because, for the first time in the history of Compass360 Racing, I was not one of the winning drivers. While we worked to rebuild the two cars that were destroyed at Lime Rock and Mosport, I'd elected to sit out these mid-season events to ensure that the drivers that signed with us at the beginning of the season continue to get the very best we can give them. I've been calling strategy and doing my part in the pit, which is also good fun, although I'll admit it's not quite the same as being behind the wheel!

Watkins marks our team's sixth KONI Challenge win. I've been driving for five of those, and I'm looking forward to being back in a car soon to challenge Adam and Trevor for the top spot on the podium before the year is out!

Iowa promises to be an interesting race...

Burrows and Hopwood Break Through to Win at Watkins Glen

2008-07-06T01:38:00.000-07:00

Watkins Glen, NY (5 July, 2008)— Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood raised eyebrows during the 2007 KONI Challenge season, impressing with pole position qualifying efforts and scoring a record-breaking number of podiums to take the championship in their rookie year of KONI competition.

Despite the accomplishment, the two were still frustrated by the one thing that their KONI portfolio was missing—a victory. So just two weeks after a disappointing race outing at Mid-Ohio, the duo decided to move their focus to victory lane rather than the champions banquet.

That decision paid immediate dividends on Saturday night, as the two combined to take a thrilling maiden Watkins Glen 200 race win in the in the No. 74 Fischer Skis Acura TSX campaigned by Compass360 Racing.

Burrows started the race from third on the grid, and moved into the lead before turning the car over to Hopwood, who returned in 55th position overall. Hopwood replicated the field-scything skills he showed at Lime Rock Park, moving forward to second position with just over 15 minutes remaining before battling for the lead, taking it, and then never looking back.

“Trevor and I are thrilled to be on the top of the podium,” said Burrows. “We’ve worked really hard this year to adjust to racing a front-wheel drive car and we came to grips with it a little bit more at Mid-Ohio. Obviously Trevor did a great job to get us back to the lead at the end. This Fischer Skis Acura was great all weekend. We had a good run in qualifying, and the race was fantastic. We took a chance with our strategy and Ray Lee made a great call to bring us in when he did. It was a little bit of a gamble but it came back to us perfectly, and I couldn’t be happier to take this win with Trevor and now who knows what lies ahead with this championship.”

“Yesterday was my parent’s anniversary so they weren’t here this weekend, but this is the best gift I could give them,” said Hopwood. “I want to thank Fischer Skis and Compass360 Racing, they gave us a great car again. I also want to thank Karl (Thomson) for giving us this opportunity and Ray Lee made a great call. Winning the championship with a friend and teammate like Adam was a great experience, and now to be on the top step of the podium in KONI is really fantastic. Tom (Long) and I had a great battle-side by side for several corners, several laps, and never touched each other so that was great. It’s great to get this monkey off our backs after what happened at Mid-Ohio so this is a great payback to the team. I’ve had a lot of wins here at Watkins Glen, but this is the best one of them all.”

Rain, Contact and Progress at Mid-Ohio

2008-06-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Mansfield, OH -- Christian Miller scored his fourth consecutive sixth-place finish at Mid-Ohio, keeping his championship hopes alive amid a rather forgettable weekend for the Compass360 Racing team.

With two cars having been written off at the last two race meetings (the #76 Honda Civic Si at Lime Rock and the #75 Acura TSX at Mosport), the team brought last year's Acura RSX-S out of retirement for Miller and co-driver Travis Walker, and arranged for Kevin York to drive in a BMW with Fountain Motorsports (numbered 75 to try and keep some team points) alongside Marko Radisic.

The team's #73 Pure Hair and Body Care TSX promised to improve with the efforts of Jeremy Willard and Kenny Wilden at the helm, while last-year's ST champs Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood were very strong in the #74 Fischer Skis / Sunday Group TSX. As at Mosport, Team Principal Karl Thomson sat the event out, waiting for the return of the team's new Civic.

Practice and qualifying proved all four cars to be strong, the highlight being Adam Burrows' stellar job of claiming the outside pole for the race against very strong competition from the forced induction cars (Burrows TSX was the only normally-aspirated car in the top six).

Meanwhile, Walker had to return to Toronto for a family matter, and the team drafted Thomson's 2007 co-driver Billy Johnson to take the second stint in the #76 Compass360 Advertising / Skunk2 RSX-S.

"It's been a remarkable month," noted Thomson. "I keep looking at (Daytona Prototype team) Wayne Taylor Racing and thinking, 'wow they have rotten luck,' but I don't think ours has been much better! But like Wayne's crew, our guys just keep digging deeper and deeper and giving us the best equipment come race day."

At the start, the team had cars at the beginning and end of the field, Burrows taking the flag and pressuring Owen Trinkler in his pole-sitting Mini for much of his stint. At the back of the pack, York's time in the BMW was short-lived, with the u-joint giving out on the opening lap in spectacular style, blowing a huge hole in the transmission tube and ending the day's race early for #75.

"I have to thank Karl and the Compass360 crew for doing their best to get me into another car after the wreck at Mosport," said York. "We didn't have a great race, but we did do a great job for our sponsor Harper Collins, getting the fans excited about the book 'The Art of Racing in the Rain', which was appropriately titled for today's event!"

On track, while Burrows kept after the first-place Mini, Christian Miller and Jeremy Willard moved up through the field during the first hour, which was remarkably caution-free. Half-way into his stint, Willard was hit from behind by one of the Mazda RX-8s, which compromised the handling of his #73 TSX. Regardless, he soldiered on, while the car that hit him retired with massive front end damage.

At the one-hour mark, Burrows reported trouble in the left rear of the #74 car, and the team called him to the pits. They did a driver change, putting Hopwood in the car, and changed the left rear tire. Hopwood knew there might still be an issue, and was able to keep the car on track when the left rear hub finally sheared off, sending the rim and tire sailing off into the forest. "When Trevor went out, the entire hub assembly came apart," remarked Burrows. "Trevor did an excellent job to keep it on the track and and get the car back in to the pits for repairs. I have to thank (Car Chief) Ivan Ceccato for the job he did getting the entire left rear fixed and getting us out in time to get some points."

