Just over one year ago, Pacific Coast Motorsports announced they would return to open-wheel racing with a two-car effort in the Champ Car World Series; North America’s premier open-wheel racing league.
What a year it has been! The 2004 Atlantic championship winning team entered the Champ Car arena as a rookie team with rookie drivers. Combined with the introduction of the brand new DP01 Champ Car, some might have thought the odds were stacked up against the California-based squad, but PCM thrives on challenges.
Team Director Tyler Tadevic commented on the team’s transition and inaugural Champ Car season, "I am proud to have our first season of Champ Car under our belt. This was a big step up for us and we learned a lot this season. I certainly believe to a certain extent, that we underestimated some elements of Champ Car. The level of competition is so high, and we certainly didn’t know what it would be like to compete against a team like Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing with over 100 race wins!" Tadevic continued, "Our crew did an unbelievable job all season long. I am excited for our sophomore season and building upon what we did right, and fixing what we didn’t."
The team’s Champ Car debut was successful on and off the racetrack. Drivers Alex Figge, Ryan Dalziel and Mario Dominguez turned in eight top-ten finishes and the team developed multiple commercial partnerships throughout their rookie season.
PCM finished the season on a high note last month in Mexico City, when they earned their best-combined result of the year with Alex Figge finishing 11th and Mario Dominguez eighth in the TECATE sponsored cars. In addition, PCM was honored with the Sherwin Williams "Most Improved" award for the unique livery Dominguez’s #28 car carried in honor of his Mexican heritage and for TECATE, who was also the title sponsor of the event.
"The business side of racing is as important as the competition side, they go hand in hand," said Tadevic. "We’re grateful for our long-standing partners, Sparco, Ironclad and Lincoln Welders who stepped up with us to Champ Car, and we’re very excited about the primary and associate relationships we developed this yea, and we look forward to a long future with them."
Champ Car successfully introduced several new events this year, and record-breaking crowds enjoyed the sights and sounds of series’ traditional events. In addition, Champ Car’s strong network television package enabled PCM to develop a commercial program and produce quantifiable results for their partners.
Pacific Coast Motorsports would like to thank our partners: Imperial Capital Bank, TECATE, Redback Networks, Plain Jane Couture, Molecule, Sun Media, Conrad Jupitors, Ironclad, the South Bay Plastering Contractors Associations, Joseph J. Albanese Inc, Lincoln Welders, Mothers Polish & Waxes, Motorsport Simulators, Safety-Kleen and Sparco for their continued support.
PCM plans to make several exciting announcements in the coming months. In preparation for the 2008 Champ Car season, PCM is expanding and looking for experienced professionals to add to their staff.
Visit www.pcmracing.com for all of the latest news and information.
-Katie Brannan- also photo
