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SIERRA VISTA — Most people thought Austin Newmark was crazy to attempt to drive the whole endurance race by himself.
A grueling three-hour drive, sometimes compared in auto racing circles to the Ironman Triathlon, Austin had just about everything against him heading into the race over Thanksgiving weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
At just 14 years old, Austin has only been racing his Porsche 944 since last March, when he started racing school, and in the enduro race, he was up against drivers twice his age, with much more experience and much more expensive cars.
He was also without a cockpit cooling system that most cars have to aid a driver in a long race in a tight, warm car.
  
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During the race, he stopped just three times: once to refuel his car and twice to load up his body with water.
Not only did he finish the race, he beat out more than half of the other cars, coming in 12th overall out of about 30 other racers. He had an advantage of a smaller car, with the agility to do better on the curves.
He placed second in the 944 Spec division, just behind a duo of drivers who are considered two of the best in the country, Norm Hamden and Jim Foxx.
“We’ve been doing this on a shoestring budget,” his father, Pete Newmark, said. “We’ve had so many resources behind us.”
Austin has been backed by Desert Horizon Electric, Inc., where his father works, and also German Auto Service in Phoenix.
He’s also received invaluable support from his grandfather, Charles Newmark, from the beginning of his racing career. Austin and his father are still seeking sponsorship from a business in the automotive industry.
Austin started his racing adventures in go carts and dirt bikes, then moved up to kart racing. When he finally did so well in kart racing that his car made it to the front row of the supernationals in Las Vegas in 2007, his father agreed it was time to move to racing cars.
“It was an adjustment,” Austin said. “I went from being able to touch each wheel to not being able to see any of my wheels.”
They found his 1986 Porsche online, and his first real race in that car just four months ago began with a collision in the first turn of the first lap, resulting in a sizeable dent in the quarter panel.
Austin now rolls his eyes at the story. He hasn’t done anything like that since then.
“I just think it’s cool that a middle schooler gets to jump into a Porsche and go race,” Pete Newmark said.
When he started racing school, Austin was the youngest driver licensed to race nationally in National Auto Sports Association and Sport Car Club of America competitions.
To get his license, he had to attend driving school and pass skills and safety testing, and because he is so young, he is required to submit his report card and show he’s making A’s and B’s in school.
Not only does he maintain his grades, but he also excels as an honor student at Joyce Clark Middle School.
Within the NASA series of races this season, which includes beginner racers all the way up to professional racers, Austin has been working his way up.
He started out competing in 35-minute sprint races once a month.
“There’s no pit stops,” Austin said. “You just drive as hard as you can.”
Right now, Austin’s Porsche is in Phoenix getting an internal makeover, especially on the motor, in preparation for the season to begin in January, when he’s hoping to start all-out points racing.
Austin doesn’t see as much seat time as he’d like, since the family has to travel all the way to Phoenix at least once a month for competitions.
He gets a couple of practice sessions before each race, which is something many of his classmates can only dream of doing.
He’ll have to wait like the rest of them, though, to be able to drive legally on the road. Austin will head to Buena next year for his freshman year, and it will still be another two years before he can drive himself to school in the mornings.
“I like driving, but I don’t know if it’s just for the fun of it anymore,” he said. “I’m not really excited about ‘learning’ how to drive.”
Speed limits and stop signs wouldn’t be something to look forward to after you’ve lapped other cars at 125 miles per hour.
HERALD/REVIEW sports reporter Liz Manring can be reached at 515-4682 or by e-mail at liz.manring@svherald.com.
Torin wrote on Dec 24, 2008 8:45 AM: