WELCOME
TO K-PAX RACING!
Gentlemen (and ladies), start your engines, because we’re about
to take a turbo-charged ride.
This site is info-central for news about Randy Pobst, Michael Galati,
and the entire K-PAX crew as they score victory after victory on the
SPEED World Challenge circuit. There’s lots to see and do here,
and if you become a registered member, you’ll also participate
in special events, talk to fellow fans in our racing forum, and get awesome
free stuff.
And get this: Registered Team K-PAX members can view exclusive, on-board
videos from each race. [link to video page] You can relive the competition
exactly as Randy and Michael experienced it, through their windows, mirrors,
and moves. Special cameras and telemetry let you track the lightning-fast
gear changes and braking and monitor throttle position in real time.
Only K-PAX almost literally puts you in the driver’s seat.
So register now! [link to sign up page] For a limited time only, registered
members will ALWAYS have access to this kick-ass content. After the new
season begins with Sebring in March 2008, some features will be restricted
to members only.
It just doesn’t get better than this. Get your FREE membership now [link to sign up page] and start enjoying the benefits today!
SPEED WORLD CHALLENGE AT A GLANCE
When it comes to auto racing, the SCCA SPEED World Challenge is guaranteed
to deliver the ultimate in heart-pounding excitement at every hair-raising
turn. From its beginnings in 1972, when the Sports Car Club of America
created a new racing class for showroom stock automobiles, the series
has evolved into one of the country’s most prestigious and
challenging racing events, drawing big-name, international-class
drivers and manufacturers of the world’s finest sports cars.
Praised by The Auto Channel as “the most relevant road race
in the world,” this annual dozen-race series draws hordes of
fans and car enthusiasts at every stop on its North American circuit.
For those not fortunate enough to attend one of these adrenalin-pumping
events, The SPEED Channel broadcasts and re-broadcasts every race to
fans around the world. This year’s events spanned the continent
at noted racing venues ranging from Toronto to Sebring, Watkins Glen
to Long Beach and points between.
World Challenge cars race in two categories, GT (Grand Touring) and
TC (Touring Car). Participating manufacturers include powerhouses like
Porsche, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Mazda, Chevrolet , and many others.
K-PAX competes in the premier GT class (modified Dodge Viper, Corvette,
BMW, Porsche 911, Cadillac CTS-V), running twin Porsche 911 GT3s piloted
by acclaimed competitors Randy ”Rocket” Pobst and Michael
Galati. This dynamic duo, dubbed Super Team by SPEED Channel commentator
Dorsey Schroeder, has bagged a total of six World Challenge Championships — so
far.
In 2007 alone, Randy has racked up 221 TC and 228 GT points, and Michael
has earned 207 GT points, both well at the top of the pack in each
category.
About Us
K-PAX racing is the culmination of a lifelong dream for owner Jim Smith. As a kid growing up in the early 70s, Jim was a huge Trans Am fan. Jim always knew he wanted to be involved in the world of racing and set out to make that ambition a reality through a successful career in automotive repair business.Always curious about how things worked, young Jim had a special passion for the inner workings of cars. He studied automotive technology in college and held a series of jobs ranging from a Shell station to a Volvo dealership. It wasn’t too long before Jim launched out on his own.
Over the past 19 years, Jim has built his company to a level that has enabled him to become the proud owner of not just any racing team, but a team combining the talents of two of the winningest drivers in the sport, Randy Pobst and Michael Galati. [link to bio page] Randy has been a factory driver for Porsche, and Michael drove for Audi.
Jim doesn’t race himself, although he has taken some open-wheel classes for fun. For him, the reward of team ownership comes with being at the track for every event, watching his entire crew work in perfect precision. Jim notes that the world of sport car racing is tight indeed, because 3R, the company that services and transports his two Porsche 911s is owned by Bob Raub, a former Trans Am driver Jim had followed as a kid.
Jim says it’s easy to do well in SCCA racing. All you need are three things: Good cars, good crew, and good luck.
T-Shirt Design Contest
Heads up, all you artists out there! Here’s your chance to come
up with a killer design for the 2008 season K-PAX team T-shirt. You
could win your 15 minutes of fame and 500 bux for your efforts. The
design is entirely up to you, but it must include the K-PAX logo (click
here to download a jpg of our logo). [insert link to logo]
When you have completed your design, complete the contact information
[need to collect contact information for submissions], then upload
your file to our site in jpg format, [min/max size, other requirements?]
by clicking the Browse button to locate the file on your computer.
Enter any notes about your design (optional). Then click Submit to
send your file to us.
Model competition
BE A K-PAX TEAM MODEL!
Ladies, here’s your chance to support the team and build your
portfolio at the same time. You don’t have to be registered to
submit, but we’re sure you’ll want to sign up.
Every month we’ll ask registered members to select their favorite
model. [need to set up some voting mechanism and page] A $500 prize
goes to each month’s winner. Then, near the end of the season,
we’ll elect Miss K-PAX, who will be the team’s guest and
featured flag girl at the season finale during the third week of October.
Please submit your stats and a minimum of three photos [need upload
functionality on this page] along with any comments you’d like
to add. Let the fans get to know you! When you’re done, just
click Submit. [need to gather contact info for the models; should probably
be secure page?]
