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Motorkars Gears Up for 2005March 28, 2005 / After a very successful 2004 USTCC campaign, netting a 2nd place in the final points, Motorkars is stepping up their effort for 2005. "2004 was just not good enough for us", said Driver and Race Program Manager Jeff Mishtawy, "we had specific goals and not all of them were reached". Crew Cheif Matt Markowicz reflected on the past season by saying "We had a good first USTCC season, but we are looking forward to improving both on and off the track" Approaching the 2005 season, Motorkars has improved nearly aspect of their car and, for that matter, the entire race program. We have raised the number of traveling crew members to 8 with 3 additional members staying in Columbus. In addition to Crew Chief Matt Markowicz there are 2 General Specialists, Doug Armstrong and Kevin Gibson. The crew members are Breck Lewis, Johnny Murphy, Eric Waddell, Mark Bardes, and Sam Meyers. The expanded team should help them translate individual effort into improved lap times.
While the team has been hard at work on the car, Jeff Mishtawy has been hard at work on himself. Jeff is an avid cyclist and has begun a fierce conditioning program. The main focus is cardiovascular training centered around cycling, but resistance training will also play a large part of the routine. While discussing his routine Jeff said "I have always felt that improved cardio fitness promotes better clarity in the racecar and translates into speed" With large improvements in every aspect of Motorkars' racing operation the team has set lofty goals for 2005. Put simply, the team wants a championship. Considering all of the upgrades to the program, it may not be too hard to imagine. For additional photos and contact information, Contact; 
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Car improvements have centered on attaining better balance of their Audi A4 1.8t quattro. StaSis Engineering has stepped up their involvement with Motorkars by supplying a new damper package. When asked about this particular aspect of the race car's development Jeff Mishtawy said "I really cannot thank StaSis Engineering enough for this quantum leap forward in suspension progress. StaSis has been a tremendous help since we started, and this new set of dampers is without a doubt the best we have tested to date!" Another area of improvement for the car is braking. To improve the Audi's already good brakes, the team turned to Stoptech for a solution. Stoptech came up with a big improvement by going to 13" rotors and 4 piston calipers. The team will continue it's excellent relationship with Cobalt Friction by using their pads. One area that had been "underdeveloped", according to G.S. Kevin Gibson, was the aerodynamic package. Several small bits and pieces have been changed to optimize airflow and downforce. "I am looking forward to the season ahead. With the additional crew members and the new venues, USTCC is guaranteed to get exciting. In a good way." says Matt.