Who is Bill Caswell?
Team Principal, Driver, Fabricator, Mechanic
Bill Caswell is a self-taught racing driver, mechanic, and fabricator, that rose to internet fame by taking a $500 Craigslist BMW to a World Rally Championship event in Mexico in March of 2010. His exploits have featured in places like ESPN Magazine, Grassroots Motorsports, NPR Radio, Wired.com and Jalopnik.com.
Caswell graduated with an MBA from University of Chicago in 2004 and spent several years working in finance. The economic downturn gave him the opportunity to follow his dreams and after constructing a car for pennies in his mom’s garage, he entered the world of rally in 2009. The next fifteen months saw Caswell embark on his rally adventure culminating at WRC Mexico 2010. With no team, no budget, and only a co-driver for help, he achieved a podium finish in one of the sport’s most grueling events. Bill typically competes with Rally America and NASA Rallysport in the U.S. and has competed in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, built his own BAJA 1000 racer in less than 14 days and drove it in the race, and developed an international following.
Caswell currently writes for Jalopnik.com and Wired.com. Paramount Pictures recently announced the development of a major motion picture based on his life’s story starring Academy-Award-nominated actor Jeremy Renner. ESPN summed it up here.
A lifelong fan of rally and motorsport, Caswell famously believes nothing to be impossible.
A few interviews on Bill:
The Story with Dick Gordon which aired on NPR: http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_1021_Bill_Caswell.mp3
Jalopnik.com: How a $500 Craigslist Car Beat $400k Rally Cars
Bangshift.com: What the hell is a Bill Caswell?
Timeline:
2009
May – Rally Tennessee
June – Leave the Bank of Montreal and buy $500 car
August – Ojibwe Forest Rally
September – Rally Colorado
October – Lake Superior Performance Rally
2010
January – Sno*Drift Rally
March – WRC Mexico/ Rally America - This is the Jalopnik.com $500 rally car story
June – STPR
July – Pikes Peak International HillClimb
July – New England Forest Rally
August – Minicup race in Michigan
October – Build Baja BMW on floor of SEMA
November – Baja 1000
2011
March – WRC Mexico
July – Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
November – Baja 1000
2012
February – 100 Acre Wood Rally
March – WRC Mexico
March – Mint 400
August – Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
September – Targa Newfoundland
December – Redline Time Attack
