About Us

Throughout Performance & Racing Tech Talk and the interconnected Automotive, Marine and Motorcycle Tech Talk sites, one can find the constant and consistent theme of passion, enthusiasm and effort, all offered from a team and individuals that have contributed to this site from all disciplines and perspectives including: design, engineering, technology, marketing, journalism, and education which form an integral part of the overall design.

Performance & Racing Tech Talk’s dedication unites these enthusiasts to provide or share information, and interact on many subjects in one convenient location, with the intent that Performance & Racing  Tech Talk and many of the Tech Talk sites that are the source for the state of the art technology and for research and support for many automotive, marine, motorcycle and motorsports enthusiast with their own individual questions and answers globally.

Stefan Pagnani

I have a host of great memories when my father took me in my early childhood to the Hockenheimring and Nurburgring to watch the Formula 1 and Motor Gp races to be involved in the ultimate indoctrination into a culture of performance & racing, technology and immortal idols such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jacky Ickx, Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Mario Andretti and Michael Schumacher and many more.

Now, more than four decades later and still an enthusiast and as a Motor Press Guild member with journalistic and editorial responsibility for one of my own Motorsport website. I started building this platform Performance & Racing Tech Talk with a team of automotive, marine, motorcycle journalist and IT professionals to create and devote a series of 100 plus special automotive, marine, motorcycle tech talk web sites that interlink and tie together to (consistently and uniquely titled Auditechtalk.com Ferraritechtalk.com, Lotustechtalk.com ...) and many more.

My goal is to bring every automotive, marine, motorcycle, enthusiast into the inner circle by providing the ultimate global platform for our members to interact by means to ask questions and ultimately receive answers from members and journalists and members from the automotive, marine and motorcycle industry with how to videos and hosted Performance & Racing Tech Talk radio broadcasts globally.   

I would like to Introduce our team!


Pete Evanow

Evanow has worked in the transportation and sports marketing industries for 25 years, performing public relations and other writing duties for a variety of clients.  He has managed public relations and marketing and promotional assignments for a major trade show, as well as projects for such clients as Falken Tire, Brown Industries and Koni Shocks, and has served in supervisory roles on a number of key automotive product launches including the redesigned Toyota Camry and Sequoia introductions, and dealer programs for Acura, Ford, Nissan and Infiniti.  Among his specialties are developing niche marketing and sales training programs for auto manufacturers, and preparing brand communications strategies relative to experiential programs through a proprietary form of “turnstile marketing.”

Evanow also has served as a contributor to automotive publications and websites as a freelance writer, and is the author of Z: 35 Years of Nissan’s Sports Car, published by Motorbooks International. 

As an adjunct professor at California State University, Fullerton, teaching advertising and writing courses in the College of Communications and the Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, Evanow has just completed 10 years of service to the University, and will begin his second year as a member of the Academic Senate in the fall semester.  He also is the incoming Chairman of the Internships and Service Learning Committee on campus.

Originally from Washington, D.C., Evanow earned a BBA in Business Management from the College of William & Mary in Virginia.  Upon graduation, he went on to receive an M.S. in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. 

Lou Leto

In addition to his passion and enthusiasm for all things automotive and performance (as a marketing and sales leader, product designer, program innovator for a SEMA company, consultant, motorsports journalist, rodder, and racer), Lou Leto continues to apply his experience to business and the community. He is very active with various Business Associations, serving on many committees, and is a voting member of a Government Review Council.  Lou was recognized by his Chamber peers that voted him their Business Ambassador of the Year. 

His broad and diverse experience includes developing and implementing many American-made products and programs in 45 countries. His product designs made of high quality aluminum or composites were influenced by automotive history or design.

Lou’s 30+ year strategic business career includes marketing, sales, distribution, and dealer development across the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Projects range from product development for premium and Limited Edition or Special Edition consumer items, B2B and B2C marketing programs, and developing innovative industry training programs and consumer collateral materials in 8 languages. 

A Motor Press Guild member with journalistic and editorial responsibility for an automotive magazine, Lou was also selected by newspapers to be on their Opinion Section Sounding Board.  His articles also appear in other international automotive journals, and newspapers/journals throughout California. 

Because of his years of dedication to mentoring high school and college students with career guidance and preparation, he was asked by California State Assembly member Jean Fuller to join as a member of the Vocational Education Task Force.  Additionally, he serves on an Industry Business Advisory Committee to a college that has successfully fast-tracked guidance, creation and State approval for an Energy Technician certification program  

His professional experience was honed while in executive management for corporations and companies including ZERO Halliburton and a category leading automotive aftermarket company. Lou continues to assist companies, non-profit entities, and industry organizations. He has also served on various Boards of Directors for major industry organizations, chairing committees for Publications, Marketing, and International Trade.

He continues to apply the same expertise to help companies and individuals that seek to grow to the next level. 

Len Manley

Following a long career with Ashland Oil and Valvoline, Inc., Leonard (Len) Manley retired as Vice President of Public Affairs in the early Nineties.  During his career, Mr. Manley was responsible for Valvoline’s worldwide marketing, advertising and public affairs programs. Valvoline is sold in over 100 countries. 

At Ashland Oil, Inc.‘s advertising department, Manley held a number of executive positions, including Vice President of Advertising and Sales Promotion and Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.  During his extensive career, he was responsible for developing and expanding the company’s worldwide motorsports and communications programs.  Manley is considered the pioneer of Valvoline’s successful motorsports program which was initiated in the early 1960’s, and culminated with Valvoline’s sponsorship of Mario Andretti’s Formula One World Championship for Team Lotus in 1978.  Today, Valvoline is still a leading participant in motorsports internationally.

A native of Ashland, Kentucky, Len Manley attended the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University on football scholarships.  He also attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.  As a high school football standout, he was selected by the Orlando, Florida Sentinel newspaper to the All-Southern scholastic team in 1944.  He is an alumni member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a University of Kentucky Fellow, having served on U.K.‘s Development Council.

. Immediately following his retirement from Valvoline, Manley formed a sports marketing company, Len Manley Associates, with offices in Lexington and Los Angeles. He represented clients in a management and consultancy capacity in areas of marketing, public relations, and sports sponsorships on national and international levels.

In June of 1993, Manley closed his sports marketing business to join Petrolon, Inc., a Houston-based international company that marketed automotive additive products worldwide.  He served as Vice President and Managing Director Europe with residency and offices in England and Monaco.  In 1995,, Manley elected to return to the U.S. where he continued as Vice President Sports Marketing for Petrolon International in Lexington and Houston.

Manley later resigned from Petrolon to reinstate his PR/Sports Marketing and Sponsor Development business in Lexington, Kentucky.  In addition to motorsports sponsorships, Manley is currently working with film and TV producers on feature films, and television motorsports series sales.