Vroom Vroom! … Hitting The Race Track With Gervais Brothers

By Andy Hutchison

Did you ever want to zip around a car, or several cars, and speed excessively — well, without getting a ticket of course — and hug a turn in the road, pushing your car to its limits? Some area car enthusiasts are a part of this adrenaline rush-creating, at times nerve-wracking legalized speeding (aka racing) week after week throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

On any given Friday night throughout the racing season, you’re sure to find the Newtown-based Gervais Brothers Racing Team, and one of their sponsors/their assistants from NJK Automotive at the Stafford Motor Speedway.

Southbury residents Mike Gervais, Jr, and his dad, along with uncles Gary, of Newtown, and Bruce, of Sandy Hook, comprise the Gervais Race Team. Mike Sr and Gary own Gervais Brothers Roofing and their shop — which doubles as a car repair/ storage facility — is here in town. Every Friday night is race night for the team, and Mike Gervais, Jr, 21, is the man behind the wheel — making moves and burning rubber in a 430-horse power SK Modified.

“I just enjoy being out there, racing real hard and close with people — and still having respect for everybody,” said Gervais Jr, adding that the competitors are friends.

One of the racing team’s several sponsors is NJK Automotive — a good fit for obvious reasons. What’s more, Nick Kopcik, owner of NJK, has three boys, all of whom race go-karts and, eventually, may be racing with the big boys on the Stafford track.

Most people aren’t happy when they’re “in the pits,” but for the Gervais and Kopcik families, that’s where they like to spend time.

“I enjoy working on the car and watching it go faster,” said Kopcik, adding that it’s rewarding to see adjustments pay off in races.

NJK provides some parts and Kopcik and his son, Stephen, are up at the track, helping to get the car ready for each race, and making in-race improvements as necessary, adjusting weights on the car for example, and changing tires. “It depends on the race. It depends on how the car’s handling as to what adjustments you make,” Kopcik said.

Stephen and his brothers, Nicholas and Jonathan, all race at the Nutmeg Kart Club in Berlin. Stephen plans to get involved with racing the SK Light car, and moving his way up to the high-powered modified machines, his dad said. Mike Gervais, Jr, raced go-karts for many years before working his way up as he got older. He and the Kopcik boys have all won go-karting championships. Gervais earned a national championship a few years ago.

Mike Gervais, Sr, points out that it’s not too common for a father to hang out with his 21-year-old son and that their shared interest in cars and the track make for a unique bonding opportunity. “The racing keeps the whole family together,” he notes. Being a father, however, it isn’t always the best feeling in the world to know his son is traveling at high speeds, sometimes getting into crashes (that’s what the roll cage, helmet, and Head and Neck Support device are for). Mike Gervais, Sr, says, barely light-heartedly if at all, that he gets nauseous when his son pulls away for one of his 100-mile-an-hour thrill rides.

If it makes him feel any better, Kopcik says, “The kid’s an outstanding driver. He’s calm, he’s cool when he’s driving.”

Anticipation is key to success, and staying out of trouble, on the track, the 21-year-old said. “I always look a couple of cars ahead of me, or into the corner I’m heading into,” he said, adding that peripheral vision allows drivers to see what’s right in front of them or next to them. Practice time, because of the expense of renting the track, is limited to pre-race warm-up laps.

The season features close to 20 races, including 20- and 40-lap events. On July 22, the big one — a 150-lap competition — will be held. A 40-lap race can take anywhere from a half-hour to almost an hour, depending on the number of wrecks and, thus, cautions, which slow the drivers down, Gervais Jr said.

Gervais Jr says he’s been racing cars since he was about 5 years old. He’s come to enjoy working on cars, along with his dad, other family members, and friends.

Two years ago, he had a very successful racing season, during which top-ten finishes were the norm. Gervais Jr took home the SK Lights championship in 2009. For one reason or another — wrecks, car failure, etc. — it’s not always smooth sailing around the track. Crashes are a part of racing. “Sometimes you don’t have anywhere to go, or you can’t do anything about it,” Gervais Jr said. “You want to bring a car home in one piece so you can build off it for the next week. You don’t want to keep fixing stuff.”

For one thing, crashes result in added expenses and racing is certainly not the least expensive hobby to begin with. Gervais Sr says that the team spends $320 on tires, $125 for racing fuel, and $30 for each crew member to enter the pit each week. Then there are whatever car parts, maintenance, and repairs, not to mention the time and energy invested … oh yeah, and the truck to bring the car back and forth. “It’s something we love so we don’t mind doing it,” said Gervais Jr, adding that other sponsors who help make this possible include Town Line Body Shop in Monroe, and Newtown’s Fair Auto Supply, A Sign Depot, Mark Edwards Roofing And Siding, and Gervais Brothers Roofing.

Gervais Jr is a student at Central Connecticut State University, heading into his senior year. He’s majoring in mechanical engineering and has an interest in making or testing car parts in his future. He works a couple of part-time summer jobs, including one as a waiter at a retirement home in Southbury and one doing janitorial duties at Pomperaug Elementary School. Around school and work, it’s all about racing, and getting the car ready for each run.

“It’s a hobby, but it’s a fulltime hobby. You call it a hobby, but it’s almost a lifestyle, too,” he said.

“He loves it and we always say when it stops being fun we’ll give it up. But it’s still fun,” his dad adds.

For more information about Stafford Motor Speedway, visit www.staffordmotorspeedway.com.