Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Home > BIR Instructors

Live Support


MAIN MENU


1
12
MEMBER MENU



12
Search Our Site


 
BIR Sponsors
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Beginning in the 70's Gary raced motorcycles, earning two state and three regional championships along with 69 wins and 188 top five finishes in state, regional and national competition. From this start, Gary moved on to compete in the Bondurant Racing School Pro Search program. The following year, he successfully competed in formula 2000 races in both the US and Canada.

By the 90's, Gary was winning SCCA races, and in 1992 Donnybrooke Motorsports became his primary sponsor. In 1997 and 1998 he won his class in the Minneapolis Grand Prix. And in 2000 & 2001 you could have watched him on the SPEED Channel, winning races in the American Le Mans Panoz GTS Pro Series. In fact, Gary won that series in 2001. Gary is currently the lead instructor and driving school director for the BIR Performance Driving School.

Herm is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 7 seasons (1979-1985), with 35 career starts, including the 1984 Indianapolis 500. He also raced at Indy in 1982, but the race was not part of CART that year. He finished in the top ten 8 times, with his best finish in 6th position in 1982 at Atlanta. In 1976, Herm won the SCCA National Championship at Road Atlanta and was the 1977 USAC Super Vee Champion.

Herm currently resides in Eau Claire Wisconsin, running his custom painting business, "Just Herm Designs". The shop has done work for several Indy 500 winners as well as IRL and NHRA Champions (Eddie Cheever Jr., Al Unser, Jr., Johnny Herbert & Sam Hornish, Jr. to name a few). The shop specializes in custom paint jobs for helmets, racecars, and motorcycles. Herm is also an instructor for the BIR Performance Driving School.

Lon started out in the NRKA sprint karting world, finishing second in the championship level before moving up to the WKA enduro kart racing series. Lon has raced on many of the Midwest road race tracks including: Road America, Blackhawk Farms and Brainerd International Raceway. Lon has worked for many years with Gary Curtis at Donnybrooke Motorsports and currently as an instructor with the BIR Performance Driving School.
Ron’s involvement in motor sports began in the late fifties at the beginning of the go kart craze. Since racing Karts, his amateur racing experience has included a variety of Formula Cars, Motorcycles, Limited Class Hydroplanes and Airplanes. Since the early 90's, Ron has been involved in the Porsche Club of America, where he and his wife run a Porsche 911. Ron has served as Safety Chair for the local region and is actively involved in the high performance driving school as a national instructor. In addition to the Porsche Club, Ron is also an advanced instructor for the BMW Club. In addition to many years of instructing high performance driving, Ron has trained many pilots transitioning into high performance jet aircraft. The skills and techniques used in this type of instruction have enhanced his ability to teach complicated subjects, such as high performance driving, using methods that his students find easy to relate to and understand.Ron is currently an instructor with BIR Performance Driving School.
 

Greg Siem is an industry professional, with over 20 years of experience in competition driving and instruction. In his early 20s, he started his competitive career in karting, then graduated to the Jim Russell Racing School and FF Series in Canada. The following years found him competing and winning in Regional and National SCCA Formula Ford and Formula 2000 events throughout the United States and Canada. Graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice he became a police officer and nationally certified law enforcement emergency vehicle operations and pursuit driving instructor. Recently, Greg began instructing performance driving techniques at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Greg also provides coaching, precision driving services and tire testing for various automotive companies in addition to private performance driver coaching.

Greg is currently an instructor with the BIR Performance Driving School.

 
Chris started his career in 1969 in England, finishing second in both the Daily Mail "Star of Tomorrow" FF1600 Championship and the Daily Express "Crusader" Championship, and was seventh overall in the very competitive 1971 European Formula Ford Championship. In 1972 Chris earned a works drive in the factory Elden team alongside future Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan, and set FF lap records at several circuits, including Estoril, Portugal. He moved on to Formula Super Vee and Formula 3, campaigning in England, Wales, Belgium, Portugal, Mozambique, South Africa and the United States. Chris was a senior instructor at the Brands Hatch International Motor Racing School for four years and also instructed at Silverstone and Mallory Park in England. Having had over 120 starts in single-seater races, Chris scratched a lifetime itch in 2002 when he drove a Formula One Benetton at the French Grand Prix circuit at Magny Cours, France. Chris is currently an instructor for BIR Performance Driving School.
 
