Driver Bios
Steve Paquette
Team Owner / Strategist / Driver
As the founder and owner of Bullet Racing’s 9 car team, Steve Paquette’s responsibilities are considerable. However, his passion for motorsport and his role as Team Driver have always kept him motivated towards achieving his goal of building Canada’s premier motor racing organization.
“Being behind the wheel of one of our racing cars really inspires me to keep pushing the team forward,” Steve states emphatically. “It fuels my passion!”
Indeed, driving racing cars (especially Porsches) is a passion that has never diminished since Steve Paquette began racing in Nova Scotia in 1979.
Steve’s Driving Career:
- • 1980 CASC Atlantic Region GT2 Champion (Porsche)
- • 1980 Canadian Runoffs at Mosport, 4th (Porsche)
- • 1981 Daytona 24 hr (Factory Mazda)
- • 1981 Sebring 12 hr (Factory Mazda)
- • Multiple race winner in Molyslip Endurance Series across Canada (Porsche)
- • Honda/Michelin Challenge Series competitor (Atlantic Region)
- • Numerous wins 1981-2004 in IMSA, CASC, SCCA, PCA (mostly Porsche)
2004-Present:
- • 7 Racing Series Championships in CASC, ICSCC, PCA
- • Won 75% of races entered (35 wins)
Steve’s proudest racing achievements (so far!):
- • Bullet Racing finishing 2008 and 2009 Rolex 24 races at Daytona!
Ross Bentley
Team Driver / Coach / 24 Hrs of Daytona
"My life has always revolved around driving and cars," declares Ross, professional racecar driver, driving instructor/coach, author, traffic safety spokesperson, entrepreneur and business coach. Combined, he has over 30 racing seasons and 25 years of driver training experience to become one of the world’s foremost authorities on the art of driving.
Since watching his first auto race at the age of five, Ross has dedicated his life to driving. He began his racing career in oval track sprint cars, then turned to road racing, and winning, in Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic, Trans-Am, Showroom Stock and Can-Am type racers. From 1991 to 1994, Ross competed at the highest level of auto racing in North America, the CART Indy Car Series. Since then he has become one of the top sports car drivers in the world, winning the 1998 United States Road Racing GT-3 Championship for the factory BMW M3 team, and the 2003 Daytona 24-Hour race.
In 2005, Ross co-drove, coached and mentored “Team 16” in a history-making drive at the Daytona 24-Hour race. Ross’ teammates were all 16 years-old – the youngest competitors ever at Daytona.
In 2009, Ross joined Bullet Racing as driver and coach.
Racing Career
- • Began racing in 1977 in Sprint Cars (oval tracks)
- • Has raced Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic, Trans-Am, GT, Prototype Sports Cars and Indy Cars
- • Competed on the CART Indy Car circuit from 1991 to 1994
- • Has been racing in IMSA, ALMS, Grand-Am, and USRRC since 1995
- • Won the 1998 United States Road Racing Championship Driver’s title, driving for the PTG BMW team in a GT M3
- • Co-winner of the 2003 Rolex Daytona 24-Hours race in SR-II Lola-Nissan
Coaching
- • One of the most sought-after driver coaches in the world currently coaching in North America, Australia, England, China and South Korea
- • Is Head Coach for Speed Secrets Driver Development Services (www.speedsecrets.com)
- • Provides executive and business coaching, as well as corporate team-building programs (www.go-perform.com)
- • Author of the best-selling series of performance/race driving books, Speed Secrets 1 through 6
- • World Series by Renault – Rookie Season
- • 6th Overall, 2 Podiums, 1 Pole, 10 Top‐10 Finishes
- • A1GP World Cup of Motorsport with A1 Team Canada – Rookie Season
- • 1 Win (Indonesia), 2 Podiums, 9 Top‐Ten Finishes
- • Shared driving duties with Patrick Carpentier ‐ Helped A1 Team Canada to 10th Overall in Inaugural A1GP Nations Standings
- • British Formula Renault UK Championship – Vice Champion
- • Finished 2nd Overall, 5 Wins, 4 Poles, 8 Podiums, 16 Top‐Five Starts
- • Post season tests in F3 / World Series by Renault / GP2 Series
- • British Formula Renault UK Championship – Rookie Season
- • 6th Overall, 1 Win, 4 Podiums
- • Won the ‘Graduate Cup’ Championship for series rookies
- • 1st Canadian to win a British Formula Renault event
- • Post season test in Formula Renault V6 at Homestead Miami – Set new lap record
- • Fran‐Am 2000 North American Pro Series
- • British Formula Renault UK Winter Series – 9th Overall
- • Tested Formula Renault V6 in Spain
- • U.S. Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Series – Rookie Season with Bobby Oregel’s PR1 Motorsports
- • 5th Overall, 2nd in Rookie of the Year Standings
- • Fran‐Am 2000 North American Pro Series – 4th Overall despite limited season
- • Won the Molson Indy Vancouver Fran Am Support Race in front of hometown fans
- • Coached by Bobby Oregel’s in Primus West Driver Development Program
- • Obtained SCCA race license from the Bridgestone Racing Academy, Mosport
- • Introductory program with Primus West in SCCA Formula Ford 2000 competition at Mid Ohio,
- • Road America, Portland, Laguna Seca and Sears Point
- • 3 time winner at the famed Macau Grand Prix
- • A popular Chinese race driver with extremely high media and PR value in China and Hong Kong
- • All time lap record holder in a producion based race car at the Macau Guia Street Circuit. 2:27.110 set in 2008 in a Porsche GT3 Cup Car
- • First double champion in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia having won the title in both 2006 and 2008
- • National karting champion with numerous championship victories
- • First Chinese driver to compete in the full championship of the Porsche Super Cup in Europe
- • Experienced program/driving instructor having worked with numerous marques such as Porsche, AMG, Volkswagon, and Lexus
- • Experienced coach having worked with numerous racing drivers
Other
Sean McIntosh
Driver (24 Hrs of Daytona)
Having started out in quarter midget racing and karting, Sean graduated to cars in 2002 competing in the U.S. Formula Ford Zetec Series where he finished fifth overall and runner‐up in the ‘Rookie of the Year’ battle. At the same time he contested the Fran‐Am 2000 North American Pro Series finishing fourth despite only running a limited campaign. He capped his debut season racing cars with a home victory in the Fran‐Am support race at the Molson Indy Vancouver Champ Car weekend!
