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B/F: The Drive Thru #23

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In this episode of the Gran Touring Motorsports podcast ‘The Drive Thru News’ the hosts discuss various motorsport events and news. They kick off with updates about the 90th running of Le Mans, noting significant changes and interesting metrics from the race, such as dry weather and fewer slow zones compared to previous years. They also highlight the performance of teams like Toyota, which dominated, and notable moments like the struggles and triumphs of LMP2 and GT classes. Next, they delve into F1, discussing issues like the porpoising problem with the new cars and recent races at Azerbaijan and Canada. The podcast also covers the upcoming sessions in the IMSA and SRO racing series, touching on the renewal of partnerships, the addition of GT4 in upcoming races, and the introduction of new cars by various manufacturers. Upcoming episodes and projects are teased, with mentions of interviews with several racing personalities. The podcast concludes with updates on local events, motorsport documentaries to watch, and humorous observations from a road trip.

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Showcase: MAXIMUM VITESSE! – LeMans ’22

Driver Ejected from 24 Hours of Le Mans for Just Being Bad at Driving

Race stewards kicked out the LMP2 driver “for the safety of himself and other competitors.” ... [READ MORE]

Michael Fassbender ‘okay’ after spinning and crashing in 24 Hours of Le Mans qualifying on race debut

Michael Fassbender caused a red flag at 24 Hours of Le Mans after spinning out of control and into the barriers during his debut race. The Proton Competition rider, driving a Porsche 911 RSR, had clocked a fastest lap time of 4:05.296 before the crash, but he was able to take his car to the pits and appeared unharmed. ... [READ MORE]

Lamborghini Chooses Ligier as LMDh Chassis Supplier

All Four Approved Constructors Have Now Aligned with Manufacturers for IMSA GTP Competition ... [READ MORE]

BMW Reveals Design, Name of LMDh Car

German manufacturer reveals design of LMDh car christened the BMW M Hybrid V8…  ... [READ MORE]

Cadillac Previews LMDh Car Design; Confirms V8 Engine

Cadillac reveals advanced renders of LMDh car, confirms “all-new” V8 engine choice… ... [READ MORE]

Racing in Style: Acura Teases New GTP Car

The Acura Design Studio Created the Exterior Look of the LMDh Car Set to Debut in the New GTP Class in 2023 ... [READ MORE]

The Le Mans Start

Crew Chief Brad, explores the history of "the Le Mans Start" in his blog The Viking Line ... [READ MORE]

**All photos and articles are dynamically aggregated from the source; click on the image or link to be taken to the original article. GTM makes no claims to this material and is not responsible for any claims made by the original authors, publishers or their sponsoring organizations. All rights to original content remain with authors/publishers.


Automotive, EV & Car-Adjacent News

For a list of all the articles and events referenced on this episode check out the show notes below.

Domestics

Commercial: Chevy Bolt EUV with “super cruise” for hands free driving

EVs & Concepts

Formula One

Japanese & JDM

Lost & Found

Lower Saxony

Lowered Expectations

Motorsports

Stellantis

Tesla

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the Gran Touring Motorsports podcast, break Fix, where we’re always fixing the break into something motorsports related. The drive-through is GTMs monthly news episode and is sponsored in part by organizations like h hpde junkie.com, garage riot, american muscle.com, hooked on driving and many others.

If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of the Drive-Through, look no further than www.gt motorsports.org under about and then advertising and sponsorship. Thank you again to everyone that supports Grantor Motorsports, our podcast Break Fix and all the other services we provide. All right, if you guys are ready.

Here we go. Welcome to Drive-through episode number 23. This is our monthly recap where we put together a menu of automotive motorsport and random car adjacent news. Now let’s pull up to window number one for some automotive news, except we’re not talking automotive news. We’re [00:01:00] starting with Motorsports News, right, Eric?

That’s right, because June is like the holy Grail of Motorsports month. To quote the announcers from Lamonts about two laps in after the yellows dropped. It is time for maximum Es, and that’s what we’re gonna be talking about this month, because Lamonts happened in June along with a lot of other racing, unlike last month where people thought summer was already over.

We’re in the middle of some of the longest racing days of the year where we have the most daylight. So this is absolutely fantastic. So we are gonna kick off this month by talking about Lamonts, the 90th running of Lamonts, and the 99th anniversary of the first running of Lamonts. Next year’s a little bit more special, but I just wanna put those facts out there for people.

Just the facts, just the facts.

But some interesting things about this year’s Lamont, it wasn’t the most exciting race in the world, [00:02:00] but there were a couple things that were different for the last few years that I have gotten very little sleep over two days. There was no rain. It’s been a first in years that it hasn’t rained even overnight, so it was a completely dry race this year.

It felt like there was a lot less yellows or quote unquote snow zones. In this year, compared to last, last year’s race, every five minutes there was some sort of slowdown, sector crash, some sort of disaster going on. This year was pretty clean. I feel like there’s a correlation between the lack of rain and the lack of slow zones.

Yeah. You think maybe, maybe, ah, to talk a little bit more about metrics, the fastest lap time of the race went to the second place. Toyota number seven at three minutes and 27 seconds. Let’s put that in perspective. They’re going eight and a quarter, eight and a third miles in three minutes. That’s hella fast.

I don’t care who you are, these guys are booking [00:03:00] Wasn’t the lab times the last time it was run a little bit quicker. It seems like lab times are down across the board in a mini series. That’s true. I’ve heard different speculation as to why changes in aerodynamics, parts of the track rep, pave changes, tire compounds, stuff like that.

