Rob Finlay:

Businessman, Race driver, Team owner

Robert FINLAY
President

Rob Finlay is a businessman who has devoted his career to nurturing entrepreneurship, identifying new, world-changing solutions to everyday challenges, and giving back to the community through various charitable endeavors. Rob is the Managing Partner of Hillcrest Management, a private investment firm, and the Chairman and CEO of R.J. Finlay & Co., a national real estate firm with development, asset management, construction and construction materials divisions. Rob is also an avid pilot of both helicopters and planes, having recently earned his commercial pilot’s license.

Rob competed in his 5th season of Grand-Am competition in 2009, finishing in 8th place at the Rolex Daytona 24hr as part of the Childress Howard Motorsports team. He was partnered in the Crawford factory-backed effort with Casey Nears. Joining them at this event were Danica Patrick and legendary race car driver Andy Wallace.
Rob’s racing career began in 2005 and saw quick success with a podium finish during his first visit to Daytona Speedway in Grand-Am Cup competition. He finished the year with his first Daytona Prototype start in Mexico City.

Rob’s versatility as a driver was highlighted in 2006 when he raced in both the Grand-Am Cup championship and the Rolex Daytona Prototype series. He would take a victory at Barber Motorsports Park in the Cup car, as well as several podiums.

A 2nd place finish in Daytona Prototype at Iowa Speedway in 2007 while driving with Sabates/Ganassi racing firmly established Rob as the driver to beat in the competitive Trueman Trophy championship.

After sitting out the end of the 2007 season and missing winter testing due to injury, Rob returned to his roots by competing in the Koni Challenge with the championship team, Automatic Racing. He finished the year out by making a successful return to Daytona Prototypes, testing at Daytona Speedway and his favorite track, VIR.

: Personal
As a commercially licensed pilot, Rob regularly flies both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. His aggressive physical training regimen includes preparation for Triathlon competition.

Rob is the CEO of Hillcrest Management, LLC, a private investment company. He is active in several children’s charities, including “Make a Wish,” through his racing activities.

: Residence
Peterborough, New Hampshire.

: Race History
2004 Grand-Am Cup with BGB Motorsports

2005 Formed Finlay Motorsports

Grand-Am Cup – Podium finish: Daytona

Daytona Prototype

2006 Daytona Prototype
Koni Challenge – Winner: Barber Motorsport Park;
Podiums: Daytona, Trois Rivieres 

2007 Daytona Prototype with Ganassi/Sabates Racing
2nd place: Iowa Speedway
        
2008 Koni Challenge with Automatic Racing

2009 Grand-Am Cup with Childress Howard Motorsports
8th place: Rolex Daytona 24hr

Steve CAMERON
President of Operations

Steve Cameron brings more than 30 years of motorsports experience to the Finlay organization as a driver, team manager and driver coach. As a driver he has two Daytona 24hr class victories to his credit, runner-up in the U.S. Formula Atlantic Championship and a NZ Championship title. He has driven almost every type of road racing car possible, including: GTP, GTO, Atlantic, Indy Lights, Formula 2000, Formula Ford, S2000, Sports Racers, Koni Cup, Historic Can-Am, Historic F1, Vintage Lotus sports cars. Steve has worked as a test and development driver for teams, car manufactures, and  tire companies such as Raven Race Cars, Star Race Cars, Yokohama, Ohlins,

As a team manager, Steve has put together championship and race-winning teams for several high profile organizations. Lynx Racing dominated the Formula Atlantic Championship for 10 years with numerous race wins and driver championships. Finlay Motorsports won in the prestigious Daytona Prototypes class in its first year of competition.

Drivers who have been coached by Cameron include Indy 500 winners Buddy Rice and Sam Hornish Jr., Champ Car drivers, Memo Gidley, Michael Valiante and NASCAR driver Michael McDowell.

32 years motorsports experience

: Cameron Racing, Owner/Driver  1979-1986
NZ Formula Vee, Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic

: Brisken Racing, Team manager/Driver 1985-1987
S2000, IMSA GTO, Atlantic, Formula Ford

: Cameron McGee Motorsports Owner/Manager/Driver 1987-1996
Atlantic, Indy Lights, ACRL S2000, Formula Ford, Formula Mazda, Vintage               

: Cameron Motorsports Management Inc. President/Driver 1996-2005
Managed Lynx Racing operations, 1995-2004
Test and development driver
2 Atlantic Championships
2nd: Atlantic Championship three times
3rd: Atlantic Championship three times
34 wins, 29 poles, 47 podiums
Team completed every lap of races in 1996 and 2002
Four “Engineer of  the Year” trophies
Alumni: Patrick Carpentier (IRL, CART), Buddy Rice (IRL, Indy 500 winner), Alex Barron (IRL, CART), Memo Gidley (IRL, CART,), Michael Valiante (CART), Bryan Sellers (Grand-Am)

