The Mechanicians - Racing Stories

Mechanicians_Bob Perry

00:00:00 Speaker: Hello and welcome to the Mechanicians Racing Stories, where we meet the men and women that do the work in motorsports. I'm your host, Rob Klyver The stories that follow are personal interviews with the people that you've probably never heard of mechanics, engineers, office people, really any of the folks that make racing happen. Occasionally we will visit with drivers too, many of whom started in support roles. Hello listeners, and thanks for tuning in again. I apologize, it's been several months since I've done a post and I regret that. Um, life gets busy. You know that. So one of the things that just came up earlier this week was that one of the guests I was about to schedule with has passed away. His name is Bob Perry. And Bob was instrumental in fabricating the mechanics training programs delivery. When I was at Jim Russell, Bob and I go back quite a ways. When he used to work at Magee Motorsports and occasionally. And my wife, late wife introduced me to him. Anyway, Bob was a hell of a great guy. He understood students. He had a hell of a sense of humor. He was a kind and soft guy. Even though he was known as scary Bob Perry because he always came off like a hard ass. Bob had worked at Skip Barber for many years. Bob worked with us at Jim Russell, and Bob went on later to open his own fabrication shop and work with his, uh, former Russell coworkers in Pete Filippo's Hot Rod shop. It came very suddenly to hear this news. I happened to be on a work trip in Saint Louis and was inundated with what the hell happens? And I don't know. I don't think it really matters what happened. I think what matters is that we've lost one of the guys that gets it. You know, they used to say that. There is guys you'd have on your race team and there's guys that you'd have at your barbecue. I would have Bob at both my race team and my barbecue if there was such a thing. So to Bob, I'm going to share some images of you interacting with some students many years ago when, uh, IndyCar at the time came through, or maybe it was IRL. I can't even remember. Came through Sears Point, and he had known some of the guys in the Fernandez team. And so he took the guys over and showed them around a real race car because our school cars were not real race cars, and he spent some really good quality time expanding on what was going on and explaining what these components were and how in in board shocks and everything worked. I had a memory today of Bob and I discussing the loss of Greg Moore, because he was actually working on that team when that happened. And, uh, we talked about it and we talked about Greg's injury in his hand and how Greg should not have been driving, frankly, in my opinion, because he had crashed his scooter the day before. And when we were talking, Greg and I, he had quite a laceration on his paw anyway. And he couldn't didn't seem like he could grip the car back up out of the. Where the tire went in underneath the lip of the asphalt. But anyway, I digress. Bob and I talked about that and the danger of the sport and everything else, and his attitude was kind of like mind, well, you strap yourself into a race car, you got to expect trouble somewhere along the line. But Bob didn't strap himself into a race car. He strapped himself into life. He was a genuine individual. He fabricated stuff. And I think I'll close with a quote I heard from him once, and he created relationships with everybody that I saw him meet. He was a guitarist. He played excuse me, he played well, he played crazy. And he kept trying to get myself and my wife to come up to Petaluma and see him play his thrash metal. And anybody that knows me and her, we barely leave the house after dark. And thrash metal is not really our genre. But to Bob, I regret not setting up that interview because I think you had a lot to add. The quote I was thinking of that I heard Bob say, and I'll try and get it right. He was asked at the Irwindale Speedway once by Ken UT. After all the muscle cars that tried to do an oval and they crashed everything. They apparently destroyed everything. I was not at the event. Tracy, the parts guy, was there, said it was just a disaster. And early on, I mean, like in practice, we just didn't have oval training anyway. It said that Bob was asked, what are we going to do? And Bob said, ah, Ken, don't worry about it. I've been making something out of nothing for so long that I can make anything out of nothing in no time. And that was Bob. There was no way to get him down on the shop. I don't think there was ever any way to get him down that I ever saw. And he was a wonderful human being, at least to me. Your experiences may vary, but I doubt it. So did Bob Perry. Thank you sir. See you on the other side.https://docs.google.com/videos/d/1y6_jg4EL1TePCPmJCyMcI8ZBsTLkbrNE44kPPJgXep0/edit?usp=sharing

The logistics of racing aren't always glamorous—sometimes they involve dinosaur ramps, sea containers, and a balancing act across time zones.

In this third and final installment with Bob Butte, host Rob Klyver dives into the high-stakes, low-budget reality of managing the world’s most famous racing schools. Bob recounts the "stupidity" and "youthful enthusiasm" of running four locations across the continent with only five people, including a fascinating look at the short-lived Skip Barber Hawaii and the technical "dumb luck" behind balancing a fleet of Mitsubishi school cars.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

The Global Grind: Managing parts and logistics from Italy to England to the Midwest.

The Great Migration: How the school moved an entire fleet of cars from Canada to Bridgehampton and Florida using creative (and questionable) methods.

The "Kiss of Death": Bob’s tenure during the closure of legendary tracks like Riverside, Ontario, and Bridgehampton.

Building the Mitsubishis: How Rob and Jacques Couture built a fleet of school cars from scratch that were so well-balanced they didn't need front stands.

Tom Sawyer’s Fence: The reality of the Mechanic Training Program (MTP) and turning seat time into professional careers.