You know, we don’t use the same tires every year after year. So yes, you’re right. They did post, all the qualifying times were down. They were slower by several seconds compared to years prior. But even the race pace times were down across the board faster than everybody else. Toyota at the front of the pack.

Not as fast as last year. However, this is an exit year for lamont’s. Next year, everything changes. It is the beginning of a whole new chapter for W E C, the introduction of L M D H, which is the replacement for LMP one and for those that have no idea what I’m talking about with regards to alphabet soup, it is the Pinnacle classes in endurance racing.

We’re talking about the professional prototype classes this year. We move away from P one or LMP [00:04:00] one into next year where we go to the full on hybrid class and we’re gonna talk about all the cars and manufacturers that are returning to Lamont’s next year because of the change. This is very similar to what happened with f1.

We went from the old cars last year with still with the 15 inch wheels to now what? What are they running? 20 inch chariot wheels or something on, on radials. They’re running eighteens and it’s causing a lot of porpoising. We’ll talk about that in a little bit too. They completed 380 laps, not a record.

The record’s like 424 in 24 hours leading up to lamonts. There is a lot of, you know, bluff and bluster as always, and a lot of hype, and I got myself psyched up. But there was a video going around by Mr. Lamar himself, Mr. Tom Christensen, on how you too can put down the perfect lap at Lamont’s. What would your lab time be at Lamar?

In a rented Volkswagen Polo, I’m thinking 12 to 27 minutes. Somewhere in that range to go [00:05:00] eight miles. It is the French countryside after all. That’s very true. But what’s the governor set to on this rental polo that we’re talking about? Exactly. This is the last hoorah for LMP one and 23 and 24 usher in the L M D H, also known as the GT P era.

They’re using some of the old monikers from nearly 30 years ago by changing the class names. A lot of us had already gotten used to LM d h, but they’re already calling it GT P. I hate to say it was Toyota’s race to lose. As always, for the last several years, everybody says, oh my God, you know this and that.

They were always in the shadow of so many second places and now they’re winning. There’s nobody left to compete against, and this year was no different than last year where they sacrificed a couple rebellion cars, moved them out of P two into LMP one, and I feel the same was true of the Glic cars.

They’re basically LMP two cars and there was also an alpine elf. Which a hundred percent looks like an LMP two car, and they kind of moved them in to say, okay, well we have five [00:06:00] cars in P one Toyota. But you could tell right from the start, they just laid waste to everybody and took off like they weren’t even there talking about the click in house cars.

I have to say, from an aesthetics perspective, it is a beautiful car. It’s definitely the most striking of the LMP cars that I’ve seen in recent years. It really reminds me of the old sixties McLaren P four s and some of the Ferraris and stuff, the way it looks. I love that throwback nose that it has and kind of almost the long tail, like a nine 17 or an old Ferrari.

To your point, it stands out and it is a good looking car. But what I thought was really impressive is it’s the first American design car to make the podium since Ford in 1969. Pretty cool. The number two Glick Andhas car seemed to struggle behind a lot of the LMP two cars for a long portion of the race until they kind of finally cleaned up in the last hour like they always do.

Basically six overall for most of the race was the number 7 0 8 [00:07:00] car. The race ended. With almost no drama. It was just kinda like, okay, Toyota, the Gja and the Alpine, and then there’s the rest of everybody else. They lost to Japan and they beat the French. I mean, isn’t that America’s Way America? We move on to LMP two, where for the first time ever I was.

Kind of glad that they didn’t spend a lot of camera time on P one because like I said, there’s not a whole heck of a lot going on. They did devote a lot of time to P two because for the longest time there were a bunch of P two cars mixed in at the front and there was an opportunity for one of the Joda team P two cars to actually podium thought it was gonna go that way, especially the Alpine was so far behind the GHA 7 0 8 was having issues, stuff like that.

I was like, oh man, a P two taking third place overall. That’s incredible. Then you know, the Glick class car finally found some speed there at the end in the last four hours or so, but the Joda team did end up first in class, so they still won their race overall, which was exciting. And I’ve never been that excited about a [00:08:00] P two class ever.

I usually ignore it and hope that they show something else. I will say the new classing system that they kept talking about, we’re used to pro and am and pro am and those mix, now they’re talking gold, silver, bronze. I know it’s been around for a while. They made it more apparent when they were talking about the different drivers.

Oh, this is a bronze driver and this is a blah, blah, blah driver and the number of stints, and it got really confusing cuz I think either the announcers were confused about how long each driver was supposed to be in the car. You know, was it six hours, was it four hours? Was it this, was it that, and in that mix you heard some names thrown out there.

Right. They were focusing a lot on Patrick Dempsey and those guys, and we’ll talk about that in a minute too. But I heard one and I was like, wait a minute. Did did I hear that right? Sebastian Oje was running in P2 this year, so for those of you that don’t know and why I’m so excited about it. Former world rally champion Sebastian Oje running for the Richard Miller team along with Lilo wou I will say it was exciting to watch, but their pit strategy was the [00:09:00] wonkiest thing on the planet.

With four minutes left in Lilo’s stint, her average lap was 3 35. She pits for fuel, goes back out with this craziness of I gotta pit in again and waste another minute and a half and all this back and forth. I think they lost a lot of ground to their competitors because they messed up their whole pit strategy, especially during driver changes and the minimum amount of time to be on track and they were trying to time their pit out time so it would expire correctly.

