If you talk to Corvette owners in Atlanta about where to go for more horsepower they quickly say Vengeance Racing. Surprisingly though, if you ask them about the “Racing” side of Vengeance Racing, few have any ideas.
So we went searching for answers. Namely, do they have dedicated racing techs, do they provide on-track assistance, and is there on-going support available?
Come to find out, after touring their ultra-clean 12,000 sq ft facility in Cummings, GA, they are extremely committed and SERIOUS about racing.
This article is the first part of a three-part series with Ron Mowen, the owner of Vengeance Racing. We focused this series on the racing portion of his performance business.
What follows is our transcribed interview adapted from our new “Vettes of Atlanta” podcast.
Let’s Get Started
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR. Welcome back from the break. Today, we’ve got a legend in the LS/GM performance arena on the show, none other than Ron Mowen from Vengeance Racing.
If we started to list all of Vengeance Racing’s accomplishments and world records, we wouldn’t have time to talk to Ron. So let’s get to it.
Ron, welcome to the show!
RON MOWEN – VENGEANCE RACING. Hey, thanks a lot. Rod, I appreciate you guys having us, and I certainly appreciate the kind introduction.
Is Racing Essential?
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR. Ron, there’s a lot of different aspects of Vengeance Racing that we could talk about today. But I want to gear the discussion to the racing end of your business.
To set the broad stage here, why do you think the expense of racing your test vehicles is so essential to your business?
RON MOWEN – Vengeance Racing. Well, Rod, I can sum it up with two words, research, and development. We spend an absolute metric ton of time refining our performance packages, dialing in combinations of cars that we’ve built, and testing new platforms as they become available from the manufacturers.
We do that so the end-user, the customer who shows up here, can get the best product possible from us. It allows us to ensure that it performs as advertised, and more importantly, we can ensure that there’s reliability built into the package outside of just the performance aspect of it.
As you know, parts manufacturers are continually evolving, things are continually changing, and you have to stay on track and continuously test to improve what you offer.
Lean Times In The Beginning
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR. Early on, when you were building the business, it had to be tough to spend money on racing.
When you first start any business, money is always tight, even if you write it off as R & D, you still have to have money to go racing.
What were those early days like when you went to the track, and no one knew who Vengeance Racing was, and what did you learn back then?
RON MOWEN – VENGEANCE RACING. Well, those days were extremely tough. That’s the best way I can summarize it. When we first started the company, we didn’t have trucks, tools, winches to pull cars in, or even transport trailers, for that matter.
We didn’t own test vehicles. What we would do in our early days is we would rely on a customer.
We’d pick a select customer that was local to us, that had a good personality, a good disposition. And we would make arrangements with him to use his vehicle as a test platform to develop our products and our packages.
It was tough not having the equipment or the vehicles back then. We were such a small company that our business was closed if we went to the track.
You know, it was me, a tuner and a technician. And if we drove to the track, there was nobody here to answer phones or build cars. So you’re not generating revenue while you’re out there testing these products either.
So it was tough. There was a lot of stuff we learned early on. And I’m very thankful that we’ve been able to move past that.
Multi-Tiered Entry
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR. When it comes to high-performance racing, you have to pay to play. Everyone knows high-performance requires a more significant investment.
Can you take a moment here and talk about the tiered levels you set up for your business’s performance side?
RON MOWAN – VENGEANCE RACING. Well, Rod, what we’ve done is to develop performance packages based on the horsepower and desired investment.
You’ve got entry-level, something as simple as a cold air intake and a new calibration all the way out to entirely exotic builds, with custom engines, and twin-turbo systems.
So we’ve got something for everyone. It just goes back to how much money you want to invest in your vehicle and how much horsepower you want to see gained from your investment.
And those are the two typical questions I ask people. And we’re usually able to dial in on something that suits their specific needs quite easily.
Driven To Win
Richard Childress, former NASCAR driver and the current team owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) once said, “Once you’ve raced, you never forget it…and you never get over it.” Richard understands the passion that drives those who seek out high-performance racing.
Fortunately for racers, there is a proven winner in Ron Mowen just up the road in Cummings, Ga that also understands their passion. His talented team offers everything you need to be successful.
They have dedicated racing techs, on-track assistance, on-going support and they’re SERIOUS about racing.
Articles We Recommend:
Why Vengeance Racing Is The Right Choice For You
Vengeance Racing And World Records
Vengeance Racing Kicks Competition To The Curb
Inside Vengeance Racing’s Amazing Race Support
Vengeance Racing Is SERIOUS About Racing
Vengeance Racing – Prepared To Win