Whether you're a fan of racing history or curious about the "men and women who do the work," this episode provides a raw, unfiltered look at the business of speed.

Jim Russell Racing School, Motorsports Logistics, Racing History, Skip Barber West, Formula Ford, Van Diemen, Motorsports Careers, Racing School Management, Hawaii Raceway Park, 4G63 Racing, Lola Cars

Music tracks: Synergy by Aylex

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"In part two of our conversation with legendary mechanic Bob Butte, we dive into the high-stakes logistics of the Jim Russell Racing School in the early '80s. Bob shares the harrowing reality of loading cars onto 'dinosaur' ramps, the frantic debut of the Formula Russell at the 1984 Long Beach Grand Prix, and the sleepless 72-hour grinds required to keep the wheels turning. From the birth of Formula Mazda to the inner workings of Mont-Tremblant, this episode is a raw look at the grit behind the glamour of motorsports.

People: Bob Butte, Jim Russell, Jacques Villeneuve, Rob Swarthout, Vince Loughran, Tommy Kendall, Johnny O'Connell, Lawrence Stroll.

Tracks & Locations: Laguna Seca, Riverside International Raceway, Mont-Tremblant, Long Beach Grand Prix, Ontario Motor Speedway.

Racing Classes & Cars: Formula Mazda, Formula Russell, Formula Ford, IndyCar, Hayashi Wheels, Formula One.

Industry Terms: Race Mechanic, Motorsports Engineering, Track Management, Racing School, Race Transporters, Prototype Development, Fasteners, Aerospace Hardware.

Music tracks: Synergy by Aylex

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Part 1 of this three-part series, The Mechanicians – Racing Stories features Bob Butte, the first mechanic student of the legendary Jim Russell Racing School.

Bob shares how a passion for racing led him from Midwest SCCA events to Mont-Tremblant, working alongside Jacques Couture during the school’s earliest days. From Formula Ford racing to wrenching for seat time, this episode explores the origins of professional racing schools and the mechanics who built them from the ground up.

A rare, first-hand look at the people behind the scenes—before racing schools became institutions.

motorsports, racing, mechanics, racing school, jim russell, formula ford, racing history, motorsport stories, race cars, racing education, engineers, motorsports industry, vintage racing, behind the scenes

Music tracks: Synergy by Aylex

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In Part 1 of this three-part conversation, The Mechanicians – Racing Stories sits down with Bob Butte, the very first mechanic student of the legendary Jim Russell Racing School.

Bob shares how a love of racing—sparked by the film Grand Prix—led him from SCCA autocrossing in the Midwest to Mont-Tremblant, where he became part of the core group that helped build the Jim Russell program from the ground up. Along the way, he recounts early Formula Ford racing, working for drive time instead of a paycheck, and life alongside Jacques Couture during the school’s formative years.

This episode dives deep into the unsung mechanics, instructors, and builders who made professional racing schools possible—long before they became institutions. From hauling cars across borders to stories that became school legends, Bob offers a rare, first-hand look at how racing education really came together.

This is the beginning of Bob Butte’s story—covering the origins, the hustle, and the people who did the work behind the scenes.

Music tracks: Synergy by Aylex

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motorsports, racing, mechanics, racing school, jim russell, formula ford, racing history, motorsport stories, race cars, racing education, engineers, motorsports industry, vintage racing, behind the scenes

y Cota-Robles concludes his five-part conversation by revealing the true financial value of the Jim Russell Mechanics Training Program. He breaks down how the cost of tuition effectively covered the expenses for the racing portion of the school, including multiple races and practice days that otherwise would have cost students thousands of dollars. Ty discusses the high expense of specialized racing tools and why top professional teams use custom solutions over popular brands. Finally, he underscores the irreplaceable value of the school's hands-on experience, where students could repair cars they wrecked and gain a deep, practical understanding of their trade.

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Ty Cota-Robles continues this five - part  series by discussing the strict confidentiality that governs the motorsports industry, explaining why so many details and stories must be omitted due to Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)—a rule every serious professional lives by. He provides unique insight into a high-stakes moment at the Jim Russell School when students brought a labor lawsuit against the school, claiming they were overworked. Ty offers an insider's perspective on the trial and the irony of students complaining about the demanding work ethic that is essential to success in professional racing.

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In Part 2 of our conversation, Bob Earl shares unforgettable stories from inside the legendary Bob Bondurant Racing School — from pranks and rivalries to hard lessons about teaching, racing, and survival in motorsports.

Host Rob Klyver and Bob Earl dive deep into Bondurant’s personality, his business instincts, and the real culture behind one of the most influential racing schools in history. Earl recounts moments of humor, tension, and respect, including stories of rival schools, famous drivers, helicopters, firings (and re-hirings), and the realities of making a living in racing.

This episode pulls back the curtain on what it was really like to work for Bob Bondurant, how racing education evolved in the 1970s and ’80s, and why mentorship, mechanics, and instructors were just as important as the drivers themselves.

If you love racing history, behind-the-scenes motorsports stories, or the people who made racing happen — this episode is for you.

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Bob Earl

Bondurant Racing School

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