Wisconsin’s Jeff Courtney,
SPEED World Challenge Touring Car ‘Rookie of the Year,’
Looks Back At ‘06 Season And Plans For ‘07

SLINGER, WISCONSIN -- It’s one of the most prestigious awards in sports... Rookie of the Year. And for Slinger businessman and pro racer, Jeff Courtney, winner of the Piloti Rookie of the Year award in the Touring Car class of the professional series, the SPEED
World Challenge, the honor is no different.

Battling it out all year in with as many as 80 other drivers, 16 rookies -- new to this international series, Courtney was made aware early and often just how competitive this series is battling through both competition adjustments by the SCCA and some mechanical gremlins along the way.

When the season’s dust had settled, Courtney not only found himself at the top of the rookie list, but also a stunning series top-ten finisher -- a place that many drivers have wished they could find themselves year after year.

And one has to consider that Courtney has and continues to compete in other prominent series as well including the Grand-Am Cup, Panoz Racing Series, Mazdaspeed, and the Miata Cup.

A lifelong competitive racer of just about anything automotive, Jeff is a graduate of the Panoz Racing School in Atlanta, from which countless international racers at the Le Mans level have come. This year, he took a first in the Panoz GT class at the famous 12 hours of Sebring and returned to take first in the higher horsepower GTS class in the Panoz Racing Series, driving the factory car at the Panoz Series Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta event in late September running a pole-to-checkered flag race.

All season long, Courtney had been tearing up the SPEED World Challenge, regardless of his rookie status, as part of the 3-car STaSIS Engineering racing team, to which he was named late last season.

“From the Atlanta race in September on, our plan didn‘t go as scripted. I had a great car all season, and we had hoped to make it to the top five. But at the Atlanta race, I lost a clutch while running in 7th place but managed to limp home in 10th place. Then in mid October at the final race at Laguna Seca, a motor mount let go on the standing start which in turn severed a coolant hose and the engine blew on the first lap, our only DNF (did not finish) of the season.

Despite some late season obstacles, Courtney found himself atop the rookie charts by an astonishing 13 points in the Touring Car class.  The points came with a series of impressive finishes including four in the top ten, the highest being a fourth place at Mid-Ohio, against some of the world’s top pro drivers.

“Most of these tracks were new to me this season. Next year, I expect to be  more aggressive and focused on a team and driver’s championship” Courtney said. “My goals is for sponsors and fans to see me on the podium -- often.”

“This year, I believe we have met our team and drivers goals, and hopefully I have earned the respect of the other drivers! To be honest, I never expected to find myself among the top ten drivers in points in my first year!” he concluded.

For more information on Jeff Courtney, visit his personal website at www.jeffcourtneyracing.com. Find out more about the World Speed Challenge and about both Jeff and all his racing series adventures at
theracesite.com and panozrsacingseries.com.