Marc Bunting – TPC Racing

TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle Team Ready for Watkins Glen

Admin — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:36:03 +0000

(June 25, 2013) Jessup, MD – The TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle team has been hard at work, preparing all three of the Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup cars of Michael Levitas, David Williams and Marc Bunting who will pilot the teams Platinum entry for rounds five and six at Watkins Glen. Marc last drove with the TPC Racing team in 2004 where he won the Rolex Series drivers championship and has also had recent success driving in ALMS.

“We are thrilled to have Marc Bunting driving with our TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle team again,” stated TPC Racing team owner and driver Michael Levitas. “It brings back some great memories of the success we had as teammates when we ran in the Rolex Series. Marc is a fantastic driver. He is a champion, a good friend, race winner and is the perfect driver to have in our Platinum Class entry. Marc is a great addition to our Porsche of Towson team and it will be fun to be back on the same team again.”

Marc Bunting is eager to be reunited with the TPC Racing team and take to the wheel of the #35 Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup in the Platinum Class.

“I am excited to be reunited with TPC Racing and Watkins Glen,” stated Marc Bunting. “It will be great to be back with the team and also to drive the new Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup in the Platinum Class. I won my first championship in 2004 with TPC Racing and they are a first class performance/race prep shop located in my hometown of Baltimore, MD. It’s great to be back with the home team. I know from experience that with the engineering behind TPC Racing and the driver coaching from Randy Pobst, the team will provide me with the car that I will need to fight for the win. Watkins Glen is one of the tracks where I first started road racing in the MARRS series in the 90’s and it is a track I have not raced at since 2007, so I am excited to return to The Glen which has always been my favorite track on the East Coast.”

Michael Levitas is thrilled to be back in the seat of his #36 Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup car to go back to one of his favorite tracks on the east coast.

“I am very excited to get back in the seat of my Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup,” stated TPC Racing team owner and driver Michael Levitas. “Watkins Glen has always been one of my favorite tracks on the East Coast that I have had a lot of success at. It comes down to having the best chassis at a track like The Glen, and our TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team has done a lot with reviewing data and finding the right setup. I believe we will be strong there and I look to continue with our winning ways.”

David Williams is also looking forward to being back in his #37 Porsche of Towson / Merkle machine.

“When I was last out at Watkins Glen, I had a blast,” stated David Williams. “Watkins Glen is a very fast track and I look forward to being back in the seat of my TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup. The Glen is a fast track but the car setup has to be spot on in order to go fast, and I know that the TPC Racing team will give me a car to run up at the front of the field with.”

After winning the first four races of the season, Michael Levitas is the championship leader in the Gold Class as well as the Gold Masters Class. David Williams is right behind Levitas in the point’s standings, making for a battle of the teammates. This also puts the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle team on top, leading the team championship. The team hopes to continue with this success at Watkins Glen for rounds five and six June 28-30.

About TPC Racing:

TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sports cars. This long time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled us to become experts in Porsche service, tuning and racing.

TPC Racing has its roots in the IMSA Supercar Series of the late 1980’s and early 1990s, where team owner and driver Michael Levitas managed the turbocharger programs that gave the fire-breathing Nissan 300ZX, Mazda RX7 Twin Turbo, Lotus Turbo Esprit and Consulier GTPs their prodigious power.

By combining a lifetime of automotive enthusiasm, business experience and technical skill with advanced aeronautical training and certifications, Levitas has managed to extend the engineering of some for the most advanced and well-regarded machines in existence – Porsche race cars.

About Porsche of Towson:

Porsche of Towson is Baltimore’s only exclusive Porsche center. That means that our Porsche staff is 100% dedicated to the Porsche brand and nothing else. They will be able to assist you with all of your Porsche needs. On behalf of the entire Priority 1 Automotive Group family of dealerships, welcome to Porsche of Towson. We look forward to meeting all of your Porsche needs.

Porsche of Towson is a part of the Priority 1 Automotive Group which is a family owned and operated group of dealerships. As a family dealership, the family’s reputation in the community is of the utmost importance. Therefore, there is a tremendous focus on providing exceptional customer service. With a brand new state-of-the-art Porsche dealership (completed in 2010), the most elite and experienced group of client advisors for sales and service, and a highly trained team of service and support personnel, your sales and service experience is assured of being second to none. Our clients appreciate the way we do business. We know you will too!

About Merkle:

Merkle is the nation’s largest and fastest-growing customer relationship marketing (CRM) agency. For more than 20 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. Employing data-driven strategies, Merkle combines a complete range of marketing, technical, analytical and creative disciplines to offer complete integrated customer marketing solutions. With a strategically led, consultative approach, we work closely with clients to design, execute and continuously evaluate CRM programs throughout the buying cycle, across channels and media.

