34 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com FACE TO FACE Mark Kvamme has made enough money over the years to relax in comfort. But he’s been taking risks— both in business and in his leisure pursuits—most of his life and sees no reason to quit challenging himself. A venture capitalist, Kvamme launched Drive Capital after moving to Columbus, Ohio in 2011. Before that he found success in Silicon Valley—first as a global product manager for Apple, then as a partner with Sequoia Capital. In between, the Sunnyvale native with a degree from UC Berkeley started and sold companies. But Kvamme’s true passion lies not in the boardroom, but on the race track. A seasoned amateur driver, Kvamme competes alongside professionals in multi-driver formats, racing at the 24 Hours of LeMans, the 24 Hours of Daytona and other endurance races. He is also the reigning amateur champion and current amateur points leader in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America. During the Rennsport Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (see story, p 24), Kvamme will be driving his own MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3, with sponsorship from Racing to End Alzheimer’s, in the Carrera Cup races. The No. 43 Porsche is adorned with the names of 185 Alzheimer’s patients as a way to honor its victims. The team also raises funds that go to two organizations, the Nantz National Alzheimer’s Center at Houston Methodist Hospital and the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program. (Professional driver Nick Galante, a Pacific Grove resident, has also driven under the Racing to End Alzheimer’s banner.) Weekly: What’s it like being an amateur among professionals? Kvamme: It’s kind of an interesting world. It’s the only sport where a guy like me who is 62 can play in the Super Bowl. I can compete, do well. We can get close, but those guys are special talents. I was in Barcelona testing with Kevin Magnussen, the Formula 1 driver. He’d never driven a GT car before and within seven or eight laps, he was close to a track record. I’m a tenth-ofa-second slower in each corner than Kevin. Think about how fast a tenth goes by, but in 30-40 laps, he’s lapping me. Why take up racing? I don’t know. Mid-life crisis? [Laughs.] I’ve always raced things. I raced motorcycles. A race weekend is a microcosm of starting a company. I’ve done TED Talks on the importance of fear. There’s a human element to fear. Scaring yourself is a good thing. And scaring yourself doesn’t have to be dangerous. It could be public speaking that scares you. Facing fear is pushing yourself. It keeps you alive, honestly. Amateur in this sense means you have a racing license. How difficult is it to get there? You just can’t do it on your own. It’s not an individual sport, it’s truly a team sport. If your tire changer screws up, if your engineer screws up, if the driver screws up—you’re done. Once you get an appreciation of it, it’s fun. The first time I got in a car at Daytona, I spun in the third turn. Like anything else, if you do it enough, you become familiar with the intricacies. You understand how to do it. Also, you have to be in good shape. People have no idea how physical this is. I don’t think people understand the demands. It’s very similar to football. At LeMans, I’m hitting three-anda-half Gs in the corners—more than three times my body weight. Explain the appeal of Porsche to someone who drives a proper German car? [Chuckles.] What do you drive? Audi? Mercedes? Mercedes. I will tell you Mercedes AMG is an amazing race car. But Porsche—racing is a part of who they are. Drivers will tell you that if you can drive a Porsche fast, you can drive anything fast. It’s a racer’s race car. Like many people, I had never heard of Rennsport until I saw it in 2018. The event is amazing. It’s like the inner circle. Everybody who owns a Porsche knows about Rennsport Reunion. I’m trying to get extra tickets—I have family in the Bay Area—and it’s hard. It’s a big event. And I love Laguna Seca. That Corkscrew is such a unique corner— blind, downhill. You never see the apex. You have to guess. You’ve partnered with Racing to End Alzheimer’s. How is it going? What I love about that program is I get to do my passion while I get to help people. We’ll hit $200,000 raised this year alone, and 100 percent of it goes to research. Track Days A top amateur racing driver, Mark Kvamme comes to Rennsport Reunion with a purpose. By Dave Faries Mark Kvamme, right, and his rival and MDK Motorsports teammate Scott Noble celebrate after finishing first and second, respectively, in the amateur class—21st and 22nd overall—at Long Beach earlier this season. BOB CHAPMAN:AUTOSPORT IMAGE Thank You
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