Long time auto writer and father of the Cannonball, Brock Yates has had some challenges lately. Yet another departure from Car & Driver saw him do a short stint in the blogosphere, penning typing a column at TTAC. That deal was short lived and it left many of us wondering when and where Mr. Yates would surface.

The blogging bug seems to have bitten, and Yates has done what he should have done a long time ago. Take matters into his own hands. That’s right, Yates has created the Engines with an Attitude which is an offshoot of the One Lap of America site.

While he will experience many of the same frustrations that plague other new bloggers, I think we’ll see Engines with an Attitude gain traction in the blogosphere quickly thanks to his sizable fan base. Now if his techie guys will just get him a cleaner url.

Welcome back Brock!

Once upon a time, blogging was the domain of individuals. The good ones were written by people who were passionate about their chosen topic. Then, along came the corporate world and created huge machines with dozens of writers. The B list keep toiling along, inspired to reach the level of the big guys. In the world of automotive blogs, the big guys are the likes of Autoblog and Jalopnik. At the top of the B-list food chain is the well read, opinionated and often inflamatory blog, The Truth About Cars.

TTAC is led by Robert Farago, a somewhat traditional freelancer who was determined to carve his very own niche in the blogosphere. Farago and his team have worked hard and been rewarded with a large, loyal following of readers. Even still, the big guns have remained just out of reach. So what to do? RF did what any General would do, he bought a bigger gun.
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On the race track silly! While I was putting together yesterday’s Carnival of Wheels, AC’s great post DE Smooth vs Race Smooth stuck a major chord with me. My whole life as a driver has been influenced by the pursuit of smooth.

It all began… Well, you can read about the effect semi pro racing in the Sixties had on me in the about page. Really though, at some point in my formative years I found a book called Sunday Driver by Brock Yates. Essentially, Yates wanted to race so that he could write about it intelligently. Except he didn’t want to be the guy who raced one or two regional events and then called himself an expert like so many other writers. He wanted to run a full season in Trans Am. The pinnacle of sedan racing in America at the time. One chapter hit me like a ton of bricks. While the actual words are a bit blurry, the message has stuck with me for the last 25 years or so. Yates’ team owner and team mate followed him through a practice session and then berated him for his lack of smoothness. While his teaching method might have caught him a smack upside the head from some, his message got through to Yates. Wild and woolly might be fun and look spectacular, but it beats up the car and it’s slow. Who woulda thunk?
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Vacations can be wonderful, but there’s always a bit of a mess to clean up when you get back. I thought it might be fun to post some of the cooler things that seem to have happened while I was gone. In no particular order, here are a few:

Nick Mason, drummer of Pink Floyd traded his 250 GTO for an A1GP car for a day. I bet that created a bit of a pucker.

Jalopnik tells us that GM has finally announced that it will build the new Camaro. It’s about time they follow Ford & DC on this. I can smell a new Trans Am.

Our thoughts go out to Christiano Da Matta who is currently in critical condition in hospital following hitting a deer in his Champ car during testing at Elkhart Lake. Wildlife and race cars just don’t mix.

Brock Yates may revive the Cannonball Run!

And finally, how about some phone sex when your Honda breaks down?

The entry lists for this event probably look like a typical regional race anywhere in the States at that time. Most of the drivers are local, with most from New York and a few from Pennsylvania or Ontario. One name though sticks out. At the top of the Formula Jr, III, Libre race is none other than New York’s own Brock Yates. The father of the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Run was driving a Taraschi. As I didn’t have a clue what a Taraschi was, a quick google taught me that it was a front engined, rear wheel drive Formula Junior with a Fiat engine.

pic of an unrelated Taraschi after the break

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