Tiffin Native Lives Life in the Fast Lane
By Erika Platt taken from www.advertiser-tribune.com
Casey Putsch always had dreams of racing at the Indianapolis 500, even though the reality of racing at the unique super speedway is a goal many drivers do not achieve.
After receiving a phone call in December 2006 offering him a chance to race in the Formula 3 series, the 25-year-old Tiffin native discovered he was one step closer to that dream.
As a Tiffin native and Ohio State University graduate, Putsch has spent a majority of his life working on and racing vintage cars and said he never dreamed an opportunity to race in Formula 3 would come his way.
Upon receiving the phone call in December, Putsch said he immediately started physical training and began planning a trip to Europe to learn more about the adventures that lay ahead.
On Jan. 26, only a month after learning of the news, Putsch and his father, Chuck Putsch, landed in Zurich, Switzerland, and soon were taken to a remote area of the Black Forest in Germany to meet with representatives from Formula 3.
"Everything was wonderful; we had full support from them," he said.
Although not televised in the United States, Putsch said Formula 3 is a popular spectator sport in Europe and added it is only a few stepping stones away from Formula 1.
"The point of this is to go to Formula 1," he said. "At the very least, I’ll come back here to race and look forward to next year."
Because Putsch received the news late in the year with deadlines for the season quickly approaching, he said it’s likely he might not race in the upcoming months but said he will continue training in hopes of the same prospects next year.
"You just do it," Putsch said of the opportunity. "It gives people like me hope. If it works out, then I could be racing in Europe by April."
Putsch said he is just waiting on a phone call to let him know whether he will race this year and said if it happens, he immediately would be flown to a temperate location to continue training in preparation for the first Formula 3 race in Valencia, Italy, May 20.
Putsch said he has no problems with living in Europe, and he most likely would reside in Frankfurt, Germany, between the immense amounts of travel required of a Formula 3 driver. He said races are scheduled to take place all over Europe this year, and France, the Czech Republic and Portugal are just a few of the venues this season.
"It’s a big adventure; I can’t believe I got the chance," he said. "I’ve signed contracts, and at this point, I am just a phone call away from going pro."
Amidst the excitement, Putsch said he could not have gotten as far as he has without the help of two area businesses. Diverse Solutions and Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine of Tiffin have helped Putsch prepare and market his skills.
Physical therapist Terry Jolliff, along with Dr. Rudolph Vela from Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, have worked intensively with Putsch at its facility since learning of the news in December and said they are continuing to see him progress.
Jolliff said his Star physical training staff works with Casey four to six days a week and has been focusing a lot on strength and endurance.
"Our goal is to have him fit as if he’s going to race tomorrow," Jolliff said.
Core stability among other training aspects are of importance when working with Putsch, he said, and added the weight of Putsch’s helmet, along with the G-force of racing, have motivated them to focus abundantly on Putsch’s neck.
"Cervical strength is really important," Jolliff said.
Open since July 2004, Putsch said, Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is a state-of-the-art facility, and he said he’s very fortunate to have such wonderful training accommodations so close to home.
"They’re ensuring I’ll be OK when I go over there," Putsch said.
Along with extensive physical training from Vela and Jolliff, Putsch said he’s also thankful for Diverse Solutions, a Web page design and computer networking company that created and hosted his racing Web site.
Operated by Tony Consolo and Keith Comer, of Tiffin, Diverse Solutions has been operating in the area for nearly a year and said it’s the first time the company has done a Web site like Putsch’s.
"We had fun doing the site," Comer said. "We usually work with businesses for commercial purposes, but this Web site turned out really well; it’s exactly what he (Putsch) wanted."
Comer said Putsch called to thank him for the Web site and the opportunity it brought him soon after receiving the good news in December.
"Those guys got me noticed," Putsch said of Diverse Solutions.
Consolo and Comer said they were pleased the Web site was effective in helping Putsch get the attention he was seeking and wished him the best.
Kevin Woodland, a graphic design major at Bowling Green State University, also helped Putsch advertise his abilities for potential sponsors and fans by creating a professional brochure.
"I’m really thankful for all the guys in Tiffin helping me out," Putsch said.
