Highlands Today
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Down The Stretch They Come
Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today
Jim Tafel (right) and Tony Dowe have built a world class racing team from the ground up and will be put to the test during Saturday’s 12 Hours of Sebring.
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Published: March 13, 2008
SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY — Jim Tafel, Jr. never had to look much farther than to his own father when wondering how to build a championship race team.
After 25 years in the horse-racing business, Jim Tafel, 84, defied the odds and won the Kentucky Derby with Street Sense and his one trainer, Carl Nafzger, whom he believed in for the last quarter century all the way to the winner's circle.
That day of roses is one that the younger Tafel hopes never leaves him.
"That was the most amazing day of my life," Tafel said. "It will take the rest of my life to quantify that day. So much happened so fast, and it was the ride of a lifetime.
"It was great watching the horse win, but nothing like watching my father win. To see him win would be like me winning at Le Mans. You can't put it into words."
The amazing aspect of Street Sense's win was the first horse to come back from such a huge deficit (second-to-last) to win by 2 1/2 lengths, much like Tafel Racing at Sebring back in '07, when they rallied from 13th position to take third in their first-ever running at the historic race.
"It's a gut check," Tafel said. "You work so hard seven days a week and to have that happen on the first lap was a letdown. But it was just a bump and not something that put us out of the race.
"Racing is all about the perseverance and ability to know what to do in a crisis situation. It's having the ability to know how to get the team, driver and engineers to communicate to enable us to be as fluid as possible and not losing anymore time."
Technical director Tony Dowe put that day's accomplishments in perfect context.
"When we arrived, we didn't know how bad the Porsche really was," Dowe said. "We thought that the driver abilities would overcome those deficiencies and that isn't the case."
A year later and Tafel Racing hasn't stood pat and let the racing season come to them. They've made numerous changes, including switching from Porsche to Ferrari, which should have a major impact on whether they return to the podium and compete for a championship at Sebring and Le Mans.
"I was really happy last year," Tafel said. "It feels like it's been 10 years since I've been back here because so much has happened. As a race team, we've been doing so much as a race team in developing the program to bring us a championship."
Turning to the Ferrari 430GT was a bold decision, but one that was very simple for Tafel, especially when he saw where he wanted to be as a race team.
"We made a change for a number of reasons," Tafel said. "We needed a program and manufacturer that we could win a championship with and win Le Mans. Based on what we'd seen, we felt Ferrari had the best product and effort for Tafel Racing to give us what we need to win. That's it in a nutshell."
"Ferraris are proven. It's a very simple car when you look at it. When you look at the chassis, the motor, gearbox and fuel cell, it's more of an aerodynamic car than a mechanical driven car, which gives me a new challenge as a driver to understand how that car works on the track. It's an honor and pleasure to drive for that manufacturer and to have world class people like Tony [Dowe], Dirk [Muller], Dominik [Farnbacher] that really know their stuff."
Tafel recruited Muller and Farnbacher to drive for him and feels that he's finally assembled a quality race team –– one that he believes in, and one that believes in him.
"I know Dirk and Dominick real well," Tafel said. "I know their heart and what their motivation is. It's great because they want to be here and they're very excited about it because they know how hard we've worked as a team to give them the tools to get the job."
Being able to top the success of last year –– where Jim Tafel won the prestigious Founders Cup as a first-year team –– is a challenge he's ready for as a driver and owner, but the burning question by many is how long he'll stay in the driver's seat.
"So many people ask me when I'm going to get out of the driver's seat and just be an owner," Tafel said. "One of my biggest honors was winning the Founders Cup last year. To me, I feel like I'm just taking off and growing as a driver. I'm learning to not just drive one type of car but also the physics and patience it takes to drive at the professional level. Everyone I know are all world-class drivers on that track. In order for you to lead, you have to follow and I know my place and I intend to learn as much as I can in order to win."
But Tafel never strays far from his father's example.
"When I get to the horse races, I'm my father's shadow," Tafel said. "I watch how he handles situations and people, how he handles them with class. I take those situations and translate them over to me and how I can be a better team owner. There is so many similarities between [auto racing] and horse racing.
"I hope I'm as good an owner and run my business with as much class as my father."
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