NJ Starz: Mark Piatkowski (Hometown: Rockaway)

By Steve Sears

Mark Piatkowski certainly has had his success as an American Rally car driver, he the overall 2022 Sno*Drift Rally winner as well as the 2021 American Rally Association LN4 National Champion.

He now has attained another goal, racing in Europe for the first time in his career. In March, Piatkowski took part in the 2023 Rally Della Val D’Orcia, which is the opening round of the Italian Gravel Championship. More on that in a moment.

Piatkowski lives in Rockaway, but he grew up in East Brunswick. “Central Jersey is certainly close to my heart,” he says. “Having grown up there, I know the area like the back of my hands. It is a great place to grow up, it is half of south Jersey and half of north Jersey. You have both the Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese crowd, and you also have the Pork Roll crowd. It is funny how they both mesh together.”

Piatkowski feels it is most important to speak about his father, from whom his passion for rally racing stemmed. Andy Piatkowski grew up in Poland, and he in the 1970’s was a rally racer in his homeland, and then in the 1980’s in the United States. Piatkowski says, “When I was born in 1990, it was in my blood. I have been to a rally every year since I was two years old.” His first was the national level Pennsylvania Susquehanna Trail Performance Rally. “I have a lot of fond memories there, but it is not like he (his dad) has ever pushed me into it. For me it was inevitable because it was just in my blood. I have always held a Matchbox car or Hot Wheels car in my hand since I can remember, so it was only a matter of time before, I would not even say caught the bug, but that I began rallying myself.”

Piatkowski, 33, attended and graduated from East Brunswick High School, and then went on to study business and marketing at Montclair State University, from where he graduated in 2012. He is Senior Director of Marketing at Freedom Mortgage.

Piatkowski was 20 years old when he took part in his first race in 2010 – at the Pennsylvania STPR – so things had come full circle for him, and his first rally car was his first “regular” car: his beloved Subaru. Piatkowski says, “I have I have a lot of sentimental value for those cars. When I got my license, I drove the car for a little bit, and then I would say a year later, I started stripping it and building it for my eventual first rally. It was all self-funded, and based on what my dad had taught me and what I was reading online, it was a learning experience. It was just a matter of time before I got out on the on the racing circuit.”

Why a Subaru? There is an interesting backstory, and Piatkowski tells it. “When I was growing up, there was a famous rally car driver called Colin McRae. He won the world championship in 1995 in a Subaru. I was five years old at that time, and my dad was also looking for a new car, and I said, ‘You have to try Subarus!’ Since 1995 he has had a Subaru ever since, and that is how our love affair for that brand started. Before Subaru was heavily involved here in America, both my dad and I were huge fans of them.”

Piatkowski’s first Subaru has been sold. “I upgraded to a newer model Subaru, but the was starting to break, and you need to take shortcuts because you do not have funding to do things properly. That is when that dream fell apart because of the lack of funding and then, also to write it all off, I had a big accident.” in his class against drivers more familiar with the roads and vehicles being used. “To be an American on their soil and to do well for me was an accomplishment, and I also made a lot of great contacts.” car that I race right now here in the States is that same model from back in 1995 when they won the world championship,” Piatkowski explains. “It is crazy to say that that car is like vintage for me. I have bolted a lot of modern parts to it and made it quite modern, but it certainly takes me back, and I think I am proud to say that this is a car that when I was growing up won a world championship but has also won several championships for me as well. It also brings me back to my childhood, for sure.”

Piatkowski at age 23 was the Eastern Open Light Champion early in 2013, and Rally America named him Eastern Region champ that same year. “It was kind of the chunk of a dream come true,” Piatkowski says. “For me it was a great milestone. Obviously your first whatever in life is so special, and your first championship that you have worked hard for was certainly a milestone. But I did not want it to end there; it was just a stepping-stone for the next big thing, and that is how I framed it. I am not one to look back; I am always looking forward and asking myself, ‘What’s next?”

After his 2013 win, Piatkowski eyed national level success. He bought a higher-class Subaru with funds from the sale of his first car, in addition to his college budget funds. “It didn’t go very well,” he says. “Stuff

He purchased a third Subaru, continuing to stay with a vehicle that was both familiar and cost-effective, and in 2021 entered a national competition. Piatkowski says, “As I kept doing events, I kept winning my classes and doing well not only in my class, but so much on overall scale that halfway throughout the season, a lot of my friends were calling me saying, ‘You have a great chance at winning the national title. You should really consider this.’ I won my first national championship (the ARA LN4), which was honestly a dream come true. Especially when you do not plan for that at the beginning of the year.”

The one major challenge Piatkowski has had is attaining funding. All his racing endeavor funds have primarily come from himself. “I have pretty much done everything with my own two hands, from building my car, towing my car to events, to gathering up a team of friends and volunteers, and financing everything. It is a lot of work, but it is certainly very rewarding when it all comes true,” he explains.

Entering and driving with a Volkswagen Polo N5 car in Italy, Piatkowski had his power steering fail early in the race, and he had to drop out. He does not, however, let it get him down. “Having won the national championships and having won a rally outright, I went further than I would have ever imagined was possible with my machinery. I was really longing for the next thing on how to kind of progress as a driver, progress in my skill set, and trying not only new experiences overseas, but also trying faster machinery. And so that is what led me to start exploring different options in Europe.” When his power steering broke, he was second

Rally driving has, according to Piatkowski, prepared him well for his busy career and professional life. “It has shown me a good work ethic, that maintaining a cool, calm, and collected manner is good professionally. To take everything in a levelheaded stride, trying to be calm throughout the whole process not only works well in the car, but also works well professionally.”

Moving forward, Piatkowski still has his vision in international competition. “Where I stand in life, it will certainly be trying to give it my all and rally, seeing where I can be on an international scale. I think I still have a shot. Being 33 years old may seem to some people from a sporting perspective that I am actually quite senior, so I think this is my time to shine. These next I would say five or so years are my time to try to make whatever moves I can on an international scale. I would certainly like to take the experience that I have learned and see what I can do. I am just trying to fulfill a dream and see how far it can go.”

Piatkowski is also exploring mentoring and coaching younger drivers in his future. “My experience so far that I have had is probably more than a lot of people in the United States, so I am slowly starting to see if I can coach some people both from a racing perspective, or a mental perspective, or logistics perspective. As I grow more senior in my career, I will certainly explore coaching and being a mentor, seeing if I can kind of cultivate new and younger talent. I will take a slightly different seat as a grow older.”

For more information about Mark Piatkowski, visit www. MAP-Rally.com .