Teams

The Golden Bull

Garage Headquarters: North Fork, CA

Driver: Mike Halliday

Mechanics: Chris Tuttle, Dave Olney

Nuts and Bolts:

Mike Halliday, Dave Olney, and Chris Tuttle were childhood buds in the East Bay, and now that they’re 24 years old, they’re still best friends and even belong to a club: the Grub Gulch Chapter of The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus. Members of ECV, called Clampers, are dedicated to the study and preservation of Western heritage, especially in relation to gold mining. Mike, Dave, and Chris are building their entry, The Golden Bull, in the historic North Fork area near Yosemite, not far from where the Mother Lode was discovered all those years ago. But their theme will resonate with the San Franciscans of today – instead of focusing on the gold rush in the Sierras, it evokes rush hour on the Golden Gate Bridge.

“We were all born to go fast,” says Mike, the team’s captain, while Dave acknowledges, “For us, the biggest challenge is finding the greenbacks for building materials – we’ve got shallow pockets!” Still, with their jobs as a banker, electrician, and auto auctioneer, the teammates are managing, and the iconic red towers of their racer will be instantly recognizable to everyone in the race-day crowd. “This is like a vicious NASCAR contest – many teams bring their hand-built vehicles and pit crews,” Chris comments. “But unlike NASCAR, this time we’ll be the ones in the Victory Lane. The Golden Bull will be remembered forever.”