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Interview with Bill Pate - Team Manager
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Posted (01/23/2004) - Bill Pate founded the Phoenix Promotions team (aka Phoenix Racing) in 1983 on his way back from a very long VW Cup race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Since that time, Bill has been one of the kingpins in the team's long term success. Besides his current Team Management role, Bill is a very accomplished driver. In fact Bill has scored the most amount of victories for the team. During Bill's last full race driving with the team at the Trios Rivieres event, he won the race by over 2 laps. This season Bill assumes the role of Team Manager, which can consist of being careful to focus upon key team details throughout the weekend. What stands out as your most memorable moment from 2003? [BILL] That would have to be our third and fourth place finish at Daytona in the last race of the season. As you know Daytona has always been a very special place for our team and we always pull out all the stops for that race. The way that race unfolded the best we could have done was third, with an hour to go we were running about 8th and Wayne put his nose down and hustled that car as hard as it would go right up to a podium finish. Joe was running about 10th after the restart and did basically the same thing. Having them both on the track at the end, running as hard as they could and winning the championship was sweet. It was also the end of a 13 year quest that Joe and I started at Elkhart Lake, Wi in 1992. Joe and I came close in 1998 to getting that championship but it wasn't meant to be. It just made the father, son deal that much sweeter in 2003 when we finally got Joe his championship. Was it difficult during the weekend running in two different classes? [BILL] Without great crew help it would be impossible. Trevor Whipple was basically running the HRP World cars in STII and Mike Thomas ran the GSII cars. Kris & Holly Nonnamaker run the timing and scoring computer that gives us the up to the second race information. With Wayne and Will in the pits overseeing their cars it was like having 5 car chiefs and sometimes we had 5 cars. My biggest job is to just make sure all the balls you guys throw in the air don't hit the ground. The Team moved into running ROLEX GT in 2003, and now full time in 2004. What adjustments do you think the team will have to make? [BILL]Everyone is just going to have to move their game up a notch. Things happen so much quicker not only on the driving level but also on the pit stops, adjusting on the cars, and decision making in the pits. I am sure we will make some mistakes. The big thing is to learn from them and become a better team in the process. What do you think of the changes that have been made in both the ROLEX Grand American and Grand-Am Cup for 2004? [BILL] Grand-Am sat down with everyone in 2001 at Homestead, Fl. and laid out a plan for road racing in North America. From that day to this I don't think I have seen one change that has come from Grand-Am that has varied from the business plan they laid out that afternoon. I wish I could say that about my trucking business. We are at a very early stage of that plan. If the rest of their plan comes to fruition we should have a place to race cars profitably on road circuits in America for a very long time. 2004 marks the first time ever that the team will not be racing a Front Wheel Drive race car since the team was established in 1983. Do you think it will be strange not racing a Sports Touring racer? [BILL] Well Joe and I both started in Pinto's back in the 70's, so I guess you could say we returned to our roots ( just with some zero's added to the purchase price) of rear wheel drive. But my heart will always be with those Acura, VW and Mazda front wheel drive cars that we worked so hard on. From a drivers point of view they simply became an extension of you. Over the years Honda and Acura have done such a wonderful job in their support of the competitors I just< |
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