Michelin Insider: From Hauler to Dino, Ross Keeps AO Rolling

For Brett Ross, the call that pulled him into sports cars came from an old friend: IMSA President John Doonan.

“I’ve been good friends with him since he started in racing,” Ross said. “One day, he calls me up and says, ‘Hey, there’s a sports car team in St. Charles, Ill., just starting out. You might be able to help them.’”

Ross was hesitant. After all, he was an open-wheel guy. His resume included a run in CART and IndyCar from 1996 to 2001—and again, briefly, when Doonan reached out.
Sports cars? That wasn’t his world.

But Ross made the call. And then he took the job.

“It was a bit of a culture shock,” he said. “I remember walking back from the pits in Daytona, carrying equipment. A guy pulls up next to me on a tugger and says, ‘Hey, need a ride?’ I was stunned. In IndyCar, they just drive right by you. It’s just a different mentality here.”

Now fully immersed in the IMSA world, Ross is AO Racing’s transportation & logistics manager. That title may sound straightforward, but the job is anything but. AO Racing rolls into every race weekend with a full convoy: multiple semis, a motorcoach, support trailers, and a mountain of gear.

“There’s just a tremendous amount of ancillary equipment and electronics,” Ross said. “The number of trailers it takes to run an IMSA weekend—it’s incredible.”
Thankfully, getting that gear to the track is made a bit easier with help from Michelin truck tires.

“They are on most of our trailers and support vehicles,” said Ross.

But Ross does more than drive trucks and handle logistics.

He’s also Rexy—the team’s beloved inflatable dinosaur mascot.

“We needed someone to wear the costume,” Ross said. “It’s hot in there, but I volunteered. I figured, why not? It’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to celebrity status in my life!”

What started as a fun side gig has turned into a fan-favorite tradition.

“You walk around as Rexy and it’s like being on the red carpet,” Ross said. “Fans are saying, ‘Look this way, look this way, over here, can I get a picture over here?”

That fame extends to the merch trailer, too—where the team can’t keep items in stock.

“We sell so much of it, we can’t keep up,” Ross said. “At Daytona, we sold out multiple times. They literally had to shut the trailer down during the race. We couldn’t get more product fast enough.”

Now, with Road America around the corner, Ross and the team are ready to go full throttle—both on the track and in the paddock.

“This is the team’s home race,” he said. “So many friends and family will be there. We’ll have the merch stocked, Rexy and Spike will be ready, and it’s going to be a blast.”