Let me start out by saying that we met Mats and his team in an unusual way at Round 2 in Atlanta. We found out that we were staying at the same Hotel and started talking to him and the crew about his program and what it took to make it all the way down from Ontario, Canada. Mats is a genuinely nice guy and dedicated driver. He and his team drove 16 hours straight to Road Atlanta, all 5 of them packed into their truck as they hauled the trailer down.
We ran into Mats again at Road 3 in Palm Beach, despite of how small of a site Shift-Therapy is currently, he recognized us walking in the crowd and walked up to me to chat a bit on Friday. I also got a chance to talk with him, his crew and his father more on Saturday morning before Top 32 practice and even after qualifying 5th (the highest qualifying rookie thus far in the 2013 season) and needing to get ready for practice and Top 32 they were all very nice and welcoming and they exuded love and dedicated for what they were doing. Mats and his team show so much commitment and passion we are definitely keeping an eye on him to see how the season goes for such a great team.
About a week ago I saw Mats posted on Facebook and it wasn’t updates from the road on the way to Seattle. So I reached out to Mats to see if he was going to make round 5 as I know he is in 3rd place for rookie of the year and could use the points, still being within striking distance. It was then that Mats shared some upsetting news that Round 5, and maybe the rest of his rookie season, was at this point out of his budget. They are doing everything they can to try and make rounds 6 and 7 to finish the season strong but could use any help they could get. If you would like to help out Mats try and make Rounds 6 and/or 7 head over to his website www.matsbaribeau.com and pick up a shirt or stickers (I already did!) and let’s give Mats a chance to land Rookie of the Year.
You can also follow Mats on Facebook (fb.com/MatsBaribeauDrift), Twitter (@matsbaribeau), Instagram (@matsbaribeau), or YouTube (Mats Baribeau).
Official Team Shirts are $20, Stickers are 1 for $5 or 3 for $10, or you can grab a shirt + 3 stickers + an autographed driver card for $30. (Shipping & Handling note included) by e-mailing Mats at mats@goldinthenet.com