About CrunchDaddy Popcorn:

CrunchDaddy Popcorn makes “Popcorn Unusual!™”, an array of sweet and savory inventions that take the sophisticated snacker beyond the common recipes for caramel, kettle and cheese popcorn. All CrunchDaddy Popcorn flavors are available on-line through their website, www.crunchdaddy.com

Marc Bunting Returns to TPC Racing and Porsche of Towson

Admin — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:37:55 +0000

(June 19, 2013) Jessup, MD – For rounds five and six of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Series by Yokohama, the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team will field a third entry. Marc Bunting of Baltimore, Maryland will return to the TPC Racing team driving the #35 Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup entry in the Platinum Class.

Marc Bunting has always been close with the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team. In 2004, Bunting won the drivers championship in the Rolex Series with TPC Racing and the team is thrilled to have Marc returning to competition.

For Marc, the Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup that he will pilot in the Platinum Class is a car that he is familiar with. Bunting has raced in the ALMS GTC Class and has had fantastic results. Marc knows what it takes to be fast, and the team knows that they have one of the best piloting the #35 Porsche of Towson Platinum entry.

“We are thrilled to have Marc Bunting driving with our TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team again,” stated TPC Racing team owner and driver Michael Levitas. “It brings back some great memories of the success we had as teammates when we ran in the Rolex Series. Marc is a fantastic driver. He is a champion, a good friend, race winner and is the perfect driver to have driving our Platinum Class entry. Marc is a great addition to our Porsche of Towson team and it will be a blast to be back on the same team again.”

The TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team currently leads the point’s championship in the Gold Class as Michael Levitas has gone four-for-four this season. This puts Levitas at the top of the driver’s standings in Gold, but following close is teammate David Williams in the #37 Porsche of Towson / Merkle entry. David has placed second in the first four rounds this season and the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team looks to bring this momentum into Watkins Glen. The TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson trio of Marc Bunting in the #35 Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup in Platinum will be strong and Levitas in his #36 entry will be looking to go six-for-six with great battles with teammate David Williams in the #37 machine in the Gold Class.

About TPC Racing:

About Porsche of Towson:

About Merkle:

TPC Racing Wins Laguna Seca

Admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:41:23 +0000

(May 13, 2013) Jessup, MD – For rounds three and four, the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team dominated once again at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The team went into rounds three and four leading the team and drivers’ championship, so the goal was to continue in winning fashion and that is exactly what the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team did.

When arriving to the track for test days, Michael Levitas, driver of the #36 TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup and David Williams, driver of the #37 TPC Racing / Merkle / Porsche of Towson GT3 Cup worked hard to get their Gold Class Porsche GT3 Cup cars to be front running cars. The team worked hard with chassis setup as well as learning the track. Michael Levitas last raced at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2011 and this was the first time for David Williams at the track. With great driver coaching from team coach, Randy Pobst, and the engineering behind the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team, the #36 and #37 cars had a fantastic setup to be competitive.

Race one of the weekend was a race with tons of excitement. On the first lap, the front of the Platinum Class pack got together, causing much carnage in turn three. Michael Levitas in the #36 Porsche of Towson car timed it perfectly, just barely missing the incident as he navigated his GT3 Cup through a cloud of dust and debris. Teammate David Williams in the #37 car made it through clean as well, just a few positions behind Levitas.

Once the field went back to green flag racing, Levitas started pulling away while leading in his #36 Porsche of Towson car. When going back to green flag racing, Levitas got a brilliant start making several positions on the Platinum Class, creating a gap between him and Williams.

Later in the race, the #36 car started to get a loose car and Williams was on the move to catch Levitas. David started turning lap time .5 seconds faster than Michael and started closing the gap. Williams drove smart and hard, reeling in teammate Michael Levitas but the checkered flag flew before David could make up more time.

“It was great!,” stated Michael Levitas, driver of the 36 TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson entry. “My Porsche of Towson car was great. Our second car of David Williams did a fantastic job. It was effortless for TPC Racing today and it was just a great beginning to our weekend.”

“It was a lot of fun,” stated David Williams, driver of the 37 TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle entry. “The track and the car were great. This is my first time here and I am still learning the track. It’s a nice rhythm track and kind of reminds me a bit of Mid-Ohio, but probably a top-five track for me!”

Race two of the weekend would see Michael Levitas once again start on pole with teammate David Williams starting beside him in second. After making a chassis adjustment the night before, Levitas was now certain that he would have a stronger car and fix the looseness that he felt the day before. Williams had a great car from race one and was excited to run down Levitas and fight for the race win.

At the start of the race, both the #36 and #37 Porsche of Towson / Merkle GT3 Cup cars had fantastic starts. Right away, Levitas in the #36 car felt the setup changes and was turning lap times faster than the day before. David was close behind, but had slower Platinum Class cars in front that he had to battle with before being able to battle with teammate Michael Levitas.

As David was running down cars that were between him and Michael, he had a short off track excursion. The track was very greasy and with ten minutes remaining, David lost a bit of ground with the off course incident. Luckily, the car was not damaged and Williams was able to continue to finish second behind teammate Michael Levitas.