Tom started his driving career by attending Autocross events. "Solo was fun but it was a means to an end for me. I used it to develop basic car control techniques but I really wanted to experience wheel to wheel racing". Tom attended the Laguna Seca Skip Barber racing school in 2000 and started racing soon afterward in SCCA events in an American Sedan Camarao. Tom currently races a B-Prepared class V* powered Mustang in SCCA races at tracks such as Road America, Blackhawk Farms, Autobahn-Joliet, Mid-America Motorplex and Mid-Ohio. Tom is the current Regional Executive (President) of the Land O'Lakes Region of the Sports Car Club of America and is an experienced race event organizer. Tom is currently an instructor for the BIR Performance Driving School.
 
Mark Utecht started in motorsports in 1986 running local autocross events. He won multiple championships in the next 10 years running cars ranging from a Honda Civic to a V-8 powered Dodge Challenger. In 1991, Mark began his road racing experience in a Dodge Omni. He won many class championships and set lap records at his home track of Brainerd International Raceway. He still holds a lap record at BIR 13 years after it was set. In 1993, while he was still autocrossing and road racing, he and a couple friends tried ice racing in the off season. He continues to ice race today. In 1995, he was encouraged by a good friend to give stage rally a try. This is where Mark found his true passion. Starting in a Dodge Omni GLH turbo, he won regional and divisional championships. In 1997 he won his first national stage rally championship in the Group 5 class. He repeated the championship in 2000. He went on to win the 2001 ClubRally and ProRally Production GT national championships in a Mistubishi Eclipse. From 2002 to 2005, he ran a Subaru WRX in the hotly contested Group N class in stage rally. While earning multiple event wins, championships eluded him, coming 2 in both 2003 and 2004. In 2006, he returned to 2wd in a Ford Mustang and won the national Group 5 championship.
 
Here are some of Mark's latest accomplishments:
2007 Rally America Stage Rally Group 5 Champion 2007 Regional Sports Car Club of America RallyCross Modified 4 Wheel Drive Champion.
2007 Snow States Autosports Club Stage Rally Driver of the Year.
2008 International Ice Racing Association Overall Sprint and Endurance Champion.
 
Bill Groschen has been an instructor for the Porsche Club of America since 1981, Vintage Sports Car Racing since 1982, Audi CCA since 1984, and BMW CCA since the year 2000. In the past, Bill Groschen has also been an instructor for Corvettes of MN, and both the Ruf and Miata Clubs. In fact, Bill has been event master or co-event master for approx 30 or more weekend race events at BIR for PCA, Audi, Ruf, BMW, SCCA, & VSCR. He has also run 30 plus events at the Highway Safety Center in St. Cloud, MN and the Dakota County Technical Center Track for VSCR.

Bill has studied at some of the worlds finest Racing/Driving Schools such as the Spenard/David, Toronto, Canada Formula 2000, the Scott Pruett School, Road Atlanta - Nissan 300x, the Porsche Treffen Tour and Drivers Ed. - SalzburgRing, Austria. He has also attended several PCA, BMW & Audi Instructor Schools both as student and Instructor. Bill was a very active member of the PCA participating in Autocross, Drivers Ed & Time Trials. He also raced with VSCR and other vintage clubs around the USA and raced at the Freeport Bahamas Vintage Festival three years running. Bill estimates he has had upwards of 15,000 laps at BIR in his past as a driver, instructor, and chase car driver.

Bill is currently an instructor for BIR Performance Driving School.
 

Randy’s experience spans numerous sanctioning body events including SCCA, NASA, NASCAR, NHRA, Dirt-South, Wissota, WKA.

Five Time Triple Champion

2005 SCCA - Super Production – Triple Champion - Central Division Champion, Chicago Region Champion, Land O’ Lakes Region Champion

2001 SCCA - Improved Touring - Triple Champion - Central Division Champion, Chicago Region Champion, Land O’ Lakes Region Champion

1998, 1999, 2000 SCCA - American Sedan - Triple Champion - Central Division Regional Champion, Chicago Region Champion, Land O’ Lakes Region Champion

In addition to being a BIR Performance Driving Instructor, Randy is also a Chassis Design and Construction Engineer and Fabricator of custom racing chassis' for competition in Oval and Road Racing venues.

