| ........Bob Tunnell - President & General Manager |
| ..... .Mark Hutto - Service Writer /Technician |
| .......Jim Leithauser - Sr. Technician & Race Prep |
| .......Dan Goodman - Service Technician & Race Prep |
| ......Max Lubker - Shop Assistant |
| ........(click on any name to learn more about them) |
Bob Tunnell - President & General Manager
Bob manages the day-to-day business operations of the Bimmer Haus Performance Group (Bimmer Haus and Apex Hyperformance) and serves as a consultant on all racecar prep and development.
Bob's first foray into professional motorsports was as General Manager of Seattle International Raceway in the early 1980's overseeing all facility operations and promoting NHRA and AMA events.
He continued to promote Indy Car, IMSA, and NASCAR races in the Seattle and Portland markets before joining Warren Miller Films as Associate Producer on 10 feature-length films and Executive Producer of more than 50 nationally syndicated television shows (including 5 about auto racing). Bob also served as General Manager of Warren Miller Entertainment overseeing all day-to-day operations prior to the company's acquisition by Times-Mirror Magazines and ultimately AOL.
Over the years Bob has performed stunt and high-performance driving sequences for feature films and television shows and appeared in several national and regional television and newspaper automotive ad campaigns. He has also taught high performance driving, vehicle evaluation, and corporate motivational programs for nearly a dozen European, Asian, and North American automotive manufacturers.
As a competitor, Bob has won 12 Solo II and ProSolo National Championships. (His wife, Patty, has also won 16 National Championships!) He is a graduate of the Jim Russell and SCCA Competition Driving Schools and holds road racing track records in Showroom Stock and Touring class cars.
In his spare time (those rare weekends not spent racing) Bob enjoys outdoor activities like golf, scuba diving, heli-skiing, and hiking with his wife of more than 30 years, Patty.
Bob currently owns five BMWs: a 1995 M3, 1997 M3 sedan, 1998 328iC, 1994 325is, 1994 325i, and has built the 1995 M3 into an X-Prepared autocrossing monster with a Conforti-tuned Eurosport Twin Screw supercharger putting out well over 400hp. In the past he has also owned a 2002 M3, a 1994 325i, 1991 318is, two 1989 325ix's, 1988 525i, and a 1990 M3.
Mark Hutto -- Service Writer & Technician
Mark is back! Mark was our full-time Service Write and Shop Manager until December 2005 when he left to pursue other interests. While he's developing other business interests Mark has agreed to rejoin the ranks here at BHP on a part-time bases filling in for any of the guys whenever they're out. We couldn't ask for a more competent and highly skilled person to help out whenever needed.
Mark possesses perhaps the broadest mechanical background of anyone at the shop. He began his career as a certified aircraft technician working on propeller and jet aircraft, as well as helicopters. Because of his broad range of talents, Mark was lured away from his wrenches by the glamor of the entertainment industry where he was hired to work as a roadie traveling with the Doobie Brothers, Huey Lewis and the News, and Rare Silk, among others.
Eventually Mark returned to Denver and his roots -- his love of automobiles. He was hired by George Gillett to manage and maintain his personal collection of more than 100 exotic machines including GT-40s, AC Cobras, D-Type Jaguars, and numerous Ferraris. Following that gig Mark served as a technician and co-managed the former Bimmer Werks, working with Cal Parker and heading the race engine shop where he built winning powerplants for a number of local area race cars.
Changes in the local business climate led Mark to return to the entertainment world for a brief time to serve as Executive Producer of the milestone CD-Rom for the 25th Anniversary of the Telluride Blue Grass Festival.
We are thrilled that he's back and we feel very fortunate to be able to capitalize on his talents at Bimmer Haus. I just have to figure out a way to keep the Hollywood producers and band managers away! <g>
Mark's current daily driver is a 1998 740i and in the past has owned a couple highly modified 2002's, another highly modified 530, and a 1988 735.
Jim Leithauser -- Senior Technician and Race Car
Fabricator
Jim serves as one of our most experienced technicians performing general service and repairs, but also oversees all of our high performance projects and race car fabrication and prep work.
After majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky, Jim began his automotive career at an independent BMW/Porsche/Audi repair facility more than 25 years ago. Certified as an ASE Master Technician, Jim soon opened a repair and restoration facility of his own specializing in BMW and Porsche automobiles.
He was recruited in the early 90's to become the new Technical Manager for the SCCA'S Club Racing program where he helped develop the rules package for the conversion of Showroom Stock racing to the current Touring rules structure.
Jim left the SCCA in early 2000 to take over as Sales Manager for the joint venture startup between TC Kline Racing and Tri-Point Engineering, ProPartsUSA. He also served as Manager of the Koni Rebuild Center, one of only three factory authorized Koni shock and strut rebuild centers in the country.
Jim's competitive career began in the mid 70's where he won 9 trophies at the Solo II and ProSolo National Championships, but he had to put driving on hold when he went to work for the SCCA in 1993. But he didn't have to put his vehicle development skills on hold and he continued to design and prepare winning race cars culminating in Bob Endicott's win -- in Jim's ITA car -- at the American Road Race of Champions at Road Atlanta in 1999.
Since leaving the SCCA Jim has continued his racing career and won the SSB National Points Championship in the SCCA'S Rocky Mountain Division in 2001, 2002, and 2003 as well as winning a Club Racing National Championship at the 2004 SCCA Runoffs in SSB in a BMW Z4.
When asked what he likes to do in his spare time, Jim replied: "Work!" ....(I guess it beats getting trounced by his daughter at the go-kart track. <g>)
Jim currently owns only one BMW: a 1988 325ix, but has owned a fleet in the past: 1998 Z3, 1999 M3, 1998 M3 sedan, and a gorgeous 2003 Z4 2.5 that he built into that National Championship-winning track racer.
Dan Goodman -
Service Technician & Race Prep, a.k.a. The New Guy
After a couple years of recruiting, we've finally snagged Dan to be a Technician and Race Prep Specialist here at Bimmer Haus!
Many of you already know Dan as past Chairman of the Rocky Mtn. Chapter's Autocross program, as an instructor at RMC and SCCA Driving Schools, or as the newly elected President of the Rocky Mtn. Chapter! But he's also a very experienced Technician -- he comes to us after serving as a Technician at Co's BMW Center in Loveland following nearly a decade of work on other fine European cars in Boulder. And the guy knows high performance... he has helped develop many of the top BMW track and autocross cars in the region.
Dan, like Jim and Mark, holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering (from UCSB... I hate him) and has been working on cars for more than 20 years.
When he's not working on cars, racing, or teaching, Dan says he likes to go snowboarding or play hockey. And from the looks of the photo above, I'm guessing he also enjoys the occasional cold adult beverage.
He admits to currently owning a '95 325i and '99 M3. But he keeps eyeing my '95 M3 autocross car and mumbling "V8...V8...V8..." under his breath. Not sure what that means, but it can't be good.
Dan also says he hopes you'll come on by to meet him personally some time soon. And don't worry... he's made it very clear that customers will not have to refer to him as "Mr. President," "Herr Direktor," or "Sir" as the rest of us do. He said "Mr. Goodman" is acceptable. What a guy!
Max Lubker -- Shop Assistant, a.k.a. The Other
New Guy
Max had been bugging us for a while to come to work here. Hah... be careful what you wish for Max! <g>
Seriously... Max is a super-industrious guy who is very eager to demonstrate his aptitude for this business and when an opening came up, Max got the call. He's responsible for the appearance of the shop (no easy task!) and is training to work the Service desk when Mark is away.
Max worked in the Auto department at Sam's Club for several years and is now living out his fantasies working at Bimmer Haus. (Isn't it everyone's fantasy to work here?) He's currently a student at Lincoln Tech in their automotive program and is planning to head to the STEP program with the goal of becoming a certified BMW Technician.
Max owns a '95 M3 and said the first time he drove it literally changed his life. (I think we all understand how he feels. <g>) When he's not attending attending school, working here, spending time with his girlfriend, or out driving his car, he says his only real hobby is "working on his car."
Needless to say... Max fits in here very, very well. <g>