2/3/2015
Robert Nimkoff
Nimkoff Rolex 24hr Winter Storm Adventures
Spotlight - Aston Martin Owners Club member Robert Nimkoff (Planes, trains and automobiles)
Many AMOC members in the Northeast will likely be familiar with Bob, but there will be many others who aren’t. Hailing from Weston, CT, Bob took part as a rookie in this year’s Rolex 24 as a member of the TRG squad in one of their V12 Vantage GT3 cars running in what is arguably the class that holds the most interest for a majority of the fans: the ultra competitive GTD class.
I had a chance to steal a few minutes with Bob between team duties to learn more about his campaign. I’m lucky that I did as he nearly didn’t make it: Being caught in the ‘Arctic Vortex’ he managed at the last minute – literally – to catch a 26 hour train ride from New York down to Florida after his flight was cancelled. As we chatted, he was still catching his breath from the dash he made across town to make his connections!
I ask the self deprecating and instantly likeable Nimkoff to start off with a bit of background on how he came to be driving in one of the world’s biggest races. “I was in commercial real estate and property management for three or four years and the company decided to expand into shrimp farming in Ecuador. I can’t stand real estate - suit, tie, paperwork. I’m an outdoorsy kinda person. I became the VP of this fledgling seafood business and we grew it into a pretty big importer. I left in 2004 and went on my own for three years. So later I sold my business and that was the impetus to help me to pursue my passion for racing. I had the funds and had the time and it went from track day hobby to getting my license. I started racing BMW’s and that led to me buying my Vantage. It was my 50th birthday and I’d always wanted an Aston so I joined the AMOC. It’s such a small community that everybody knows everybody and I somehow got connected with Nicholas Mee in London who was racing in the GT Challenge. They asked me to come race at Silverstone in the 24 hour and we came first in class, second overall. That was really my first foray into racing a Vantage.”
He chuckles as he looks skywards and carries on, “They had a car for sale, so I bought their car and brought it into the States. I had it classified with the SCCA and of course they were scratching their heads, ‘What do you mean FIA spec roll cage?’ They were used to looking at garage built things so factory built race car? ‘What the hell is that!?’ They spent more time ogling it and fighting over who was going to tech it!”
Going from SCCA to the Rolex 24 is not a small jump. How did the connection come about? “Again, it’s that serendipity and networking kind of thing. One of my ex-driving coaches told me that TRG was putting on an open day at a private track in Monticello, New York, ‘Why don’t you bring your Aston?’ I got there late that night and the only seat available at the dinner was right next to Kevin Buckler. We hit it off and he was always wanting to do something with Aston. He saw my car and loved it. We met again at the Le Mans festival and I also met John Gaw (Technical director at AMR – JE). Kevin and John started talking and that really kindled Kevin’s passion to bring Aston Racing to America, because the Brits had tried to do it directly but without a US partner and it just didn’t work. TRG is the perfect partner because it’s BLING! It’s corporate events and patches and stickers and flags and that’s the kinda thing you gotta do.
“I was racing my Aston down at Summit Point and got a voice mail. He said, ‘Rob! I’m thinking about bringing Aston Martin Racing and taking over the partnership in America. Do you want to be a part of it?’ and I said, ‘Yes!’ I didn’t even ask him, ‘How much!’ So that’s how it started. I was the first investor and was intimately involved in the negotiations with Prodrive. This is the one year anniversary.”
The Rolex 24 this year is Bob’s first major event on an international stage, but he takes it all in his stride. “I’m jumping in at the deep end! It’s the biggest event I’ve done but not my first 24. I did Silverstone and Dubai. You have to find time to relax which is not easy. There’s so much complicated information coming at you because of the strategy in the race that I just don’t have that much experience with. I’m just trying to absorb it and not to overly fixate on the details.” I ask if he will be given equal seat time and he answers with measured pragmatism, “It all depends on how the strategy goes. If Jonny (Adam – AMR driver) is in the car at the end of the race they might say, ‘Stay in the car because you’re doing really well and we’re that close’ instead of putting me in to ruin it! And I don’t wanna be in that position! It’s too big of a race.”
As it turned out Bob equitted himself with aplomb and got comfortable after his first stint. I caught up with him in the pits on Sunday morning to find him beaming having just got out of the car. I chatted with him a few days later for some post race thoughts. “Just finishing the race - although we didn’t finish as high as we wanted to – the fact that our cars and the factory car finished was a positive launching point for the rest of the season.” Was the experience an enjoyable one after all was said and done? “Yes, but I think my emotions ran the gamut of, ‘What the hell am I doing here? I shouldn’t be on the track with these world famous racers’ to when I had my second stint on Sunday and was feeling better with the car and improving my pace and getting overtaken in a less quick fashion! From that perspective I learned a lot about how things are done at that level and I really got an amazing appreciation not only for what the top pro’s do, but even as I’m on the banking – an appreciation for what the Indy and Daytona 500 racers do just for two or three hours and what phenomenal athletes they are.
“Also the team camaraderie was great. We had a very good group of guys and it was a building block. Whether I do Daytona next year again I don’t know but if things worked out I would definitely jump on it. It was a great experience,” he laughs and ends our conversation with, “but the best part of the whole event, was that I didn’t have to take the train back!”
Look for Bob at the SCCA majors or at select GT4 Challenge races this year around the country.
Article Credit: James Edmonds
Submitted By: robert nimkoff
