Sturgis Among First Entries for IceBreaker, Road Race Style
NORTH STONINGTON, CT – As Old Man Winter lessens his hold on New England, the racing bugs are beginning to surface. Upstart promotional company, Outside the Box Promotions, will host the inaugural IceBreaker, Road Race Style, scheduled to take place April 24-25, at the 1.7 mile road course at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, CT.
Long-time road course racer Robert Sturgis, Jr. is ready to clean the snow off his 1999 Mazda Miata for the season-opening event, and start the season in the right direction.
Sturgis comments on the IceBreaker, Road Race Style, “The fact that it is not a NERRC (New England Road Racing Championship) points event makes it a more relaxed weekend to start our season. I’m looking forward to doing some testing, and get the winter rust off my driving skills, on Friday, and then some fun on Saturday. I also think it will be fun to run with some competitors from other clubs that we might not ever drive with, if weren’t for an event like this.”
The Ashland, MA native grew up around cars, as his father restored classic cars in the family’s barn during Sturgis, Jr.’s teenage years. The love of cars spread, as friends would often bring their projects to the property to tinker on the machines as well. Then, Sturgis, Jr. met a very important man to his racing career.
“That’s how I met Peter Morrison, a multiyear NERRC Formula Vee champion in the mid-seventies,” recalls Sturgis, Jr. “I spent a few years talking to Pete, learning about the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America), and what I was going to need to race, and eventually brought home a Caldwell D13 FV to race in the Formula Vees, in the spring of 1983. The rest is history.”
And Sturgis, Jr. is successful, too. After winning the NERRC championship in the Formula Vees in 1985, Sturgis, Jr. set his sights on the more powerful Formula Atlantic cars, winning the NERRC and North Atlantic Road Racing Championship in 1990. Trying his hand at select endurance races in the IMSA Firehawk series, the G & M Services/ Lowrider Depot sponsored driver took a hiatus from racing to start a family in 1997. The desire was never far away, and in 2011, Sturgis, Jr. returned to the driving ranks in a Miata, with another championship under his belt in 2014.
The 1.7 mile road course located at the historic Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park is a favorite of Sturgis, Jr., not only because of the track layout, but because the proximity to his hometown.
Sturgis, Jr. writes, “The track is great, and is less than an hour from home. Being so close to home makes it nice for friends and family to come enjoy the events.”
Racing has been second nature to the father of two; daughter Morgan is a sophomore at Villanova, and son Ben is a sophomore at Ashland H.S.; it isn’t just the on-track accomplishments that keeps Sturgis, Jr. coming back for more.
“Family is priority, but racing is very rewarding part of my life. The camaraderie shared, and friendships that have been developed over the years, are priceless.”