This morning World Speed Motorsports officially announced that Dave Smith would enter the Gold Cup class in the Patron GT3 Challenge double header this upcoming weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “I am very grateful to Steve Tarpley for the opportunity he has given me to race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to represent Canon Business Solutions-NEWCAL Inc., and to launch the new premium liquor company, Copa Cachaca. It will be a dream come true to put our new team on the podium – and I can’t wait to make that happen,” noted Smith.
“This is exactly the scenario we have been working towards,” stated Team Manager John Olsen. “Having a competitive driver in both classes of the series is now a reality for us. We are looking forward to working with Dave and his partners and helping them to get the most out of the car, and the weekend.” Smith joins World Speed Motorsports’ champion winning driver Chris Cumming who is competing in the Platinum Cup class.
Dave started his motorsports career in 1990 with the Skip Barber Racing School at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. It was there where he began to learn the craft of high performance driving and racing, often executing high speed car control in BMW M3’s, as well as racing in the school’s Formula Ford series. Dave advanced up through the Skip Barber ladder system which allowed him the opportunity to obtain seat time racing and testing in a variety of racecars. Most recently, Dave raced the grueling 25 Hour of Thunderhill in the Muscle Milk Daytona Prototype, sharing driver duties with teammates Memo Gidley, Greg Pickett, Klaus Graff and Tom Dyer. When Dave isn’t racing he operates Hyper Focus Motorsports; a driver development company.
The GT3 that Smith will be racing this weekend will feature Copa Cachaca livery. “Racing has always been a part of Brazil’s culture, so we’re getting the word out that the world’s finest ultra-premium cachaca is finally available in the United States by participating in the upcoming event at Mazda Raceway. We look forward to building our community of artisan cachaca enthusiasts,” noted Jason Montgomery, VP of Business Development at Copa. Cachaca (pronounced ka-SHA-sa) is the national spirit of Brazil and the main ingredient of Caipirinha (ki- pur-EEN-ya) cocktails. Artisan cachaca, a new category of spirit in the United States, focuses on ultra-premium. Copa is produced in the lush mountains of Rio de Janeiro. Each batch is alembic distilled then aged in oak. The result is the world’s finest cachaca, Copa.
Smith was able to participate in this event with assistance from local business man and fellow racer Steve Tarpley. “Steve came by to visit our headquarters,” stated WSM Operations Manager Mark Milazzo, “and it was obvious that he is very knowledgeable about racing and high performance cars. It is always great to get connected with people who have the same visceral love that we have for all things that go fast!”