It, it was just a mess and I felt really bad for them. I did discover that there was a subclass LMP two ProAm, which is really, really confusing because most of us associate LMP two with gentleman drivers. Hey, whatever. I’m sorry I fell asleep during that entire monologue right there. Cause as soon as you mentioned rally, I just, my, I hate this snooze button.

Well, that l LMP too, right? It’s like whatever. This is the Jackie Chan cars. I mean, where were they this year? But there were some drivers ejected from [00:10:00] even starting the race for just being absolutely terrible. And we’ll talk about another one as we kind of progress through the classes here in the, in the play by play on Lamont’s.

So where was the action this year? The action was in both GT Pro and GT Amateur. Normally, I ignore the gentleman drivers as well, but you got the Patrick Dempsey Fastbender thing going on. But in GT Pro it was Corvette’s race to lose. They lost it.

If you replay that, start the Corvettes out the gate were just blazing fast. The Porsche and Ferrari didn’t even have a chance. The number two Corvette falls out because of transmission issues and, and rear end problems and things like that. The first place, Corvette, okay, cool. The race was taken away from them.

By some punk ass amateur LMP two driver, probably a a, uh, a copper licensed driver shouldn’t even have been out on track Bastard. I know. So that crushed Corvette’s dreams for [00:11:00] this year of Lamont’s. Even with all the balance of power changes, I heard that there’s some grandfathering in where they’re not totally b o p, there’s some confusion there as well.

But what ended up happening was it became a two horse race between Porsche and Ferrari. And it was exciting. Lots of back and forth, lots of really intricate and strategic pit stops. It was very much like watching an old Formula One race. It’s like, oh, they pick, we’re gonna put two, we gotta stay as close to them as possibly can, and they’d run up on each other.

The announcers kept talking about the power difference between the nine elevens and the four 80 eights. Four 80 eights are actually quicker out of the pocket than the nine 11 is. But the nine elevens slipperier down the straightaway, so it’s got a little bit more top speed, just a little bit more overall.

And so it was a great back and forth to see the Ferraris and Porsches battling, but more action was going on in GT Amateur. The overall win went to one of two Aston Martins that were running in the race, which I was surprised to even see them there. Talk about Aston, but didn’t Aston also win? The GT [00:12:00] Pro, they ousted Corvette in the GT Pro class a couple years ago too.

A couple years ago. Gtlm. Yeah, cor. Yeah, exactly. But they’ve been on again, off again. And the Astons are, I don’t wanna say they’re old tech, but it’s not a new car by any stretch of the imagination. The other Aston kind of surprised me. There was a familiar name, and this goes all the way back to season one of our show where we did an episode called The Gentleman Driver.

And they kept talking about Paul Dalana, the Canadian from the Northwest, a M r, um, asset, Martin Racing Team Northwest and Insurance Company. He’s obviously behind that. And he ran six hours. Their team did really, really well. I was really surprised to still see him out there running. So that was a bit of a flash from the past.

Speaking of flashes from the past, Ella, from Formula One was running in a Ferrari. I thought that was pretty cool. Bronze level driver, right? That they classified him as I, I don’t get that, but I think we need to focus a little bit more [00:13:00] on the whole Dempsey Fastbender thing that we have completely manufactured ourselves.

There’s probably no drama whatsoever, but as we do our best drive to survive Netflix drone inducing series here, Fastbender was in a, Iraq is a qualifying debut. Yeah. And it took him three years to get there. Right. There’s a whole documentary on Netflix about this. And he wrecks in the brak zone of one of the chicanes down the mulane straight.

Basically he lost it in the straight and went straight to the wall. It almost seems like the back end of the car locked up just got away from HIMSS happened. Yeah, he’s okay. He’s okay. His rivalry with McDreamy, Patrick Dempsey will have to live to fight another day. I, I don’t think there’s any drama between them and he crashed in qualifying, but he raced during the race.

Dempsey, I can imagine, was not happy with their finish. And Gtam Field was really big if you looked at all the cars that were entered in there, tons of Ferrari’s, tons of Porsches, obviously the two Astons, but it was a really [00:14:00] big field of amateur and gentlemen drivers in this year’s lamont’s. I was like, they couldn’t get enough of anybody else to, you know, sign up for the race.

I, I don’t know. But out of that came some really cool things, like the number 85 Pink Ferrari of the Iron Dames team. If you’re not familiar or not following their story, they’re an all female team. They qualified sixth in class. They ended up dropping to 23rd because of an issue with the car, and then throughout the course of the weekend, fought their way back up to sixth place and finished in sixth.

Overall in gtm, I mean, I gotta give ’em a round of applause. They fought hard. They drove well. The car definitely stood out. My daughters were watching the race with me and they were. Ecstatic about every time the camera went back to the pink Ferrari. And I know it’s a little cliche, but it’s a color that’s not often used and it was easy to find them on track.

And they did really, really well. The Hard point Porsche team and one of its drivers had three hours of 23 minutes [00:15:00] remaining on their stint, right? Their obligated amount of time that they have to drive during the race. And that got announced with two and a half hours left on the clock. And I was like super confused and immediately said, oh, there is a disqualification B N F, you know, waiting to happen.

I don’t know how they’re gonna work this out. So they put this gentleman harto in the car for his stint. He goes out, he makes one lap and he loops it and turn one buries the car in the gravel trap when they panned to the garage. I couldn’t help. I busted out laughing cuz it looks on people’s faces. Were like, no wonder, I guess they were keeping him out of the car.