And then the rain came. With the track becoming slicker by the minute, Miller in the #76 was called in to change drivers and switch to wet tires. Johnson was in and away, with Willard pitting for tires but electing to stay out to gain some valuable on-track experience in the rain at Mid-Ohio.

Johnson worked to stay with the leaders, and did a fine job to bring the RSX-S home in sixth place. It's the fourth sixth-place in succession for Christian, and keeps him in the Championship hunt, in fifth, just a few points behind Peter Cunningham. Adam and Trevor drop to tenth place, but they are still within fighting distance considering that we've only completed four of ten races this year. Jeremy and Kenny finished 25th, which wasn't really indicative of their pace all weekend. Jeremy, especially, is impressing in his first year of pro racing, and we're looking forward to seeing them in the top-ten soon, as long as they don't get wrecked from behind!

The KONI Mid-Ohio race will be televised on SPEED at 2pm on Saturday June 28th. It should make for some very, very interesting viewing.

Bizarre Failure Dashes Sure Podium for Burrows, Hopwood

2008-06-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

Mansfield, OH (21 June, 2008) -- An ideal race outing for Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood turned sour after a mechanical failure on the No. 74 Fischer Skis/Skunk2 Acura TSX Sunday in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge ST race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as part of the EMCO Gears Classic.

After qualifying on the front row for the two hour and thirty minute race, Burrows slotted into second at the start, and held station as the field settled into a clean run to start the race. Hopes were high for a breakthrough race podium or even better for the defending champs, but those were put to rest when Burrows pulled in for an unexpected early pit stop before an hour had elapsed.

Hopwood took over from Burrows and went out on track only to generate significant television attention as the left rear wheel dislodged from the Acura at speed. Most drivers would have had a hard time keeping the car from crashing, but the defending champ was able to not only keep the car under control, but he also brought the car safely back to the garage for repairs.

"It is a shame because the car was really fast and I had just settled into a good pace and was saving the tires and the brakes for Trevor (Hopwood)," said Burrows. "But I felt a vibration and so I had to bring it in early. The team thought that the problem was with the wheel studs, but it turns out to have been a bigger problem with the wheel hub, so when Trevor went out, the entire hub assembly came apart. It’s a good thing Trevor is God’s gift to car control because he did an excellent job to keep it on the track and and get the car back in to the pits for repairs. I have to thank (Car Chief) Ivan for the job he did getting the entire left rear fixed and getting us out in time to get some points. Disappointing day today, but we’ll look forward to the Glen."

After the Compass360 Racing crew got the Acura back on track with Hopwood at the controls, the No. 74 moved up from last in the running to take 29th at the checkered flag as Hopwood made the most of challenging conditions to make a dramatic move forward. Unfortunately, the strong pace was not enough to overcome the mechanical set back before the race ran its course.

"I felt like a hero out there," joked Hopwood about the passing clinic he put on in the rain and variable conditions. "But this result really is a big blow for us in the championship. Mid-Ohio has just not been good to us the last two years. But we know we are fast at the Glen so we’ll just be focused on getting back on the podium again there in July."

SPEED will broadcast the Mid-Ohio race on June 28 @ 2:00 PM ET.

The Art of Overcoming Adversity

2008-06-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN is a truly wonderful book. A tale about an aspiring race car driver, Denny Swift, and how the lessons he's learned on track help him through a time of remarkable adversity, as told by his dog Enzo. The book's been well-received by critics, is well-positioned on the New York Times' Bestseller List, and is currently Starbuck's Book of the Month selection. The book's author, Garth Stein, was one Good Morning America earlier this week talking about it.

The publisher, Harper Collins Canada, is using our #75 Acura as part of the promotion of the book.

I enjoyed reading the book six months back when I received the pre-release copy of the manuscript. I enjoyed reading it even more this weekend, holding an actual copy of the book I'd received just a week prior (and signed by Garth), with the drama of our Mosport event fresh in my mind.

If ever there was a weekend of adversity, Mosport's Father's Day 2008 was it.

We started the weekend with our three Acura TSXs ready to go, and with last year's RSX-S standing in for our Civic Si. Yes, the Civic that had been destroyed in its maiden event at Lime Rock. Happily, we knew the RSX was strong at Mosport (and Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen) at the hands of hot-shoe Travis Walker, who finished third in his first-ever KONI event in 2005 at Mosport.

What we weren't expecting was to lose another car, the second in two events. But that's exactly what happened when the #75 TSX found itself crumpled against the wall in corner one during a practice session.

A tough weekend for that to happen on, with Mosport being our home race. We had invited a lot of people, including an entourage from Harper Collins, to the track with the promise of putting on a good show. At least there was an interesting sculpture (the wreck) for them to see when touring the paddock!

It was clear that while Kevin York, who was driving the #75 when it hit the wall, was thankfully uninjured, he was in too much pain to drive that weekend. With he and co-driver Christian Miller sitting second in the points, it made sense to have Christian take my seat in the RSX-S. Which means I sat out my home race, losing any hope of defending my victory from the year before, and effectively ending my championship run.

The race itself had its own set of challenges, including an utterly chaotic group of pits stops during a mid-race yellow flag period. Even though we pitted at the right time, and many others didn't, there weren't any penalties given out because a track official, outside of Grand Am's control, held a sign saying "Pits Closed" when in fact they should have been open. This meant that our cars all lost valuable track position and had to battle back up through the field.

No matter! Great drives by Trevor Hopwood in the #74 TSX and Travis Walker in the #76 RSX saw those two cars finish nose-to-tail in fifth and sixth positions. These fine finishes see these cars and drivers solidifying their top positions in the Team and Drivers Championships (third and fourth, I think), while Kenny Wilden and Jeremy Willard scored their first top-20 of the season, finishing 18th after a very strong run that was marred by contact during Willard's stint that broke a rim. Chris and Travis' run in the RSX proves that there's still some kick left in the old girl!

