"C360R is extremely pleased to welcome two great drivers to our team in 2010," enthused Team Principal Karl Thomson. "I've wanted to have Ryan on our team for some time, and know he'll be a great co-driver for Zach, who really stood out as one of the great talents in (Ford Racing) Mustang Challenge last year. We're going to once again bring our A-game to defend our championships, and these guys are a key part of that effort."
Lutz, who impressed in his first season of Mustang Challenge competition last year, started racing in Quarter Midgets at the age of five. In his teens he moved up to Legends, and then shifted his focus to road racing with NASA in a variety of cars, including an Audi TT, Mustang Cobra and finally at GTS-2 BMW 325is. He won two Grand National Championships and the TT-D Championship in 2007. He rounded out last season with his best result of the year, fourth, at the season-ending race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.
"I'm so excited to have the opportunity to move another step up the ladder and to compete with a top team like Compass360," Lutz noted. "It's the next logical step for me, and I'm looking forward to getting on the podium and fighting for the championship next year."
Eversley, meanwhile, is no stranger to the GRAND-AM paddock. His career started as a mechanic with Archangel Motorsports in 2001, which quickly led to a ride with the team in their ST cars. He drove a handful of races with Kinetic's E92 M3 program last year, leading the season-ending race at VIR with just minutes go before being taken out by a competitor in dramatic style.
"I'm so excited to be able to join Compass360 in 2010!" Eversley exclaimed. "Everyone in the paddock knows they are the team to beat and hopefully I can help them keep that reputation. My dad once told me to succeed in life you must surround yourself with the best people and for 2010; that's exactly what Zach and I have done."
Compass360 Racing made history last year by being the first team to sweep the podium, with a dominant performance at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Not only did they win the team, driver and manufacturer championships, but also took third in both the driver and team points, once again being the first in the series ever to do so.
"We really had an amazing season last year," Thomson said, "and it's going to be hard to top that. But we've been pretty consistent over the past three seasons, and I know we'll be up to the fight with Ryan and Zach."
Lutz and Eversley will take to the track in their iconic orange-and-black liveried Honda during GRAND-AM's test days at Daytona in early January, and at the first race coming shortly thereafter at the Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend on Jan. 29, 2010.
