Search

Current Visitors

We have 886 guests and no members online

Gorilla racing continues their winning tradition dating back to 1974. The Gorilla team, consisting of brothers Chuck and Chris Silva from Livonia, MI has thrilled race fans throughout the Michigan, Ohio and Indiana area. Gorilla Racing has competed at over 30 different tracks; 12 in Michigan (Auto City, Dixie, Flat Rock, Galesburg, Hartford, Kalamazoo, Mottville, Mt Clemens, Owosso, Spartan, Springport and Tri City. Winning races at eight of them). Over a span of 34 years, Gorilla Racing has taken the racing circuit by storm with:

2004 & 2005 Auto City Modified Champions
2007 & 2008 Dixie Motor Speedway Modified Champion
Over 360 total races won (69 features)
Over 245 top five finishes
Over 500 top ten finishes
Fast time in excess of 60 times

The number 11 “GORI11A” race cars, which became their trademark has raced Super Late Model’s for over 30 years. This was their fourth complete season in a Modified race car winning the championship at Dixie Motor Speedway. The Gorilla team has finished 30 times in the top ten in points and 20 times in the top five in points along with their four championships.

Between 1974 and 2008, Gorilla Racing was…voted the “Best appearing car” twelve times; won the “Hard Charger Award” seven times; won the “Hard Luck Award” three times; won the “Car and Crew of the Year” three times; won the “Sportsman of the Year Award” six times; and received the “Excellence in Motor sports marketing award - AC Delco and JSK Promotions”. At the 2008 Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club banquet Chris was selected as the 2008 Mechanic of the year. In addition, the Gorilla team had fast time of the year for the modified division at both Auto City and Dixie speedway’s in 2004 and again at Auto City in 2007. Further, the fast time at Dixie was a new Modified track record for that speedway. In 2006, the Gorilla team broke their own track record at Dixie and became the first modified team to break into the fifteen second bracket.

Gorilla Racing is family owned and operated. Chuck Silva is the man behind the wheel while Brother Chris is the man under the hood. They were introduced to the sport as young children and grew up in the footsteps of their father Ralph Silva, who competed as a car owner and team manager from 1964 to 1997. With the unexpected death of their father in 1998, the 1997 AC Delco Race of Champions at Auto City Speedway proved to be one of their greatest feature wins. The win was dedicated to Ralph, the man they truly loved and idolize.
 
Chuck Silva
Chuck began driving competitively in 1974 at the age of 16. He inherited his instinctive driving skill and foot-to the-floor style from his father Ralph. Chuck’s winning spirit and love for the sport is evident on and off the track. No matter what goals he sets for himself, he is always striving to be the best that he can be. Even when adversity stares him in the face, his perseverance and competitive nature keeps him coming back to the track week after week. For example, in 1991 while racing at Spartan Speedway he broke his left wrist. Two weeks after surgery and still in a cast, he returned to Spartan Speedway to capture wins on two separate occasions. Three years later he was involved in yet another accident, this time breaking his right wrist. Despite the pain, he drove the remaining 65 laps of the 70-lap feature crossing the finish line in second place. Not even surgery could keep him away. He was back at the track the next day.

Chris “Gorilla” Silva
Chris is in charge of the daily activities and is responsible for the overall direction of Gorilla Racing. He spends long hours at their fully equipped shop building & maintaining the engines, designing, fabricating & assembling the bodies along with setting up the chassis. Chris puts a lot of hard work and effort into making fast as well as safe cars. The Gorilla’s vast knowledge and experience is known throughout the pit area. As a former driver (1976-1984) and owner of Gorilla Engine Service, Chris knows what it takes to be a competitive and winning team. Because of that, other drivers and mechanics seek his advice on engine and chassis setup. Off the track, Chris is a technician at Daimler-Chrysler responsible for dynamometer testing of prototype engines including NASCAR racing engines. As you can see, racing is a part of him, his profession and his life.