BUSINESS FEATURE HDMotorsports Local shop keeps hobby cars running across Central Texas W hen Todd “Therk” Therkildsen opened HD Motorsports, along with Michael Ehrhardt and David Gray, in 2020, he brought with him a lengthy auto industry resume. Therkildsen has worked on all manner of engines as a NASCAR and drag racing mechanic and did a stint in the Army as a mechanic as well. “I decided I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore, and I opened up HD Motorsports in the middle of the pandemic,” Therkildsen said. “I started with me and two other mechanics, and now we have 10 full-time employees and one part-time.” HD Motorsports, located at 2118 Downing Lane, Leander, bills itself as o ering performance car services and upgrades, but can—and does—do much more for local hobbyists. A scan of the shop recently revealed several di erent Corvette builds from third to fth gen- erations, a Chevrolet K20 truck being readied for o -road handling and several other immaculate classic cars. “Somebody put it best that we’re a speed shop with a race team,” Therkildsen said. “We work on a lot of people’s toys. But it’s only a matter of time before we completely outgrow this space. We are currently looking for something in this community because we like being where we are, and so, we’re looking for another space twice this size.” The work at HD Motorsports includes everything from ne-tuning engines, to increasing safety performance, to tires, wheels and handling as well as supporting the cars it works on at various tracks around Texas on the weekends. “We don’t ever come in and go, ‘Well, we don’t have anything to do today,’” Therkildsen said. From the time HD Motorsports opened though, one project car has loomed large in the garage. In 1999, Ford introduced the 11th generation of its iconic Thunderbird, intending it for the 2001 model year. The prototype that the company pushed across the oor of the Detroit Auto Show for the media was never intended to be street legal. That exact car, though, then a dull yellow, now silver, found its way to HD Motorsports and its team spent over a year getting it into shape. Built around a Jag- uar engine—Ford owned the British automaker from 1999-2008—with a Ford transmission and lacking even a proper VIN number, the car stands out in a parking lot littered with eye-catching machines. “It was supposed to be crushed, but someone got ahold of it and took it to a shop in Louisiana and another in Austin but could never get it to run well,” Therkildsen said. “Not only did we get it to run, you can drive it around town if you want. That’s one of the cooler projects we’ve had in the shop.” BY EDDIE HARBOUR
HDMotorsports co-owner Todd “Therk” Therkildsen, front rowwith hand on roof, stands with his team in their shop.
PHOTOS BY EDDIE HARBOUR COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
FROMTHE FREEWAY TO THE SPEEDWAY
The services o ered at HD Motorsports can get near-most any project car ready for a weekend run on the track, improve its overall performance and even get a truck or SUV o -road ready. Among the services the shop provides include:
Track inspections and preparations HD can act as a de facto pit crew for runs at any of the tracks within a four-hour drive from Leander. Tires and alignment The shop utilizes the HawkEye alignment system from Hunte and its mounting and balancing machine. Safety equipment installs Roll cages and bars can add an extra layer of safety for drivers looking to test the limits of their cars. Clean room assembly HD has a temperature-controlled room in which it rebuilds engines to exacting speci cations. Suspension installs Not just for o -roading, custom suspension work can provide ideal handling at high speeds.
HDMotorsports is located north of New Hope Drive in Leander, between Ronald Reagan Blvd. and 183A Toll.
The 1999 Ford Thunderbird prototype that HD Motorsports worked to get road ready.
DOWNING LN.
HDMotorsports 2118 Downing Lane, Ste. 120, Leander. 512-886-3443 www.hdmstx.com Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-.Fri., Sat. by appointment, closed Sun.
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CEDAR PARK LEANDER EDITION • MARCH 2022
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