Sep 7, 2007

A need for speed

Cupertino driver eyes a future in NASCAR

By Travis Perkins / Staff

Viktor Sinzig was cruising at 100 mph at age 2.

He was riding with his father Harald and mother Irina on the Autobahn, the famous route through Germany that doesn't have a speed limit.

"I don't remember that," Sinzig said.

His obsession with racing dates back that far.

"His first word was pretty much 'car,'" Irina said. "It was not 'mom.' The noise of the car always sounded like music to him."

Sinzig now hits blinding speeds on his own. At 19, his efforts have earned him spots in magazines, such as The Wheel and Speedway Illustrated, and a chance to eat breakfast with NASCAR star A.J. Allmendinger (a Los Gatos native) and British Champ Car Series driver Justin Wilson. Indy 500 champion Danny Sullivan even offered Sinzig words of encouragement and praise after Sinzig's performance in the Red Bull Driver Search.

"My dream is to race in NASCAR or Indy Car," said Sinzig, who works as a mechanic at Palo Alto German Car Corp. "It's my passion, and I love it so much."

Last May, Sinzig debuted in SCCA Formula Ford in the No. 2 car. He has since snatched four checkered flags, one from 30 positions back after spinning out early in the Hall of Fame Race at Thunderhill. He also has two third-place showings for the Porter Racing Team.

The Formula Ford season doesn't end until Oct. 24, but the Cupertino resident holds a firm point lead in the standings and has produced a win at Laguna Seca, site of the season's final three races.

"He's done awesome," said Ron Sutton, who guides Sinzig's career from the Ron Sutton Winner's Circle. "He stepped up and won races his first year, which is rare. We think he's a real talent."

Sinzig competed twice last weekend at Infineon Raceway, a track where he placed third to kick off the season.

Prior to the races he predicted, "It's going to be a good weekend. Infineon is really technical, but I like that. But I like pretty much every track."

It was a good weekend. Sinzig finished in first on Saturday and second on Sunday to maintain his Formula Ford points lead.

Sinzig inherited his love of cars from Harald, who moved to the United States from Germany as a child. The burgeoning racer competed in other sports at Monta Vista High, clocking Junior Olympic qualifying times in three swimming events. He also took a job lifeguarding and prevented a person from drowning.

Chlorine and water never extinguished his burning desire to race.

"Every sport we put him in, he didn't like," Irina said. "He played soccer but thought chasing a ball was boring. He tried baseball, but said it was just watching the grass grow. He just dreamed about cars."

Rather than pursue a scholarship as a swimmer, Sinzig committed to racing at 16 and enrolled at De Anza College to study auto technology as a junior and senior in high school. On the track, he adopted a clean racing style to avoid wrecks and relied on mental toughness to maintain focus.

In 2004, he broke in by driving indoor carts and snuck into the top 30 at a national competition. He switched to outdoor carts the following year, finishing sixth at Infineon and third the following year at Yokohama in a four-hour endurance competition while battling gear trouble.

Despite the sudden success, the prospect of danger frightened his mother.

"I was very nervous when he started," Irina said. "I couldn't watch the first time."

"It's a dangerous sport," Sinzig said. "But if you know what you are doing, it's not that dangerous."

He apparently knows what he is doing. In 2006, he started driving race cars and finished fourth in the ESPN Russell Series. He received an invitation to test drive Ford Focus Midgets, a break that led to the connection with Ron Sutton Winner's Circle.

"We think he has a strong chance of making it," Sutton said.

"Right now I am just looking for more sponsorships and supporters," Sinzig said. "But after racing midgets, I would like to go to stock cars."


To learn more about Sinzig, go to viktorsinzigracing.com. For those interested in lending sponsorship support, e-mail sinzig7@sbcglobal.net.

E-mail Travis Perkins at tperkins@dailynewsgroup.com.