Charles In Charge: Espenlaub Among SCCA SPEED Touring Car Best

For Immediate Release

 

Charles In Charge: 

Espenlaub Among SCCA SPEED Touring Car Best

 

MONTEREY, Calif. (Oct. 14, 2005) - Five years can be a lot of things.
It can be a college career or the time it takes to pay off a car.  It
can mean starting a family and putting your oldest child in
kindergarten.  It can also be a personal transition period - a time of
change and growth.  For SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge driver
Charles Espenlaub, five years spans the length of his World Challenge
career, and the change he has undergone as a driver in that time is
phenomenal.

 

Espenlaub, of Lutz, Fla., is a motivated man, especially when it comes
to competition.  He has been known to jump out of his ride just to run
directly into his trailer where he will spend hours pouring over new
performance data - evaluating his performance and looking for ways to be
faster the next time out.  

 

"We spend hours and hours going over data acquisition when we're off the
track," the 37 year old driver said.  "That actually helps me more than
anything for sure."

 

That statement appears to be accurate, considering that with one race
still remaining, Espenlaub has amassed season personal bests in several
categories, including wins (one), top-fives (four) and top-tens (seven).

 

While doing his homework has been key, Espenlaub said he recognized that
other factors, including growing confidence by his Tindol Motorsports
crew in him and vice versa, have played a significant role in his
progress.

 

"Probably some discipline on my part," Espenlaub said.  "But there's no
doubt in my mind that when I go out on the track I have a great car.
It's a great relationship we have between the crew and myself."

 

Granted, spending time pouring over numbers and working with teammates
is something that all teams do, but it's the intensity with which
Espenlaub drinks in information that sets him apart.  He devours it -
scouring every detail with an underlying, slow-burn type of passion that
comes to the surface when he's behind the wheel.

 

It's the quiet roar with which Espenlaub competes that has made his
rivals take notice.  His on-track presence is strong to the point that
it keeps others checking their mirrors.  And even more than that, the
other drivers know that, given the chance, Espenlaub will blow right
past them.

 

Knowing that characteristic exists, one can only smile and nod when
finding out that Espenlaub cites "Fight Club" as his favorite movie.  

 

"I was just fascinated with the concept of that movie," Espenlaub said.
"I could have seen myself going and doing something like that had I not
gotten into racing.  I guess I share some of the same ideals that were
in that movie."  

 

Espenlaub may need a "back-against-the-wall" mentality this weekend at
the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
because, like it or not, he is the man to beat after winning the SPEED
Touring Car Round 10 race at Mosport International Raceway.

 

If that wasn't enough pressure for someone who is just beginning to get
used to being in the limelight, some onlookers have pegged Espenlaub as
someone who could factor into the outcome in the Mazda/Acura battle for
the SPEED Touring Car Manufacturers' Championship Presented by Racer
Magazine.  

 

No matter how much pressure others try to put on him, Espenlaub said he
already understands what this Sunday's race could mean.

 

"I try to think it doesn't add any pressure, but it probably does,"
Espenlaub said. "I've already gone through a ton of different scenarios
on how it could work.  Jeff Altenburg and I have talked about every day
on how different things could play out and how we can get that
Manufacturers' title for Mazda.  

 

"This is definitely the most important race of my career as far as the
potential benefit to Mazda and for myself.  We'll definitely go out
there and give it our all."

 

-30-

 

 

Photo Credit: Morgan J Segal (c) 2005

Photo Caption: SPEED Touring Car driver Charles Espenlaub knows there is
a lot on the line this weekend in Monterey.

Curt K.
_______________
Curtis Kitchen
Public Relations Manager
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Inc.
ckitchen@scca.com  
800-770-2055