“Wow, what a race,” Levitas said. “I really had fun out there. I can’t thank my Porsche of Towson team enough!! Four wins so far this season for our TPC Racing/Porsche of Towson team is just fantastic. My teammate David Williams had me pulling double duty. He really pushed me to do better. It was a long race. We had a blast. Very exciting, very fun, we had a great time.”

“Not the race I wanted at all but I survived it,” Williams said. “Much different track today, much greasier, just completely different race. But great experience I really enjoyed it, great facility, great venue and a huge thank you to the TPC Racing/Porsche of Towson/Merkle team for such a great weekend.”

With such amazing results, the TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson team will be working hard to prepare for rounds five and six at Watkins Glen in June. The team has been up to Watkins Glen in the past with race wins and looking forward to being back out and fight for a three-peat!

About TPC Racing:

TPC Racing has its roots in the IMSA Supercar Series of the late 1980’s and early 1990s, as well in the Grand Am Rolex Series with over 28 race wins and 40 podium finishes. In 2004, the team won the team and drivers championship in the SGS class. In 2006, TPC Racing won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the GT Class.

About Porsche of Towson:

About Merkle:

About CrunchDaddy Popcorn:

TPC Racing On Pole at Laguna Seca

Admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:08:48 +0000

Earlier today, TPC Racing drivers Michael Levitas and David Williams took the green flag in their TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle GT3 Cup cars. The session started well with Michael Levitas in P1 and teammate David Williams right behind in P2.

About two laps after Levitas set his first fast lap, David Williams grabbed the pole in the 37 TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle machine. Three laps later, Levitas had a clean track ahead and went for his flyer. As Michael Levitas crossed the start/finish in his #36 TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle GT3 Cup, he was .5sec quicker that Williams in the #37 car and regained the pole. In the end, Michael turned a 1:30.7 and David turned a 1:31.2

This race will be a battle of the teammates today. Both Michael and David have great cars and are close to each others times which will make for very exciting racing. Race 1 will start today at 2:25pm PST (5:25EST)

After Qualifying in pit:

Both cars in tech and ready to go for Race 1:

TPC Racing Ready for Laguna Seca

Admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:19:20 +0000

(May 6, 2013) Jessup, MD – The TPC Racing team has finished up the final touches on the #36 and #37 TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle Porsche GT3 Cup cars in preparation for Laguna Seca. After back-to-back wins for the 36 car of Michael Levitas and back-to-back second place finishes for David Williams in the 37 car, the TPC Racing team is ready to take that momentum forward to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California for rounds three and four of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama series.

TPC Racing has done a great deal in regards to preparation for Laguna Seca to keep the Porsches of Michael Levitas and David Williams up front. Both Michael and David are excited to take it on as it is a fun and challenging circuit.

“I always enjoy racing at Laguna Seca,” stated TPC Racing team owner and driver Michael Levitas. “2011 was the last time I raced there and we did well. After starting the season on such a high note, I am ready to work with my teammate David Williams and keep our TPC Racing / Porsche of Towson / Merkle GT3 Cup cars up front.”

This will be my first time at Laguna Seca,” stated David Williams, driver of the 37 entry. “Working with Mike (Levitas) and Randy Pobst to get me up to speed will be great, and from there, I know that the TPC Racing team will deliver a car that I can run at the front of the field with as I did at Sebring for rounds one and two.”

Also during the event, TPC Racing will be taking delivery of the team’s new 997.2 GT3 Cup that will run in the Platinum class later on in the season as well as a few racing in GTC with the ALMS series. The team has been working closely with Kevin Buckler and his TRG organization on the build of the new car for TPC Racing.

“Our TPC Racing team is thrilled to be taking delivery of our new 997.2 GT3 Cup during the Laguna Seca weekend,” stated Michael Levitas. “It has been an amazing build and Kevin Buckler and the TRG team have done a fantastic job getting the car assembled. Knowing Kevin and the TRG ream, we will be taking delivery of a car that we are assured will be at the front of the field in both the Platinum class of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and GTC endurance category in ALMS. TRG is the top-choice organization to partner with TPC Racing for these tasks.”

“We are so excited to have TPC Racing and Mike Levitas joining us for several select events this year running with the ALMS GTC class”, stated TRG owner Kevin Buckler. “Mike and I have known each other for over 20 years and we have been good competitors and good friends as well — which is some the best part of racing. He has done a fantastic job with his racing programs and his business model and when the opportunity came for us to join forces and do a few races together we both immediately said…LETS DO IT!! We are really looking forward to putting a solid program together and hopefully a few podiums or wins and sharing a little champagne after it’s all over…”

On another high note, the TPC Racing team would like to welcome new sponsors and supporters to the team for the 2013 season. The team has just signed Porsche of Towson to join the TPC Racing / Merkle team. As well, TPC has CrunchDaddy Popcorn and Metro Pawn on board and is thrilled with the support.

About TPC Racing:

About Porsche of Towson:

About Merkle:

About CrunchDaddy Popcorn: