Spirit
Grows Again . . .
After years of preparing
winning trucks for the top teams in the sport of off-road racing,
and then a successful start as a team owner and driver, Jeremy
Spirkoff, scion of the Spirit off-road dynasty, recently took
the next step in his career when he took over the management of
off-road shop operations at Spirit.
As the son of off-road
legend Steve Spirkoff, Jeremy was already deeply immersed in motorsports
at an age when his contemporaries were moving from tricycles to
training wheels. From humble beginnings cleaning up the shop,
to learning how to weld and fabricate, to becoming an expert at
making fast repairs, Jeremy had "done it all" from outside
the truck when he and his wife, Nancy, decided to go racing a
few years ago.
In true Spirit form,
the pair founded Race For The Children and used the publicity
surrounding their racing exploits to raise awareness for the plight
of abused and abandoned children, now cared for at San Diego's
Polinsky Childrens' Center. In just a few seasons, the team raised
over $35,000.00 for this important cause.
In addition to some
terrific fund-raising numbers, Jeremy and Nancy's off-road statistics
were nothing short of spectacular. Winning their class in the
legendary Baja 2000 race, as well as the class championship for
the 2000 SCORE off-road series, were just two of the highlights
on a lengthy list of wins and top finishes. The team credits the
support of the best group of sponsors in off-road racing as an
integral part of their success.
Continuing the legacy,
the pair will now apply the "Built To Win - Driven To Victory"
philosophy to running the newly renamed Spirit Design & Development.
In addition to serving the needs of a steady stream of off-road
chassis fabrication and prep customers, Spirit Design & Development
will also be marketing a growing range of competition-grade suspension
components.
Although their own
racing program is on the back burner for the moment, the team's
long-range plans include a return to competition. If past history
is any indication, the other teams should enjoy the inside of
the winner's circle while they can, because their only available
view will be from the outside when the racing side of Spirit comes
back to the track!
As for the elder Spirkoff,
don't think that Steve has traded-in his wrenches for a rocking
chair just yet. Steve and his wife Debbie are actively involved
in San Diego's classic car scene, and nowadays a finished project
rolling out of the Spirit shop is just as likely to be a classic
restoration or custom hot rod, as one of the championship-winning
off-road trucks for which the Spirit name is famous.
