News > News Archive > April 2008

Consistent Performance Pays Off for Muniz, Skerlong Bumped to the Back
The Imperial Capital Bank Challenge
April 21, 2008 - It looked to be a promising day for Carl Skerlong. The 19-year old from Seattle sat on row two as the green flag fell for the Imperial Capital Bank Challenge at the Long Beach Grand Prix. His hopes for a podium finish in the season opener were destroyed as fellow American and pole-sitter Jonathan Bomarito pushed Carl into the tire barrier in turn one. The incident forced Carl to return to the pitlane for a new nose. He anticipated a strong race, where he could show the potential of this US RaceTronics prepared PCM race car, but instead, he had to demonstrate from one lap down. He did get the chance to make his point setting the fastest lap of the race, for which he was rewarded with a bonus point.

Frankie Muniz made a big improvement over his Long Beach debut last year by starting ten positions ahead in the field and finishing four over his 2007 result. Frankie turned in the 15th fastest qualifying lap of the 23 drivers yesterday, less than a second over Simona de Silvestro, the pole and eventual race winner. Muniz drove an incident free race, held on to his position, and left the Beach pleased with his improvement.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Started
3rd
  Finished
23rd

Carl on qualifying: “Without question, we had the car to win. Unfortunately Bomarito made an unsafe and unnecessary move which cost me my race. I had to come in for a new nose and we lost a lap. After that we chased the field, and the fact that I set the fastest time of the race, proves we had a great car. We’re leaving with one point, which certainly is not what I had in mind, but I am going to turn my focus to Laguna, where I am sure we will have a better weekend. Thanks to King Taco for all of their support, I really wanted to win for them at their home race, it wasn’t meant to be this weekend, but we’ll do it for them in California next month.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Started
15th
  Finished
15th

Frankie on qualifying: “I am very happy with how the race went. We had a good start and we didn’t lose any positions. We stayed consistent with the pack and the pace. I wish we were faster but I drove a safe race, I didn’t make many mistakes and I didn’t let anyone pass me, so I am pleased. I can’t wait for Laguna Seca.”

Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner: “In regard to Carl, he had a tough day through no fault of his own. We think Bomarito’s move was unreasonable, it cost us the podium as well as potentially a victory. No sour grapes about it, the King Taco car is going to be rewarded at Laguna Seca. Very proud, of the team, unfortunately they couldn’t get the results that they were capable of achieving.

Frankie struggled initially, but by the end of the second qualifying session, he was less than a second off of the pole, and we think that is pretty good for a driver who is only in his third year of racing. It is a big improvement over last year when he was three seconds off of the pole. I am really proud of him. Thanks to Mazda and Cooper Tires for making sure the Atlantic series exists. Shane (Seneviratne, team manager), Lee (Bentham, driver coach), Tim (Lewis, engineer #41) and Burke (Harrison, engineer #14) and all the boys did a great job all weekend.

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com


Skerlong Rebounds from Friday’s Challenges to Start Third, Muniz Jumps to 15th
The Imperial Capital Bank Challenge
April 18, 2008 - CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Session
Position
Time
Speed
  Friday Practice
3rd
1:16.402
92.731
  Friday Qualifying
3rd
1:16.127
93.066

Carl on qualifying: “I am pleased to be in the top-three, but disappointed because I was up three-tenths on my last lap and Andreas Wirth parked his car in the last corner on the last lap. That should not happen. We have a consistent car and I think it is going to be a very good race car. The important thing tomorrow will be to keep it clean going into turn one. I really want to give King Taco a win at their home race and we are going to give it our best tomorrow.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Session
Position
Time
Speed
  Friday Practice
20th
1:18.020
90.807
  Friday qualifying
15th
1:16.915
92.112

Frankie on qualifying: “Awesome! I really struggled mentally this morning. I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself and I wasn’t driving well. This afternoon for final qualifying, I went out there with the mentality of ‘go out and drive and have fun.’ During the warm-up lap, I was smiling in my helmet and I looked at the crowd around the track and I thought to myself, ‘this is awesome!” I relaxed, had fun and focused and I watched the times click down. That was a great feeling. I am less than a second off the pole, which is not too bad considering I’ve been a race car driver for two years and one month!”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com


