Andrew Rabatie

Current, and most rewarding position as of yet. This opportunity has broadened my horizon tenfold. Working alongside the head mechanic of the shop who was previously an F1 mechanic, and has taken the time to show me how to take my past years of knowledge and really put it to the test. We are the sole mechanics in a shop that covers over 20 cars, so time management and quick but precise work has started to come easy over the past year and a half. Learning the logistics and computer programming, daily maintenance procedures, setup information for all vehicle types, dozens of in and out of state events like track days, test days, and 24/hr races, are just some of the many parts this position takes to run smoothly. Most importantly using this opportunity to perfect the skills that have been acquired on many different cars to ensure i'm confident with my next step forward in my career path. Though this shop typically works on Porsche's, there is a range of different cars i've had the pleasure of working on while here which currently include;

• Porsche 991.1
• Porsche 991.2
• Porsche 996
• Porsche 997
• Porsche gt3 r
• (All cup versions of those as well)
• Callaway Corvettes c6 and c7 ft3r
• Legier JS P315 and JS P320
• Lamborghini super trofeo evo 2
• Radicals

The majority of life was spent in the shop. Since just 3, and actively working since 12 years old, I've been a mechanic for over 10 years with hands-on experience passed down through the legacy of my father and grandfathers careers in professional racing. Trained under the guidance of my father, who was a Porsche mechanic for Gunner Racing. Thanks to his years of hard work, He was able to share the knowledge to help drill in the most important aspects of being a trustworthy, hardworking, mechanic. As well as shaping abilities for diagnosing, repairing, and restoring cars from various eras. This opportunity proved to me that this is my dream, my legacy to continue. And this was just the start. Some specific capability's I learned from this point in my life include but are far from limited too;

• Performed diagnostic and troubleshooting procedures to find and identify root causes of mechanical issues.
• Performed preventative maintenance oil changes and brake jobs to preserve performance and reliability of vehicles.
• Completed full vehicle inspections to check for leaks, damage, or other issues of concern.
• Worked at various tracks around the country to gain experience to preform successful track days and 24/hr races.
• Conducted pit stops in a quick and timely manner
• Disassembled defective parts to make proper repairs.
• Analyzed and located malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and control systems.
• Repaired engine and transmission components for rebuilds.
• Improved engine performance with advanced tuning and modifications.

This employment opportunity entailed long hours on the road, as the shop was 3 hours away. As well as even more traveling for races like Road America, Coda, along with a few more events. The step from Corvette to Miata honed in even more quick thinking skills as they have a higher tendency to have issues while racing. Assisted in several cars at a time, learning to balance multiple drivers and cars. Not the first time working for a team other than family, but first "long term" employment with a team. This helped engrain how to effectively learn and work with other people as a team. This opportunity, though not long still showed how to deal with several projects at once, with new people in new places. A very rewarding experience to say the least. Similar tasks working here as with family, at a faster more demanding pace.