Wolverine Bronze and Capaldi Racing team with Band of Angels “Down Syndrome Awareness Program” for season opener at the Circuit of the Americas
05/17/13
Honorary crew member Carter (front/center) was on hand for the race!
Austin, TX - The #22 Wolverine Bronze / Band of Angels B-spec Fiesta driven by Chris Capaldi arrived in Austin Texas for the first race of the 2013 season in the Touring Car B-SPEC Championship. Chris is no stranger to sports car racing at the club level, but with the support of our partners is competing in the highly competitive Pirelli World Challenge.Austin would be the venue for the first 3 races for the TCB Championship and Chris used the practice and qualifying sessions to get accustom to the facility and the competition. After his first professional qualifying attempt, Chris found himself in a top 20 starting position.
Race 1 & 2 were run back to back giving little time for chassis and driver adjustments. As the first two checkered flags flew, Chris managed to steer clear of mid race carnage and managed to finish in 18th and 14th respectively. After the first two races the team went to work on the car and Chris worked on finding some extra speed on his behalf analyzing the previous sessions data. Race 3 brought another beautiful day and another challenging race for Chris. Once again, the race provided a lot of opportunities for advancing position while juggling the mishaps by others. After trading multiple positions through the 45 minute race, Chris brought the #22 Wolverine Bronze / Band of Angels Ford Fiesta home in the 15th finishing position.
“I have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but so far things have been going well. The team, Capaldi Racing, has put together a great car. The learning curve is steep, but I know that with an experienced team and partners behind me we can set some goals for the season.” stated Chris Capaldi.
Next up Lime Rock Park, July 4th for Rounds 4 thru 6 of the Championship.
Wolverine Bronze Company is a non-ferrous jobbing foundry serving the Automotive, Aircraft, and Aerospace industries by producing a broad range of Aluminum, Copper and Bronze castings from ounces to 60,000 lb.
In addition, we manufacture and distribute an internationally respected product line of cast aluminum and welded steel bases, standard fixture components and special application bases and castings.
Our effectiveness in meeting the diverse needs of our clients has enabled us to expand our capacity in order to solve manufacturing and assembly challenges in both domestic and international markets. Wolverine Bronze is committed to excellence in everything we do.
Like many family owned businesses, tradition runs deep at Wolverine Bronze. The values that formed the core of the company in the 1960's... integrity, quality, and concern for the customer ...are those that drive our efforts today.
The Band of Angels is a non-profit organization which provides support services to over 20,000 families since 1994 enhancing awareness of Down syndrome.
Capaldi Racing Teammates Head to the Lone Star State
05/17/13
Austin TX – Capaldi Racing descended upon one of Americas premier road courses and host to the F1 Grand Prix, The Circuit of the Americas. Capaldi Racing GTS teammates Ardee Toppe and Brad Adams where ready to do battle in rounds 4 & 5 of the Pirelli World Challenge in their Capaldi Racing prepped BOSS 302 Mustangs.
Both Adams and Toppe used the weekend’s warm-up and practice sessions to get accustom to the newly added circuit for 2013. After getting the drivers up to speed, the team worked to get both Mustangs chassis to optimum performance. Friday would bring the qualifying session for the weekends races. With both cars on sticker Pirelli slicks, Adams and Toppe set off in their steeds to secure a starting position. When the checker flag was shown, Adams muscled his way to the 16th starting position while Toppe brought his Mustang home in the 24th position. Both drivers had put forth their best times of the weekend thus far.
Saturday brought the first race of the weekend and both drivers as well as the team were ready to make a forward march through the field. As the lights went out the mayhem ensued, Brad Adams launch off the line at the start earned him the “Optima Batteries Best Standing Start Award” and put him up to the 7th position after lap 1. Adams battled with some of the best road racers in the business and brought home a strong 9th place finish. Unfortunately, Toppe wasn’t as lucky as an electrical gremlin set him back to the 24th finishing position. As the day closed, the team worked hard to diagnose Toppe’s gremlin and prepped both team cars for Sunday’s race.
Round 5 of the championship was run on Sunday with the #96 Voodoo / Dat Dog / Yo MTV Raps Mustang of Adams starting 14th and the #21 Toppe Motorsports / Capaldi Racing Mustang starting in the 24th grid position. As fast as the field line up, they were under way. Once again, Adams battled for position for the entire 50 minute event going up and down the running order, at the end of the day he would bring home another solid finish for the weekend in the 11th spot. When bad luck strikes, it strikes big. Toppe once again found himself battling an electrical issue which in turn side lined his attack for race.
The team is hard at work in preparation for their “Home Race” in the Motor City in a week’s time.
Capaldi Racing Gears up for 2013 Pirelli World Challenge Season Opener
03/20/13
Capaldi Racing is heading to St. Petersburg, FL, for the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge season opener with Mustang veteran, Brad Adams, and Mustang newcomer, Ardee Toppe – both piloting brand new Mustang Boss 302Ss. Brad, who has raced with Capaldi Racing in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, will be driving an updated version of his familiar bright green “Who Dat!?” Mustang while Ardee will be making his Mustang debut in the Toppe Motorsport, Texas-livered Mustang.
“We’re really excited to have Brad and Ardee on the team this year,” said Leo Capaldi. “Brad has been great to have on the team over the years and Ardee is a great addition. We have a lot of history with the Pirelli World Challenge, going back to 1999, and I’m really happy to be back for another year. Campaigning Brad’s and Ardee’s Mustangs and supporting Alec Udell in the Motorsport Development Group Mustang Boss 302R is fantastic. Having my son, Chris, running the Wolverine Bronze Co. Fiesta in the TCB class makes things even better!”
Coverage of rounds one and two from St. Petersburg will be live streamed on www.world-challengetv.com on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. EST and on Sunday at 10:25 a.m. EST. Like Capaldi Racing on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest team updates.
Capaldi Racing has Strong Showing at Circuit of the Americas
03/06/13
Capaldi Racing traveled to Austin Texas this past weekend with the #68 Wolverine Bronze Mustang Boss 302R to attack the Circuit of the Americas Formula One circuit. The team prepped for weeks in advance with high hopes of being the next "BIG" thing in Texas.
For the Austin event, Capaldi Racing welcomed back Mustang veteran Rick Edwards to pilot the Wolverine Bronze Boss 302R alongside team regular Craig Capaldi. With the 20-turn, 3.4-mile track's recent construction and debut in 2012, very few had turned a wheel in anger until the first practice session for the weekend. Edwards and Capaldi took advantage of the test sessions working together to minimize the learning curve for the new facility. "The circuit here is extremely challenging. Despite being such a large track, there are a surprisingly lot of technical areas where we need to be on top of our game to get a good balance on the chassis to be fast," stated Craig.
Rick received the nod from team principal, Leo Capaldi, to lay down a time in qualifying to set the team's starting position for Saturday's 2.5-hour race. After some setup changes by the team, Rick headed out to qualify the Wolverine Bronze Boss 302R on the outside of row 10 in the 20th starting position. With the very limited track time, and with both drivers and car continuously gaining speed every session, the team had their goals set high for another strong finish.
Edwards started the race after his qualifying effort and battled his way through the field of competitors while maintaining a clean car throughout his stint. "My goal is to have a clean car with good brakes still to hand over to Craig," Rick commented prior to the green flag. The game plan worked as he handed the reigns over to Capaldi just past the half way point of the race. Capaldi jumped in the saddle and after getting into a rhythm managed to put down the team's best laps of the weekend. When the dust settled, the Wolverine Bronze Boss 302R crossed the finish line in the 17th position.
"Rick and Craig both had a huge learning curve this weekend and both the guys did a great job jumping in and being competitive. As usual, the team was flawless all weekend giving Craig and Rick the best equipment possible. You have to finish these events one by one to be there in the points at the end of the year and it's great to walk out of Austin with another strong finish," said Leo Capaldi.
Craig and the Wolverine Bronze/Capaldi Racing Mustang Boss 302R currently sit 15th in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season points and will be working hard to continue their strong performances. Tune in March 9th at 4:00 p.m. EST to SPEED Channel for race coverage from Austin.
Photo: Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography
Capaldi Racing Returns to Pirelli World Challenge TCB Class for 2013
02/05/13
After a successful debut season within the Pirelli World Challenge TCB Class, Capaldi Racing is pleased to announce that it is returning to the series with the intent to campaign the entire 2013 season. However, instead of trusting the Ford Racing B-Spec Ford Fiesta to 2012 season runner-up, Craig Capaldi, Craig’s brother, Chris, has been chosen to pilot the car. A road racing veteran, Chris has extensive experience racing front wheel drive cars, driving a Ford Focus to multiple track records in NASA’s Spec Focus class, and taking a regional championship in that same car. Recently, Chris made the move to rear wheel drive and raced a two seasons in a 2005 Ford Mustang GT in NASA’s Camaro Mustang Challenge.
Chris will be running the full 14-race season with Wolverine Bronze Company on board as his primary sponsor. In addition to Wolverine Bronze, Chris will continue promoting
Capaldi Racing’s efforts to raise awareness for the Band of Angels Foundation, a Michigan based charity that helps individuals and families with members with Down syndrome, autism, and other disabilities.
“I couldn’t believe it when they asked me to run the Fiesta,” said Chris. “Ever since the B-Spec class was announced, I thought it sounded like a ton of fun. I’m excited to be working with Wolverine Bronze again this year. They are a great group of people and I can’t thank them enough for all their support. It’s also great to be able to put the Band of Angels in the national spotlight. We have a blast working with them at their various events. I’m looking forward to building on my brother’s (Craig) success last year.”
In addition to the Fiesta in TCB, Capaldi Racing will also be running two Mustangs in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class. Rounds 1-3 of the 2013 Pirelli Word Challenge TCB Season is May 17 at the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. Go to
www.world-challengetv.com to watch live streaming of all the races and go to www.capaldiracing.com and like us on Facebook for team updates.