Free offers page
FREE OFFERS
Every month we’ll hold a random drawing where registered members
can win valuable free merchandise, tickets, and other super swag.
This month’s freebie is two packs of four tickets each to the
final two events of the 2007 season, Road Atlanta (Oct 3-5) and the
Monterey Sports Car Championships (Oct 19-21)
If you’re not a member yet, this is a great reason to sign up
now!
Team Bios
Michael Galati
If there’s one thing Michael Galati knows, it’s how to
win. His 20-year racing career is studded with championships, titles,
and awards — so many he probably needs a separate house for them.
Year after year he has racked up so many prestigious awards that it
might be easier to list the years he didn’t bring home a major
trophy. Take a look at these career highlights:
• Valvoline Runoffs SSC Champion (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994)
• World Challenge T2 Champion and Rookie of the Year (1996)
• Valvoline Runoffs SSB Champion (1997)
• World Challenge T2 Champion (1998)
• Speedvision Touring Car Champion (1999)
• Speedvision GT Champion (2001), SPEED GT Champion (2002)
Galati arrived in the US in 1980, at the tender age of 21, with the
Italian passion for racing surging in his blood. As a teenager in Sicily,
Michael had participated in 4-10 km sprints and gained valuable experience
in auto mechanics and racing with mentors like Nano Galli and Rinaldo
Drovandi, and his dream of championship was born.
In his new home in Ohio, Michael found work as a
mechanic and a few years later launched his own shop to service high-performance
imports.
When he’s not on the track, you’ll probably find Michael
in his shop, under the hood of a customer’s beloved Maserati,
Porsche, Ferrari, or Audi, tweaking and tuning for optimum performance.
Within seven years of setting up shop in Ohio, Galati fulfilled his
dream of becoming a racer and set out on the road to a nonstop winning
career.
1989-1994
Rookie driver Michael showed what he was made of by winning the Showroom
Stock C class of the June Sprints four times (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993)
and national titles (again in SSC) four times (1989, 1990, 1993, and
1994).
1996
Michael finished second at the season-ending Sears Point race to wrap
up his first World Challenge T2 title by a two-point margin, earning
T2 Red Line Oil Rookie of the Year honors in the process. He had two
wins and six top-five finishes. That’s not all: Michael set five
track records, including two in qualifying and three-fastest race laps.
I997
Michael notched his third career World Challenge T2 win at Watkins
Glen, en route to a third-place finish in the Drivers' Championship.
He was the fastest qualifier three times in a row and finished in the
top five for the first eight races of the season. Hardly breaking a
sweat, he went on to win the SCCA Club Racing SSB National Championship.
1998
Michael recorded his second T2 Drivers’ Championship on the strength
of five podium finishes including a win at Trois-Rivieres, eight top-10
finishes, five poles (four consecutive), two fastest-race laps (Grand
Rapids and Trois-Rivieres), and five track records.
1999
Riding on the crest of the previous year’s victories, Michael
formed his own team with an Acura Integra R and won his second consecutive
(and third career) Speedvision Touring Car Drivers’ Championship
with a record four-straight wins to start the season (Mosport, Lime
Rock, Mid-Ohio, and Road Atlanta), eight top-5s and 10 top-10s in ten
races. He also earned two poles (Lime Rock, Trois-Rivieres) and scored
265 points, three more than second place .
2000
Michael ran the final nine Speedvision GT races in a Champion Racing
Audi S4 Competition, finishing runner-up in the Championship. He recorded
six top-10s, five top-5s, and three podiums, highlighted by Audi’s
first-ever World Challenge win at Las Vegas in the second-closest finish
in series’ history.
2001
Michael collected $132,200 and racked up 283 points en route to his
first Speedvision GT Championship, becoming the first-ever four-time
World Challenge Champion. Driving for Champion Audi in an S4 Competition,
he scored four wins, an astounding nine top-5s,and 10 top-10s. He held
off Peter Cunningham at the season-finale doubleheader at Road Atlanta
to secure the title by 12 points. To Audi’s delight, he also
earned Audi its first-ever Manufacturers’ Championship by a single
point over Acura, 61 to 60.
2002
Michael captured his fifth World Challenge title driving Audi S4 Competition
for Champion Racing. He also scored big wins at Sebring, Mid-Ohio and
Road America, along with eight top-5s and 10 top-10 finishes during
a 10-race season.
2003
In an Audi RS 6, Michael snagged three SPEED GT podiums, five top-10
finishes, and one pole (Lime Rock), starting from the front row three
times. But there was disappointment, too: for the first time in seven
years, Michael didn’t win a World Challenge race. Undaunted,
he went on to help Audi win its second SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship
by piloting an Audi A4 in one SPEED Touring Car race and finishing
ninth at Road Atlanta.
2004
Regarding the broken winning streak as just a blip, Michael returned
to his rightful place in the winner’s circle. In 10 events, he
recorded three wins, five top-5, and seven top-10 finishes in an Audi
RS 6. He finished second in points in the SPEED GT point standings,
six behind Tommy Archer, once again helping Audi capture the Manufacturers’ title
for the third time in four years.
2005
In 10 Touring Car events, Michael finished a season-best tenth at Mosport,
driving a Mercedes C230. In three GT starts, he took Volvo to its highest
World Challenge finish ever with a fifth-place run at Portland.