Skerlong Scores a Top-Five in Provisional Qualifying, Muniz 17th
The Imperial Capital Bank Challenge
April 18, 2008 - CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Session
Position
Time
Speed
  Friday Practice
8th
1:17.567
91.338
  Friday Qualifying
5th
1:17.355
91.588

Carl on qualifying: “We were a bit down on the luck today. Every red seemed to fall on my fliers. Also, I lost a lot of time with various other issues. We had a fuel pressure problem and caused the read when we had the second quick time. The boys did a great job of fixing that quickly, but causing the red cost my fast lap at that time. We turned it around though and got back out on track in time for a few laps, unfortunately those were slowed by traffic. I am happy with the car, I don’t think we were able to demonstrate our speed today and I am looking forward to a top-three tomorrow in the King Taco car.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Session
Position
Time
Speed
  Friday Practice
17th
1:18.599
90.139
  Friday qualifying
17th
1:18.302
90.480

Frankie on qualifying: “I am disappointed I am not higher up the charts, but I am pleased with my car and every change we made was an improvement. The last six laps I was blocked by cars gapping, that is part of the deal here on street circuits when you have a big field, but it sure is frustrating. I had good momentum through turns nine, 10 and 11; I think we are consistent there. I am relieved that I still have tomorrow and final qualifying, I know what I need to do, I just need to get out there and do it.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com


PCM Set to Debut All-American Atlantic Line-Up with Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz
(April 15, 2008)
Event: The Imperial Capital Grand Prix of Long Beach
Series: Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Where: Streets of downtown Long Beach, CA 1.968 – mile temporary street circuit
Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008

2008 Preview: If testing is any indication of what’s to come, the 2008 season is looking good for the PCM drivers. Carl and Frankie completed nearly 3000 test miles each over the winter and both ran strong throughout. Carl was second quick through most of the pre-season tests, while Frankie hovered close to the top-ten. Since joining PCM, both drivers have gelled quickly with their Atlantic Championship race winning engineers Burke Harrison (Skerlong) and Tim Lewis (Muniz).

Long Beach 2007: Carl earned his first top-ten of his Atlantic career at the Beach last year. It was the second Atlantic race in his rookie season. He started 13th and finished ninth. Frankie, who was also a rookie, started the race 25th and finished 19th.

PCM’s Return: For the first time since their 2004 Championship winning season with Jon Fogarty, Pacific Coast Motorsports will be back on the Atlantic grid. The Southern California based team has spent the last few years running Sports Cars and Champ Cars, but anticipates a successful return to the series where they started.

Local School Visits: Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz will visit three local schools on Wednesday. Students from Lafayette Elementary, Stevens Middle School and Rodgers Middle School will meet the PCM drivers. Carl and Frankie will talk with the children about the importance of setting goals and working towards them, in addition to racing and safety.

Tune into Loveline: Frankie Muniz will be a guest in-studio tonight on the nationally syndicated radio show “Loveline” hosted by Stryker and Dr. Drew. Tune into the world famous KROQ 106.7 fm at 10:00 pm (PT) tonight to hear the show, or listen live at www.kroq.com.

  Frankie on the Loveline radio show

> Watch video clip
> Listen to radio show

OC Blog: Each week leading up to and following an Atlantic race, Frankie will submit a diary to the online edition of the Orange County Register. The blog will accompany veteran motorsports writer Damian Dottore’s motorsports column.

CARL SKERLONG #14 King Taco/PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires: “I am really, really excited to kick off the 2008 season this weekend at Long Beach. We had a successful winter of testing and now I am ready to apply everything we learned to the race weekends. I am so excited for the 2008 season, I think we should be very competitive and I plan to fight for the Championship in the King Taco Car. It’s such and honor to race at Long Beach. This track has so much history; it’s the perfect place to start our season.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires: “I am super excited, I can’t believe the first race is actually about to happen! I feel like we’ve been testing for a long time. I learned so much this winter and I have so much more confidence heading into the 2008 season. I am excited to show everyone that I am for real this year. I love the Long Beach track. My first race ever was here in Long Beach, it was the pro-celebrity race in 2004. Here I am four years later, racing with a championship winning team, hopefully gunning for a top-ten finish at one of the most celebrated races in the United States...very cool, I can’t wait.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com


Q&A with Frankie
April 6, 2008 - A few months ago, we asked you to submit your questions that you would like Frankie to answer. Earlier this month, we sent Frankie those questions, and his answers are listed below. Thank you to everyone who submitted a question, and apologies to those whose question we didn't get to ask.