So just like Denny Swift in THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, we'll continue to fight as we move to Mid-Ohio. We'll once again have four cars, having drafted a BMW 330i from our friends at Fountain Motorsport, for Kevin and newcomer Marko Radisic to run, alongside our usual Acuras.

Being ST-only, it promises to be a great race!

The Inspiration for Denny Swift

2008-06-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is a short clip of part of an interview (broadcast on ABC Now earlier this week) with Garth Stein, author of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, talking about our driver, Kevin York, and how he's the inspiration for the lead character in the book, Denny Swift.

Another Top-Five for C360R at Mosport

2008-06-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER TOP-FIVE FOR COMPASS360 RACING AT MOSPORT
Fifth and Sixth-Place Finishes for Team Despite Challenges at Home Race

BOWMANVILLE, ON -- Compass360 Racing brought four Acuras to do battle at Mosport. The team's bright orange RSX-S, which was taken out of retirement to stand-in for the new C360R Honda Civic that debuted -- and was destroyed -- at Lime Rock, joined the three matte-black TSXs for an all-out assault on the top spots.

Practice went well until the #75 GoEnzo.com / 034 Motorsport TSX was involved in a massive shunt in corner one. The damage was sufficient to render the car unrepairable, while driver Kevin York was fortunately uninjured.

With Kevin and his co-driver Christian Miller sitting second in the Driver's Championship going into the weekend, Team Owner Karl Thomson elected to have Miller drive in his place in the RSX, alongside hot-shoe Travis Walker.

Three Compass360 cars took to the grid on Saturday, Adam Burrows having qualified the #74 Fischer Skis / Sunday Group TSX in a solid eighth place. Miller put the unfamiliar #76 RSX 23rd and Jeremy Willard started the #73 Pure Hair + Body Care TSX close behind in 26th.

Surprisingly, the field managed to run without a caution period until near the one-hour mark of the two-and-a-half hour race. Pandemonium ensued, with cars pitting out of sequence, even before the pace car had picked up the field. Under Grand-Am rules, the pace car will pick up the leader of the race, after which time the faster class (Grand Sport at Mosport) is allowed to pit, with the slower class (Street Tuner) allowed to pit on the second time by. Apparently, a corner worker outside Grand-Am's control was holding a sign that said "Pits Closed" during the first part of the GS window, which threw everything into disarray.

The end result was that no one received any penalties, and the Compass360 Racing cars, which all pitted on the lap they were supposed to (and would not have incurred penalties) lost significant track position.

Prior to the yellow, the #73 TSX of Willard had been hit by a GS car, which threw Jeremy off-track, damaging a rim. He soldiered on and was able to pit during the yellow flag, handing the car to Kenny Wilden, but down a lap.

The second half of the race was marred by a number of caution periods, which meant that the team's two front-running cars weren't able to move through the field with any momentum. At the checkered flag, Trevor Hopwood in the #74 car was narrowly ahead of Travis Walker in the #76, both holding station to garner valuable points.

"The pit stop situation really screwed us today," fumed Crew Chief Ray Lee. "We had a real shot at second and third place, but that one lap pit difference made sure that didn't happen."

"We should have been a couple of places higher," remarked Walker. "But we had nothing, I mean nothing, for the Cobalts." Agreed Hopwood, "Those turbo-charged and super-charged cars are wicked fast! There's no way we can catch them on the straights."

The team is already building a new Civic to replace the one demolished at Lime Rock, but it won't be ready until the Iowa event in early August. Which means that Christian Miller will take Thomson's seat in the RSX for the Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen events. "It was a tough decision to sit these races out, as I love Mosport, Mid-O and Waktins, and I've had good results at those tracks," said Thomson. "But Christian's doing well in the points and I think we owe it to him to give him the opportunity to stay up there. The fact that he and Travis finished sixth (the third sixth for Chris in three races) proves that I made the right call."

Kevin York, meanwhile, will run with Marko Radisic in the #75 BMW 330i, which is entered as a C360R car but will be run by Jeffery Bock and his Fountain Motorsports team. "Jeff was the first guy to offer assistance when my Civic was wrecked at Lime Rock," noted Thomson. "It made sense to run a joint effort for Kevin in one of Jeff's BMWs for the next two races, flying our joint colors along with GoEnzo.com."

Burrows and Hopwood Score Fifth at Mosport

2008-06-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

2007 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Champions Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood finished a fighting fifth in the #74 Fischer Skis/Compass360 Racing Acura TSX at Mosport International Raceway on Saturday after Grand-Am officials made a rules change midway through the opening caution period which set the duo too far back in the field to make a return to the Mosport podium.

Burrows opened the race from eighth on the grid, and was quickly up to third in the ST Class order early in the two and a half hour race as the champs were hoping to go one better than their second place finish from the 2007 Mosport event as he gave chase to a remarkably fleet 01 entry from Georgian Bay Motorsports.

“The Cobalt’s were so fast in a straight line that it just didn’t make any sense to use up the car to try to fight with them, so I just settled into a good pace and kept the gap behind me growing to turn the car over to Trevor in good shape,” said Burrows. “The car was great, and even though the track was getting pretty greasy, I was able to just keep a good pace before that yellow came out.”

The race got off to a clean and green race start, running nearly an hour before a full-course caution slowed the field. After initially ruling the pits to be closed, officials allowed several competitor cars to pit and then subsequently decided that the penalties would not be enforced.

