Tim Kezman, of Fanksville, Wisconsin, bookended his Northern Conference-winning season with a pair of podiums in the first and last doubleheader race weekends of the season. That record included two wins at Blackhawk Farms Raceway, in the season opener, and a second-place finish and win at Michigan International Speedway. In addition, he also finished as the Southeast Conference T2 champion. Kezman said this season was the highlight of his racing career.

“As a racer, anytime that you have enough success to be crowned a champion it’s rewarding,” Kezman said. “As a true road racing rookie, to win races, Majors titles and then the Nationwide Points Championship in two classes is just unbelievable. I hadn’t been in a racecar for just about 20 years, and that was a short track stock car not a road race car.

“I started the 2015 season with a goal of finishing races, trying to earn the respect of the other racers and not embarrassing myself. To have the type of year that we have had is personally rewarding and a true testament to the people around me. This season is definitely the highlight of my racing activities.”

Kezman said he had a handful of rather sizable hurdles to overcome throughout the season.

“For me there were three challenging elements this season,” Kezman said. “First was the fact that I had never driven a Porsche before, not even on the street. Second was the fact that, with the exception of Blackhawk Farms and Road America, I had never been to any of the other tracks. Every track was a new experience and learning them was very challenging. Third was racing in the rain. Where I come from we didn’t do that. This year we happened to do a lot of it and it was certainly an eye-opening experience.”

Kezman said his focus was not on points for most of the season. But, the possibility of a championship came into focus at Road America.

“I really wasn’t focused on points or championships,” Kezman said. “I needed seat time and we tried to run every chance we got. I think one of the defining moments of the season for me was running second to Andrew Longe at Road America during the June Sprints. It was a full field T2 class competitors. I think we qualified and were running second by the end of the first lap. I was able to hang right with Andrew for the better part of the race. Although we finished second to the kid that won the Runoffs the previous year I thought, maybe we can compete with these guys. That was a real confidence builder.”

Kezman made certain to thank some very important people who allowed him to claim the 2015 title.

“All that we have done in 2015 would absolutely not have been possible without the support of Calypso Lemonade and all the guys at Fall-Line Motorsports,” Kezman said. “From their car prep and setup to their coaching techniques, each and every factor that it takes to build a winning program they possess. Although every individual at Fall-Line is top-notch, I want to specifically thank Mark Boden, for taking me under his wing, Rob May, for his road racing insight and coaching methods, JP Novelli, for his ongoing support, Mike Grady and Kenny Tomczyk, for their efforts on both of the cars, and especially Tom Burek. As a racer, in order to be able to give it your all you need to be able to trust what you are told and that your car is first and foremost safe.

“As my primary Car Chief, Tom’s support, advice and meticulous attention to detail when it came to setups and the maintenance of both our GT-2 and T2 cars proved to be invaluable. I never had any concerns trusting what I was told and believing that my car was as safe and as well-prepped as it possibly could be. All of these guys and all the others unnamed within the organization are certainly one of the primary reasons that we had the type of season we did. I can’t thank them enough.”