Steve - How have the training sessions with PCM gone so far, and how are you finding the team?
Frankie - So far, all of the testing I have done with the PCM Team this off season has been incredible. I have continued to learn so much, and built so much more confidence as a driver that I feel that I have a legitimate shot to run consistently in the TOP 10 this season. My pace compared to my teammate Carl Skerlong is getting closer and closer to his times which is a very nice feeling for me knowing that he is going to be contending to win the Championship this year. Working with my new engineer Tim Lewis has been amazing. We have built a great relationship so far and continue to learn more and more about the car. I look forward to the first race in Long Beach and a very successful season with PCM this year.

Daniel - Besides open wheel racing, what other form of motorsport would you be interested in racing?
Frankie - I love all forms of racing. It's in my blood. At times, I even catch myself racing people when I'm walking. It's insane. I'm not sure there is any forms of motorsports that I would not want to race, but right now my heart is in open wheel racing.

Arianne - Your racing career has been quick and intense, but, if you could go back, would you have refused to be an actor in order to start earlier this career?
Frankie - I DO wish I could have started racing a few years earlier. Basically everyone I am racing against has been racing since they were very young so I have had to play a lot of catch up. Although, if I was not an actor, I don't think that I would have been given the opportunity to become a race car driver. After all, I learned my love for racing after competing in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Pro/ Celebrity Race.

Joshua - Which one do you enjoy the most - acting or racing?
Frankie - I did enjoy acting a lot, but racing hands down is more enjoyable. There is a lot of self gratification in racing, and it's one sport that depending on how hard you work and how much time you put into the preparation, it will show in your results, and I really like the challenge.

Izwan - As a professional driver, I'm aware that you need to keep in shape with strict diet and exercise. My questions is, what is your daily work out and diet routine? And, what is someone with your body structure, ideal weight in this motor sport?
Frankie - I train every single day. No days off. A lot of people don't know that racing is probably one of the most physically demanding sports in the World. As drivers, during the races, our heart rates never really drop below 160 BPM. That's like sprinting uphill non-stop for an hour with no breaks. So I run about 5 miles per day through the hills to help build my endurance. I also lift weights at a gym everyday to gain muscle. Holding the steering wheel in he corners is very tough. We pull 3 to 4 g's in the corners, so everything feels very heavy. At the end of a race, your body feels as if it's been run over by a truck. EVERYTHING is sore. It's crazy. So training is very important. In racing, I think that it is ideal to be small. With me for example, being only 120 pounds, the team can add weight to the car where it will better help the performance of the car. If the driver is bigger and heavier, the teams do not have that option. Not to mention the cockpits of open wheel race cars are tiny! So I basically fit in every car. haha

Brandii - What do you like about Racing?
Frankie - The speed... the lifestyle... everything!

James - What have you found is the hardest part of racing?
Frankie - Racing is not as easy as it looks. I had no idea that there was so much that went into being a race car driver. If you saw the amount of work that goes into the race cars just to get them to run for a practice session is insane. One thing that is very hard is to stay focused. Racing is very mental. If you are not in the right state of mind, it is very hard to preform well in the car. So getting into the right state of mind before every session is very difficult because there are also a lot of distractions during the race weekend.

Robert Rebar - Would you be interested in making a movie about auto racing someday?
Frankie - I think it could be fun, but only if they let me do all of the driving!

Matthias - Do you like Formula 1 and is there a chance that you will one day drive in this series?
Frankie - I love Formula 1! I have not missed a race in years and i think it is every open wheel racers dream to be a F1 driver. I'm working as hard as I can to learn and become as quick as possible. I think if I continue to work hard and dedicate my life to racing, I may make it to that level. Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsports, so it will be difficult. The challenge excites me. I think I have enough passion for racing to make it to Formula 1!