 

With a racing career that has been defined by a strong work ethic combined with skill and talent, Derek has set himself apart from the field. From the first year of club racing Derek was never satisfied with second best. With over 400 races and countless practice sessions under his belt, experience has been the key to Derek’s success.

From club races, to regional level and national races designed to push young drivers, to running the Midwest Sprint Series, Florida Winter Tour, World Karting Association, and Snap-on Stars of Karting – IRL Series, Derek has consistently excelled. Derek has taken home titles in the Midwest Sprint Series JICA Championship, WKA National Junior ICA Championship, the Minnesota State Championship and his first podium in the prestigious Stars of Karting series that has seen many drivers move on to successful careers in racing.

 

Starting out in autocross racing, Jay became hooked on racing cars at Sears Point in 1985 after attending the Bondurant racing school.The low speed car control skills learned in autocross directly transferred to his high speed racing career.

Jay raced various Volkswagens and Porsches with the SCCA and the Porsche Club of America (PCA), winning many class championships over the years. Jay was a driving instructor for the PCA in the early nineties when he met and instructed his future wife. He even proposed at the track!

In 1994, Jay added ice racing on the frozen lakes to his search for wintertime fun.His team has enjoyed many race wins and class championships since, culminating in an overall endurance racing championship and sprint racing championship in 2008.

 

Travis started his auto racing career with the BMW car club of America driving events at BIR in 1997 and started instructing shortly after both at BIR and Dakota County Technical.He then competed in local events and the 2000 One Lap of America.After the One Lap he attained his competition license with the SCCA by completing the Jim Russell Advanced Racing School in Sonoma, CA and started competing in both Spec Racer Ford’s and Formula Continental’s across the US.Travis has been instructing alongside Gary Curtis since 2000.He is currently an instructor with BIR Performance Driving School and continues to enjoy other competitive events when his schedule permits.

Travis was also Gary Curtis’ crew chief during his successful championship season competing in the 2000 & 2001 American Le Mans Panoz GTS Pro Series.He is also a great fan of BMW’s, Porsche’s, and Ferrari’s and enjoys working on and maintaining them for friends and family.

 
Tom Hazen's racing career started at age 7 in karts. Then as a young teen he crewed for his father who raced a Triumph TR4 with Midwest Council in the 1970s. Tom has competed successfully in countless autocross/gymkhana events from the early 1980s to the present, with several podium finishes and two "Fastest Time of Day" awards in his vintage Austin-Healey Sprite. He's a past president and active member of the Minnesota Austin-Healey Club, creating and running their speed events including an annual hillclimb at a local ski resort and taking over an airport twice each year for an autocross and high speed run.

Tom is a graduate of the Skip Barber Formula Dodge racing school at Road America. Tom has instructed at racetracks across the Midwest for the BMW Club, Audi Club, SCCA, and NASA. He also teaches summer and winter driving skills to teenagers. Tom is currently an instructor for BIR Performance Driving School.
 

In the mid 70’s, while living in Mexico, Alejandro raced Formula Vee’s and show room stock cars. Alejandro also raced in rallies, achieving in his first year of rally competition the rookie’s runner up title from the Rally Automobile Club. Alejandro founded, operated and was the lead instructor at Auto Control, an advanced driving school in Guadalajara, Mexico, teaching accident avoidance, anti-kidnapping maneuvers and police pursuit. Alejandro has raced the Spec Racer Fords in Blackhawk and Road America, using BIR as practice grounds. Alejandro has run a teen age accident avoidance program sponsored by the Monticello Rotary Club and endorsed by the Wright County Sheriff. Alejandro is also an instructor with the BIR Performance Driving School.



 
Member Control Panel

Username

Password




Click Here to Purchase BIR Performance Driving School Gift Cards!

Online Members
superadmin
... Detailed List


BIR Poll

Question for the ladies. For 2013, how important is it to you that we create a women’s only driving day?

A. Very Important : Vote
76%
B. Kind of Important : Vote
11%
C. Doesn't Matter : Vote
13%


Total Votes 343
View All Polls


To Receive Special Offers, Track Updates and Exclusive Member Information, Join Now!

We'll see you at the Racetrack!


* Email
First Name
Last Name
* = Required Field

Privacy Policy

 

Site Statistics

Today 374
Yesterday 715
Total 2585416

Like the look of this website?  Visit Jade Media Technologies!

Advertisement

Racing School © Copyright 2011, BIR Performance Driving School. All rights reserved. mixture