USF1blog.com had the opportunity to sit down and interview one of the few U.S. drivers that have been offered a test drive from Team USF1 ahead of their inaugural Formula 1 season.  Michael Ramies is the name that everyone else had missed in the storm of questions about the 2010 lineup, and we are proud to bring you an inside look at the path of one USF1 candidate. We feel very strongly that Michael is truly the future face of American’s in International motor sports.

Michael thanks for taking the time today to talk with USF1blog.com.

Jeff: Let’s start from the top, how did you get started in competitive racing?
Michael Ramies: When I was 11, I started at the Jim Russell Karting Center in Sonoma. I did really well right away, in my first class, so my parents got me my own Kart which I drove as a hobby for the next three years. I have to admit that at the time I really wasn’t thinking that I was going to be racing competitively as a career. After that, my dad put me in the Skip Barber two and three day racing school and I did extremely well in that I went into the actual Skip Barber Race series.

J: So now you have progressed past Barber, what do you think the next logical step is for you?
MR: I’m working on a deal right now to start racing in the Pro1000 Racing Series in a Caparo T1000. Everything in the States, doesn’t really translate well to the different racing series over there, so right now it makes sense for me to move across the Atlantic.

Hungry for Success – Exclusive Interview with Peter Windsor (Re-post from Formula1.com)
The US-based operation founded by Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson is one of three new teams due to join the grid for 2010. With their debut season rapidly approaching, more and more pieces of the jigsaw are falling into place for Team US, not least the recent announcement of YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley as a major backer. It brought the Charlotte-based squad to the attention of global media – and Windsor hopes it won’t be the last time…

Q: Peter, now that all the formalities are wrapped up, there must be no holding back at your Charlotte factory in North Carolina. Where are things with the car and team development right now?

Peter Windsor: Well, all the politics that happened this year have delayed us in some respects, but not in the critical respect of the car. We’ve been working on the design and the construction of the car since the start of the year, so that hasn’t been delayed at all. We are right on schedule for that. As (team co-founder) Ken (Anderson) said a couple of weeks ago, we should soon have what Americans call a ‘roller’ – not a complete car, but basically the chassis, with the suspension and gearbox in place – ready to do some full-scale aero tests. Then we are ready for the final bodywork around October and, like with everybody else, our car will be ready for the first test in January. There is no other deadline we have to meet.

If you are a new team and you don’t have in place existing cars, drivers, factories and everything else. When you are a start-up operation it is very important from a marketing point of view to get all the hardware in place as quickly as possible. Due to all the politics we’ve slipped a bit on time and now we are making up for that and working very hard on the marketing side of the company. The first phase of that was the announcement of our involvement with Chad Hurley. From there we will be ‘all hands on deck’ and marketing the team as what we are: an American team with a franchise in Formula One on a global platform in the best sport in the world.

Q: How are you and Ken dividing the work at the moment?

PW: Basically Ken is the team principal, but primarily he is more on the technical side. The last time he was over here in Europe was for the meeting of the Technical Working Group, but then he flew straight back to Charlotte because there is so much going on at the moment. I am more on the driver/operational side. We both have an overview of the marketing side and, of course, we both have an overview what’s going on in every aspect. For me, Ken is an unusual engineer in Formula One because he does have a very good feel for the business side of the industry and for how F1 works as an entertainment business. Both of us keep reminding each other that we are in the entertainment business – and we should never let any of the little short-term problems that we all face in Formula One interfere with that. It should always be a main focus of what we are doing, particularly in our case of being an American team and building the car in the United States. We have a certain role to play for Formula One in the United States in trying to rekindle enthusiasm for this great sport.

YouTube spans multiple platforms

By now you may have heard that Chad Hurley, co-founder and CEO of YouTube, is the major investor in USF1, but what’s it mean for the team? For starters, keep in mind that it’s not YouTube that’s involved, but Chad himself.

Anyone who doubts the power of new media should check out what good ideas are worth – search engine juggernaut Google bought YouTube from Hurley and his partners for $1.65 billion. And the guy is just 33. So while a financial investment will buy a lot of carbon fiber, I believe Hurley’s true contribution is his business mind.

Formula 1 has always prided itself on attracting the sharpest brains, but Team US F1 will have some envious eyes looking at it from now on after signing a deal with YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley to be its primary investor.

Hurley will bring with him money and, perhaps more importantly, the brains that have helped turn YouTube into a global phenomenon. His business acumen will be a huge asset to the team – and could well benefit F1 as a whole.

Q: What got you interested in F1 and the US F1 project?

Team US F1 has confirmed that Chad Hurley, co-founder and CEO of YouTube, has signed up on a multi-year arrangement as the organizations “primary investor”.

The press release said that Hurley, 33, will “provide visionary guidance and corporate strategy expertise” to the new-in-2010 outfit headed by Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor.  It was not explained if the deal involves sponsorship by the YouTube video-sharing website, whose relationship with Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Management has been a difficult one.  But Peter’s recent interview on SPEED TV indicated that YouTube will play a very intricate interactive role in promoting the team off the track.

“Getting in on the ground floor of a project of this size and scope is a tremendous opportunity, and I look forward to helping shape the US F1 vision and corporate strategy for years to come,” said Hurley.