Racing Cousins

by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

You could say that racing is in their blood. Cousins Keith and Thomas Filipiak have made quite an impression on the diecast racing world since they came on the scene during the pandemic lockdown last year. That may be because they put a lot of effort into getting their cars dialed in just right, or it might be an innate sense of how to make anything on wheels go fast.

Followers of WeRaceDiecast’s King of the 621 will know that the Filipiaks have domininated that track since the beginning. On the racetrack, Keith is Flip’s Racing, and Thomas is FPD (Filipiak Performance Diecast). Keith races under the names of Flip, Remy 12 Gauge (his son’s name is Remington), and Amber Beach (his wife’s name combined with her favorite place). Thomas races under a variety of names, including Clutch, Buddy “Throwin’” Sparks, and Deuce (named for his son). Like their fathers, the younger set of cousins are also into racing. Deuce even does a bit of diecast modding, but generally, the sport is the domain of the elder generation.

Naturally, when two relatives are quite competitive, it turns into a rivalry. So, is there a rivalry between these two? “Oh, there’s a f*@#&n’ rivaly, alright!” says Thomas. “Keith tests on his track to make sure his stuff is fast, the comes over to my track and tests there. He does it just to make me feel bad,” he laughs. “He dominates me on my own track. It’s sad, really.”

Keith puts things more succinctly. “Of course there’s a rivalry between us. We both wanna be faster than the other, but we also help each other as much as possible.”

“We do share information pretty freely,” agrees Thomas. I tell [Keith] what I’m trying if I think it helps. We bounce ideas off each other all the time.”

So, they have a friendly rivalry, and a cooperative, but competitive relationship. And they both produce fast cars. Keith was an early heavyweight at the 621. Thomas joined him shortly thereafter: “Finally winning King of the 621 was big for me,” he claims.

Keith’s rides at the Maryland track, and across the world of diecast racing vary greatly. He sticks to castings that are inherently fast, and that can be modded to be even faster. He cites the ‘08 Mitsubishi Lance Evolution as a particular favorite.

Anyone who knows Thomas knows that, when given the chance, he’ll be submitting some variation of a Ford Mustang to the races.

Thomas comes by his affinity for the pony cars honestly. His first car was a 1966 Mustang Fastback, and he drives a Mustang in 1:1 races when the world isn’t in a pandemic setting.

Both cousins race go-karts. “Keith was pretty good, too!” Thomas declares. “But, then Corona hit”. That’s when they discovered diecast racing.

ANYTHING WITH WHEELS -- Keith (black Kart) and Thomas (blue and white Kart) don't let their familial relationship interfere with a good race in any scale. Here they are in go-karts on a track they built on a friend's property.

Both Thomas and Keith were introduced to 1:64 scale racing by their sons who had discovered Sub4ra’s ADRC (Adult Diecast Racing Cup).

Keith explains that was the spark that he needed. “I went and purchased some track and built a fat track set up at my cousin’s, and the rest is history.”

Cheering for the Filipiaks is easy, not only because they build cars at a level that they are always in the running for the podium, but because they compete all over the place, too.

“I’m really enjoying the Dynasty of Dodge Tournament at Bay City. The DIRS series is awesome,” says Thomas.

“My favorite track to compete at is Diecast 64,” Keith mentions. “It was the first place I sent cars to race. Robby does a great job of hosting the races and putting out the content for the racers.”

“D64 is and always will be the proving ground,” adds Thomas. “Neither Keith nor I have missed one race since we started in June of last year. That is where you find out what kind of builder you are.”

Being that they are both at the top of the game, and they share a last name, it’s not terribly surprising that they are often mistaken for each other. And yet, Keith says, “I think everyone is finally figuring it out.”