But you live and learn, you pay to drive, you’re out there to have fun. But I really felt bad for the hard point Porsche team. They were destined for failure. Unfortunately, it is what it is. Better luck to them next year. So there’s some exciting things we gotta talk about for next year, because next year our goal is to be at Lamont’s.

I’m going, I’m hell or high water, whether I’m standing there by [00:16:00] myself or with, you know, all my closest friends. The reason next year is so important is what we started off with next year is the hundredth anniversary of the first running of Lamont’s. 10 years from now, we get to do the hundredth anniversary of the running of Lamonts, which is different.

So we’ll get to do another hundredth, you know, indie went through the same thing, but there’s all sorts of new brands coming out of other series that are gonna be appearing at next year’s Lamonts. You’re gonna see the introduction of GT four cars that are coming out of groups like S Rro, where they hold the GT four series.

Right now globally, you’re gonna see brands like Mercedes, McLaren, Audi, bmw, and Ford hitting the big stage with their GT four cars next year. Next year also brings about the GT three class where there’s new entries coming in there as well. And like we talked about L M D H, there’s been some reveals finally, not just speculation of who’s coming in the P one classes.

And we’ll kind of talk about that as we go along. There’s some really exciting stuff going, but since I’m gonna be there, There was actually somebody who [00:17:00] tweeted about some of the best vantage points when you’re at Lamont’s in person where you should be standing to watch the race. And so the announcers kind of were going back and forth about it and talking about some of the changes they’ve made at the track for spectators and this and that.

And so here’s what I pulled from it. There’s three big spots that you wanna watch the race from. If you’re interested in watching the race and not just being near the pit boxes or start, finish or whatever have you. Obviously you gotta make your way there at the end of the race. I don’t think I wanna start at start, finish.

I want to be somewhere else. Where do I want to be? I want to be at Tetra Rouge, which is basically turn eight, where they’re starting to go down the Mulan. You can see up the hill to the Dunlop Arch, you know, things like that. The other two turns that the guys recommended are Mulan Corner, cuz you get them coming in at 200 and ungodly billion miles an hour coming into that breaking zone and then taking off.

And they said they actually added a viewing area at Indianapolis Corner, which makes that an exciting corner to watch the race at. So those are like top tips right [00:18:00] now that I picked up watching this year’s race. So I’m gonna include a track map for anybody that doesn’t know what the heck I’m talking about with all my notes.

You’ll find me in one of those three locations throughout the 24 next year. So let me know if you’re gonna be there. Let’s, let’s get together. So are we gonna talk about Lamborghini? Yes. We’re gonna talk about Lamborghini, a future entrant or a coming entrant into the new l and d H class that Eric was talking about earlier is Lamborghini, and they have chosen H chassis supplier.

Wait, wait. They’re not building their own, you know, I was just about to say, I’m surprised they’re not building their own, but I guess they don’t want a tractor chassis out there on track while everybody else is going in these custom high tech. But yeah, they chosen luge to build the chassis for their cars, so that’s kind of cool.

And they’re gonna enter them into the m a series in 2024, and it looks like the G G T P Gran Touring prototype class in 2023. I think you’re gonna see a lot of manufacturers scrambling to partner with existing [00:19:00] chassis builders because Lamborghini doesn’t have a prototype program, and Audi’s been out for so long, they don’t have a chassis.

Porsche’s reinventing theirs. But even Porsche has said that they’re partnering with Multimatic to build their LM d h project. So they’re not even really building their own chassis either. It’s like everybody needs to be at 23. So it’s not just Toyota by itself, you know, nobody knows what Toyota’s doing.

I heard rumor, they’re confirmed to be there next year, whether it’s with the same car or with a new one. Again, there’s gonna be this trend of people partnering with known chassis manufacturers, be it de Lara, be it Lola, be it Legger, you know, et cetera. Since we’re talking about Volkswagens and Audis, I found out something really, really interesting this month and it goes back to something we talked about last month.

Remember how we talked about the Nissan Z was closely related to the legendary skyline, R 32 through its steering wheel, you know, the three spokes steering wheel of of legend. I found out something really [00:20:00] interesting that I think will delight Tanya. So, so the legendary Audi R eight or the the Audi R eight, it’s not legendary draws one particular thing.

You know it’s lineage from the legendary mark for beetle of 1998. I’m guessing it’s a cigarette lighter. Does the R eight have a three spoke steering wheel very well? May, oh, but this is better than the steering wheel. Would you like to take another guess as to what part ties these two incredible vehicles together through 30 years of history?

The key fob, the headlight switch. Nope. It is the coolant expansion tank known as the Death Star. I was almost gonna fricking say that, and I have pictures to prove it. The R eight uses the same death star that they’ve been using for like 30 years. So there you have folks, the Japanese have their three spoke steering wheels, and we have the Death star.

That’s our common thread. And And how do you fix [00:21:00] a E 36 BMW M three with a Volkswagen Volkswagen death star? Exactly. Speaking of BMWs, they have also revealed finally, their L M D H prototype. They’ve revealed the name and the design, and they’re working with De Lara to build the chassis. And so is Cadillac, by the way.

And I gotta say, I don’t like too many BMWs. I can count ’em on the fingers of one hand, but this thing’s pretty cool. It’s pretty good looking. The kidney grills are massive. They look like a whale shark swallowing up its food in the middle of the ocean. But yeah, it looks really cool. The name is not nearly as impressive as the hype made it out to be.

