My greatest regret when winter rolls in is no more SCCA Solo. To the uninitiated that translates into autocross. My summers are spent running my MX-5 in various events throughout the northeast. I even won 1st place in GS class in a rented Mustang. Obviously no date or location is given to incriminate myself on that event.
All of this hyperbole though is a warm up to introduce my “Autocross Run of the Week.”
Apparently, the driver gave the specs of his car and wheels to an auto parts store employee, but they gave him lugs that were SAE and should have been Metric. This resulted in lugs that felt as if they were torqued down, but loosened when a substantial amount of force was applied against them. The good news is there was very little structural damage to the car, mostly cosmetic. All the workers responded quickly to the incident and maintained the safety of everyone out there.
Day two of the International Motor Press Association’s Test Days takes us to Pocono Raceway, where the real fun begins. Not that off roading isn’t fun, but it’s a whole different type of session once the adrenalin kicks in.
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s been 15 years since I’ve driven on a track. Also, I’ve never done any competitive driving in a rear wheel drive car, unless you count a single autocross in my 1975 Fiat 124 coupe way back in high school. In other words, I was more than a little nervous and had put together a plan to prevent me from embarrassing myself. Also, it would be pretty bad for one of the new guys to bend some tin the first time out! My plan was to begin with a low horsepower, front wheel drive of some sort, possibly a platform that I’m used to so I could comfortably get back into the swing of things. As the day progressed, I would move to the faster machinery and then the rear drivers in the afternoon. Ultimately my plan worked, but that wasn’t without a bit of excitement on the first lap. Continue reading →
When I was very young (I’m told by my parents) that I was obsessed with cars. I was always intrigued with how they worked.
I was 12 when I got my first car. It wasn’t much, but it allowed me to learn the mechanical and electronic functions of the car. Once I understood what each part was and its functions, the first thing that came to my mind is how can I make it better or faster.
It wasn’t until high school that I learned how difficult racing is. No one had a real sense of knowledge in the sport. I remember asking my shop teacher about it, and he had pulled me aside and asked me why I had an interest in racing. I explained to him that it captivated me and I wanted to get involved in it. Not much was said after that.
After that I would talking to classmates about racing and racing events. I found that most, if not all, the classmates that I talked to didn’t race or had any interest in it. I was on my own.
It wasn’t until I was 18 when I attended my first Autocross event. Understanding the cars behaviour and making the changes to improve the performance and efficiency is what drives me. After 4 years of Autocrossing, I had to put racing on hold and concentrate on my business.
After a long absence and closing the business, I got back into it. I started to compete in the SoloSprint Series. This is my second year with a new car, new people, and it’s exciting!
I had a few mechanical set backs with the car but I’m on track to finish the season.
How far would you go for your dream? Would you be willing to risk everything? That’s the question I ask myself every day.
I was asked to write about my experiences in automotive and racing. I’m tired of complaining about it; I’m ready to help make a difference.
I’m new to The Garage, and like many of you, I wasn’t born into racing. I caught the racing bug at a very young age. My father brought me to my first Auto Cross event when I was seven years old. I still remember that day. There was everything from Camaro’s to Austin Mini’s. The exhaust notes of a race car, and the sound if the occasional pylon getting hit, and the smells of burning tires and brakes are things I’ll never forget. Continue reading →
One of the cool things about modern, old skool rods is that they are built to be driven. In some cases even flogged, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rod running an autocross course! That was part of the scene though at the Good Guys Nationals a few weeks ago in Nashville. The Garage’s roving Nashvillian, Scott Simmons from the EditBlog was on the scene and scooped tons of pics. Everything from rat rods to modern muscle, 32 Fords to Ford GT’s and just about everything in between. Even a killer Short Bus.
It’s good to see the new tin being pushed so soon! Japanese drift modul Taro Koki is living and working in the States these days and spent some time at Gymkhana USA last weekend. While he was there, he had Dai Yoshihara from the Rockstar/Nitto drift team put the 08 Lancer through it’s paces. Taro promises there is video to follow.
Years ago I remember reading a Peter Egan story about his love of the Bugeye Sprite. There was a bit in there about how much fun the little cars were to drive. You could race through an intersection at full opposite lock, at 35 mph and nobody would even notice that you were having the time of your life.
Today, Tom Ford over at Top Gear is telling the same tale: Now I’ve come to the conclusion that I actually really get off on strange little cars that require more driver input. Continue reading →
Having spent the last year and a half blogging about cars, traditional print car mags have lost their luster for me. Why? Really it’s just that by the time they print stuff, it’s very old news. I don’t even buy R & T any more, I just read Peter Egan’s Side Glances online. The only publication that I still buy religiously is Grassroots Motorsports.
You see, GRM is a car mag that is put together by real car guys who like to get dirty and then play with their creations. Heck, a friend is even involved in the production side of the so called Canadian Edition.