The rules change saw Burrows forced to wait an extra lap before turning the car over to Hopwood, who returned to the field back in tenth after some quick pit work from the Compass360 squad. But showing the same smart speed that he did at Lime Rock Park, Hopwood was able to move up to take fifth at the finish and improve the duo’s championship points tally in advance of round four next weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

“The car was really good and it was just too bad that we had to make up so much ground after the pit stop ruling,” said Hopwood. “But the car was really fast right to the finish, and even though we were not as good on the restarts as we could have been, we were able to make some of that ground we lost back up. This is a solid finish and while we obviously could have been further up front had the pit stop decision gone our way, there was no way we’d have had anything for those Chevy’s. They are really fast in a straight line.”

Burrows and Hopwood will return to race action next weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as the Mansfield facility hosts an ST Class-only event on Sunday, June 22.

Father's Day at Mosport

2008-06-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

First off, I have to make it clear that the idea of a "Father's Day" report is entirely John Vincent's. John owns and Crew Chiefs the #24 V-Pack BMW, and our dads are both a big part of our race teams. The plan was to do a joint blog with a nice photo of all of us at Mosport, but the weekend's events (which included us writing off our second car in two races -- of which more in my next report) meant that never happened. So look for John's thoughts on Father's Day in a separate report, with mine below...

After a pretty good Saturday, which saw two of our cars finish fifth and sixth, I had a chance to spend Father's Day at our cottage, playing with my kids. They're young enough to still enjoy playing baseball with me, although I'm beginning to feel over-matched against the two of them! When the rain came, we played cards inside and generally had a nice day together with my wife.

While they went swimming, I had some time to sit on the dock, recalling some great times I've had with my own father, Phil. As far as our team goes, he's a big part of it. He handles logistics, drives one of our rigs, and does an amazing job of organizing our hospitality and ensuring everybody is well fed.

Dad's been a part of our program since day one, starting in 2004 when he and my Mum drove the team's rather tired and rusty old white panel van, pulling our lone BMW Z3 on an open trailer all the way from Toronto to Alabama. Looking back at that, I can say we've come a long way in a short time!

My father's always loved road trips, and my childhood was spent in the passenger seat of a variety of cars as we ventured further and further afield. It started with camping trips to the Thousand Islands when my sister and I were still quite young. The trunk of our Pontiac LeMans was full to the brim, and over the years we developed quite a large collection of gear, with a big Woods tent for sleeping, and another for playing in, Coleman stoves and lanterns; the works.

When we were a little older, the complex was replaced by a much more compact arrangement, which allowed us to travel further while fitting in to the new family ride, a diesel VW Rabbit, which replaced a Ford Torino. We had two Rabbits, a blue 1979 and bright yellow 1981, which successively transported us on trips to the east coast, and then the west (out to Vancouver, down to San Diego and back past the Grand Canyon to Toronto over a three-week period), and finally, the biggest driving trip we ever did, to Acapulco.

On the Acapulco jaunt, we didn't do so much camping (much to the delight of my Mum who put up with a lot of bug-bites and pretty rustic accommodation over the years). But we did drive from T.O. to Mexico City, and then down through the mountains to Taxco and finally the coast and Acapulco. It was an amazing journey that took us four weeks, in which we saw Mayan ruins, dined in a great restaurant owned by a couple from Montreal in San Luis Potosi, and swam in the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. The funny thing was, we blended in perfectly, because since the Rabbit at that time was built in Mexico, it was one of the most popular cars on the road; the only thing that was different about our little VW was the Ontario plate!

So although I didn't get involved in racing until I was in my thirties, I think it's safe to say that my love of cars and driving is something I get from my Dad.

My own son has that same passion, and at seven years old is immersed in the world of Hot Wheels and Lego and Gran Turismo. He's become pretty good at the latter, and so we recently visited the go kart track at Mosport and he was so excited to put on his little helmet and gloves, and to drive around after the instructor. Seeing the huge grin on his face at the end of his session, it's clear that it's part of who he his, as it is for me, and for my father.

So to everyone, Happy Father's Day!

And Dad, thank you.

C360R Look to Build on Lime Rock Momentum at Mosport

2008-06-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

BOWMANVILLE, ON -- With two of their team cars placed solidly in second and third in the Driver's Championship standings following Grand Am's Memorial Day feature at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, Compass360 Racing (C360R) is working hard to solidify (and improve) those positions during the KONI Challenge Father's Day event at Mosport this weekend.

Californian Christian Miller and North Carolina's Kevin York co-drive the team's #75 Acura TSX, sponsored by 034Motorsport and GoEnzo.com. Currently second in the Driver's Championship, this duo has managed two sixth-place spots in the first two KONI outings. "The car's been great, and the Compass360 guys have called great strategy," remarked Miller.

"Mosport is our home track, and we've got a lot of confidence here," said Team Manager and Crew Chief Ray Lee. "I think we've got a good chance to podium with any of our Acuras."

Indeed, the competition is intense in Grand Am's KONI Challenge, with less than a second or two covering first through 20th in early practice. With nearly 70 cars scheduled to take the green flag (31 Grand Sport and 37 Street Tuner, in which C360R competes), it promises to be an interesting race!

Last year's ST champions, Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood, driving the #74 Skunk2/Fischer Skis Acura TSX are no strangers to the podium, currently third in the Championship. Ironically, the duo was poised to take victory at Mosport last year, while driving in a BMW, when Karl Thomson's then-co-driver Billy Johnson staged a daring last-lap pass, giving Johnson and Thomson their third win of 2007. "Adam and Trevor were fast here last year, and they've made the transition to our front-wheel drive Acuras really well," noted Thomson. "Travis and I are going to have our work cut out keeping up in the RSX!"

Indeed, Thomson and 2008 co-driver Travis Walker have switched to the team's back-up car, an Acura RSX-S, after the untimely demise of their brand new Honda Civic Si at the Lime Rock round. "During the Lime Rock race, I got tagged going into Big Bend," explained Thomson. "The contact ended up throwing the Civic into a five-barrel-roll which saw the car finally land on it's lid. The car was a write-off." Thankfully, Thomson emerged unscathed, but the loss of points moved him and Walker from first (after Daytona) to twelfth. "We've got some work to do," exclaimed Walker, "but I love the RSX and Mosport is a track I'm really confident at, so we are hoping for a really good result."

