He drives his car at 165 miles per hour, but has never received a speeding ticket ? or any other kind of ticket ? in 11 years. That?s because Carter Hunt is an amateur sports car racer.

Carter, vice president of sales for Hunt & Company in Greensboro, N.C., participates in club racing, a North American descendant of European Grand Prix racing. Club racing, unlike NASCAR or Formula 1 racing, is more for the participants than for spectators. The tracks, typically 2.5 to 3.5 miles long, are road courses.

Racing is more than a casual hobby for Carter. In 1996 he won the Southeastern Endurance Championship, and he recently won the 2000 National Auto Sport Association Pro Sedan 2 Championship in the car he currently races, a 1984 BMW 325E.

Carter bought that BMW for $2,000 a few years ago. He?s put about $3,000 into it, not counting labor. ?Who?s your mechanic?? I asked Carter. ?I am,? he said. ?When I started racing, I could barely change a tire. Now I am the mechanic. If I would have had to pay for labor, it would have cost me another $7,000.?

Carter races in the BMW Car Club of America, the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). There are two categories: sprint races, generally 35 to 40 minutes long, with no pit stops, and endurance races that range from 90 minutes to 24 hours. In fact, Carter has raced with his dad, Clyde Hunt Jr., president and owner of Hunt & Co., in endurance races.

If this is a family sport, isn?t safety a concern? Carter says that per mile driven, sports car racers are likely to be safer on the track than on the street. The safety requirements, though, are extensive. The car has to have a full roll cage, a five-point racing harness for the driver ? the same seatbelt a jet fighter pilot wears ? and a window net. Drivers wear a protective flame-resistant Nomex suit and a racing helmet, gloves, and shoes.

Before he started racing, Carter was an instructor. Many amateur sports car racers also teach driving courses. Not like the defensive driving course I recently took to get a speeding ticket dismissed, but one that teaches people to drive their high-performance cars skillfully, safely and fast. ?Instructors don?t get paid cash, but we get paid in track time, which is worth about $500 a day? Carter said.

Speaking of high performance cars, I asked Carter what his dream car is. Without hesitation he said, ?A Ferrari F355. I?ve driven it and instructed in it.? He said that particular Ferrari went for about $140,000.

Tom Blash, owner of South Florida Janitorial & Pool in Riviera Beach, Fla., is also an instructor. He teaches in the BMW and Porsche driving schools so he can ?keep his edge? as a driver. Tom used to compete regularly in vintage racing. The term ?vintage? used here doesn?t mean ?old? or ?slow? ? some vintage cars tops speeds of 200 mph. It refers to cars that were manufactured pre-1965, before computers and other high technology modifications. Tom used to race his 1958 Porsche Speedster in about 10 races each year. At least once a month, he?d put the Porsche on a trailer and he, his wife, the kids, and the family dog would travel to races in Florida, Connecticut, New York, Ohio, and Georgia. When he started his business about five years ago, he sold his racing Porsche. But he just bought a new car that he?s getting ready to race: a 1985 BMW. And, like Carter Hunt, Tom is both the mechanic and the driver. Would he become a full time professional racer if he could? ?In a heartbeat,? he said, ? but family and work commitments come first.?

What kind of vehicle does a racecar driver use when he?s not competing? ?My regular car is a four-wheel drive minivan,? said Carter. Silly me. Of course he drives a minivan when he?s not on the track. How else would he carry floor equipment to his demonstrations?

Gretchen Roufs, a 14-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio, Texas. To suggest someone you think should be featured in ?freetime,? contact her at (210) 601-4572.




POSTED ON: 1/1/2001