2005 saw McIntosh mount a title challenge that resulted in the closest championship fight in 15 years of Formula Renault competition in the top rated UK series. Returning for his sophomore season, Sean scored a season‐high five wins from a total of eight podium finishes to just miss out on the title at the final hurdle but comfortably securing the runner‐up spot. A consistent qualifier, with four pole positions and 16 top‐five starts, McIntosh’s performances last season led directly to his drive with A1 Team Canada for the 2005‐06 season.
The past three seasons have seen Sean fly the maple leaf flag exclusively in European openwheel racing – traditionally Formula One’s proving ground. Sean’s impressive rookie season in the 2006 World Series by Renault, saw him compete against an international line‐up of drivers at such legendary circuits as Monaco, Le Mans and Spa‐Francorchamps, Sean is now well versed in the challenges of European competition following two highly successful seasons in the Formula Renault UK Championship.
Year By Year
2006
2005-06
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
Darryl O'Young
Driver (24 Hrs of Daytona)
Nationality: Canadian Chinese
City of Birth: Vancouver, BC
Residence: Hong Kong
Family Origin: Xin Hui, Guangdong Province, China
Age started racing: 8 years old
Experience in motorsports: 22 seasons
Hobbies: Training, Karting, Snowboarding, Golfing, Music
Notable Accomplishments
Kees Nierop
Team Driver / 24 Hrs of Daytona
Kees Nierop is a Dutch native and has been racing or promoting Porsches for 30 years. He is a winner of the legendary Sebring 12 Hours of Endurance race (in a 934 Porsche) and a multi-time competitor at the 24 Hour race at Daytona Beach , Fl. (Porsche 911 RSR, 934, 935, 962, 961). He won several IMSA races in the 1980’s driving Porsches. Nierop was a Porsche factory driver at LeMans France and also at Daytona Beach , driving the racing version of the legendary Porsche Supercar…the 959, in racing trim called the 961.
Other highlights of Nierop’s career include being a Canadian GT-1 Champion (Datsun 280-Z, 1978), two years racing the highly competitive English Formula 3 Championship, competing at Mosport in the World Endurance Championship race, driving a Porsche 956 and achieving a 5th fastest time after the Rothmans and Skoal Porsches. He drove the late Bob Akin’s famous Coca Cola 962 to a third place finish at Road America , WI. Won the Firehawk 24 hour race at Watkins Glen with a 944, captured the Rothmans Porsche 944 Championship in 1986 competing against names like Scott Goodyear, Richard Spenard, Bill Adam and Paul Tracy. Nierop was named among the top 10 in a field of 150 competing for the Porsche North American Cup. Nierop also drove a full season for Steve Saleen in the Saleen Mustangs.
For 2007 and 2008 Nierop was the Porsche North America (team Canada) driver entered in the grueling 7200 km Transsyberia Rally driving a specially Porsche factory prepared Porsche Cayenne S. This is a two week off-road event from Moscow , Russia to Ulaan Bataar , Mongolia .
Kees is the only Canadian to have his name on a Porsche factory race car displayed in the new Porsche Museum in Germany .
Kees is a certified Porsche Sport Driving School instructor since 2008
Today Kees is still an active race-driver and enjoys instructing, private coaching, some racing-test driving and other related activities. He is also a member of the small and elite pro-driver team for Porsche North America for new car model launches. There he teams up with Hurley Haywood, Patrick Long, David Donohue and David Murry.
Kees was part of the Porsche pro team to introduce the Porsche Panamera to the public for the first time in North America at the Monterey Historics ( Laguna Seca , CA ). He then spent the next two weeks at Road America (WI) introducing the Porsche Panamera to the North American media.
In 2009 Kees worked together with Jonathan Urlin on the “Tour de Porsche” program. The “Tour de Porsche” was a Porsche Canada program which visited every Porsche dealer in Canada and promoted the Porsche line up of vehicles to prospective customers
Kees joined Bullet Racing in 2009 to do selected races with their Porsche Turbo and will also team up with Bullet Racing and Ross Bentley to do the 2010 Rolex Daytona 24 hr race in a Porsche GT3 Cup car.
Kees just loves Porsche and any kind of Motorsport, it shows in his instructing style.