Canadian racing legend Kenny Wilden will co-drive the #73 Pure Shampoo + Body Wash TSX with Oakville, Ontario's Jeremy Willard. Although contact with another car put them out of contention at Lime Rock, the two expect to do well at Mosport. "Kenny's got so many laps here he can probably run it blindfolded," laughed Thomson. The duo are new additions to the C360R team, but their initial performance at Lime Rock showed that they've got the pace to be at the front.

Mosport promises, as it always does, to be a truly amazing race! The KONI Challenge event starts at 1:00pm on Saturday, June 14th. For more information visit http://www.mosport.com.

Burrows and Hopwood Look for Mosport Redemption

2008-06-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Bowmanville, ON -- Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood took a record-setting number of podiums on their way to the 2007 Grand-Am KONI Challenge ST Class championship, and will look to return to the ST Class rostrum again this weekend as the series ventures North to Canada’s famed Mosport International Raceway outside of Bowmanville in Ontario. The race weekend is the first of two back-to-back KONI Challenge events, which will return Stateside for round four at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 22.

The duo were well-positioned to win the Mosport event late in the race last year, but over-worn tires left them unable to defend the lead on their way to a podium result. The Champions will look to rectify that this weekend, as they campaign the No. 74 Fischer Skis/Compass360 Racing Acura TSX, the same car that took the win last year.

The two arrive in Canada fresh off a thrilling Lime Rock Park race weekend, which saw them overcome a last-place starting position to race forward and finish seventh at the checkered flag.

“Our comeback at Lime Rock was really fun but obviously we’d rather run up at the front of the pack than go through it, so hopefully we can do that this weekend,” said Hopwood. “Having the split-class race on a place as tight as Lime Rock was key, but I am sure that having both GS and ST at Mosport is going to be busy. Compass360 was obviously strong here last year. My dad is going to be keeping track of us on the web timing and scoring, so hopefully we can bring him and the team another good result this weekend and keep moving up in the points.”

“We were pretty disappointed with the outcome at Mosport last year, so we are really motivated to do well this weekend,” said Burrows. “Trevor did a great job at Lime Rock getting us up the order which allowed us to move up in the championship and that is going to be the focus again this weekend, trying to stay out of anyone else’s trouble and bring home as many points as possible. My father’s enthusiasm for crazy old French cars and British roadsters that always needed repairs was a big part of how I decided to become a racer myself, so hopefully we can make it a good Fathers Day weekend with a good race result.”

Sessions will be carried with live timing and scoring on the Grand-Am website. Thursday is a promoter test day, with Friday setting the grid in advance of the 1:00 PM Saturday race start for the 2.5-hour event.

PR inquiries about Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood should be directed to Matt Cleary at Sunday Group Management; 317.908.2975 (mobile) or media@sundaymanagement.com.

Compass360 Racing is the motorsports division of Compass360 Design + Advertising, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit www.compass360.com/racing or email racing at compass360 dot com.

PR inquiries about the Compass360 Racing team should be directed to Team Principal Karl Thomson at (416) 465-2299 x21 or email karlt at compass360 dot com

C360R's TSX at Mosport Media Kick-off in Toronto

2008-06-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

The C360R #75 Acura TSX was on display during Mosport's media launch today.

Canadian racing legend Scott Maxwell and C360R's Karl Thomson were in attendance to give a presentation to the invited media, and to provide some background on the KONI Challenge and road racing. Three drivers in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series were also in attendance, and there was an interesting discussion of what comprised a "stock car!"

The #75 currently sits second in the ST championship and was parked in front of the Mill Street Brewery, which resides in one of Toronto's hip urban downtown hot-spots, the Distillery District. The event was very well attended by the media (encouraged, we're sure, not just by the opportunity to hear from the drivers but also to sample some of Mill Street's finest ;-) and we had the opportunity to talk about our unique marketing partnership with Harper Collins Canada, promoting the book, THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN.

We're figuring for some really good national and local press for the event, and a good fan turn out.

(Scott Maxwell at left, Karl Thomson on the right.)<

Getting Ready for Mosport

2008-06-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

Mosport is a special track. It's one of those circuits that, like Watkins Glen and Laguna Seca, are recognized as one of the best places to race in North America. Like those tracks, it's got great motorsports history, including epic Formula One and Can-Am battles that are the stuff of legend. It's a track that rewards commitment, consistency and (as anyone who's done corner two the way must be) it's not for the faint of heart!

Thankfully, this amazing stretch of tarmac, this motorsports mecca, is less than one hour from my front door.

Given the constraints of the KONI schedule and Grand-Am's rules on testing, we've not done as much testing at Mosport as you might expect. But we did have our three TSXs and our Honda Civic (now no longer, alas) there in April, and so we're expecting our cars and drivers will be on pace.

As you can imagine, being our home event, this is a pretty big deal. The team's friends and fans come out to cheer us on, and we also have a number of our sponsors attending as well. Book publisher Harper Collins Canada will be using the event to promote the newly-released book THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, written by Garth Stein. Already one of the top fiction books on the New York Time Bestseller list (plus it's Starbuck's Book of the Month and currently #1 on the Taiwan charts!), it's the story of an aspiring race car driver and the challenges he faces in his life, as told through the eyes of his dog, Enzo. The lead character was inspired by one of our drivers, Kevin York, who (along with co-driver Christian Miller in our #75 Acura TSX) currently lies second in the KONI Challenge Driver's Championship. Garth and Kevin will be handing out copies of the first chapter of the book at Mosport, and we have planned an at-track interview with them and the track announcer for Saturday morning. For details see http://www.GoEnzo.com.

