Golden Gate Racing Team Ready for the Green Flag to
Drop
February 21, 2008 – San Francisco, CA
In a sport where everything seems to be done at the last moment, when decisions are made in a
split second and nothing seems to be ready till the last minute, there are exceptions. Golden
Gate Racing, the West Coast RCR Driver Development program team, has nearly everything lined
up for the upcoming Camping World Grand National West season.
"In all the years I've been racing, this team is the most prepared for a whole season of
racing that I have ever seen. It's a nice position to be in." Said crewchief Steve
Portenga. With an even stronger commitment from the Golden Gate Meat Company and the Bay Area
based "Golden Gate Petroleum and Biodiesel" company, the team pulled together
comprehensive and more complete program for the 2008 run at the championship. "Rushing
things at the 11th hour is just bad; it creates stress and pressure for everyone, and that can
undermine the quality of a team and their performance." Said team owner Jimi Offenbach
who has worked hard to get everything ready early for the opening of the 2008 season.
It also helps keep things rolling that Richard Childress has pledged extended support for the
team and will continue working closely with long-time friend Jimi Offenbach. "Myself and
everyone here at RCR are excited about the upcoming season. With a good start to the Sprint
Cup and the Nationwide Series seasons, we are anxious to get rolling with our Driver
Development teams, especially Jimi and Golden Gate Racing on the west coast." Said
Richard Childress at Press Day in Welcome NC.
The GGRT team now touts a total of eight cars, eight motors, three drivers and enough parts
and pieces to last well into the long season. The cars all have a strong history in the RCR
stalls and are topnotch machines. Watkin's Engines have been tuning the powerhouses which
include three brand new spec motors and five completely refurbished and freshened spec motors.
The cars are assembled, painted, decaled, polished, shined and ready to hit the track.
"Not many teams can boast such preparedness for a season." Offenbach noted. But, the
team is not complacent, nor ready to wait for anything - and have several practice sessions
scheduled before the season begins. This includes a March 1st date when they will spend a day
at Roseville where Mayhew and O'Keefe and new driver Martinez will put the fleet of cars and
equipment through their paces.
Golden Gate Racing Team now rosters three drivers, David Mayhew in the #21, Pat O'Keefe in the
#31 and newcomer Luis Martinez who will be running a number of races as he learns the ropes
from the Mayhew and Portenga. Mayhew is returning this season after picking up the reins
halfway through the 2007 season. He had a fantastic run with GGRT and there was a great
connection between him and the crew, which was evidenced in communication and car setup that
translated into a front-running team. "I'm looking around at the shop, looking at our
equipment, listening to the enthusiasm in everyone's voice and I'm just really geared up and
ready for the best season I've ever had. Golden Gate and RCR has really stepped up the program
and from the look of things we have enough equipment and back-up gear to get us through the
whole season, wow." Said Mayhew.
Joining in the excitement is Pat O'Keefe. Pat has taken up the offer to run the #31 car, at
least in a limited season. O'Keefe, who is also the owner of Golden Gate Petroleum and Bay
Biodiesel - the primary sponsors of the Golden Gate Team, is no stranger to racing and has a
history or championship driving to back up his new endeavor. "I'm looking forward to the
challenge. It will be a big plus to be working with such a talented team and one I get along
with so well." Said O'Keefe.
O'Keefe has a record of making a spectacular showing in his rookie seasons. An example was his
first year running an asphalt modified. His rookie year in modifieds was run at Altamont in
2004 when he took the honors of "Rookie of the Year", "Most Improved
Driver" and came in first runner-up in the championship points battle. "Stepping up
to the modifieds was great." I'd run shifter karts for years and the transition to
openwheel short track racing was a blast. I hope I can do as well in my rookie year in the
Grand Nationals." Said the 30 year old entrepreneur from Pleasant Hill, California.
Also new to the roster is 18 year old Luis Martinez Jr. This talented young driver is the son
of Luis Martinez, owner of the King Taco Restaurant empire. Luis comes from a strong go kart
background but has recently picked up some experience in larger open-wheel racing last season.
He is scheduled to run at least 4 races in the second car; tentatively Infineon Raceway,
Utah's Miller Motorsports Park and two races at Irwindale. Luis is anxious to try his skills
in a tour car on large road courses. Steve Portenga will be tutoring the youngster on the
finer points of winning a long road course race.
Jim Offenbach, Steven Portenga and David Mayhew traveled back to Welcome, NC for the annual
Press Day and met with Richard Childress at the RCR headquarters and discussed the upcoming
season while posing for photos and giving interviews to the flock of press that gathers at the
shop. There they met with the East Coast Development team of Andy Santerre and their chief
driver Austin Dillon. “It will be beneficial working closely with Andy Santerre,
exchanging information and setups. We have raced together in the past and have a good working
relationship." Said Portenga of his former rival.
For the Golden Gate team the highlight of the week was spending time with Richard Childress
and cementing their mutual commitment to the series and season. "We have a long-standing
relationship with Jimi and the GGRT team and are truly excited about the new season. We are
were thrilled with the performances that David Mayhew turned out last season and are going to
be keeping an eye on him." Quoted Richard Childress.
