Erickson Motorsports

After the cage was welded in place and all other modifications to the interior were completed it was time for paint. Erickson Motorsports contacted Steve Sturken at Sturken Auto Body in San Jose California for paint inside and out. Steve is a longtime friend and IT Rabbit racer, he has always been enthusiastic and supportive when it comes down to anything that involves racing.

Art Aragon and Sal Gonzalez

Shawn Poirier the shop Manager made a trip out to personally assess what they were going to be dealing with. "This is going to be a far more involved project than we anticipated," Shawn said. In order to paint the interior with over 37 individual bars we will need two painters working together starting high and going low. Shawn appointed two of his top gun painters; Sal Gonzalez and Art Aragon to tackle the job. When the car arrived, the shop emptied while Sal and Art immediately began to figure out a strategy on how to paint this jungle gym of a racecar. They both said that they were looking forward to the challenge and couldn’t wait to get started.

In two days they had the car prepped, primered and colored! All 37 bars had to be painted 360 degrees along with all of the nooks and crannies that made up the extensive framework of the cage. Sal and Art worked side by side applying the single stage basecoat / clearcoat PPG Reflex Silver to the interior with out missing a beat. When it was all said and done, the car was presented as the two gentlemen stood with ear to ear grins knowing that they had pulled it off.

Stay tuned for pictures of the painted GTI in the weeks to come.
Posted 3/22/02