Steve Epperly in Satesman Journal

[Skib]

 

 

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100721/SPORTS/7210415/1018&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

 

 

 

Like a lot of former race car drivers, Steve Epperly used to say that he would get back to racing next year.

 

 

 

For most, next year never comes.

 

Life gets in the way and they never race again.

 

Sure, the Salem resident had practice days at road courses, autocrosses and hill climbs, but it wasn't like the serious road racing he had done until 1995 and loved so much.

 

"We were always going to go back next year. And then next year," said Epperly's father, Al.

 

But after a 14-year layoff, the time came for Epperly.

 

The 54-year-old ended his self-imposed retirement from race car driving in the 2009 season by winning the championship in the EP class of the Oregon Region of the SCCA and has qualified for the SCCA's National Championship Runoffs, Sept. 20-26 at Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wis.

 

"Went back to just like it was," Epperly said. "The first time I drove the car, (I) got out of the car and I told them this was just like it was yesterday."

 

Epperly started driving and working on race cars at a young age.

 

While attending South Salem High School, he worked on the IMSA and Trans-Am cars of Loren St. Lawrence, his high school guidance counselor, and eventually started racing his now-trademark Datsuns.

 

During the years, he had success as a driver, including winning a championship in Nasport and the NorPac Division of the SCCA.

 

He also competed six times in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs before rule changes made it more difficult for him to compete.

 

"The classes we had always raced they had pretty much outlawed completely," Epperly said. "And everything we had worked on and worked for to make it work we couldn't do any more.

 

"That happened and then (our shop) got broken into and they just cleaned us out. We just took some time off. It turned into quite a few years."

 

During that time Epperly wasn't completely away from racing.

 

He has owned ZTherapy, a Salem business that rebuilds carburetors for Datsun's Z series of cars, since 2001.

 

He often helped friends with their race cars and from time to time had to turn away offers from others to drive their cars.

 

 

He owns several Datsuns and had driven them in competitions, such as autocrosses and hill climbs, but it wasn't enough to hook him back to racing.

 

"We were still around it," Epperly said. "I didn't go to many races because as you know after you drive and race, watching isn't … . It's not fun so you don't go. But I would help a lot of people work on cars."

 

Epperly still owns his four of his old race cars, but they mostly have sat because he has been working on other projects.

 

When childhood friend Terry Miller decided to build a new race car for the 2009 season, this time a Datsun 260Z, Epperly was happy to help.

 

The goal was for Miller to make it to this year's runoffs as a driver.

 

Three surgeries on Miller's right shoulder — the one with which he shifts — took Miller out of the driver's seat, and Epperly was his first choice to replace him.

 

"You kind of want the best," Miller said. "You want to be competitive, but you want it to be fun, too. Steve's obviously very talented in driving and fabricating, too.

 

"He can kind of do the best at both worlds. The bottom line is, too, even though I want a championship, I want it to be fun."

 

After winning the regional championship last year, Epperly has run the necessary seven national qualifying races this season to earn a spot in the runoffs and has a layoff of nearly three months until the Wisconsin races.

 

The car is being torn down for more improvements in preparation for the big race in September.

 

"We've been really fortunate to be as successful as we have," Miller said. "The things are falling into place."

 

Epperly is happy racing but still has his old race cars and figures he'll run them in vintage races at some point.

 

"But I still like the knock-down, drag out, wheel-to-wheel racing, which you can't do in vintage," Epperly said.

 

Spoken like a true race car driver.

[wildmaninid]

Absolutely awesome!!

[Skib]

Steve and that yellow Z dominate people.

 

 

shit give that guy a stock B210 and hell kick your ass :rofl:

[I'm BLUE]

:cool: good on him

 

I fear failure ---> so I no race da Mr. Steve ! ( especially in a b210 :lol: )

 

I sure like his taste in color of a Z Skib !!!

[Skib]

:cool: good on him

 

I fear failure ---> so I no race da Mr. Steve ! ( especially in a b210 :lol: )

 

I sure like his taste in color of a Z Skib !!!

 

 

his B210 racecar is the same colour too :D

[I'm BLUE]

his B210 racecar is the same colour too :D

 

That's shweeeet ! :D

[hang_510]

what a statesman! :cool: