| Claudio Burtin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | Argentine American |
| Born | (1962-09-17)September 17, 1962 (age 63) |
| Trans-Am Series career | |
| Debut season | 1993 |
| Current team | Burtin Racing |
| Best finish | 3rd in2016 |
Claudio Burtin (born 17 September 1962 inRosario, Argentina) is an American entrepreneur, chemist, and race car driver. He is the founder of LINE-X truck bed liners and is credited with the original formulations trademarking LINE-X. Born in Argentina, Burtin moved to the U.S. in the summer of 1963. He attendedOur Lady of the Valley Catholic elementary school in theLos Angeles school district in southernCalifornia. He began working for his father at Chemetics Systems Inc. in Compton, CA at the age of fifteen while attendingServite High School inAnaheim. He apprenticed in polyurethane chemistry under his father, Carlos Burtin, a licensed chemist.
Carlos Burtin emigrated to the United States with his wife Ana Maria, older brother J.B., and Claudio. Together, they founded the Burtin Corporation in 1982 inSanta Ana, California.[1] The company developed and refined various types ofpolyurethanes. In 1994, Claudio Burtin became president of LINE-X, one of Burtin Corporation's divisions, where he also served as Chief Technical Officer until 2005.
Early in his career, Burtin was selected as a specialist to design and write the insulation specification requirements for theTrident 3 series of nuclear missiles. Burtin later developed LINE-X protective coatings and PAXCON. The first LINE-X truck was sprayed by Burtin in 1987.
PAXCON is one of the first "blast mitigation" products tested and approved by theU.S. Military for use on military installations. PAXCON was used to coat U.S. government facilities, including thePentagon after the 9/11 attacks.[citation needed] Burtin holds three patents.[2] After selling LINE-X to Graham Partners, Burtin founded Burtin Polymer Laboratories.[3]
In addition to product development, Claudio Burtin also launched FOAMETIX, a light-density polyurethane foam designed for insulation. Burtin has developed and trademarked a wide array of other polyurethane products and applications available for both residential and commercial use today.[4]
Claudio Burtin is the team owner and driver of Burtin Racing, with deep roots in motorsports that started at a young age. Founded by Burtin, Burtin Racing is based in Adairsville, Georgia, and is primarily focused on road racing in North America. Burtin has competed in numerous road races, including driving aPorsche 997 GT3 in North American endurance racing events and theTrans Am Championship Series.
As both team principal and racing driver, Claudio Burtin has been involved in sports car competition since 1982. In 1998, he became theSCCA South East GT Champion. Burtin has also driven for the Woodhouse Racing Viper team in the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge GT. His most recent win was in the 2020 Hoosier SCCA Super Tour GT1 Class at Sebring, FL, where he drove one of his Burtin Racing Camaros.
Burtin made his debut in the Trans-Am Series at theGrand Prix of Long Beach. Driving aFord Mustang entered by Mirage Motorsports, he experienced gearbox problems and did not finish the race. He competed in two more races that season. In 1994, Burtin participated only in the Trans-Am race supporting theGrand Prix of Miami. Throughout the decade, Burtin continued to make sporadic appearances in the Trans-Am Series. In 2000, he achieved a career-best fourth place on the streets of Long Beach, a feat he repeated the following year. For the2002 Trans-Am season, Burtin switched from a Ford Mustang to aPanoz Esperante, before returning to the Ford Mustang the following season.
Burtin Racing was sponsored by LINE-X Protective Coatings until 2005. Afterward, Burtin joined the growingSCCA World Challenge for the2006 season, driving aChevrolet Corvette C6. Since 2006, Burtin Racing has been sponsored by FOAMETIX throughout its racing endeavors.
In conjunction with Goldcrest Motorsports, Burtin Racing has competed in seven consecutiveDaytona 24-Hour events. In the2008 24 Hours of Daytona, Burtin started his season in the 24 Hours of Daytona withThe Racer's Group. In the2010 24 Hours of Daytona, he finished nineteenth overall withAlex Job Racing. Throughout these 24 Hours of Daytona races, Burtin teamed up with Martin Ragginger, who assisted the team with engineering, data analysis, and driver coaching.[5]
In 2015, the Burtin Racing/Bullet Liner team competed in the SCCA TA Trans Am Championship Series with a newly developed Chevrolet Corvette CR.7. Burtin partnered with GoShare, an on-demand local delivery service, for the remainder of the2016 season.
At the end of the2020 season, Burtin Racing acquired a 73,000-square-foot facility.
| Year | Track | Car | Engine | Class | Finish | Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Mid-Ohio | Ford Mustang | Ford | GT1 | DSQ | 7 | Disqualified |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest race lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | WSR1 | MMR | WSR2 | CAJ | WSR3 | SON1 11 | FIR | SON2 7 | PIR | ??? | ??? | |
| 1991 | TOP1 | SON 15 | MMR1 | TOP2 | LS1 8 | MMR2 | WSR 14 | LS3 | LS3 | ??? | ??? |