GGRT Visits Richard Childress Racing
Welcome, NC
Time flies, especially in NASCAR racing. With only a few months till the NASCAR season
openers across the country GGRT traveled back to RCR Racing in Welcome, NC to visit with
Richard Childress and his teams to finalize contracts and arrangements for the coming
year. Top of the list was the announcement that David Mayhew is now an RCR Driver
Development driver. "It is great to be a part of this historic and prestigious
organization. I really enjoyed meeting with Richard and his team and in awe of the
support they are offering this season. I'm looking forward to having the best season of
my career and to make them proud of their decision." Said Mayhew, shown above with team
owner Jim Offenbach. David, Jim and crew chief Steve Portenga all went back for the week
long stay where they had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Richard Childress and top
people in the company.
 David
and Jim will be headed back on Jan 21 for Press Day. Each year members of the press tour
the country to get the early scoop on the teams, drivers, and changes for the coming
season. RCR is the first whistlestop on the national tour. "The word
'Excited' just doesn't do justice to how the whole team feels about the renewed bonds with
RCR. With David Mayhew at the helm of some of the top cars in the world, and with Steve
Portenga behind the scenes making those cars run at their peak, we know we have a winning
team. We have all new cars, motors, equipment and the best team and support from RCR -
we know we will have a stellar season." Said Offenbach in a phone interview.
"We have a lot on the plate right now, and some really big announcements
coming down the pipe. As a starter we are going to be running 2 and 1/2 teams this
year. To accommodate our growth we've added 2 new giant, top of the line haulers to the
entourage. We are proud to announce that Austin Dillon will be testing with us. We also are
working with a new driver to feature in our road course program, whose name we will be
releasing soon. And to share in all this we have picked up a huge new sponsor who we
will announce shortly." Said Offenbach enthusiastically. We are truly beyond
excited about this coming season !!!
Check back soon for news and information about the 2008 season. We will
be featuring 3 drivers racing in 2 divisions, as well as running new tracks. Special
thanks again to our fantastic sponsors !
GGRT Adds Second Driver to Roster
It was announced today that Golden Gate Racing Team will be running a second car and driver in
the Camping World Grand National West Series. Pat O'Keefe will be piloting the #31 car for the
San Francisco based team on a projected limited race schedule. The team is planning on running
both the #21 car with David Mayhew at the helm and the #31 at the season opener at the All
American Speedway in Roseville on March 29 of this year. O'Keefe, who is also the owner of
Golden Gate Petroleum and Bay Biodiesel - the primary sponsors of the Golden Gate Team, is no
stranger to racing and has a history or championship driving to back up his new endeavor.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge. It will be a big plus to be working with such a
talented team and one I get along with so well." Said O'Keefe.
O'Keefe has a record of making a spectacular showing in his rookie seasons. An example was his
first year running an asphalt modified. His rookie year in modifieds was run at Altamont in
2004 when he took the honors of "Rookie of the Year", "Most Improved
Driver" and came in first runner-up in the championship points battle. "Stepping up
to the modifieds was great." I'd run shifter karts for years and the transition to
openwheel short track racing was a blast. I hope I can do as well in my rookie year in the
Grand Nationals." Mused the 30 year old entrepreneur from Pleasant Hill, California.
Pat started racing jet skis when he was 14. In fact, he won the IJSBA (International Jet
Sports Boating Association) State Novice Championship in 1992. In 1993 he placed 3rd in the
Expert Division and in 1994 moved to the second spot in overall championship points. He then
moved on-land and started racing shifter karts. Concentrating on the top tracks in the west,
such as Infineon Raceway, Stockton, Prairie City and others. He still enjoys dusting off his
shifter kart to go out and fun, but competitive spin around the tracks.
In 2004 his spectacular showing in the asphalt modifieds at Altamont cemented his love of big,
fast cars. In addition to his rookie honors, he finished in second place in 7 consecutive
feature event races: "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, that year." Quipped the
energetic fuel company executive. In 2005 he continued his success by being second in
championship points for the Altamont modifieds.
In 2007 he met Jim Offenbach, owner of Golden Gate Meat Company in San Francisco, and a
partnership was born. O'Keefe was very impressed with Offenbach's NASCAR Team, Golden Gate
Racing , and offered to become the primary sponsor for the team about mid-season. "There
is a real connection here and we are increasing our partnership. We now exclusively use is
fuel to run our delivery and trucking operations and we have invited him to run the #31 car
this season." Said Offenbach. "It really is a great match."
During the break between the 2007 and 2008 seasons, O'Keefe was encouraged to take the Grand
National car for a spin at the Altamont track. Much to his own surprise, and that of crew
chief Steve Portenga, his very first lap times would have put him near the forefront of
qualifiers at the previous Grand National run at the venue. So, O'Keefe has accepted the
team's offer to run the sleek car on at least a limited schedule. Just the logistics of
running two cars at a Grand National event is a bit daunting but Portenga is confident that
everything will be great. "We are looking at concentrating on the short oval tracks
first, then, depending on how the balancing act works out, taking on more ambitious
races." Portenga figured.
O'Keefe added, "I can't thank Jim Offenbach, Steve Portenga and the whole team for this
opportunity. Oh, and of course my wife Lori for supporting me in this adventure."
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