pcmracing Michael Harvey, IRL Team Manager

PCM Team Manager, Michael Harvey is a guest writer for the IndyCar Series website: www.IndyCar.com.  Throughout the fall they have run a series of stories about PCM’s debut in the IndyCar Series.  Below you will find the first story:

Imagine booking yourself on a much needed vacation to some tropical island away from the stress and anxieties of the harassed life you call work. Packing only shorts and tees, a little sun cream and out the door we go. But only to discover when the behemoth that has transported you via the air, lands in the artic circle some 180deg away from your planned destination.
 
This was the whirlwind that surrounded us “Merging Teams” as we entered the early part of 2008. Be careful what you wish for certainly resonates in this instance. Make no bones about it; the joining together had to happen, although some slightly more planned out circumstances certainly would have saved a look of heartache for the “Average Joe.”
 
Although a little late to join the trail, we eventually did and under some very peculiar circumstances. To accommodate the Japan/Long Beach debacle we joined the IRL to race at the Champ Car finale at our “home” race, the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
 
Having gone though an owner change and a complete upheaval of our already positioned budget for 08 we set off ready to do battle. But only after a quick midnight sortie to Indianapolis to pick up some very tired IndyCars which on Monday after the race we would have to start preparing for the Granddaddy of them all “The 500”.
 
As always the Long Beach event was spectacular, great weather, big crowds, fantastic atmosphere and a wonderful location. Relishing the “familiar” surroundings we quickly got back into the swing of things which after the previous few months of ups and downs was light relief.
The event went off with few issues although a surreal feeling surrounded the whole event especially as we watched parts of the IndyCar race from Japan on the jumbo-trons on Saturday night.
For us the race could not have worked out any better, it was our first event with new ownership and to come away with a podium finish in the last Champ Car race whilst earning IndyCar points was a great feeling.
 
Monday morning came rather quickly and fortunately the euphoria of the previous day was still present with the guys as they set to task. Time to park the world’s most valuable paper weights and bring out the rather well worn Dallara’s we had inherited.
Next ensued about seven days of almost round-the-clock work to enable us to depart for Indy with two cars on board. More than once we questioned our wisdom in undertaking the task ahead, let’s see, seven days to build two new cars from old cars and head off to the fastest oval of all. Oh and did I mention with a driver who had not been on an oval for a few years? Not that we imagined the odds stacked against us in any way!
 
To Be Continued...
 
 
About the Author:  Pacific Coast Motorsports Team Manager, Michael Harvey has more than 25 years of professional motorsports experience. Harvey was destined for a career in motorsports growing up near Silverstone and watching his father Tony, a Formula One mechanic. His experience includes the world’s top levels of racing, including Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, Champ Car, Touring Car and Atlantic.  Harvey started as a mechanic and worked his way through the ranks, earning countless race wins in each discipline and three championship titles along the way as a Crew Chief (Pac West Touring Car, PPI Atlantic (Lazzaro) and RuSPORT (Allmendinger).  Harvey joined Pacific Coast Motorsports as the Team Manager in 2006 and resides in Ventura, California with his wife Joanna and children Ben and Sophie.