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday June 10th, I've been invited to be part of Mosport's media launch which will take place in one of Toronto's many hip downtown locales, the Distillery District. I'll be joining the multi-talented championship winner Scott Maxwell to talk about the KONI Challenge, alongside a couple of the drivers in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, who we're sharing the event with as headliners. Scott's been one of those drivers that I've always admired, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to represent the KONI Challenge with him. One of our Acura TSXs will be on display during the event, and I think it will be interesting to talk with the media about just how "stock" our cars are, when sitting next to a NASCAR Stock Car!

So as you'd imagine, the team and I have a hectic week. Especially because we've been busy repairing three TSXs from the battle wounds at Lime Rock, and preparing last year's RSX-S for battle to replace the much-lamented Honda Civic that was destroyed there just a few weeks ago. That work is almost complete, and (as usual), you'll find all four cars coming off the trailer ready for testing on Thursday morning.

We're ready to try and grab victory at Mosport for the second year in a row!

Thomson: Civic RIP

2008-05-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

So there I was, hanging upside-down, looking at the grass through a shattered windshield. Held in only by my harness, and clearly out of communication with the crew, all I could think of was the points.

Yup, Driver's Championship Points. As in those Travis and I would be losing, since it was pretty clear that our shiny new Civic wouldn't be getting any on account of it sitting on its lid at the far reaches of Lime Rock's Big Bend.

We'd tested our new matte-black Honda Civic Si the two Fridays prior at Mosport, and although it's not got as much power as some of the other cars in the Street Tuner class, (Crew Chief) Ray Lee and the boys had clearly built a well-balanced and nicely drivable car. Given that Lime Rock's a momentum track, we had high hopes of a good finish that would keep Travis and I up front in the Driver's Championship.

The Memorial Day schedule doesn't allow for a ton of track time, and with nearly 50 cars on track, there was very little time for setting clean laps. Qualifying was shortened due to a competitor off-track, and like a lot of the usual front-running teams, we found ourselves mid-pack at the start.

I was able to make up some places at the start of the race, and started to move through traffic. It was a large field, no doubt, as team-mate Trevor Hopwood was experiencing. He was doing a great job, using his local track knowledge to best advantage having started at the back of the pack. When he got behind me, I let him by and we worked the traffic together for a while. Kevin York, who'd started a couple of places ahead of me, was also in the mix, just a few spots back. Jeremy Willard, meanwhile, was doing well before sustaining some damage which necessitated a quick trip to the pits.

A couple of cars got between Trevor and me, and I ended up in a good battle with one of APR's GTIs. Unfortunately, we came upon a lapped car as I was passing for position going into Big Bend. Now, those GTIs are pretty impressive pieces of kit, as you'll know if you've seen one up close. Beautifully prepared, they definitely had the measure of our Civic on the straights. So, when the VeeDub got caught out (on the downhill turn coming onto the front straight) by the car that was about to be lapped, there was a good opportunity to pass.

Unfortunately, the lapped car felt it would be good to be a part of our battle, and closed the door as I completed the pass down the inside of corner one. The contact sent the Civic into a pretty lurid barrel roll, flipping five times before coming to rest not far from the tire wall.

(photo credit: kptyson)

Time slows down when something like that happens. I remember realizing that the car was going to flip over, taking my hands off the wheel and crossing them across my chest, relaxing my legs and neck, and counting the rolls: one (bang!), two (bang!), three (I wonder how far that tire wall is, now; it'd be kind of bad to hit it -- bang!), four (stop). Apparently, I'd missed the first roll while I pulled my arms in. Three seconds of action felt like 30, and I got on the radio to let the guys know I was okay but the car was not. Unfortunately, the radio was out, and I was babbling into the ether.

The corner workers and emergency crew were amazing. By the time I'd decided how to balance myself on the steering wheel and roll bar so as not to fall into the ample windscreen area when I unbuckled, they were there. They calmly unplugged my radio as I crawled out of the turtled Civic, and took me back to the medical center. I was glad that we drove down the pit lane so that I could wave to our guys and let them know I was okay. My dad's a member of the crew, and it was important to make sure he saw me!

I'm really, really fortunate to have come through a crash so violent unscathed. I was able to get out of the car, go to medical, and be back on the pit wall calling strategy in less than thirty minutes. I would have liked to calling strategy for Travis, doing his stint in the Civic, but not this time. So thanks to our amazing crew, especially Ivan and Petr, who built the Civic from the ground up, and to King Motorsports for their work on the cage (which obviously did its job).

Lime Rock is a challenging track to pass on, and I think it's important (especially when the cars are a bit out of order at the start) for us drivers to realize when it's worth protecting a position and when to allow a pass so you can tuck in behind. This is especially true for the first-stint guys. It seems foolhardy to slow each other down, with the leader not far behind, when you would likely be faster if you swapped positions. This isn't a thought that would work if you were in a sprint race, but we're not. KONI Challenge is endurance racing, and I think that's worth remembering, especially for the guys getting lapped.

The wreck means that Travis and I have our work cut out for us if we're to challenge for the Driver's Championship, as we've fallen out of the top ten. Last year I had similar ups and downs, and still managed to finish second, so we know we're not out yet, by a long shot!

Our team-mates Christian Miller and Kevin York finished sixth (again), which puts them second in the Championship, and Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood jumped to third place with their seventh-position finish. I'm thrilled for all four guys, and have to throw out kudos to Christian, who drove an inspired second stint.

There's no way that we'll be able to build a new Civic in time for Mosport on Father's Day weekend (June 14th), so Travis and I will be driving last year's RSX (which had been sold, but not paid for, which has turned out to be pretty fortunate!). The team knows this car, and although I'm saddened to see our first Civic meeting its demise so soon, I think the RSX may be just the ticket to get Travis and I back in the hunt with our team-mates.

We'll see if I'm right in just a few weeks.

Skunk2 C360R Motor Build (Part 1)

2008-05-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

Watch as Mario from Skunk2 gives some detail on the build-up of one of the special motors they make specifically for our race cars.

There are five installments in this segment. Click to see the YouTube page containing all of them.

