 |
| Written by Eric J. Reed |
GT Industries has brought the supercar driving experience to Southern Utah, providing locals and tourists the opportunity to drive an imported race car with a string of awards — and a whole lot more — under its hood.
The Nissan GT-R is a 530-hp hand-built, sleek blue beast capable of out-racing high-end cars, like BMWs and Corvettes. With a top speed of 197 mph and the capability of accelerating from 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds, the GT-R has more “super” packed into one car than many might think they can handle. With awards ranging from Top Gear’s “Supercar of the Year” and Targa West’s “Competition Modern Champion” three years running all the way to a Guinness World Record, you’re safe to assume that it’s got some power.
It’s not necessarily the horsepower that makes it such an incredible automobile, though. It’s how smart the car is, said Bobby Sato, who started GT Industries with his wife, Stacey.
“It doesn’t do everything for you, but it instills confidence in the driver, so they feel like they can do more than they did before,” he said.
The GT-R has a dual clutch and triptronic transmission, allowing it to change seamlessly from automatic to manual.
“The engineer said that he didn’t want to make supercars, but super-drivers,” Bobby Sato said.
Receiving Japan’s Most Advanced Technology Award may have solidified that accomplishment. The result is a race car that both average drivers and enthusiasts can appreciate.
“We don’t look at it as just driving to work,” Stacey Sato said. “Anybody that appreciates cars, whether it be this car or your daily driver, I want to instill in those people that driving should be exciting.”
Participating in the Sports Car Club of America solidified the Satos’ love for automotive performance, as well as the driving experience. Comparing knowledge and experience with other drivers, driving up canyons, touring to events, and competing in autocross all added to their passion for the automotive lifestyle. Bobby Sato received the Rookie of the Year title in his first year of autocross racing back in 2003, as well as fourth place in the regional competition his second year.
After driving a Ferrari for a driving experience company in the eastern U.S., they decided to bring their business to St. George. At first, they only intended to offer test drives, but the autocross sprints soon started taking off. That’s no surprise, though, Stacey Sato said. “This car is powerful to the point where it can make you nervous,” she said, “but we want people to be shaking by the time they get out of the car, and most of them are. In fact, that’s how we can tell if we’ve done our job.”
Bobby Sato learned how to design and set up tracks through his involvement with the SCCA.
“Everybody in the SCCA is a course worker, working on timing, setup, something like that,” he said. “That’s how the club supports itself.”
He uses his background to make GT Industries’ courses exciting. The sprints involve racing through an autocross track, including straightaways where you can feel the acceleration, sweeping corners, and hairpin turns.
“You get the feel of the entire car wrapped up in three or four laps,” Stacey Sato said.
You don’t have to know how to drive a clutch, either, since the GT-R is so intuitive. That’s what makes the driving experience offered by GT Industries something that everybody can enjoy, she said.
“We did a sprint over Father’s Day [weekend] and there was an entire family there. This eight-year-old gets out of the car with a grin from ear to ear…” Stacey Sato said.
It’s that experience that the Satos hope to bring to everybody in Southern Utah, as well as raise awareness within the community about cars and racing.
“We already have a lot of young kids here with imports that are souped up, and you know they are going out to Vegas or going out somewhere around town and racing illegally,” Bobby Sato said. He admits to doing street racing as a teenager himself. “We need to start thinking about getting a dedicated facility where people can do it the right way, and locally.”
The Satos hope that with so many automotive performance and racing companies finding traction in St. George, the community will see the value in capturing the already existing stream of revenue. In the meantime, they’re giving locals and tourists a new way to experience the incredible beauty of the area: Behind the wheel of a vehicle that is exciting to drive, regardless of whether or not you’re a motorhead.
RELATED STORIES
