The 2023 Piston Technician Award at Lime Rock Historic Festival 41

A Technician’s Time To Shine

Technicians are often the unsung heroes of the racetrack. They do their job on the sidelines, helping to support the racers and crew by keeping their cars running smoothly. The Piston Technician Award was created in an effort to honor these indispensable individuals and give them the recognition they deserve for all their hard work.

Specs of the 2023 Technician Award

Each year, the award takes inspiration from an integral aspect of the technician line of work. The Piston Foundation’s Kent Bain wanted to see this year’s theme center around fabrication skill sets, so he set out to design an intricate piece that would include materials, tools, and techniques in the spirit of the theme. Any technician with a love for fabrication will appreciate the 3 foot sculpture’s use of familiar staples, such as unpaneled aluminum honeycomb sheets, Cherry Aerospace blind rivets, and an 18-gauge double hook panel, designed to hang a Piston Foundation hat from.

One Gracious Recipient

Who was the winner of this artful homage to fabrication technique? That would be none other than Chris Kvaka of Vintage Racing Services. Kvaka lives in Monroe, Connecticut and has worked for VRS for the past five years, supporting the No. 18 Triumph Spitfire, driven by Tom Brown, among other cars . “Receiving the Piston Technician Award means a lot,” he said. “It really goes out to all the crew guys, the mechanics, and drivers that keep us in this business. I really appreciate all of that and I appreciate the Piston Foundation for its efforts to keep this car culture alive.”

Presenting this year’s award was racing driver Joe Colasacco of Fratelli Auriana racing team. Team owner Larry Auriana was the Honored Collector at the Historic Festival 41. Checkout all the happenings from a great weekend of vintage racing at Lime Rock Park.

To the Unsung Heroes

Kvaka’s quote certainly rings true. This is an occasion to recognize all technicians, and that includes the honorable mentions of the 2023 Piston Technician Award, listed below. This year’s Historic Festival activities may have come to a close, but a technician’s work is never done. To all those continuing to make the exciting world of racing possible, we at the Piston Foundation would like to extend our gratitude to you.

2023 Piston Technician Award honorable mentions:

Payton Teddick of Automobile Associate
Bob Gett of KTR Racing
Eric Langbein of Eric Langbein Racing
Tom McCarthy of DAS Sport
Dean Hutchinson of GMT Racing
Breck Halladay of Squire Moors
Nathan Thompson of Regogo Racing
Edward Rich of Fratelli Auriana Inc.
Payton Teddick of Automobile Associate
Bob Gett of KTR Racing
Eric Langbein of Eric Langbein Racing
Tom McCarthy of DAS Sport
Dean Hutchinson of GMT Racing
Breck Halladay of Squire Moors
Nathan Thompson of Regogo Racing
Edward Rich of Fratelli Auriana
John Brundage, race tech inspector
J.R. Mitchell of GMT Racing
Scott Buriak
Alex Thompson
Eral Tucker
Ken Nixon of Zapata Racing
Jim Spurgeon
Peter Borman of Quality Coaches
Mark Lefferts of Vintage Racing Services