During the 2023 Champ Off-Road season, Mark Steinhardt won his first-ever PRO Buggy championship after competing against one of the largest fields in the premier buggy divisions in recent memory. This victory added a third different-class championship to his already stellar career.
Mark Steinhardt started racing in 1988 when SODA was the leading short-course series in the category now recognized as Light Buggy. Success came later in that first year with two victories. In his second year, he saw continued success with more wins and his first-class championship.
A few years later, Mark moved up a class to 1600 Buggy. Although the two buggy classes may seem similar at first glance, 1600 Buggy’s design results in a much faster and better-handling race car. It took Mark a couple of years to catch up with the established drivers in the class, but eventually, he started running up front.
The next 25 years saw Steinhardt continuously pushing the limits with new Buggy chassis designs. He started with a Terminator chassis built by Todd Attig and later designed a buggy with his close friend Glen Mathews. Throughout this time, sanctioning bodies changed more than once, and as new tracks were added to the schedule, Mark gained a reputation as one of the favorites to win every time out.
In 2016, Mark embarked on a new challenge in his racing career. The decision was made to switch to PRO Buggy, considered the “Indycar” of short-course off-road racing. This single-seat class offers more power and suspension than the other buggy classes. Some questioned if Mark’s age would limit his success at this point in his career. The learning curve was steep, but the veteran racer was up to the challenge. In recent years, Mark Steinhardt has placed in the top three in points every season since 2020, culminating with his PRO Buggy title in 2023.
When asked about the number of wins and championships in his career, Mark replied, “People often ask me about my achievements, but I’m not the kind of person who keeps track of that stuff. I do what I do because I love it and enjoy doing it. So, when it comes to my accomplishments and aspirations, I honestly don’t know.” After a pause, he continued, “I have either 13 or 14 Crandon World Championships and probably about the same for class championships. The total wins across all classes, with all the different series, someone mentioned that the number was around 130.”
When asked about some of the past highlights, “I think I won eight races one year. Another is every time I won a Crandon World Championship ring; everyone that races at The Big House wants a ring. But you know, as funny as it sounds, I think the proudest thing I remember the most is winning the Montreal Olympic Stadium race. It was a very prestigious race with the biggest names. Guys like Scott Taylor, Robby Gordon, Kevin and Jeff Probst, Todd Attig, Jerry Whelchel and others have raced there. I took my 1600 car with a slightly bigger air-cooled motor and beat all the Super Buggies. It’s hard to describe the feeling of winning in front of 80,000 cheering fans.”
Steinhardt noted that the support from friends and family over the years makes racing so special and so much fun. Many thanks go to his girlfriend, Marjean, his parents, Glenn and Julie Mathews, and Lonnie and Bobby Mode. His extended circle of friends at the track has always been there as well. “What is great about short-course are the people,“ comments Steinhardt. “The competition is intense when we’re on the track, but if any of us need an extra hand or a part to get on the track the next day, everyone I race against is there to help.”
At the age of 59, Steiny is looking forward to defending his title at the season opener in Lena. Now he gets asked about race retirement, but don’t look for him to slow down anytime soon. “As long as we’re still having fun, I’ll keep racing.”
