The Campbell Reporter

Cover Story

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Power Up: Rennwerks Motorsports, co-owned by David Standridge (right) and Kevin Mitz, moved to Campbell last summer. The owners work on high-performance race cars such as the Stohr sports car (shown).

Motor Men

Rennwerks caters to amateurs racers

By Koren Temple

Driving along Dell Avenue at 35 mph, passersby might notice automotive garages, warehouses and various storage sites, none of which stand out. But looks can be deceiving.

Behind the garage doors of Rennwerks, a high-performance automotive tuning and race shop, a need-for-speed fan will discover racing nirvana.

"There are two crowds: those who are all show and no go, and then there's those who are all show and all go, and that's us," says co-owner David Standridge.

The shop, which boasts plaques and trophies from racing wins in its entrance, consists of a racing shop and a walk-in tuning shop. Customers interested in high-performance tuning can have their BMWs, Audis and Porsche customized to their liking.

On the race side, Rennwerks specializes in amateur race car preparation and support. The company is also the leading service and support facility for the highly successful Stohr race car, a high-performance car that drivers use to compete in amateur races.

To capture the full meaning of the shop, which moved to Campbell last summer, owners Standridge and Kevin Mitz needed a unique name.

"While in Elkhart Lakes, Wis., we were at a racing bar that had all these race team stickers on the ceilings and the wall. As I sat and drank beer, I noticed a lot of names that started with 'Renn,' " Standridge says.

From there, Standridge and previous co-owner Richard Steranka came up with the name Rennwerks. In German, "renn" means race and "werks" means factory. So, Rennwerks translates to "race factory," Standridge says.

The race factory opened its doors in 1999 in Mountain View after Standridge and Steranka became frustrated over the lack of shops in the Bay Area that specialized in amateur racing.

"Most shops didn't understand what it took to support and maintain a race car, and if they did, they didn't have the professional racing experience," Standridge says.

They remained in Mountain View for five years until Mitz, a Campbell resident, bought out Steranka's half of the business. He suggested they move to Campbell which has a history of race and automotive shops on the Dell Avenue and McGlincy Lane, such as Kaeding Performance, which sells and distributes parts for high-performance race cars.

"People come to us because they know we know how to do it. We have more professional racing experience in the South Bay," Mitz says.

Rennwerks currently maintain the cars for 12 amateur racers nationwide, with plans to up that number to 17, but it has no plans to relocate again as the business expands.

"Campbell has been really good to us. We were looking for a home, and Campbell was it," Standridge says.

Since 1999, Rennwerks has competed with a private team in amateur and professional races. The team consists of 12 members, four drivers and a pit crew and a race engineer.

For three years, the team has competed in the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Grand Am Series, beating some of the best professional race teams in the world, including teams backed by BMW, Ferrari and Porsche.

Standridge was the team manager and driver for the Rennwerks Motorsports team when it competed in the in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Grand Am Series. Standridge led the Rennwerks team to a third overall finish at the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona along with podium finishes in the American Le Mans and Rolex Grand Am series.

Rennwerks also took a first-place finish at the historic Six Hours of the Glen, a second-place finish at the Daytona Finale and another second at Mont Tremblant.

"When we formed our own race team, we prepped for a year to prepare for the big race, Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. We wanted to go there and do well," says Standridge, an avid Porsche and BMW enthusiast for more than 20 years.

Standridge's interest in amateur racing began when he was 16 years old.

"I gave it up because of a lack of money and time and then came back to it 20 years later," he says.

In 1996 Standridge purchased his first Porsche and joined the Porsche Club of San Francisco, which hosts amateur autocross races.

"I did that a few times, and I really liked that. From there, I started racing on a track and did a series of time trials against other cars. After that I got into club racing," he says.

After competing at the amateur level, Standridge and team Rennwerks decided it was time to move into professional racing. They competed at the professional level for three years.

"The level of commitment is significantly more. In order to compete, you have to have the best equipment and people. Club racing is more fun, so we decided to just focus on that," Standridge says.

Mitz, who has been an active amateur racer for 15 years, has never pursued professional racing.

"I have a sheer love of driving. I don't have a goal of being a professional driver. My love is when I get to the track, and I get into a car," he says.

That love for driving started for Mitz when he was a kid growing up in San Jose.

"I knew I wanted to race but never had the money to do it. I figured I wouldn't get into it, so I thought I'd learn how to build the next closest thing: airplanes," he says.

Mitz says started working for NASA and for United Airlines building planes, which is very similar to building cars. He then moved into building race cars for the Omni Fab company in Santa Clara. After working to help specialize Rennwerk's Porsche racing car, Mitz joined the race team. In 2006, he became a part owner.

"It's like I finally get to play. No matter what happens from the start of the green to the checkered cars, I don't care where I finish. It's how much fun I have in between," Mitz says.

For Mitz, to get behind the wheel and drive is the real "rush."

Mitz plans on living his dream fully, and helping other customers, from all over the United States and Canada, find theirs.

"There are people on the street side who just want to go a little faster on the street, or they might want to experience the race track for the first time. We support many of them who want to pursue amateur racing," Standridge says.

For more information on Rennwerks, 1070 Dell Ave., call 408. 370.7480, or visit www.rennwerks.com.