The name is just like all of their naming conventions. It’s like a 500 different words to, to describe one vehicle, B M W M, hybrid v8, like and so on down the line as you add more alphabet soup to that. Good on B M W. I’m glad they’re coming back. I love the livery on this thing. Very reminiscent of, you know, all [00:22:00] BM W Motorsport cars.

I wanna see them kick some butt. I, I want somebody to dero in Toyota and I want it to be a good fight while it happens. You know what I mean? Since we’re talking about races in France, let’s talk about French cars. Poeo debuted their nine x eight at Manza. They also declared the drivers that are gonna be behind the wheel of the Poeo throughout their testing this year in preparation for next year’s LeMans.

The coolest part and most significant part about the nine x eight that I didn’t realize and I learned this month, is that it will be the first L M D H car with no wings. Why is that important? They have been approved to go back to using ground effects, which have been banned since the eighties. So we’re talking like thes, C nine type cars, all those ground effects cars, you know, Lotus and whatnot from way back when were reintroducing that and they’re gonna be wingless on the eos.

And how do the other manufacturers feel about this? I mean, it’s legal. We’ll see who else goes in that step. You saw the b w, it’s got wings, [00:23:00] like a formula car everywhere. I mean it’s legal. Or does that mean the other manufacturers are allowed to go back and change their designs if they want to after they’ve dumped years and thousands of man hours into developing it to meet a certain criteria?

Well, I mean, if they’re using the Chevy principle of, let’s see what everybody else does first. Too late for them, right? If they’ve already submitted this is the car. But if P Joe’s breaking the mold and it’s allowed to go forward, I suspect that in 24 we’re gonna see a lot more airless cars. Especially if they’re very successful.

Exactly. That’s gonna be such a slippery car. But also the ground effects is gonna make it stick like it’s on rails in the corners. It’s gonna be really neat to see how it does against all these air foiled cars. And where is W E C? Where’s their headquarters? Uh, isn’t it in France and this is the French manufacturer.

Collusion. Yeah. Forever unclean. Yeah, absolutely. Speaking of. Clean with respect to clean designs. We talked a while back [00:24:00] about the possible introduction of the Alpha Rome male version of the Fiat 1 24 Spider originally referred to as the Duetto. Most of us know it as just the alpha spider. It was produced for an extremely long time, longer than most people realize.

It has like a 30 year run on it that they made the alpha convertible. As Tanya had mentioned, the director over at Selan has said, we’re very excited about this, you know, in a very Italian, non-descript, non-committal way of saying that they’re gonna see if they can do it and if it’s worth it, they’ll continue.

And Italian Car Magazine released some pictures of the Duetto concept car. And I gotta say, I think it’s pretty neat. I don’t fit, so I don’t sit. It’s got no roof. How do you not fit? You see me getting in there? No, I don’t. Yeah, there. Yeah, I could probably put both legs in and stand in each seat. I’m not really a fan.

I don’t like the front. Is it because it doesn’t really the, yeah. Is it because it really doesn’t have headlights? Probably the back almost has no taillights either. Although the back kind of [00:25:00] reminds me of the solstice, the opal, the vox hole, you know, all those that came out at the same time, like the vxr and stuff with the double hump and really angular rear end.

It’s just a concept. You know, the concepts never come to fruition. I’ve never seen one go to production the way it was presented, but I like the fact that this is out there because it means they’re thinking about it. Right? I mean, it looks nothing like the original, honestly, other than the fact that it has two doors and it’s convertible.

Like I don’t, it needs, I don’t look at it and go, oh yeah, that’s what it’s supposed to be. Regardless of what the original looked like. I, I don’t know. But is it the standalone vehicle? It needs popup headlights. Yeah, throwback, right? I mean, why can’t we have popup headlights anymore? Because they’re not slippery.

I mean, does it really matter? I mean, everybody’s driving an S U V. How slippery are they? I don’t know. You drive a hippopotamus. It’s true. I do. I mean, my mirrors are bigger than most people’s pop-up headlights. We should probably switch gears and talk about the domestic entries into motorsport, especially for next year.

[00:26:00] And so our domestic news is brought to you in part by American muscle.com, your source for OEM replacement and performance parts for your Ford, Chevy, or Mopar vehicle. So I mentioned earlier about B M W that has partnered with De Lara and so has Cadillac, and they have confirmed that they’re gonna have a V8 in the Cadillac along with the hybrid system.

More than likely is gonna be the Corvette’s flat plane crank v8. They’re gonna share that motor. I’m excited to see a LS powered something up in P one next year or gtp, so I, I can’t wait to see the Cadillac out there fighting along with everybody else. They actually do state that it is a 5.5 liter dual overhead cam V8 engine linked to a spec hybrid system.

It is confirmed. Nice. And the car itself is what the X L R should have been. Yes, I agree. Could you imagine if the, if they brought the X L R out now with the mid-engine core bed out and everything, and it looked like this, they would have people lined [00:27:00] around the corner to buy one. What if they brought back the C seven and re sheet metaled it and reintroduced it as the xlr then that’s the same thing they did before.

They took you just a, like a quick, just not ugly. Just not ugly. The XLR looked like the Batmobile from Batman in the animated series, by the way, to, to, to go on a little bit of a rant. When I was coming home from v i r I slept at the gas station and there was a guy in an X L R. He revved me, he hit me with the revs.

He bounced off the rev limiter at me. I barely heard him cuz it was stock exhaust or whatever, but, and it was 4,500 rpm cuz it revs like a tractor. Yeah, that, that, that North star motor. Ooh. Big and scary. Yeah. I’m really shaking in my boots here buddy. That’s what made me think of it. But yeah, this car, really good looking.

