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Steve Saleen
                        
Steve Saleen is founder and president of Saleen, Inc., a specialty vehicle manufacturer. Saleen worked at his father's manufacturing business prior to attending the University of Southern California. He graduated with a degree in business. His interest in fast cars was sparked by his father’s purchase of a Porsche. Saleen joined the Porsche Owners Club and began to autocross and race, leading to a career in professional racing. He set 13 SCCA Formula Atlantic records and finished third in the championship behind Jacques Villeneuve in 1980. In 1982, Saleen entered the Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am Championship. In 1984, Saleen formed Saleen Autosport. Following in the footsteps of, Carroll Shelby, Saleen began improving the appearance and performance characteristics of the Mustang. By 1984, Saleen had completed the first Saleen Mustang. He equipped the car with special aerodynamic, suspension and handling packages and an attractive and highly functional cockpit. Proving that his car could successfully compete against the world’s top sports cars, Saleen brought home a win at the grueling 24-hour race in Mosport, Canada.
Victories continued in 1987, where the Saleen team captured SCCA championship titles for driver, team, manufacturer and tire. In 1989, Saleen tested his mettle in the CART/PPG lndy Car World Series. He returned to the Trans-Am series in 1990-91. He won the 1991 SCCA Race Truck Championship driving a Ford Ranger.
In 1995, Saleen teamed up with motion picture and television star Tim Allen and racing legend Bob Bondurant to form the Saleen/Allen "RRR" Speedlab race team, which campaigned Saleen Mustangs in the SCCA World Challenge Series. The next year, Saleen was inducted into the Mustang Hall of Fame along with Carroll Shelby.
In 1997, the team successfully competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A Saleen Mustang also clinched the SCCA Manufacturer's title for the third time. In 1998, the team claimed their fourth SCCA Manufacturer's Championship title as well as first and second-place in the Driver's Championship as they had the finest Mustang Tires and Mustang Engine Parts.
Saleen introduced the Saleen Mustang S351, then the fastest vehicle available on a showroom floor, along with the S281 for high performance at a lower cost. He built the first high performance sport-utility vehicle, the XP8 and then the SR, the fastest Ford Mustang. With the introduction of the S7, Saleen created his first vehicle not based on any previously-existing platform.
Steve Saleen is married to Liz and has a daughter, Molly, and two sons, Clint and Sean. The Saleens live in Orange County, California, near the company’s production facility.

Tim Allen

     

Actor/comedian/entrepreneur Tim Allen traces his avid love of cars back to his teen years, when he would spend late nights working on, then racing, hot rods in his hometown of Birmingham, Michigan. In keeping with his now famous cry for “more power,” Allen’s fascination with automobiles and racing runs deep. Allen featured his cars whenever possible on his hit television show Home Improvement or when making guest appearances on such shows as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 1995, Allen decided to take his automotive hobby to the limit when he partnered with noted performance car builder Steve Saleen to create Saleen/Allen “RRR” Speedlab. Besides bringing his trademarked “RRR” sound to the team, Allen’s charisma and driving skills have made him a fan favorite at tracks around the country. The comedian has worked extensively at race driving schools and has enjoyed personal instruction from driving legends Skip Barber and Bob Bondurant. Tim’s hard work at his racing craft has paid off, as the actor has finished in the top six on any number of occasions. Allen assisted his team in achieving SCCA World Challenge Manufacturer’s Championships in both 1997 and 1998. In addition, Allen has taken part in a number of celebrity racing events, including the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Challenge in Long Beach, California.

Off the track, Allen’s enormously popular Home Improvement is one of biggest hits on syndicated television, while his appearances in motion pictures including The Santa Claus and Toy Story have further enhanced his reputation as a master of comedy. Also a noted author, his book Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man, was a national best seller.

Tapping into his entrepreneurial talents, Tim has also created a new line of tools out called Tim Allen’s Signature Tools. Tim is donating proceeds from the sales of his tools to children’s charities.



Terry Borcheller

           


As the lead driver for the Saleen/Allen “RRR” Speedlab team, Terry Borcheller is hoping to regain the momentum he generated by winning the Driver’s championship in the 1998 SCCA World Challenge. Considering his long record of success in motorsports, Borcheller has a very good chance at reaching his goal.
Before becoming a full-time driver for the Speedlab effort, Terry achieved a great deal of auto racing experience. He started in 1979 with Sprint and Endurance-type karts, a passion he maintained until 1988. Then, in 1990, he entered the Skip Barber Formula Ford series and captured the coveted “Rookie of the Year" honor His professional career began in 1991, when he entered the SCCA World Challenge Pro Series. In his first season, he earned nearly 20 top-10 finishes, including wins at the Denver Grand Prix and Sears Point, where he also set a track record. In 1997, Terry won at Homestead, took a second place at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and set another fastest-lap record in a Speedlab car at Lime Rock.

In addition to competing in SCCA events, Borcheller has also raced in the IMSA Super Car Series, where he qualified in the top 10 for the 12 Hours of Sebring and earned a second-place finish at Sears Point in the IMSA Endurance Championship Series. Terry has won races at Road Atlanta, Sears Point and Las Vegas in the Professional Sports Car Series.

When not racing, Borcheller enjoys sports, motorcycles and public speaking. As an instructor at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Terry takes his knowledge and skills as a professional race car driver and helps others learn the art of race car driving. Interestingly, he is also currently studying to become an ordained minister.





Ron Johnson


Ron Johnson began his racing career at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving at the tender age of sixteen. Over the course of the next four years, he attended the school several more times, receiving personal instruction from Bob Bondurant and Corvette Challenge champion Bill Cooper. As his skills skyrocketed, he set his sites on a professional racing license. Ron’s first steps towards that goal came via the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Fielding a 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra in the ITE class, he scored wins in six of nine races, claiming the class championship in both the San Diego and Land O’Lakes (Midwest) Regions of the SCCA. Along the way he set track records at both Brainerd International Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson’s first step in the Pro Racing spotlight came in the 1997 SCCA World Challenge, driving as a member of the LG Motorsports team. The team's captain was Lou Gigliotti, the winningest driver in the series, who provided Ron additional mentorship and direction.

Racing against a variety of formidable cars and teams, Johnson consistently scored in the top-10, a performance that garnered him “Rookie of the Year” honors and a fifth place ranking in the overall championship. The following year proved to be a breakthrough season for Ron. With several podium finishes and consistently high finishing positions, he earned second overall in the SCCA Driver’s championship (behind teammate Terry Borcheller) while driving for the Saleen/Allen “RRR” Speedlab team. In addition, Ron posted a second-place finish at the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring in the Grand Sports category.

While developing his professional racing career, Johnson graduated from the University of California San Diego with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He combined his vocation with his avocation by being not only a driver, but also a race engineer with the Saleen/Allen “RRR” Speedlab team. When not tearing up the race track or designing the Speedlab’s newest racer, Ron enjoys reading, fitness, traveling and playing golf.



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