| Special to the Star-Banner
Ken Kirkpatrick got bitten by the rally and high-performance car racing bug after 15 years of sharing motorsports with his family.
The activities included go-kart racing — which led to a national championship — and an auto racing Track Day at Road Atlanta in 2010.
“I like to go fast,” said Kirkpatrick, 52, who has raced for about the last five years at Road Atlanta, Sebring International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and the 1.6-mile track at the “FIRM” or Florida International Rally & Motorsports Park in Starke.
FOUR FOR THE TRACK
Kirkpatrick’s stable of track-ready cars includes a 2005 Mazda Miata with an upgraded 2.5-liter engine purchased in California; 2015 Porsche GT3, which has seven speeds and an engine redline of 9,000 rpm; and an Ariel Atom 2 and Atom 3.
Kirkpatrick said the Atom 2 with 400 horsepower is the higher powered of the two Ariels, but the Atom 3 has highly refined aerodynamics set up for faster speed in turns and lower overall track times.
The Ariel Atom is an open cockpit, tubular frame vehicle. The Atom was introduced in the United Kingdom in the early 2000s, according to the Ariel North America website.
The Ariel Atom has been made under license by TMI Auto Tech in Halifax County, Virginia, since 2008, according to a company spokesperson.
The spokesperson called the Atom an “exotic, high-performance” vehicle.
The website states Ariel vehicles, which include the Nomad and Motorsports models, weigh between 1,350 and 1,800 pounds and that one of the turbocharged models can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds.
The vehicles are equipped with safety equipment, including a six-point HANS-approved racing harness and onboard fire bottle, the website states.
Mild steel tubing, composite material and Honda engines are used in the vehicles, which are marketed in a horsepower range from 300 hp to 425 hp, using turbochargers or superchargers, according to the spokesperson.
APPRECIATES THE MECHCANICAL
Kirkpatrick, a 1991 University of Florida graduate, serves as CEO of a restaurant holding and management company that owns 28 Sonny’s BBQ restaurants stretching from Orlando to Georgia. The first Sonny’s was located on Waldo Road in Gainesville.
Ken and his wife of 30 years, Suzanne, have three children and live in southeast Marion County.
Ken Kirkpatrick said his first car was a 1966 Corvair. He has restored or rebuilt cars, including muscle cars.
Kirkpatrick said his father is a car enthusiast.
Ken Kirkpatrick regularly runs at the FIRM and said he currently holds the street legal car track record with a 1:11.6 lap at the track.
Suzanne Kirkpatrick said her husband’s hobby has expanded over the years from taking up a multiple car garage to requiring the use of a 3,200-square-foot barn on their property.
Suzanne Kirkpatrick said she gave her husband an AC Cobra Factory Five kit car as a 20th wedding anniversary gift.
Suzanne Kirkpatrick said she has been aware of her husband’s car hobby for many years.
“Ken loves it. He’s been a ‘car guy’ since I’ve known him,” she said.