Good job. Cadillac, did you throw the revs back at him? No, because I’m a mature adult. Liar sometimes liar. I I was moving and it’s harder to do in an automatic. Well his is an automatic too. So what do you do? Drop it in neutral. He was parked. Oh, okay. Well that’ll do even better. He was sitting in a parking spot facing the other direction and rev [00:28:00] me.

Good job guy. Well, speaking of mature things, who decided it was a good idea to see if a Ford F-150 Lightning, the new one, the EV could charge itself. That just makes good sense. He says you can charge other EVs. Why not try and charge itself perpetual power? I mean, it said it worked. It said you could keep it up for 150 hours.

Yeah, it took the power out of the battery and put it into the, the battery report because that generator system on there is not gas powered. Right. For all the tools and all that wonderful stuff they market as it’s in a loop circular reference, it’s idiotic. You think they would’ve a fail safe for that?

Right? I’m wondering how much power does it take to charge another vehicle? Like just regardless of the, the actual power that’s being transferred from the battery. It’s gotta use a little bit of power to move that fuel, that electricity to the other vehicle. So eventually it would, I would think it would wind down.

It would, it would power itself and it would use power to power itself and eventually just run [00:29:00] out. It’s like laps at nascar. Just round and round and round and round. Well then this fits. Is it on the left side? I can only charge on the left side. So have you guys seen this latest commercial. From Chevy surrounding the bolt, E U V, probably not.

It has this new thing called Super Cruise. I think it’s more marketing Bs I I found it upsetting. Yes, I got really, really angry. More people are gonna be on the road not touching their steering wheels. I guess the driver attention system, or whatever the heck they called it, is supposed to be monitoring you to make sure you’re watching in the same sentence.

Basically the driver attention system. Make sure that you’re paying attention and watching the road, but also this is the most relaxed you can get and blah, blah, blah, blah. So it’s supposed to be like paying attention that you are paying attention so that you could assume control. So what happens if like a lot of people that doze off, they can sleep anywhere.

I [00:30:00] think it should send electric voltage through your seat. When it sees your eyes closed, you like the rumble strips on the side of the highway. When you drift, you hit them and they’re cause of vibration and noise wake you up. But instead, you don’t have to drift in your lane. Your car just sees that you’re falling asleep and then shocks you.

So that reminds me of that movie, like back in the day with John Goodman about the movie theater where these used to zap people during the horror films from the bottom of the seat. You guys remember that? It’s the same thing. Let me break some people’s brains on this one. So it’s supposed to be looking at your eyes, you know, like you said, you fall asleep.

Well, what if when I close my eyelids. I use makeup to draw eyeballs on my eyelids. So it looks like, what if you’re wearing sunglasses? What if, this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard because Well, but if you have to wear glasses, what if you’re a driver and you’re legally obligated to wear glasses? I mean, if you have Drew Carey glasses, [00:31:00] it might not be able to see your eyes so it doesn’t think you’re awake.

Right? I mean, it sounds like it’s using a retinal scanner. So when you use a retinal scanner to get into like a secure place or whatever, do you have to take your glasses off to do it? Yes. So yeah, it’s like a, but it doesn’t matter cuz you’re not driving anyway, so who cares? Like, yep, I’m good. I’m just, I’m gonna take my hand.

Jesus, take the wheel. Super cruise, take the wheel. I’m gonna take my glasses off, put ’em on my head, get out my crossword puzzle and I am good to go. So if we’re not gonna draw eyeballs on the back of our eyelids, what if we do the clockwork orange thing, you know? And just keep our eyes open, but we’re actually asleep.

But you know what really irritated me about this video was the whole pushing of driving hands free. People are gonna immediately associate hands-free driving with hands-free phone. In this day and age, I still don’t understand people that have the phone up to their chin or their ear in a car that was built after 2008.

So I don’t understand how this is [00:32:00] gonna work either, but it’s just how is this different than autopilot? It’s hands free driving. I don’t understand market. It’s a marketing bullshit. Isn’t that autopilot? We would be screaming about Tesla right now, and they’re autonomous driving level 157,000. But when Chevy says Hands free driving, we just kind of move on with life.

I mean, this is as much garbage as the Tesla thing. Yes. Period. A thousand percent. I mean, cool. Unless they crack the code and can actually do it without these things like careening into a police car that’s parked on the side of the road. I mean, I don’t know. Yeah, I I think it’s also teaching just bad habits too, because like one of the videos, there’s several of them, you know, they got the kid in the back.

They’re watching everything you do, right? Your kids are watching how you drive. They pick up your behaviors, they emulate what you’re doing. And if you’re like, Hey, hands free driving, whatever. Yeah, well, guess what? And when you’re sitting there texting on your phone and snapping pictures and selfies while you’re driving, they’re picking up on that too.

And lots of people do that. My [00:33:00] point, and I was just like, I don’t know. I think this is, this is worse. Well, and here’s the problem. This is the future. So what bad habits one could argue are they picking up? Because in 10, 15 years when these little kids are getting their driver’s license, if the technology has improved by then, that will be their car.

Their car won’t be a, oh, don’t have power steering. Oh, kind of No abs, none of this stuff. No, you have all these nannies. It’s one giant freaking moving Xbox. What’s to stop a kid, a teenager, even an eight year old, they got their eyes open getting in the car. They got, they stole mom and dad’s keys and saying, take me to the ice cream store.