Robert Oranchuk - What is your favorite track to race on?
Frankie - I love Road Atlanta. I have not been there in an Atlantic car yet, but I did a test day there in the Formula BMW and it was awesome. Formula Atlantics are going to have a race there this year, so I am really looking forward to that..

Amanda - In one word can you describe what racing to you feels like?
Frankie - I feel ALIVE.

Astin - What makes racing so much better than acting?
Frankie - You never stop learning. In racing, you can set goals and work for them. When you achieve your goal, it feels sooo amazing. Racing makes me the happiest I have ever been.

Brandii - What do you do on your Free Time?
Frankie - I relax. Racing takes a lot out of you, and in racing, I do a lot of traveling. So, when I have free time I like to relax at home. Boring, I know.

John - What lead you into racing to begin with?
Frankie - Winning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Pro/ Celebrity Race was honestly the most amazing feeling in the whole World. I want to experience that happiness some more!


Skerlong Wraps Pre-Season Testing Up Front, PCM Duo Prepared for Competition
April 3, 2008 - OXNARD, CA - With the 2008 season opener just two weeks away, Pacific Coast Motorsports drivers Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz wrapped up their pre-season testing program last week with nearly 700 miles combined at the MSR Houston Motorsports Ranch. The duo have completed nearly 4000 testing miles this winter, on various tracks including Laguna Seca, MSR Houston, Firebird and Buttonwillow Raceway.

Both drivers are entering their sophomore season in the Atlantic series and head into the challenging and diverse 11-race championship with high expectations. Pacific Coast Motorsports will return to Atlantic competition for the first time since 2004 when they won the series title with American driver, Jon Fogarty. “We are proud to return to Atlantic competition with two very talented, young American drivers,” said PCM Team Owner, Tyler Tadevic. “Both Frankie and Carl maximized their pre-season testing opportunities with strong feedback and competitive pace and they’ve developed good working relationships with their new engineers and team-mates. Carl has proven he is going to be very competitive this year and Frankie’s developments are exciting, I am looking forward to a strong season ahead.”

Carl Skerlong, 19, of Mukilteo, WA, is the driver of the #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift; he scored two podium finishes in his rookie season and finished tenth in the series championship.

Skerlong drove for US RaceTronics in 2007 and will enjoy the comforts of a familiar environment as PCM merged with US RaceTronics in January. His most crucial relationship however, is new. Skerlong will be paired with two-time Atlantic championship winning engineer, Burke Harrison. The pairing has proven to be strong in pre-season testing, Skerlong was second quick at the last two tests, “I am so excited to get racing,” said Skerlong. “We have made several gains throughout testing and I am really enjoying working with Burke. I have learned a lot already this year and I think we should be extremely competitive this season. I’d love nothing more than to give PCM their second Atlantic championship and that is what my goal is. It is going to be a lot of hard work, but I think I’ve got the tools to get it done with the King Taco car and I know I have the willpower to win.”

Frankie Muniz, 22 of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey is equally excited for his sophomore season. Competing in a series with the world’s best up and coming drivers, Muniz is entering just his third season of professional racing. While his fellow racers grew-up spending their weekends competing on the racetrack, Muniz was competing for work in the television studios! Best known for his role as “Malcolm” in the Fox hit “Malcolm in the Middle,” Muniz is an Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor with several television and film roles on his resume. “It is amazing the strides Frankie has made this winter, he has very little experience and competing at this level with such little experience is ambitious, but he has the natural talent and we believe he will fight for top-ten finishes this season,” said Tadevic. Muniz, driver of the #41 car joined the PCM squad in January and has jumped up the time charts with each test, “This is really the best possible situation for me,” said Muniz. “For the first time I am working with a big team, who knows how to win championships and has the resources I need at this stage of my racing career. I have a great relationship already with my engineer (Tim Lewis) and he and Lee (Bentham, driver coach) give me pointers that I can apply and benefit from immediately. My driving has improved and I have so much more confidence going into the season opener. I think that has shown through improvement on the time sheets in testing and I plan to prove it this season.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com

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