Meet Austin Phipps | Performance Shop and Race Program Owner.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin Phipps and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Austin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I feel that over my career I have gained knowledge in every aspect of this industry. After working for a few recent companies in management roles I feel held back by someone else’s way of doing things. Ultimately, the customers suffered to get the experience or service that they deserved. My passion for high performance and my race program ultimately benefit from working directly with manufacturers as well.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Passion is what sets me apart from others. My main reason for opening my service shop was my passion for seeing other’s dreams come true. Whether it’s an inexpensive repair to get them back on the road or a full race car build. Keeping my overhead low and a larger location than I need. I am allowed to take on the larger time-consuming projects that most shops can’t take on. Connections and relationships throughout my career have accelerated the opportunity to open a full-service shop. European-specific vendors grant me access to some of the best pricing possible. Possibly more important in this economic climate is the inventory of several vendors. Parts are hard to get for shops. I’ve learned those relationships are critical to the future of a company. You never know when a representative from a vendor leaves and joins a new organization. Growing your vendor base I believe is crucial to your ability to assist more clients. My brand is a combination of 25+ years of automotive experience. My exposure to the industry is incomparably dynamic. Growing up in a high-performance machine shop, my first job in a Hot Rod shop dismantling Ford big blocks for export to Australia, up to a successful service advisor for BMW.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Highway 89A. An absolutely beautiful road snaking through the mountains in north Arizona. Our mini tail of the dragon road. With a max possible speed of 50mph, it’s a blast to drive any type of vehicle on. The road that converted me from a die-hard BMW fan to an Audi lover. I took my wife for a weekend vacation up north in my 00 Audi S4 I had just purchased and restored from my old shop. Dealing with this type of vehicle daily in the service department, I knew it would be beneficial to experience ownership for myself. Relatively complete stock, we took the first trip up the mountain and that’s all it took. The Quattro all-wheel drive system wasn’t as aggressive as I predicted. The twin-turbo V6 manual transmission was a rocket up the mountain. We took several trips up and down the mountain only to be shut down by the brakes getting so hot we thought the car was on fire. Digesting the drive in my head on the way to the hotel, while impressed. All I could think about was what if I took this advantage of the Quattro system away. Being on the same playing field as the BMW’s being rear-wheel drive only. Could it compete? I think my race program and company speak for themselves on what I found out.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Hailey, my wife without a doubt deserves all of the credit for where I am at today. She is my biggest fan. She is always encouraging and is fearless of my success. She is also my biggest critic, she knows where my passion comes from and where I plan to take my career. So she’s constantly pushing me to step out of my comfort zone.

Christian Andrade at PA Euros. He was a big supporter of my career and taught me so much about Audi’s. He has always had my best interest in mind. His life advice and friendship will be with me forever.

Brad Watkins at German Elite Tuning. This guy never says no to my ideas, just “How can I help make that happen”. Supporting me on and off the track. He inspires me to do more social media.

Parker Adkins Co-Owner at MSR Werkz. Starting as a Mulletsport Racing merch customer, because he has a Mullet and an Audi S4. He offered to help out on the race car after hours and hasn’t left in over a year. LOL Parker is just starting his automotive career. With experience in a performance diesel shop, he had the foundation in place. Learning Audi’s and gas high performance with MSR has been amazing to watch. He share’s my passion for Euro performance. His goal for MSR Werkz is to set the 3.0t 1/4 mile world record one day.

Website: https://mulletsportracing.square.site/

Instagram: MSRWerk and Mulletsport_Racing

Facebook: Mulletsport Racing

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mulletsport/about

Image Credits
Bri – @hippiebriii