And the car just drives them there. Nothing. Unless they, well, they’ll have to put in some sort of pin number or the retinal scan, right? Well, for, for this car, they use lidar. They’ve only programmed into the lidar, certain highways that this can be used on. And then uses the lidar in conjunction with the driver attention system.

I wanna know if it could be voice activated. So I could say, car turn left. Car turn right. [00:34:00] And then my G P S is talking to it, turn left here, and then turns into a lake, and then you kill everybody. Just like the office. Just like the office. I think the most entertaining part of the video was when the hands-free system recognized that you weren’t paying attention.

It lit up like a play school toy. I was like, what is going on here? There are lights and colors everywhere, so I mean, it’s definitely gonna get your attention, but I was just like, wow. All right, well, and see. And here, like, I don’t get it. So if you have to pay attention and you have to have eyes up and you have to be looking at whatever you’re doing, then why don’t you freaking drive your car?

Because I am really tired. What are you doing? Because if you can’t be sitting there watching Netflix on your phone, because you’re gonna get electric shock through your chair because you can’t see your eyeballs, why can’t you hold on? Like, really Tanya? What you don’t understand is this, it’s too much work.

It’s, it’s just too much. Okay cars today, eight hours can be freaking [00:35:00] driven with your thumb and your index finger on the steering wheel. It’s that easy. People you don’t need, especially with Jeff Grip holding on, and I gotta have arm strength to navigate the turn cause I don’t have power any like, get outta here, you losers.

I mean with electric power steering, they’re all feather light now compared to, yeah, even the hydraulics were light compared to manual steering car. But I mean, it’s so easy to drive a car now. It’s ridiculous. It’s, it feels so numb. Like you’re in a bumper car in an amusement park, you’re like, is this thing even connected anymore?

It’s like, it’s craziness. Look, and you know what, people, I work eight hours a day from home. It’s a lot of work. And when I want to get food, I don’t want my door dasher hurting himself trying to come to my house. I want him to be able to use Super Cruise to bring me my food. Okay. Is that too much to ask?

Well, let me blow, let me, let me, let me rock your world here cuz you were talking about watching TV while you’re driving. I too. Coming back from d i r this month, the same, you know, [00:36:00] route that Brad took and by mistake, my phone decided to kick over and play my TV app. And so I found a new cool thing to do in the car, which is listen to old sitcoms through Bluetooth where you don’t have to see it.

And I gotta admit this, because of whatever was next in the hopper, it started playing the Golden Girls. And I tell you what, those sassy old bras are really good over Bluetooth. It’s amazing stuff right there. I cannot recommend it enough. Made the trip just fly by. It was great. Eric, you know why that was next up in the queue?

Because Friday night, two 40 year old men were sitting around on a couch that we don’t know who had sat on it before us watching Golden Girls Eating spaghetti. We were deep in conversation. It was just background noise. Yeah, that’s what it was. I highly recommended. What, what episode did we watch? I, I highly recommend playing old sitcoms over your Bluetooth when [00:37:00] you can’t see them.

They are just amazing in the car. Absolutely not. Not old sitcoms playing Golden Girls and maybe Seinfeld, some Frazier would work. Well, whatever you wanna listen to you, if you’re from the Threes company generation, listen to that. If you’re Frazier Li I Seinfeld, do it. I’m telling you, it will change the way you listen to radio.

You can just even imagine the scenes. Well it’s, it’s like back in decades ago when they just had, you know, there wasn’t tv and you, your programming was the radio. And they had the radio shows. Which is funny because Frazier actually has an episode where they’re doing a radio show. That one’s a good one.

Just imagine that in your car. Be you Play that episode. Exactly. Play that episode in your car. It’s inception, you’re like six layers deep at that point. And so speaking of inception, this next one has me confused for many reasons. Tanya, do you care to enlighten us? [00:38:00] Mach replaces the Tesla Model three as consumer reports electric vehicle top pick, bumping the model three from the annual top picks list.

This was back in February when they were being made and not being recalled. I feel like we should be playing Alanis more sets. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think? Number one, number one choice on a car that’s being recalled across the board and currently not available due to chip shortages and battery problems and whatever else.

You know what? You know what happened? It, it’s the Madden curse. Whenever you know a football player has an excellent year, they end up on the cover of Madden. The next year they break their Achilles or something like that. This, that’s what happened. The Machi, cuz I refused to call it a Mustang. The Machi has broken.

Its Achilles this year. So wait for that season. That’s a de champion curse. So we call that around here, right? There you go. But you know, I saw one on the road on this, you know, road trip that we took to v i r and I gotta say, every time I see the machi, I like it more and more and more. It’s a good looking [00:39:00] car.

I’m saw one in a parking lot today. What’d you think? I get confused on the road sometimes where I think there’s one and then it’s like a RAV4 or something. I don’t know. It’s, it’s a Kia. There’s a Kia with the same taillights. It’s something, or it’s the Ford, the new Ford Escape or something like that.

And I’m like, oh wait, nevermind. It’s not, I mean, and when you realize you’re actually looking at one, I mean, it’s not. Horrendous. I guess that is a glowing compliment from Tanya. It’s, it’s not horrendous. If you can get one and it’s been fixed post recall, I think it’s the best bang for the buck. If you look at styling space, the dealer network, and even the price plus the range, I think it’s a good value for money.

It’s still steep at, you know, 45 grand or whatever it is that we talked about on the previous episode. But I think it would be my number one choice, and I have recommended it to other people. I talked to Andrew Bank recently who was on the show, on the Viper episode a while back, and he said he wrote in one with like four [00:40:00] other people and he goes, it’s super comfortable.

