Spotlight: Oscar Bitar
Performance Tech Motorsports has a knack for finding young talent and molding them into capable and accomplished racing drivers.
The teams’ latest conquest is a young driver hailing from Paraguay, Oscar Bitar. Raised in rally car racing, Bitar is no stranger to motorsports, however, he’s new to prototypes and the sportscar format in 2022. With aid from Performance Tech Motorsports, Bitar has begun the tedious and trying trek to realize his dream; becoming a professional racing driver.
“I was born into a racing family,” Bitar said, “My father and uncle were rally drivers, so I grew up around race cars. I feel like racing is in my blood; I think it’s because of them that I have this passion. Since I was a kid I dreamed of being a race car driver. I started in go-karts and then moved onto rally cars to become a rally driver like them.”
Not only was Bitar raised around rally car racing, but he also had his own successful soirée in the sport. Beginning in 2012 he cinched three championships in three years before deciding he needed a new challenge. With little access to sportscar racing in South America, Bitar looked to the United States for an introduction to prototypes.
“As I said, before joining Performance Tech I was a rally driver,” Bitar said. “I competed in rally cars for three and a half years. During that time I won three championships, two of them were national rally championships and one was a South America rally championship. I stopped racing rallies because it’s not something you can really do as a professional career. I went to Brazil, Argentina, and EEUU to race in a few GT events, which was super fun and I was able to win a few races there.”
With nearly over a decade of experience to boast, Bitar is well aware of what it takes both physically and mentally to achieve peak performance. Though his access to sportscar opportunities is limited, he maximizes his seat time, mental and physical training to ensure he’s always ready to go when graced with a chance to drive.
“To prepare for a race I train both physically and mentally,” Bitar said. “I’ll go drive go-karts and watch videos of LMP3’s on the track that I am headed to. I can’t do much more than that because we don’t have real GT tracks here, and even worse, we have no cars that are similar at all to a prototype. It’s very hard for me to be on pace in the races right away, everything is new and I have to learn as fast as I can to be near the top. Every single minute in the car is important to me, that’s why I get so upset when the sessions get red-flagged. But nothing is impossible, and I know I can do it. This is my first year, I just need time and to work hard. I have a great team and a super-fast teammate so as long as I am working hard that is all I need to succeed.”
As the IMSA Prototype Challenge season has progressed Bitar continues to increase his pace and comfort in the Ligier JSP320. With two events remaining he is ready to push himself to the edge in order to get a podium finish for Performance Tech Motorsports.
“My first goal right now is to be fast,” Bittar said. “I want to be as fast as I can be and finish on the podium. Performance Tech Motorsports deserves to be at the top! In terms of my future, my biggest goal is to grow my professional racing career, step by step, until I get to the top of the prototype category.”
Next up for Bittar and the No. 6 is IMSA Prototype Challenge Round 4 at VIRginia International Raceway. Taking place August 26-28, the weekend will serve as the penultimate round in the 2022 season. For schedule details and ticket sales visit https://www.imsa.com/events/2022-michelin-gt-challenge-at-vir/.