In late spring I met Corey Lewis, who lives in Bushkill Twp and is an aspiring professional race car driver. At the time, he was competing in the Skip Barber National Series, but their funding was running low and his prospects for finishing the season were getting slim. I offered to help by putting a web site together, reaching out to local media to raise awareness, and anything else I could do to keep him in the car. Since then, my role has evolved to that of a ‘business manager’. I’ve been working with the family, developing proposals, and communicating with race teams to try to get a full-time ride for Corey in the 2010 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear.
In that capacity, I went with Corey to NY to test a formula Mazda pro car in September. There we met Anthony Massari, who worked with a variety of drivers in different series, and was a crew member for Team GDT. In Atlanta, Anthony introduced me to Paul Mata, team manager, and through him we arranged to have Corey compete in a Formula Mazda Challenge Winter Series race. The entire series is comprised of five events contested during three event weekends in CA and AZ.
Team driving coach, Chuck West, who founded World Speed Motorsports and is a championship driver himself, said this of Corey’s performance at Infineon where he qualified 4th, started 3rd, and won the race.
“Corey was most impressive, his car feel and intuition in the car is a rare quality. Infineon or Sears Point, as I prefer to call it, is one of the most challenging race tracks in the country, you don’t normally show up here and run as fast or faster with drivers that have hundreds of miles on this track. The fact that Corey has not driven a Pro Mazda car for any real length of time only shows his high talent level. I’m sure I helped him with some of the tricks to give him a jump start to the weekend but when the rain came, that was all him, he is awesome in the wet! I think he could be considered to be one of the top 5 American drivers coming up through the rank right now.”
Throughout the race weekend, I kept the coverage limited to Corey’s web site, blog, and Twitter so his family and friends who didn’t make it to CA could follow the action during the 30 minute timed race on Saturday. There are articles and photos on the blog along with links to a larger photo gallery and videos on YouTube. You can also read the full team press announcement here.
The next two races are in Phoenix, AZ on December 4 & 5, and the final two races are in February (dates to be determined) back at Infineon.
To compete in Phoenix we’ll need to raise money. If you or your company would be interested in being a sponsor of the series points leading entry, contact me by phone or email (Ross Nunamaker – 484.809.4872 or Nunamaker.ross@att.net). While we can’t guarantee media coverage, we did have two articles courtesy of the Express-Times, anticipate having one next week in the Morning Call, and will be recognizing sponsors on the web site and blog. As a sponsor, in addition to the PR your company will receive, you can have a free page on the Nazareth Market (for one year) and we can have a logo or company name sticker added to the car. If you are able to attend the event (Arizona is lovely this time of year), you will have full access to the garage area and be able to have photos with the car and driver. If your company is interested in sponsoring for more than a single event, contact me to discuss B2B opportunities that exist within motorsports to ensure a positive return on your investment over time.
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