FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5 November 2010
Contact: Becca Bertok
Email: becca@panicmotorsports.com
Tel: 803.239.6176
WEST COLUMBIA—Panic Motorsports’ #90 Spec Miata claimed victory last Saturday, 30 Oct., at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in the 13 Hour Charge of the Headlight Brigade.
Company co-owner and driver, Steve Bertok of Lexington, along with teammates Alex Gaines, Jason Owenby, and Dan Tiley, all of North Carolina, finished first in class by more than six laps and finished eighth overall, out of 65 cars.
“I think we’re still coming to terms with what we did,” said Bertok. “We had a good plan going in, but having simply won hands-down still surprised us all. It was an amazing effort by our drivers and crew.”
The preparation for this year’s 13 hour race began about five minutes after the end of last year’s event, during which Panic Motorsports sponsored another car owner’s Spec Miata. The car had a number of mechanical failures which left the team mid-pack. Bertok, Gaines, and Owenby, who also ran in last year’s event, enlisted Tiley’s help and among them, put together a rock solid car.
“As drivers, we had a parts guy who builds Spec Miatas for a living, a former BMX racer, a Mazda transmission and engine builder, and a vehicle dynamics engineer,” said Becca Bertok, Steve’s wife and Panic’s co-owner. “How could we go wrong? The drivers get all the credit, but our crew really sealed the deal. There were times that our pit stops were so fast that we still had to hold the car for the required two minute stops!”
The Bertoks opened Panic Motorsports, located in West Columbia, in 2006. The company offers salvage and after market parts for Mazda Miatas and RX-7’s, as well as street-car service, racecar prep, and racecar rental. They have begun to expand their parts lines, but Mazdas are still their main focus.
“We watched the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) Spec Miata class grow rapidly a few years ago and decided that would be a good jumping point for us,” Bertok said. “The Miatas are also the most popular Mazda on the road. So far, it’s been a good decision for us. Now, we’re just looking to where we can go next.”
Panic Motorsports runs races throughout the Southeast, including at Carolina Motorsports Park, outside of Camden. However, the team runs four or five races at VIR each year.
“It’s definitely one of our favorite tracks,” Bertok said.
Located in Alton, VA, 12 miles east of Danville, the course boasts 17 turns and over three miles of paved racing surface. Utilized by the SCCA, the American Le Mans Series, AMA World Superbike, and others, VIR is one of the U.S.’s premier road courses.
The 13 hour endurance win came at a good time. The added publicity will be a bonus to this small local, company. Racing is Panic’s number one form of advertising. Although the company services a number of Mazdas in the Midlands and supplies several local body shops, the racing community has provided the largest amount of return business, and Panic’s growth has largely been due to word-of-mouth advertising among Spec Miata enthusiasts. In conjunction with Bertok’s 20+ years of auto parts experience and Becca’s marketing background, these efforts have combined to create a solid base for Panic’s growth over the last four years.
Panic’s employees ship parts worldwide and supply some of the largest Spec Miata teams on the East Coast, generating sales through solid relationships as well as EBay and web stores. With the occasional Volvo, Porsche, and Mini that comes through the door, Panic Motorsports is able to satisfy a growing need for salvage parts across a variety of vehicle makes.
“You have to be passionate about something to take the leap and form your livelihood around it,” Bertok said. “We certainly have the automotive bug, but we’ve also been Blessed with amazing employees, clients, and friends. To win last weekend’s enduro has just been the icing on the cake this year. We’re excited to see what we can accomplish next year in the shop and on the track!”
Panic Motorsports’ team includes more than 10 sports car pilots, a 358 Sprint car driver, many course workers and officials, and a handful of championships including successive championships for Bertok in the Carolina Cup Pro Series (CCPS, 2008 and 2009), this year’s CCPS Spec Miata Championship went to teammate Tiley, and Owenby and Gaines both have SARRC championships within the past two seasons.
The Bertoks wish to express their gratitude to Race Engineering, Carbotech Performance Brakes, Ahab Studios of Lexington, Retro-Solutions lighting products, Mazdaspeed, Ti-Speed Engineering, and the North and South Carolina Regions-SCCA.
For more information on Panic Motorsports, log on to www.PanicMotorsports.com or call the shop at 803-261-7629. For more information on the Sports Car Club of America and local road racing programs, visit www.scr-scca.com.
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