SVRA: Peter Klutt, Force from the North

Peter Klutt, one of the clear favorites in Group 6 this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix, would be a terrific example of the classic self-made man living the "American Dream" except for one thing. This self-made man and ultimate "car guy" is Canadian. Klutt is one of those ultra-confident risk-takers who got in touch with his passion at an early age and never let go. The result is that he now owns one of the most respected vintage car restoration businesses you can find anywhere – Legendary Motor Car – as well as hosting a TV show on the Velocity Network by the same name.

Klutt's cars are winners. His garage prepared Andre Ahrle's 1965 Cobra

that won last weekend's "Indy Legends" Pro-Am

"We restore and build cars to be as safe as can be," Klutt shares. "We build in safety with modern racing seats and harness for back and neck support as well as fuel cells and side impact protection. They will never be modern racecars and they shouldn't be, but we do everything we can to protect our drivers."

Klutt got his start with car restoration at just 15 years of age. At the time it wasn't so much about cars as making money.

"I bought a car, restored it and sold it," Klutt recalls. "It was a lot more lucrative than being a newspaper boy. But I quickly realized that I also enjoyed it. I wanted to keep doing more so I began buying and selling cars."

After graduating from Canada's University of Guelph in 1985 Klutt started a car restoration business operating out of a "car and a half" garage. The Toronto native soon expanded to a larger, 2,000 square foot space and a year later hired his first employee, Chris Simon, who still works for him.

Peter sees himself first and foremost as a "car guy," and then a racer. He did not even go to a racetrack until 1995 and that was a trip to Watkins Glen. He took a hot lap with a Cobra driver and was hooked. From there Klutt purchased a 1966 Shelby Hertz Mustang and set off for vintage racing. After a stint in driver's school his first event was at Mosport in 1995. He won – and did it in the rain.

"Honestly, I think I was just too stupid to know it was dangerous," Klutt quips. "Seriously, though, I think education is very important. I continue to go to driver's schools to this day, especially with Bob Bondurant and Ron Fellows."

He doesn't flaunt it, but the fact of the matter is that Peter Klutt is an outstanding vintage racer. He has fond memories of winning at The Glen in 1996 and winning the Group 6 national championship at COTA in 2014. His biggest moment in vintage racing, understandably, was winning the first "Indy Legends" Charity Pro-Am with co-driver Al Unser Jr. at the inaugural SVRA Brickyard Invitational in 2014.

"To do that with Al Jr. was huge," Klutt says. "Al is first-class. He's fabulous, he's fast but he is also very easy on equipment. Winning with him was definitely the highlight of my vintage racing."

If you detect a slight qualification in that statement it's because Klutt's fondest motorsports memories concern the success of his two sons, Gary and Ryan. Peter actually put his vintage racing on hold from 1999 until 2008 in order to guide his boys in racing karts – and race alongside them. His sons were good – very good – and the memory that ranks number one in Dad's mind is when Gary won the senior national championship and, on the same day, Ryan, one year younger, won the national championship for the junior division.

A dedicated father married to the same woman for 31 years, Klutt strikes a balance between his own racing and the burgeoning racing careers of his sons. Gary is most active as a regular competitor in the 12-race Pinty's NASCAR series presented at various tracks around Canada. Peter regularly spots for him. Gary picked off his first win in May 2015 and last month was named as one of 11 participants in the 2016-2017 "NASCAR Next" program, which is designed to raise the profile of young drivers among fans. They are drivers seen by series officials as most likely to graduate to the ranks of the Sprint Cup series. Gary and the other 10 drivers were selected through an evaluation process that included input from industry executives, Sprint Cup drivers and the media.

The recognition is clearly encouraging, but Peter knows the reality of the sport and wants his son to understand the challenge before him. It's not just about talent.

"I tell him, unfortunately, it's probably more important to learn how to attract sponsorship than to learn how to drive," Klutt says. "We are looking to move him into the truck series as a logical next step in learning and proving himself. Still, just to test for a day you are looking writing checks of tens of thousands of dollars."

The challenges of motorsports can be daunting. Then, again, there are those memories that are so rewarding, like in 2014 when Peter and his sons all raced together in the Canadian NASCAR series at Mosport. They want to do it again as soon as possible. For a car guy who discovered his passion as a teenager and leveraged it to not just an impressive career but also a tremendously enjoyable lifestyle, there is every reason to bet that Peter and his sons will find a way to reach whatever goals they set for themselves.