: Finlay Motorsports, Team manager 2006-current
Manage all race and team operations
Formed Grand American Daytona Prototype and Koni Challenge team
Built state-of-the-art race facility
Won races in both Daytona Prototype and Koni Challenge
Created Finlay Driver Development Program

: Driving accomplishments
Two time Daytona 24 hr class winner, 1993
2nd: Atlantic Championship, 1992
4th: Barber Dodge Championship, 1990
SCCA Divisional Champion, 1989
NZ Formula Vee Champion, 1979

Rick CAMERON
Technical Director

Rick Cameron is a veteran engineer and crew chief with more than 25 years of experience in many types of racing.

He has championship and race wins in Grand-Am, Formula Atlantic, Indy Lights, Can-Am and Formula Mazda.
His extensive technical knowledge includes data system analysis, wind tunnel, shock development, seven-post rig, geometry analysis and chassis development.

Rick has the rare ability to combine his technical expertise, race strategy and driver training to put together race wins and championships. Whether working with experienced professionals or rookie drivers, Rick is able to help the drivers optimize the racecar set up, develop strategies and optimize their performance.

25 years Motorsports experience

: McNeil Motorsports
Formula Atlantic Crew Chief, 1987: 1st place Championship.  Johnny O’Connell
Indy Lights Series Crew Chief 1988:
2nd place Championship  Tommy Byrne

: Lynx Racing/Cameron Motorsports
Formula Atlantic Assistant Engineer, 1996: 
1st place Championship – Patrick Carpentier

Formula Atlantic Assistant Engineer, 1997: 
1st place Championship – Alex Barron         

Formula Atlantic Engineer, 2000-2004:
2nd place Championship – David Rutledge, 2001
2nd place Championship – Michael Valiante, 2002
3rd place Championship – Michael Valiante, 2003

Two-time Crew Chief/Engineer of the Year in Formula Atlantic

: Valley Racing
Development Engineer on Star Mazda Formula Car project, 2003

Formula Mazda Engineer, 2004: 
1st and 2nd place Championship – Michael McDowell & Dan Di Leo
    
: Finlay Motorsports
Grand Am Prototype Technical Director, 2005:  Memo Gidley, Michael McDowell

: Ocean Tomo Racing
Formula Mazda Consulting Engineer, 2005: 
Two wins in first 2 races – Rafael Matos

Engineer for Wind Tunnel program

Memo GIDLEY
Race Driver Development

Memo Gidley was born into a family that lived for excitement and adventure. An hour after his birth in La Paz, Mexico, Memo was taken out to the sailboat that would be his home until he was nearly eight years old. Raised by Cass, a hard working commercial fisherman from Canada, and Mary, a freelance writer from Wisconsin, Memo spent his early years on the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Northern California, accompanied by his two sisters, Lupe and Sharon, and the family dog, Huckleberry. The family lived as "anchor outs" in the San Francisco Bay, maintaining a lifestyle straight out of a Steinbeck novel. Eventually, they would move to dry land and the town of San Rafael, California. It was his time spent on the ocean that helped develop a work ethic that took Memo from seeing his first car race to driving an Indy Car in a mere seven years – less than half the average time of most top-level drivers.

In 2005, Memo was hired by Finlay Motorsports and signed to drive the Air Force Reserve Daytona Prototype in the Grand-Am series. Memo helped this new team earn 6th place in the season-ending points championship. This awesome season was highlighted with a victory in the season-ending race in Mexico City. Because of his win, Memo became the first ever Mexican-born driver to win a professional race in Mexico.

In 2006, Memo was promptly signed to continue with Finlay Motorsports, this time driving the Playboy/Uniden sponsored prototype. Despite a major setback early in the season when a brake failure resulted in a compression fracture to his back, Memo responded like a true champion. He was cleared by doctors to return to his car in an unheard of seven weeks, and went on to help the Playboy/Uniden Team finish 4th in year-end team point standings. This was highlighted by a 2nd place finish in the season-ending 9-hour race at Utah Motorsports Park. Memo then competed in the Petit Lemans race in Atlanta, Georgia for Highcroft Racing. There, he drove for nearly four hours, setting some of the fastest laps in the process and helping the team finish in 3rd place in the grueling 10-hour race. It was best ever finish for the Highcroft Racing Team.

In 2007, Memo drove the #77 Doran Racing/Kodak Daytona Prototype and the SunTrust Racing Daytona Prototype in the Grand-Am Series. Memo’s season was highlighted by two podium finishes in the Grand-Am Series. Memo also drove for Team Cytosport at the 10 hour Petit LeMans Series race where he helped the team to finish in 3rd place in the P1 prototype class.

