SilverHorse Racing
can trace its roots back to an autocross event in mid-1990. The event,
held in Palm Bay, Florida, was team owner Marcello Canitano's first
exposure to SCCA racing. At that event, he saw camaraderie that was not
evident in other forms of racing he had seen up to that time, and wanted
to become a part of this organization. Over the next two years, he learned
the basics of car control, setup, and made many inroads to true road
racing competition. In the summer of 1992, eager to try his hand at racing
on an open race track, he attended the first of two required driver's
schools needed to receive his Novice Permit. Just two short months later,
he attended his second school, and was issued his Novice racing license.
In the next two years, Marcello would drive for Malabar Exxon, driving
their # 67 Datsun 610 in Improved Touring competition. At the end of 1994,
it was decided that the next step towards professional road racing would
be forming his own team. With a partner from the early days of autocross
competition, No Excuses Racing was formed in 1994, and fielded what would
become the #88 Mustang in early 1995. Unfortunately, competitive minds
rarely can agree on how to achieve the same goal, and the team did not
perform on track as initially planned. While renting the car in mid-1997
to a student attending a driver's school, the car was seriously damaged in
an accident, and it was left untouched for the remainder of the year.
Undeterred, Mr. Canitano purchased his partner's share of No Excuses
Racing in early 1998. With newfound enthusiasm to make a go of racing,
SilverHorse Racing was formed. First, repairs to the Mustang were
completed, and a fresh paint scheme laid out to reflect the new image. In
August of 1998, the team made it's first appearance, at the famed Daytona
International Speedway. While not a podium finish, the car did complete
the race, and fellow competitors began to notice the new team. In 1999,
the team made more races than in the previous three seasons combined, and
earned the chance to compete at the SEDIV championships. At that race, the
team finished 6th in class, boosting morale among the team members, as
well as visibility to others.
In early 2000, Mr. and Mrs. Canitano welcomed their firstborn son into the
world, and SilverHorse Racing was growing as well. But without larger
financial investment, it was difficult to keep up the pace of fielding a
competitive car throughout an entire season. In the fall of 2000, Arthur
Machinery Inc. became the first full-time corporate sponsor of SilverHorse
Racing, changing again the picture of the team. Rather than racing only
when personal finances allowed, the team now was given the capability to
race a complete SARRC season, covering 14 race weekends, and exposure and
advertising capabilities continued to grow. Within three races, the second
2001 sponsor, MasterCam CNC Software was brought on board, and the 2001
Season netted a 19th place finish in the season long point chase, in a
field of over 100 teams!
For 2002,
SilverHorse Racing's presence became better than ever. With returning
sponsor Arthur Machinery, and new sponsors ProForce Integrated Solutions,
who replaced the leaving MasterCam dealer, and SuperChips, the team had an
excellent season, ranking as high as third in the divisional championship
points standings, and finishing 6th in the points championship despite a
hard crash at the championship race. Video of the accident has a
permanent home in our video section of the website.
In 2003, the team
expanded to the North with driver Don Bailey manning the proven and
repaired #88 Mustang, while driver Marcello Canitano took the reigns of
the new #93 Coupe, built to American Sedan specifications. Also, added to
our growing list of sponsors was Evolution Motorsport, a suspension design
company that really helped with the Mustang's lack of grip in corners.
Within 2 races, the new car had already finished in the top 5. With the
cost of the new car's construction much higher than anticipated, an
abbreviated schedule was run in 2003.
2004 was a rough
year for many in the Southeast, and although the homes, workshop, and
equipment of the team were spared the brunt of 4 hurricanes, the racing
schedule was turned upside down. Still though, the team managed to put
together a string of top-10 finishes, enough to garner an invitation to
the SARRC championship race. There, Marcello Canitano drove the #93
Mustang to a sixth place finish, giving the team a tenth place finish in
the 2004 points championship.
For 2005, the team
has added a new facet to our ever-growing race team. A brand new 2005
Ford Mustang GT has found its way to us, and development of new products
for the car has begun while we prepare to convert it into our future
national race chassis #05. Meanwhile, the team continues to race the
track-tested #93 Mustang in the SEDIV Championship series.
