Martyn Thake new Director of Circuit Development.
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. has expanded its high level of commitment to safety by naming Martyn C. Thake, who possesses more than 20 years of motorsports management and special events-related experience, to the newly created full time position of Director of Circuit Development.
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. has expanded its high level of commitment to safety by naming Martyn C. Thake, who possesses more than 20 years of motorsports management and special events-related experience, to the newly created full time position of Director of Circuit Development.
Thake will be responsible for safety-related issues, track design and circuit development at present and future FedEx Championship Series venues. He will be working closely with the promoters at CART's 19 current race venues and reporting directly to Senior Vice President of Racing Operations, John Lopes.
Thake joins CART following more than a decade as president and CEO of MCT International, Inc., a motorsports operations consulting group whose services included race track inspection, construction, design and risk management consulting. To date, he already has completed more than 50 track inspections.
Thake also served as a member of the CART Safety Team from 1986 to 1995 and again in 2001.
"We are extremely pleased that Martyn has joined CART full time as our Director of Circuit Development," Lopes said. "As CART continues to expand into new markets with the development of new facilities, we believed it was essential to add a full-time circuit development expert to our staff. Martyn fills that void and his expertise will benefit our teams, our promoters and the overall safety of the sport of open-wheel racing."
Thake's resume also includes a four-year term as president/CEO of SCCA Enterprises, and three years as executive vice president of MotorSports Enterprises, Inc. A native Englishman, he has been a United States citizen for the past eight years.
"I am looking forward to working with John Lopes, [senior vice president of special projects] Tim Mayer, [chief steward] Chris Kneifel, and the rest of [CART Chairman and CEO] Joe Heitzler's team," Thake said. "With three new events this year [Montreal, Denver, Mexico City] and several possible additions in the future, we are all going to be very busy."
Thake has an extensive travel schedule lined up for the coming months that includes visits to Portland, Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio, Road America, Montreal, Monterrey (Mexico), Mexico City, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Rockingham (England) and Lausitz (Germany).
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (NYSE: MPH) owns, operates and markets the FedEx Championship Series. Reigning two-time champion Gil de Ferran and former series champions Michael Andretti (1991) and Jimmy Vasser (1996) are among the stars who battle for the FedEx Championship Series title on ovals, temporary street circuits and permanent road courses. CART also owns and operates its top development series, the Toyota Atlantic Championship.