Two Top-ten Finishes for C360R at Lime Rock

2008-05-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

LAKEVILLE, CT -- After a four-month hiatus, Grand-Am's KONI Challenge series returned to action with a busy Memorial Day weekend at the tight confines of legendary Lime Rock Park. Compass360 Racing brought its four-car team with high hopes of continuing its front-running effort led by Travis Walker and Karl Thomson, who sat atop the Driver's Championship after the season-opening race in Daytona.

Team-mates Christian Miller and Kevin York in the #75 Acura TSX came into Lime Rock sixth, with 2007 Champions Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood (TSX #74) also inside the top-ten in ninth. New to the team were Kenny Wilden and Jeremy Willard in the Pure Hair and Body Care #73 TSX, hoping to notch a good finish to kick-start their year.

The Lime Rock event marked the inaugural event for the new Compass360 #76 Honda Civic Si. The car had shown promise in testing during the weeks leading up to Memorial Day, and would be driven by Thomson and Walker. "The Civic is clearly a car we're in the process of developing," noted Thomson prior to the race, "but the guys built a car that's really good right out of the box, and we think it'll be ready to get into the top-ten."

With 48 cars on track in the Street Tuner class, qualifying was a crap shoot as expected. The session was cut short with a car off-track, which meant none of the C360R cars had the opportunity to set a fast lap. York had the best qualifying, in 18th, with Thomson in 27th and Willard in 36th. Hopwood's #74 car had an electrical glitch that surfaced during morning practice, which the crew had repaired by mid-session, but the early end to qualifying meant that he would start from the very back of the pack.

All of which promised to offer the large number of fans in attendance a very exciting race!

At the fall of the green flag, the C360R cars started moving up the leader board. Most impressive was the #74 TSX of Hopwood, who carved through the traffic into the top 20, after starting 42nd. Thomson also made progress, up to 19th, with York close behind in 22nd. Willard was also making progress, which was hampered by contact with another car which necessitated a lengthy pit stop to remove some damaged body work. He continued on and made up places throughout his stint.

On lap 43, Thomson was tagged by a back-marker while battling for position going into corner one, Big Bend. The contact resulted in a spectacular five-barrel-roll crash, bringing out the second caution of the day. While Karl was getting out of the upside-down Civic, the team pulled their TSXs in for pit stops, the #74 and #75 taking the opportunity to change drivers.

Those team cars had a great battle throughout the remainder of the race, with the Miller/York car coming home sixth at the checkered flag, with the #74 car of Burrows and Hopwood in seventh. "Today we had a great battle between team-mates," remarked Miller. "Adam and I gave each other room to race, and it was really good fun!"

It was an amazing result for both cars, especially considering Hopwood started the race nearly dead last. "We started back in the pack because of the electronics glitch, but Trevor and I couldn't be more pleased with the results considering our starting position," said Burrows. "We're quite energized to be back in the swing of things and overcoming the adversity really sweetened the pot." They're now in third position in the Street Tuner Driver's Championship.

Miller and York are one spot ahead, having finished in sixth place two times in a row. "We all want to win races, but this series is about consistency," explained Miller. "We're going for top-tens every race, and I know we'll be on the podium soon."

The early contact put Willard two laps down, and he handed the #73 TSX to Wilden mid-way through the race, with Wilden battling traffic and crossing the finish line in 22nd position.

The wreck of the Civic move first-place duo Thomson and Walker just outside of the top-ten in the Driver's Championship. "The combination of shortened qualifying and back-markers really screwed up our race," said Walker. "This puts Karl and I back in points, but we'll bring back our Acura RSX for the next few races and hopefully we can win a few so we can get back on top." Indeed, while the crew build a new Civic Si, the #76 duo will return to their front-running RSX-S campaigned by the team in 2006 and 2007.

"While I'm frustrated by my result, I'm thankful to the guys for building such a strong car," exclaimed Thomson. "Big kudos to King Motorsports who built the cage -- it was amazing to walk away from a violent crash like that!" He continued, "I'm really thrilled for Christian and Kevin, and Adam and Trevor, who are now at the front of the stick in points. An amazing job by the team and our drivers!"

The KONI Challenge heads north of the border to Mosport International Raceway for the next round, on the Father's Day weekend. For details, visit Mosport.

Photo credit: Wes Duenkel.

York and Miller Lead Compass360 with 2nd Top-ten Finish

2008-05-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Kevin York and Christian Miller finished in sixth place driving the No. 75 GoEnzo.com, 034 Motorsport, C360R.com ACURA TSX in the Grand Am KONI Challenge Series ST-class race at Lime Rock Park. The race result is the pair’s second such finish of the 2008 season.

York qualified the car in eighteenth position of the forty-six car grid -- first amongst the Compass360 team.

York started the race and maintained position while fending off other competitors. At the one-hour mark of the two and one-half hour race, York pitted during a caution period. During the stop, York and Miller swapped spots as planned. With fresh tires and a full fuel tank, Miller took off on his charge to the front of the pack.

Moving up as high as the top-five, Miller finally settled on sixth place at the finish -- again, first amongst the Compass360 team. Of note was that the #75 car was relatively unscathed; unique in an event that saw much car-to-car contact with resultant damage.

"Kevin did really well in qualifying," cited Miller before the race. "Lime Rock is a difficult place and with so many cars on-track, finding a clean lap to put down a decent time is challenging. Kevin did a great job."

After the race York said, "I could not ask for a better effort from my teammate, Christian. He fought many battles but kept his composure while moving us up into the top-ten for the second race event in a row. I’m very pleased."

Announced at Lime Rock, Grand-Am has instituted the MESCO Building for the Future Rookie of the Year Award for certain KONI Series drivers. Even though York is a seasoned competitor, by the guidelines of the program he will be eligible to run for Rookie of the Year honors. The winner will be determined by finishing position in the final championship standings. The MESCO Building for the Future Rookie of the Year will be honored at the season-ending KONI Challenge Series awards banquet.

