Keith Prociuk is the GT-1 national champion and the runner up in the Viper Racing League for 2014. We decided to see what he had to say about NARRA and he gave us some of the most detailed responses yet! Thanks Keith!

1. You made the leap from the Whelen Time Trial to the wheel to wheel racing in the USGT this season. What was that like and how did you decide it was time?

I talked about the transition this past year with other competitors. Given the past 2 years I had, I couldn’t see any other way to maximize my improvements. I was fortunate enough to have Troy Messer as a major competitor for the 2013 season. Going into the 2013 season my intent was just to learn and improve my skills at new tracks. This quickly changed though when I saw how quickly I was able to adapt at the new tracks, and how close Troy and I were. We really pushed each other all throughout the season.
I knew I was learning quite a bit. TT is more valuable to growing a good GT career than some give credit for. TT is non-stop qualifying, all day long. It’s all about setting the car up for a perfect lap on lap 3 where the tires are at their optimal conditions. This takes great communication and teamwork between the crew (Archer Racing), and myself. As a team, we really nailed it. It also takes extreme focus to really nail your target lap, leaving nothing on the table, without mistakes.

There were a few events in 2013 where I did the GT race as well. As a driver, it’s hard not to. With NARRA we go to all these amazing tracks, have so much fun, and all the other drivers don’t act like competitors in the sense that they are distant, but instead act like family. I was a bit nervous going into my first race not knowing how the other group (GT drivers) would react, but they were all so helpful and welcoming. I had so much fun!

So, given my success with 2013 and how well my team and I worked together, in addition to how friendly and welcoming all the GT drivers were, I felt that 2014 we would go for a new challenge, the GT-1 championship. I know I needed a new challenge to improve my skills as a driver, and this was the way to do it.

2. Besides the racing, what else do you like about NARRA?

Anybody who’s ever participated in a NARRA event knows the answer to this question. It’s simple. NARRA is like family. Everyone is so nice and kind. There are no boundaries between manufacturers, domestics and imports, fast and slow cars, etc.. Drivers will stop working on their own race cars to help someone in need. We see this all throughout the year. I feel that just being friends with the drivers and staff of NARRA helps me grow as a better person.

3. What do you do to support your racing efforts?

Well, the simple answer is that I own HP Tuners (www.hptuners.com), for which I’m the lead software developer. We make tuning software/hardware for most 1996+ GM, 2004+ Ford and 2005+ Dodge. We should have the full 1996+ Ford and Dodge support done within the next few months.

However, I look at racing as a way to support my creativity and passion for my work. I find that being part of a racing community, like NARRA, talking to the other drivers, and driving my own car on track, I’m able to find out what the enthusiasts really want and need in their tuning software solution. I understand that the last thing you want to be worrying about at the track is how to actually use your tuning software. My #1 goal is to make the whole tuning process as user friendly as possible. I think our next version of VCM Suite will really take tuning user friendliness to a new level.KP MMC FB.jpg