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SCCA Pro Racing Competition and Technical Director Ken Tripkos. |
Tripkos' technical career
began with the Navy, where he served as a flight engineer on P-2s and P-3s.
Tripkos next moved on to a career as a Jaguar Master Technician and was twice selected
to attend advanced training at the Jaguar factory in England. He is a certified Ford
Master Drivability Technician and ASE Master Technician. Most recently, Tripkos
has assisted in the creation of the new Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup rules and
completed a successful 2007 season as the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup
Technical Manager, where entries grew by 30 percent and are expected to grow
further in 2008.
"Ken has done an amazing job
with MX-5 Cup,” SCCA Pro Racing President and CEO Bob
Wildberger said. “The level of competition displayed in the
series is a testament to all of Ken"s hard work and his exemplary cooperation
with teams and staff. It was all the evidence I needed to promote him to the
SCCA Pro Competition and Technical Director position.”
While Tripkos will continue to
guide the development of MX-5 Cup, his added responsibilities include
overseeing the technical operations for the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring
Car and GT Championships and the Volkswagen TDI Cup, with a goal of maintaining
balanced competition throughout each SCCA Pro Racing series.
“This is a tremendous honor
for me,” Tripkos said. “I had a great time working with MX-5 Cup and the
challenges a spec series presents. I know that technical operations for a
series like SPEED World Challenge will be a whole new animal, some say one of
the toughest jobs in the industry, but I’m confident in my staff and the
experience I’ve gathered over a lifetime of racing.”
Tripkos is a Kansas native who grew
up racing. He is a former Solo Champion and finished seventh at the 1976 SCCA
National Championship Runoffs in a CSR Elva Mark VI. Since then, he has personally
raced a variety of open-wheel, sports and spec racers. He is the former owner
and CEO of Max Motorsports, a full service prep shop servicing everything from
formula cars and SRFs to vintage cars and motorcycles. Tripkos currently lives
in Topeka with
his wife Debbie. They have a daughter Liza and son Robin, who has recently
started his own Club Racing career.
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