Former Morgan Hill resident and 1996 Series champion
has become more owner than driver
By Jimmy Durkin, Morgan Hill Times (CA)
San Jose - It takes a bit of time to go through the career
biography of Jimmy Vasser, the 40-year-old former Morgan Hill
resident who has made quite a name for himself on the open-wheel
racing circuit.
- 1996 Champ Car World Series Champion
- One of 14 drivers to make 200 career Champ Car starts
- Winner of the fastest race in Champ Car history when he averaged
a blazing 197.995 miles per hour at Fontana in 2002
- Holds the Champ Car series record for most consecutive starts
with 210
- SCCA Formula Ford series Rookie of the Year in 1984
- Three-time national quarter-midget champion
All of that and you can't forget that Vasser was a junior defensive
back on the 1982 Central Coast Section champion Live Oak High
football team.
But nowadays, ownership, rather than racing, is more a part
of Vasser's life. He's only made one start this season and
that was in April at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Two years ago he became part-owner of PKV Racing along with
Dan Pettit and Kevin Kalkhoven. During that 2004 season, he
placed eighth in the series standing, marking his eighth career
top-10 finish.
Last year he bettered that with a sixth-place finish, his top
mark since 2000 and also grabbed his first pole since 2002.
He even earned back-to-back podium finishes for the first time
in six years when he took third at Las Vegas and at Surfers
Paradise.
But still, Vasser found it to be a good time to take a step
back and learn a new role.
"I'm just getting more involved in more of the leadership of
the race team," Vasser said. "As a race driver you have a specific
position. Even though I was part-owner the last few years and
driving, I didn't want to blur those lines and I just focused
on the driving duties. So now I'm transitioning from driver
into an ownership. ... That's my focus and 100 percent of my
energy is into building this race team into a potential championship
team in the next few years."
With the San Jose Grand Prix taking place this weekend - Sunday's
Champ Car World Series event is slated for 12:45pm and will
be broadcast on ABC - were there some thoughts of the local
guy hopping behind the wheel one more time?
'There were early on," Vasser said. "That was kind of the initial
idea that I would drive a few - I ran Long Beach - and
I would do a handful of other races. San Jose was obviously
one of them because it's such a hometown area. ... But we had
a lot of damages early in the season, we lost a lot of equipment.
It just became apparent that running a third car for me was
too much of a strain on the team and took away from building
the team for the long term."
Vasser said he probably won't run any more races this year,
but left his future plans open and certainly doesn't have a
retirement speech written out yet.
"I miss it tremendously being behind the wheel," Vasser said. "Sooner
or later, you've got to step away, but I'm not in a position
yet to make any big, giant announcements."
Vasser said he's enjoying his new role and has learned a lot
about the different aspects of what goes into a race.
"I've got a new appreciation for what the mechanics and the
engineers and the managers and the owners, what they have to
do to follow the flow of the race and the weekend," he said.
Vasser said that to see San Jose, an area where he once drove
through the streets in his 1969 Camaro, transformed into a
race track has certainly been an exciting thing to see.
"When I first cruised down First Street when I was 16 in my
Camaro, I never would've dreamed that downtown San Jose would
grow up as it has," Vasser said. "Let alone for it to have
a Long Beach-style street circuit race. I think it's fantastic."
Vasser helped generate some of the track improvements, which
he said all seem to be positive, but is awaiting the final
answer from the people who matter.
"The interesting feedback will be from the fans," he said.