About
Pacific Throttle House
Our Team
Peter Ralphs
Leading the focus and direction of the Pacific Throttle House shop is industry veteran Peter Ralphs, who uses more than 30 years of experience to keep clients’ vintage race cars running in peak condition. His career began in the UK with a four-year civilian apprenticeship with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, the elite corps that provides engineering support to the British Army. Building on this extensive training, he has since served as lead mechanic on the Arrows Formula 1 team and has experience with series including Formula 3000, British Touring, Trans-Am, Formula Atlantic and more. From building Formula Fords and NASCAR trucks to IMSA GTP and DP03 prototypes, he is well-equipped to meet a wide range of vintage race car needs.
Mike Sweeney
Mike Sweeney is a racing driver, spotter, and coach with over 20 years of experience in historic racing. Getting his professional start in racing schools, Mike spent over ten years as an instructor at some of the nation’s best programs, including a 10-year stint at the old Skip Barber Racing School. After making his mark as a winning driver in the ultra-competitive Grand Am KONI Challenge, Mike spent 9 years managing Pacific Throttle House after co-founding the shop in 2012, giving him a thorough understanding of what it takes to field a competitive car. Alongside the shop, Mike has worked continuously in professional racing for the last 15 years as both a driver coach and as a spotter, a role that has expanded in recent years as Ralphs has taken over management of PTH. In his role for PTH, Mike does everything from testing and setup work to driver instruction and consultation. On any given weekend he isn’t at the track with PTH, you’ll find him on the radio with Vasser-Sullivan Racing and Roadshagger Racing on IMSA weekends, and Wright Motorsports if it’s an SRO event. Literally, Mike’s job is to help driver’s deliver their best performance, regardless of their skill level.
JESSE SALDUA
Jesse is the Pacific Throttle House General Manager. He is responsible for office management, billing, customer interface, supporting technical staff and inventory management.
Tim Johnson
Tim is our newest Race Car Technician. He formerly worked at Canepa Motorsport in Scotts Valley, California in a supportive role for the motorsports and service divisions. He later pursued a degree in Automotive Technology at the University of Kauai top of his class. Before coming to PTH he worked restoration and service of vintage motorcycles at Mason George Motorcycles in Felton.
TOMMY PHAM
Tommy is an experienced Race Car Technician with 12 plus years’ experience at the previous Skip Barber Racing School at Laguna Seca as a race car mechanic. After that he worked 1 year as a mechanic and race prep support staff for Dietsch Werks Lotus cup team. Following that, he has worked at Pacific Throttle House as a mechanic and race car track support team member.
Founded on a passion and respect for vintage race cars, Pacific Throttle House specializes in the repair, service and transport of historic vehicles. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of safety, performance, presentation and authenticity as we bring all classes of cars back to original race condition. A family-owned shop under the leadership of a foreman with over three decades of motorsports experience, we are a team dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of vintage racers, from comprehensive race car preparation to driver development to best-in-class transport and trackside support.