About Us
Northstar Motorsports first opened in 1990 primarily as a local business. In 1997 John and Jeannie Ruther bought the Company and immediately moved it to a new 5,000 square foot facility housing a retail showroom, offices, warehouse and race shop.
John and Jeannie have enjoyed a lifetime of being car enthusiasts. John started racing cars in his 20s while in the Army stationed in Germany. He really enjoyed attending driving schools and racing at the famous Nurburgring Nordschliefe. It was quite an experience calling the world's most difficult track his home track. And in 1993, both John & Jeannie spent a wonderful week at the Scuderia Hanseat Driving School at the Nordschliefe. This was a reunion for John after not driving there for nearly 25 years and a first time experience for Jeannie, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
After a very successful career in the corporate world, John was fortunate enough to retire in 1997 and pursue his passion of auto racing on a full time basis. That meant doing some professional racing and of course, buying Northstar Motorsports. Since then, they have grown Northstar into the premier supplier of auto racing safety equipment. Northstar offers "All the Brands You Trust". John's vast knowledge of cars and racing has been extremely valuable in selling safety equipment. If John won't use it or wear it, we won't sell it!
Jeannie comes from a very strong corporate real estate and retail background and has also shared the passion for cars and racing. Jeannie was the founder and owner of a retail boutique before purchasing Northstar with John. Jeannie has also been known to drive rallye cars as well!
The background match between John and Jeannie set the stage for a perfect blend of car enthusiasts, racer and retailer, so owning Northstar Motorsports is a natural.
Since purchasing Northstar in 1997 John and Jeannie have grown the business into a true international Company with customers in every state in the U.S., all Canadian Provinces, and countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Dubai, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Germany, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.
Northstar is the largest distributor of Pagid Racing Brake Pads in the U.S.
Northstar maintains a strong web presence and is continuing to update our website to provide our customers the best and easiest shopping experience when ordering. Northstar has also been featured in most of the auto racing trade publications throughout the years. We pride ourselves in offering exceptional customer service. All of this has resulted in a very strong customer following and brand recognition. The bottom line is, We Care!
Northstar has been granted trademarks for its name and logo in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Choosing the right safety equipment can be confusing. We at Northstar not only sell safety equipment but believe in educating our customers. We have developed a series of product videos to help our customers understand the features and differences between products. If you have not viewed our videos, we encourage to do so. We are always here to answer any questions you may have. So give us a call.
In addition to the series of product videos, John has also produced in-car videos from some of the most popular tracks in North America. Again, these videos are a great teaching tool and a wonderful way to learn a track even before you get there. These in-car videos are for sale on our website and we even give them out on occasion.
Northstar Motorsports prides itself on carrying an extensive inventory all at competitive prices with the best customer service in the business.
We are The Original Racing ResourceSM!
Article Reprinted from the NORTHWEST HERALD Newspaper, July 25, 1997