ABOUT ELITE SHOCK SERVICES

Elite Shock Services is a small business run by Carter & Amy Gerlach.  ESS is a factory authorized rebuilder for Bilstein and QA1 shocks and also services many other major brands of shocks.  ESS primary focus is in customized circle track suspensions but also have started to do a fair amount of snowmobile, ATV, and motorcycle work.  Carter has also been racing for the past ten years in Midwest Modifieds, Modifieds, and Late Models.  Carter was also was the circle track technician at QA1 Precision Products for 2 years.

• QA1 Shock Sales & Service
• Repair & Rebuilding many major brands of shocks
• Customizing shocks for your race program
• Technical support included with all sales
• Shock team seminars
• Shock & suspension assistance
• Shock dyno service
• Race team consulting

Written By: All The Dirt Racing News
Supplement in the Builders Guide
(November 20th, 2007)
Those in need of assistance called and Carter Gerlach responded. Gerlach, a former family pitman turned racer, is a high school teacher by trade. He is also co-owner along with his wife, Amy, of Elite Shock Services of Elk River, MN. His primary focus is rebuilding, repairing and customizing QA1 and Bilstein racing shocks for customers in all divisions throughout WISSOTA-land.

Gerlach got into racing more than 20 years ago when he pitted for his dad and then his older brother. He jumped into his own WISSOTA Midwest Modified in 1999. His time behind the wheel influenced other areas of his life.

"With my passion for racing, I sought employment in the racing industry and found myself at QA1 Precision Products, focusing on the shock side of the company." Gerlach said. "While there I gained a large interest in shocks. With a sizable comute to and from Lakeville, MN, I decided to seek other opportunities."

"I am currently an automotives teacher in Champlin, MN. After I left QA1, I received a lot of calls from people wanting shock work and/or advice. That is how the business started."

Besides his primary work, Gerlach services shocks for snowmobiles, motorcycles, and ATV's. He also sells QA1, Bilstein, and Intercomp products. As an added bonus for his customers, Gerlach offers what he calls, "Shock Team Seminars," where individual racers or the entire teams come in for a one-on-one analysis of their shock program.

Racers who have already discovered the benefits of working with Elite Shock Services include, Cory Crasper, Joel Cryderman, Dave Cain, Buzzy Adams, and the newly crowned 2008 Minnesota Modified Nationals Champion, Steve Arpin. The list continues to grow as the racers realize the added benefit of the services ESS offers.

Whether a driver wins 20 features in a season or none doesn't matter to Gerlach when it comes to designing a shock program. "We offer shock and suspension assistance to racers of any budget," he said. "A racer can walk in with the current shocks they use and have them dynoed to see where to start without buying and new ones."

"When building a custom set for racers, we take a lot of things into account, like class of car, where they race, what brand of car, suspension type, tires, driving style, ect. When we combine all these variables, we can make a racer faster almost 100 percent of the time".

Gerlach prefers to ship products with Speedee Delivery and he accepts payment by VISA or Mastercard. He's also hoping to link up with a premier spring manufacturer to compliment his shock business, and he's also a retailer for shock dynos.

Of coarse, racers can expect nothing from Gerlach unless they call. "This is our first year in business, and we have helped many racers in the area improve their programs and save money doing it," he said.