By Aurora Straus …
Within the first five minutes of speaking with Derek Granison, co-owner of Extreme Velocity Motorsports, it was clear that his business ethos is much like P1 Motor Club’s – an emphasis on camaraderie, without compromising quality.
Extreme Velocity is high-quality; just ask for a tour of its 30,000 SF home base in Riviera Beach, Florida. Its shop space is carefully designed to provide a truly turnkey service, from a fully equipped dyno tuning center to a washing and detailing bay. Its talent development center includes a state-of-the-art racing simulator, seasoned coaches on-site, and to top it off – private locker rooms and showers for drivers in training to freshen up before their flights home, complete with Extreme Velocity-branded towels.
But describing Extreme Velocity as high-quality only scratches the surface of what makes this place – and Derek – so special. Keep reading to hear Derek’s story in his own words, and why we are so excited to have him and Extreme Velocity relocating to P1 Motor Club.
Tell me a bit about your background in motorsports, and how Extreme Velocity came to be.
I’ve been working in motorsports since 1987, when I began sweeping floors at RUF Porsche at age 14. After gaining the team’s trust, I “graduated” to doing oil changes and swapping tires. Eventually, I made my way into the driver’s seat, racing Formula Continental. In 1995, I went to work at Paul Miller as a detailer at their dealerships, and eventually proved my worth as a technician by helping the team fix broken cars in the detailing bay. From there, I fell into the tornado that is professional motorsports, working with any team that would invest in growing my skillset. I spent years at Kelly-Moss, then Orbit, then Flying Lizard, with whom I went to Le Mans in 2008 and 2009. By 2009, I started Extreme Speed with Scott Sharp. I was still a fly-in for Flying Lizard, so I gathered infrastructure for the team whenever I had time and money – buying the trailer, tractor, and the entire shop piecemeal and driving it over to our space in Stuart. By 2019, we had gone through multiple iterations of Extreme Speed, and I was looking to start my own business focused specifically on racecar prep and driver development. We started Extreme Velocity, and the rest is history.
What is your favorite part about running Extreme Velocity? What would you like to do more of?
My favorite part about Extreme Velocity is that we’re in the people business – we’re in the motorsports business, sure, but we’re so much more than our cars. My client’s daughter can call me if she’s in a pickle and needs a ride home. I’ve been to clients’ weddings, kids’ graduations – you name it.
Something I’d like to do more of is working with younger people, and to give back as much as I can. Motor racing is not a poor man’s sport – after all, I was once a poor kid trying to race cars, and I worked for the team owner to pay off my expenses. If I can help a young person experience something they never thought they’d be able to do due to their financial situation, then I’ve made it. Opportunities like that, even if just for a day, can be life changing.
What is the most unique thing about Extreme Velocity?
We invest in long-term relationships with our clients, sometimes at the expense of short-term gain – I don’t want to sell people everything under the sun. We’ll find a program that works for you. This business ethos is one of many things I’ve learned from my clients – anyone who owns a nice racecar doesn’t get there by being dumb. They’re incredibly savvy, and I learn so much from my clients professionally and personally every year.
Why have you chosen to relocate Extreme Velocity to P1 Motor Club?
First of all, being located at a racetrack, particularly a place with the on-track excitement and variety that P1 has, is a no-brainer. The P1 Circuit is the craziest racetrack I’ve seen in a long time, and I love the variety of having P1 East and P1 West, each of which have their own personalities.
Second, while I love the idea of being on-site, we’re also close to other racetracks that my clients will want to go to – we’ll be 45 minutes from Sebring, close to Daytona, and more. Having all of this provides ease of access and variety for my clients.
Third, P1’s amenities fit the quality that we’re looking for. My clients don’t want to go to a track day with 20-minute sessions, fast food for lunch, and a 6 a.m. wake-up call – they want to arrive at the track leisurely, go on-track for hours at a time, and have a great dinner with their family afterward. P1 caters to the luxurious experience we try to provide, and what our customers now expect of us.
Lastly, P1 has the same family atmosphere and “come as you are” mentality that we do. Yes, we want to provide a luxury experience – but is it really “luxury” if you can’t bring your friends, or show up in jeans? I’m very excited for what the future holds at P1, and to help our members’ on-track dreams come true.