The Scoop
ROBERT WITTKOPF – OPEN TRAILER, ONE STALL GARAGE & 131 TRIBUTE CAR
Posted on: Sunday April 2, 2023
Green Bay’s Robert Wittkopf poses next to his IMCA northern sportmod inside of his tiny one stall garage on Green Bay’s east side.
A tiny one stall garage and an open trailer work just fine for IMCA northern sportmod racer Robert Wittkopf.
The soon-to-be 33-year-old who lives in Green Bay plans to race a lot more than he did in 2022. “We only hit about 15 nights last year,” Wittkopf explained. “My goal this year is to race between 30-35 times.”
Like many racers around the greater Green Bay area, Wittkopf’s family has deep roots in local stock car racing. Robert’s dad Rod raced an IMCA modified in the early to mid-1990’s while his great Uncle, 82-year-old Roger Perret got the ball rolling during the wild-and-crazy coupe era at the Brown County Fairgrounds in the 1960’s.
This past winter Wittkopf decided to pay homage to Perret – the man who essentially got the ball rolling for his family. “I grew up as a kid watching Pete Parker race at the Seymour Tri-Oval in the 1990s and Pete was always my favorite driver,” Wittkopf said. “So, I ran the number 10 for quite a while. Then I ran my dad’s number 30. This year we’ve decided to run number 131 in honor of Roger. He ran that car number for most of his career.”
Wittkopf’s great Uncle Roger Perret points to his old No. 131 with his old sponsor Hi/Rev Speed Shops above the tire.
Wittkopf surprised great Uncle Roger with a visit to the shop to unveil the sharp looking ride, designed by Chad Nelson and staff at Victory Sign. “I had no idea and was shocked when I saw it,” Perret confessed. “We’ve followed Robert’s racing the last few years and the wife and I plan on jumping in our motorhome and following him all over where he races this year. It’s going to be fun.”
It was kart racing where Wittkopf began his racing career. His first racing full-sized cars came in an IMCA modified in 2007. “I ran the mod a little bit the following year in ’08 until the car got wrecked,” Wittkopf said. After that wreck Wittkopf took a 10-year hiatus from racing.
He returned in the sportmod class. 2023 will mark Wittkopf’s sixth year in the locally popular division. It’s a class where age-wise he’s sandwiched between many teenagers fresh out of the karting scene and older racers in their 50’s and 60’s. “It’s crazy because when I ran in the modifieds for that very short time guys like Josh Long and Johnny Whitman were still racing in the sportmod class,” Wittkopf. “I raced against those guys in karts for a long time. I just don’t have the funds to race with the modified class as much as I’d love to. This division is what I can afford. And the car counts remain pretty strong. Last year when I raced at 141 Speedway (Francis Creek), or Seymour (Outagamie Speedway) and even in Luxemburg (The ‘Burg) they usually had 30 to 35 sportmods each night. There were always B mains it seemed.”
Wittkopf’s 131 racer is built upon a 2022 GRT chassis. “My dad and I built this car in this tiny one stall garage,” Wittkopf explained. “It’s got all brand-new components bolted on to it. I remember when I started racing, I bought a roller car from Jeremy Schaewe for either $1,700 or $1,900. Those days are long gone.”
According to Wittkopf, someone could expect to spend around $10,000 to purchase a gently used sportmod if he or she wanted to crack into the sport. “I’d say the sponsors I’ve acquired for our racing operation absorb probably 40 to 50 percent of our operating costs so that helps a ton.”
Wittkopf plans on towing his racecar on an open trailer in 2023.
When it comes to towing his race car to and from the track, an open trailer is the only option Wittkopf will ever entertain. “For me growing up as a kid it was always the coolest deal seeing those cars roll past and they’d honk the horn at you and wave,” Wittkopf said. “With a lot of these enclosed trailers you don’t know what’s in them. And where I live on the east side of Green Bay it’s the perfect distance between the tracks, I plan on running at weekly this year, 141 and Luxemburg. I really like what Joe (Orsini) and the crew at Luxemburg are trying to do to get people in the stands and we’ll always support those places.”
When he’s not racing Robert works as a tattoo artist with his own shop Wizard Ink Tattoos on Green Bay’s west side.
Wittkopf recently took on the role as business owner as he started up his own business as a tattoo artist with his business Wizard Inc Tattoo company on Green Bay’s west side. “I’m the boss now and I do think there will be a learning curve of sorts to balance work and play, taking care of the family and making sure all the bills get paid first.”
A standout wrestler in high school, Wittkopf draws on some parallels between the mat and the racetrack. “I guess the biggest thing is to remain calm,” Wittkopf said. “In wrestling when you were down you can’t lose your composure. In racing when you get passed the last thing you want to do is panic. That’s something my dad taught me.”
When it comes to his favorite ovals, 141 is tops on Wittkopf’s list. “I like 141 because the corners are all different and that place has given some drivers headaches ever since the place was converted to dirt in 2010,” Wittkopf said. “That’s the challenge I love. Saturdays work well for me schedule wise, too as do Sundays for Luxemburg. Fewer guys run for points these days and things will look different in the sportmods this year. The Zellner Brothers are done, and Cole Czarneski and Jeff Schmuhl have moved up to the modifieds. But you’ll still have guys like Bruce Belland and Cory Kemkes who will still be tough.”
Points chasing has really dwindled in recent years among race teams, for various reasons. “I’d love to race for points and a track championship or even a top five in IMCA points,” Wittkopf said. “But things are so much different than they were in the 2000’s. When I was a little kid you pretty much had to get to the track early enough to make sure you got a good seat. Nobody really has full grandstands anymore. Life gets busy. For drivers and fans. If you get four or five drivers who make every single race in a year in a certain division these days, you’re lucky. I know I’ll support the tracks weekly whenever I can. But again, life simply gets in the way.”
Wittkopf’s team is a pretty small one. “My wife Lynnea and my dad are always there,” Wittkopf said. “And when it comes to our sponsors, they’re obviously a big help, too. Some can give $500, and some can chip in $10,000. It all helps keep this deal afloat.”
Wittkopf’s team of marketing partners includes Johnny Vapes, American Foods Group, Wizard Ink Tattoo Co, Thunder Mountain Valley Inn, Zepnick Electric, Fellenz Motorsports, Deal Gang Racing, Extreme Enterprises, Tiger Lake Skull Mounts LLC, Gwynne’s Detailing and Polishing, Smokey’s Speed Shop, Parkway Auto, Victory Sign and DT Lawn Care.