The Compass360 team will be doing everything they can to ensure Kevin, or team-mate Jeremy Willard (who is also eligible) takes this new award!

York is sponsored by GoEnzo.com, a website promoting the new, best-selling book, The Art of Racing in the Rain. Miller receives support from California-based tuning shop 034Motorsport.

Burrows and Hopwood Race From Last To Seventh at Lime Rock

2008-05-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

LAKEVILLE, CT — Canton, Connecticut’s Adam Burrows and Lee, New Hampshire’s Trevor Hopwood finished seventh with the No. 74 Fischer Skis/Compass360 Racing Acura TSX in the Gran-Am KONI Challenge Classic ST Class race at Lime Rock Park on Saturday. The race result is the pair’s second top-ten finish of the 2008 season.

The 2007 KONI Challenge Champions were hoping to make a podium appearance on their home ground at Lime Rock Park, but were instead forced to stage a massive comeback during the race, starting from dead last after an electrical problem in qualifying kept Hopwood from setting a time.

Hopwood started the race as the caboose in the 46-car field train for the two and a half hour event. But he quickly began bolting to the front right from the drop of the green flag. Keeping his championship challenge in mind while also looking to make it to the front, Hopwood moved up to fifteenth before turning the car over to Burrows, as his good decisions and patience were rewarded with forward progress and a car that didn’t have a scratch on it to boot.

“That was fun,” said Hopwood. “I was frustrated with qualifying this morning, but we had a good car for the race and moving all the way up like that was really a blast for me. Adam did a great job with his long stint at the end, and after starting where we did, a good way to finish on our home race. Hopefully we can have another good run on Monday in the GS race.”

Burrows took the controls as the race neared the fifty-lap mark, with quick pit work from Compass 360Racing helping him rejoin the field in 13th. With a wide range of experience on the fast little 1.53-mile circuit in Northwest Connecticut, Burrows used every trick he knew to try to preserve the tires under him as he surged up to seventh at the checkered flag after a long stint at the wheel.

“That was a lot of work out there but after we started from last in this huge field, it’s great to come out of this with a seventh place finish,” said Burrows. “I was trying to save the tires as well as I could, but by the end the rears were pretty much shot, so I had to be a little conservative because it was very loose. But after the way the day started, this is a great result and now we’ll look forward to Mosport.”

The No. 76 Compass360 entry of Karl Thomson and Travis Walker was out of the race before mid-race after being sent off track and then flipping over in corner one with Thomson behind the wheel. Fortunately, the Compass360 Racing principal emerged unscathed and with this competitive focus in tact.

“Well, the guys on the team really needed a yellow so this was good for them, but of course I didn’t want to be the cause of it!”

The Memorial Day race weekend is far from over for Burrows and Hopwood, who will be back in race action on Monday as the two make their KONI Challenge GS debut in the Shock Doctor BMW M3 with Kinetic Motorsports. Burrows will start the race from 15th on the grid after locking into the grid spot in Saturday’s qualifying session.

Next KONI Challenge Race:
Mosport International Raceway
June 14, 1:00 PM ET.

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PR inquiries about Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood should be directed to Matt Cleary at Sunday Group Management; 317.908.2975 (mobile) or media@sundaymanagement.com

Compass360 Racing is the motorsports division of Compass360 Design + Advertising, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit www.compass360.com/racing or email racing at compass360 dot com.

Burrows and Hopwood Add GS Ride at Lime Rock

2008-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

LAKEVILLE, CT (21 May, 2008) – The fastest drivers always keep their eyes up and looking way ahead, whether they are looking from corner to corner for a fast race lap, or further down the road for good opportunities in their racing career.

Adam Burrows of Canton, CT and Trevor Hopwood of Lee, NH, have long had their vision locked in on the GS Class of KONI Challenge competition, and this weekend, the 2007 Grand-Am KONI Challenge ST Class Champions will get the chance to test the waters in GS as Burrows and Hopwood have been signed to make their GS Class debut at Lime Rock Park in the No. 80 Shock Doctor Kinetic Motorsports BMW M3.

It will be a busy Memorial Day weekend for the duo at the famed Northwest Corner facility, which is the home Grand-Am race track for both Burrows and Hopwood. In addition to their GS Class debut, the two will also be looking to keep their ST Class Championship title defense moving forward in the Compass360Racing Acura TSX in Saturday afternoon’s two and a half hour enduro.

The GS Class start is the first for both Hopwood and Burrows, who scored the ST class pole in qualifying at Lime Rock Park last year. Lime Rock Park has been the site for several firsts for both racers, as Hopwood made his ST Class debut at the track in 2005, scoring 6th on the grid in his first-ever qualifying effort.

“I’m really excited about the Lime Rock Park weekend and thrilled that Kinetic is giving us this chance in the GS car,” said Hopwood, who has extensive high-horsepower experience behind the wheel of GT-1 class machinery. “There are a lot of very talented drivers and several strong car and team combinations, so we know it is going to be really competitive. But for us to get a chance to step up and see what GS is all about is an awesome opportunity and its even better that we get to do it at Lime Rock Park.”

The GS debut will also come with a familiar brand, as the two took their ST Championship behind the wheel of a BMW 330i last season before taking on the challenge of racing with front-wheel drive in the Acura TSX for 2008.

“It is a little like coming home in terms of racing with a BMW again this weekend,” said Burrows, who made his first-ever race start at Lime Rock Park as well as scoring his first career pole and win at the track in SCCA competition. “We are going to be busy going back and forth between the Acura and the BMW and that will be its own interesting challenge, but we are really looking forward to it. I just want to thank Kinetic for giving us this chance and hopefully we can bring them a good result.”

Based in Buford, Georgia, Kinetic Motorsports made its Grand-Am KONI Challenge debut with a multi-car effort in 2007 at Daytona International Speedway. The Burrows Hopwood entry will be one of three Kinetic campaigns during the Lime Rock Park race weekend.