On the Net:
www.putschracing.com
Section: News Posted: 3/18/2007
Casey Putsch always had dreams of racing at the Indianapolis 500, even though the reality of racing at the unique super speedway is a goal many drivers do not achieve.
After receiving a phone call in December 2006 offering him a chance to race in the Formula 3 series, the 25-year-old Tiffin native discovered he was one step closer to that dream.
As a Tiffin native and Ohio State University graduate, Putsch has spent a majority of his life working on and racing vintage cars and said he never dreamed an opportunity to race in Formula 3 would come his way.
Upon receiving the phone call in December, Putsch said he immediately started physical training and began planning a trip to Europe to learn more about the adventures that lay ahead.
On Jan. 26, only a month after learning of the news, Putsch and his father, Chuck Putsch, landed in Zurich, Switzerland, and soon were taken to a remote area of the Black Forest in Germany to meet with representatives from Formula 3.
"Everything was wonderful; we had full support from them," he said.
Although not televised in the United States, Putsch said Formula 3 is a popular spectator sport in Europe and added it is only a few stepping stones away from Formula 1.
"The point of this is to go to Formula 1," he said. "At the very least, I’ll come back here to race and look forward to next year."
Because Putsch received the news late in the year with deadlines for the season quickly approaching, he said it’s likely he might not race in the upcoming months but said he will continue training in hopes of the same prospects next year.
"You just do it," Putsch said of the opportunity. "It gives people like me hope. If it works out, then I could be racing in Europe by April."
Putsch said he is just waiting on a phone call to let him know whether he will race this year and said if it happens, he immediately would be flown to a temperate location to continue training in preparation for the first Formula 3 race in Valencia, Italy, May 20.
Putsch said he has no problems with living in Europe, and he most likely would reside in Frankfurt, Germany, between the immense amounts of travel required of a Formula 3 driver. He said races are scheduled to take place all over Europe this year, and France, the Czech Republic and Portugal are just a few of the venues this season.
"It’s a big adventure; I can’t believe I got the chance," he said. "I’ve signed contracts, and at this point, I am just a phone call away from going pro."
Amidst the excitement, Putsch said he could not have gotten as far as he has without the help of two area businesses. Diverse Solutions and Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine of Tiffin have helped Putsch prepare and market his skills.
Physical therapist Terry Jolliff, along with Dr. Rudolph Vela from Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, have worked intensively with Putsch at its facility since learning of the news in December and said they are continuing to see him progress.
Jolliff said his Star physical training staff works with Casey four to six days a week and has been focusing a lot on strength and endurance.
"Our goal is to have him fit as if he’s going to race tomorrow," Jolliff said.
Core stability among other training aspects are of importance when working with Putsch, he said, and added the weight of Putsch’s helmet, along with the G-force of racing, have motivated them to focus abundantly on Putsch’s neck.
"Cervical strength is really important," Jolliff said.
Open since July 2004, Putsch said, Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is a state-of-the-art facility, and he said he’s very fortunate to have such wonderful training accommodations so close to home.
"They’re ensuring I’ll be OK when I go over there," Putsch said.
Along with extensive physical training from Vela and Jolliff, Putsch said he’s also thankful for Diverse Solutions, a Web page design and computer networking company that created and hosted his racing Web site.
Operated by Tony Consolo and Keith Comer, of Tiffin, Diverse Solutions has been operating in the area for nearly a year and said it’s the first time the company has done a Web site like Putsch’s.
"We had fun doing the site," Comer said. "We usually work with businesses for commercial purposes, but this Web site turned out really well; it’s exactly what he (Putsch) wanted."
Comer said Putsch called to thank him for the Web site and the opportunity it brought him soon after receiving the good news in December.
"Those guys got me noticed," Putsch said of Diverse Solutions.
Consolo and Comer said they were pleased the Web site was effective in helping Putsch get the attention he was seeking and wished him the best.
Kevin Woodland, a graphic design major at Bowling Green State University, also helped Putsch advertise his abilities for potential sponsors and fans by creating a professional brochure.
"I’m really thankful for all the guys in Tiffin helping me out," Putsch said.
On the Net:
www.putschracing.com
Section: News Posted: 3/18/2007
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