Memo’s road to the top has garnered more print and television media coverage than most drivers in the sport due to his results, diverse background and because of his exceptional athleticism and speaking skills. In a day and age of largely self-interested celebrity sportsmen, Memo spends his non-racing days working out, riding his mountain bike and helping kids learn to drive Go Karts.

Peter FREY
PR specialist, Media Relations

Peter Frey has had a 30-year career spanning both journalism and motorsports.  In auto racing, he has been involved in every level of the sport team mechanic to racing driver and public relations for drivers, teams and major auto racing series; he is currently Communications Director for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.

As a journalist, he has been Associate Editor of Motor Trend magazine, has headed both print and on-line auto magazine start-ups and has been a freelance contributor to national lifestyle magazines such as the Robb Report and Playboy as well as major newspapers such as the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

Frey got his first racing license in 1968 and over the years has competed in both open- and closed-wheel classes in such events as the 24 Hours of Daytona and the first-ever 24-hour 'showroom stock' race at Nelson Ledges.  Transitioning from behind the wheel to the other side of the pit wall, he became the Director of Public Relations for Malibu Grand Prix, handling PR duties for both the company and the company-sponsored, championship-winning IMSA GTU team with drivers Jack Baldwin and Tommy Kendall.

From there, Frey moved to PR Director for Ed Arnold Motorsports and a championship-winning season with David Donohue in the Bridgestone Supercar series.  He then joined Dan Gurney's All-American Racers, winning IMSA championships with drivers Chris Cord, Dennis Aase and Willy T. Ribbs.

In 1994, Frey began a decade-long involvement as Public Relations Director for the most unique and successful racing team/driver development program of its time, Lynx Racing.  Owned by two women, Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty, Lynx Racing was responsible for advancing the early careers of such drivers as Memo Gidley, Patrick Carpentier, Alex Barron, Michael Valiante and Buddy Rice, one of only 12 drivers ever to win the Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona.

In 2007, he became Director of Communications for yet another hugely successful driver development program, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.  Now in its 19th year as one of the most prolific open-wheel driver development programs in the world, Star Mazda Championship graduates include ex-F1/current NASCAR driver Scott Speed, IRL stars Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal, rising NASCAR racer Michael McDowell and many more.

Frey's unique dual career in journalism and motorsports, along with his two decades of working with young drivers on the way up the ladder, has given him a unique set of skills in training rising stars how to craft their image and manage and maintain their media profile.

Maurice TANI
Graphic Design: Print, Web-site, Vehicle

Maurice Tani has been working in the creative arts field for several decades: writing, composing, production, photography and visual design. But before career and money entered the picture, there was his first love. As a kid, Maurice Tani, like many other adolecent boys of his generation, was obsessed with motorsport.

Tani is an American child of the sixties -the era of Dan Gurney, Jim Hall, Mario Andretti. A liberal arts major in college focusing on photography, commercial art and traditional media, he took a left turn into the music industry in his early twenties

After many years working in the audio end of the entertainment industry Tani returned to visual design in the early '90s at the cutting-edge San Francisco design house Vivid Studios (not the Los Angeles video production company!). First working in the fledgling CD-ROM game industry, Tani has been working in web design since the earliest days with dozens of large corporate clients such as Nike, Sun Microsystems, The Gap, HP, Uncle Ben's, Apple, Northern Telecom, Bell Atlantic, The US Forest Service, CNN, Encyclopedia Britannica, etc. .

After three years in the trenches at Vivid, Tani left to go freelance with an assortment of clients ranging from Department of Defense contractors to the Episcopal Archdiocese of California.

Tani started working with Dan Gurney's All American Racers in 1997, designing print materials and their first website. The web was very new at that point and AAR was opening new frontiers with Toyota in American open-wheel racing.

When AAR closed down racing operations in 2000, Tani moved to Cal Wells' PPI Racing team which was running teams in NASCAR's Nextel Cup (Scott Pruett) and Busch Series (Anthony Lazarro), CART's IndyCar (Cristiano DaMatta, Oriol Servia) and Atlantic Series (Dan Wheldon, Andrew Bordin), as well as the off-road, desert truck racing series with the legendary Ivan "Iron Man" Stewart.

In succeding seasons, Tani has worked with teams in the IRL, various sportscar racing series (Grand-Am Rolex and Koni Challenge, the American LeMans Series), other stock car series (ARCA), touring cars (SPEED World Challenge), drag racers as well as various manufacturer/factory teams (Mazda, Nissan, GM)

In 2006 Tani began what has become a long running relationship with Finlay Motorsports.