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Ever Present
Call them a cornerstone, or institution, or stalwart. Any can be used to aptly describe RealTime Racing’s connection to Pirelli World Challenge. If Formula 1 wouldn’t be the same without Ferrari, then the same could be said of PWC and the squad from Saukville, Wis.
Founded by Peter Cunningham in 1987 to go ice racing, RealTime Racing also began its storied association with Honda when the team captured three International Ice Racing Association titles with its multi-car stable of Hondas. That was followed by a switch to a loose surface of a different kind for the 1992 and ’93 season – SCCA Pro Rally with Acura. The foray added another championship to RealTime’s rapidly growing list of achievements.
World Challenge as we know it today was launched in 1990. Three years later saw the arrival of RealTime Racing, and through both thick and thin, they’ve never left. Looking back on it now, Cunningham reflects that there was no long-term vision to stay within the series.
“Every off-season, we’d weigh the options, and we dabbled in other series, too,” says Cunningham. “But it always worked out that for our team, and our business model, World Challenge was the best place to be.”
In terms of racking up race wins and championships, it was unequivocally the right place to be for RealTime Racing. Currently, the team has captured 88 race wins across three separate classes, with the two most recent coming this past June at Road America, Wis. A total of 14 drivers’ championships and 14 manufacturers’ championships came as a result of those wins and countless more top finishes. Cunningham has himself brought in the lion’s share of race wins for the team, with 37 to his credit so far. In the championships-earned column, seven have his name etched on the trophy.
More remarkable is that all those wins and titles have been in collaboration with just one manufacturer. RealTime Racing is still enjoying a near-30-year relationship with Honda and its premium brand, Acura. You’d be hard pressed to find another team/manufacturer alliance that has persevered and prospered quite like this one.
Increasingly, Cunningham is devoting more time to team ownership than driving.
“I’m not as fast a driver as I was 20 years ago, but hopefully I’m not as dumb a driver as I was 20 years ago!” he smiles. “I still love what I do, and I know that my role in the future will be more about team management than actual driving. But I’m really learning to enjoy that position.”
So it’s with that in mind that Cunningham remains committed and optimistic about the future of both the organization he has built and the series in which they compete.
“The Series is more competitive than ever in every category,” he asserts. “Because the nature of racing is always seeking to raise the bar, we’ve had to continue to learn and find new ways to be efficient, gain speed and ensure that our infrastructure is staying ahead.”
Today, Cunningham devotes his energy to moving forward, but when pressed to look back over his prolific career, one particular memory stands out.
“There’ve been plenty of good days, but when I won the GT Championship and Pierre (Kleinubing) won the Touring Car Championship, we had both cars present at the season banquet, which was pretty special,” he recalls. But he’s quick to add, “The full story of RealTime Racing is yet to unfold.”
This advertising feature first appeared in RACER magazine issue 279, August 2016. RealTime Racing is partnered with Forgeline Wheels.Click
Founded by Peter Cunningham in 1987 to go ice racing, RealTime Racing also began its storied association with Honda when the team captured three International Ice Racing Association titles with its multi-car stable of Hondas. That was followed by a switch to a loose surface of a different kind for the 1992 and ’93 season – SCCA Pro Rally with Acura. The foray added another championship to RealTime’s rapidly growing list of achievements.
World Challenge as we know it today was launched in 1990. Three years later saw the arrival of RealTime Racing, and through both thick and thin, they’ve never left. Looking back on it now, Cunningham reflects that there was no long-term vision to stay within the series.
“Every off-season, we’d weigh the options, and we dabbled in other series, too,” says Cunningham. “But it always worked out that for our team, and our business model, World Challenge was the best place to be.”
In terms of racking up race wins and championships, it was unequivocally the right place to be for RealTime Racing. Currently, the team has captured 88 race wins across three separate classes, with the two most recent coming this past June at Road America, Wis. A total of 14 drivers’ championships and 14 manufacturers’ championships came as a result of those wins and countless more top finishes. Cunningham has himself brought in the lion’s share of race wins for the team, with 37 to his credit so far. In the championships-earned column, seven have his name etched on the trophy.
More remarkable is that all those wins and titles have been in collaboration with just one manufacturer. RealTime Racing is still enjoying a near-30-year relationship with Honda and its premium brand, Acura. You’d be hard pressed to find another team/manufacturer alliance that has persevered and prospered quite like this one.
Increasingly, Cunningham is devoting more time to team ownership than driving.
“I’m not as fast a driver as I was 20 years ago, but hopefully I’m not as dumb a driver as I was 20 years ago!” he smiles. “I still love what I do, and I know that my role in the future will be more about team management than actual driving. But I’m really learning to enjoy that position.”
So it’s with that in mind that Cunningham remains committed and optimistic about the future of both the organization he has built and the series in which they compete.
“The Series is more competitive than ever in every category,” he asserts. “Because the nature of racing is always seeking to raise the bar, we’ve had to continue to learn and find new ways to be efficient, gain speed and ensure that our infrastructure is staying ahead.”
Today, Cunningham devotes his energy to moving forward, but when pressed to look back over his prolific career, one particular memory stands out.
“There’ve been plenty of good days, but when I won the GT Championship and Pierre (Kleinubing) won the Touring Car Championship, we had both cars present at the season banquet, which was pretty special,” he recalls. But he’s quick to add, “The full story of RealTime Racing is yet to unfold.”
This advertising feature first appeared in RACER magazine issue 279, August 2016. RealTime Racing is partnered with Forgeline Wheels.Click
here
for more information.
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