Home Track Advantage

Ritchie Holt doesn't merely consider SIR his home track, he considers Highlands County his home.

The 56-year-old part-time Lake Placid resident will drive for Primetime Race Group on Saturday as the privateer team owned by Joel Feinberg looks to be among the top finishers in the highly competitive GT2 class during the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh from Florida.

It will be Holt's first time driving in an event he's attended for years, and needless to say, he's ecstatic to have the opportunity.

"I've been coming to these races for 20 years as a spectator, so to be coming here and driving is hard to explain," Holt said as he prepared to take the No. 11 Dodge Viper Competition Coupe to the track on Wednesday for the first round of open combined practice. "This is like my home track. I know it very well and I've been on it more than any other track.

"I know how to get around."

Which is exactly why Feinberg, the owner of Primetime, tapped Holt to relieve him and fellow driver Chris Hall during the grueling endurance challenge.

"Ritchie's a good friend and we do a lot of stuff together on the club racing scene," Feinberg said. "He's very familiar with Vipers and how they handle compared to other cars, so it's not like we're bringing someone in who's not used to what we're running."

Heartland Roots and Remote Controls

Holt's father, Ron, retired to the area 12 years ago, and Ritchie spends much of his free time on another one of his passions - remote-control model airplanes. He's a member of the Highlands County RC club and a large-scale model enthusiast who flies regularly and builds aircraft that are 45-percent scale and feature 145cc engines.

"It's a great hobby," said Holt, who lives off Lake Istokpoga in LP. "And it's a great thing to share with my father."

Of course, when he's not piloting planes, he's at the wheel of a Dodge GTS he regularly runs at Sebring club races, competing with the PBOC and NASA.

"My girlfriend and I love it here," he said. "We come up from Fort Lauderdale and it's a different world. We get out of the hustle and bustle of the big town."

On Saturday, his job will be to keep the car turning laps and out of trouble while Feinberg and Hall rest, a job he's enthusiastic about taking on.

"I'm stepping into the picture to relieve Joel and Chris, let them get some rest and keep the car on the track," Holt said. "Keep it clean and competitive, and the main thing is to finish."

Home Away From Home

Although he makes his home in Fort Lauderdale, Feinberg also considers Sebring his home track, as well as his favorite place to drive.

"Sebring has the history - I'm sure there are bumps on the track out there that are original," he said. "And you can feel it in the car."

Last year, when Primetime took fifth in the GT2 class, both Feinberg and Hall were feeling the heat and fatigue as the day dragged on. Holt, Feinberg said, will help he and Hall stay sharp and do what it takes to move up a few spots on the podium.

"Richie's a conservative, clean racer, and I'm confident that he's not the type who will drive over his head and take unnecessary risks," Feinberg said. "He's not one of those guys who will go out there and throw it into every corner - he's mindful of what's going on and his conservative nature will keep us in the game."

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com. Read his "On Track" blog all this week at highlandstoday.com.