And he’s like, it hauls butt. You put it in unbridled mode, which is Ford’s version of Ludicrous mode. You know, they got all these horse references in the car that you can set it to, but he goes, it, it, it boogies Yeah. With five people in the car and it already weighs, you know, 4,000 pounds if not more. I mean, shoot, what, what more could you ask for if Andrew can’t be comfortable in a car?

This is not a car period, because he’s only like five five. So he’s always comfortable in a car. I want to know if you can replace the Mustang on the grill. The grill. That’s not a grill with a, not a Mustang because it’s, it’s not a Mustang. That’s So can you put a pin? It’s a Pinto. Yeah. Can you put a, a Ford Escape logo or just, just put a blue oval on the front?

Who cares? Yeah. Right. Make it an option. You can switch it out. So going back to some exciting Motorsport news. You know, who else just announced that they’re gonna introduce a car? We haven’t even thought about them up until this point. We’ve mentioned PEO and B M W and Cadillac, and Ferrari and Porsche and Toyota, and all these other names for months [00:41:00] now.

But you know who else is coming to the party? Someone else who’s already at the party. Aura. That’s right. Honda is coming to Lamonts in 23 with their G T P car, and they have aligned themselves with the French chassis manufacturer orca. Again, all these big brands are reaching to the chassis builders to say, give me a prototype I can build on top of with my power plant.

Assuming from what I understand, they’re gonna be pulling technology out of the NSX and bringing it into their GDP card, and obviously putting it on steroids. Same thing Cadillac’s doing by taking the Corvette and boosting it up with the hybrid system and all that. I just have one question. Will this share a three spoke steering wheel with the legendary Integra?

Speaking of which, we got to see the new Civic SI touring car while we were at V I R in partnership with S R O, and we interviewed James Nazarian, who’s the head of products there for the touring car series at Honda Performance Development. He gave us a tour of the car and all that we actually already posted [00:42:00] on the server, so if you wanna catch up with that and understand more about the new Civic and how you can get into it.

We bugged him about whether or not there was gonna be an Integra version of the Honda Touring car. Maybe in the next couple of years. He was unwilling to commit an answer one way or the other, but we’re gonna stay on top of that. I will say seeing the new Civic in person. I was a little confused. I actually admittedly asked him at first, is this the Accord?

And he looked at me sideways and I’m like, it’s really big, you know? Cause I’m used to even the previous 10th generation Civic was large, but mostly hatchbacks, right? So I’m used to that cutoff rear end. I’m not used to seeing this big sedan that’s the size of a Passat. So in other news, Honda, and this is a concept I think that we’ve talked about.

Like, duh, why aren’t people doing this? It’s, or it’s inevitable. It’s going to happen. Well, remember Sony unveiled at CES the last two years or so, I think now they had their own car, their own [00:43:00] concept, electric vehicle, the vision, yada, yada, yada. Well, guess what folks? Honda and Sony are teaming up joint partnership to create an electric brand vehicle.

You called it. You called it. And we’ll give you props for that. You said it was gonna happen. I mean, it’s inevitable. So basically Honda is going to build the cars and Sony is gonna put all the tech in the cars. Woo. Who didn’t it? It? It’s like when you’re riding the metro in DC and you see all these Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman signs and everything as a general consumer, those aren’t for us.

Sony was advertising this, not to us, but to the other man. To the manufacturers. Yeah. Saying, Hey, buy our tech. Yeah, exactly. They built that car as a demonstration of all the things they can do and, and the tech that they can bring and how the stepped up to the plate. I don’t know how many other people tried to partner with them or not, but they’re in under negotiations right now.

So good for them. It’d be interesting to see. Yeah, Honda’s a good car manufacturer and Sony is an [00:44:00] excellent electronics manufacturer, so I’m excited to see what they come up with together. I think it’ll be a good partnership because I hate to say some of the Hondas are pretty germane. They’re very much like an appliance.

They’re kind of boring inside. And no offense to Honda owners, just some of the ones I’ve had as rental cars, I get in them and they do a good job for what they are, but it’s not mind blowing, like you stepped into the cockpit of an R eight and you’re just like blown away. You know what I mean? I get it.

It’s apples and chainsaws, but with Sony coming to the table, as long as it doesn’t look like a PS five inside, it’s gonna be pretty cool. I mean, that’s what they’re good at. And it would be neat to see an interior designed by Sony. I’m, I’m really curious to see what that ends up looking like. Maybe it’ll end up like the preludes where it’s got the dash that goes all the way from one eight pillar to the other, and all sorts of lights, like night rider or something.

Who knows? But still, I’m curious to see how it turns out. Shout out to Brian Sha and the Prelude lovers. You’re right, the one and only Prelude member. Toyota has announced [00:45:00] that they are debuting the GR cup with the S R O racing series in 2023, so that’s very exciting. And they will be using G Rav six s.

It’s gonna be a single make, uh, series. Yeah, we’re gonna have more details on that in coming months as we talk to more folks at S R O, especially around the debut of the 86. So look forward to that in coming weeks. But there’s also something special for Tanya. Yes, it’s the ultra limited edition Toyota GR Corolla mariso edition that’s coming out.

Which if you’re unaware, Mr. Mariso is the pseudonym for Toyota’s president Akio Toyota. That’s his like racing pseudonym name. So anyway, so it’s a homage to him and it’s gonna be some sort of special edition with more torque from 2 73 to 2 95. Got a close ratio, manual transmission, shorter differential gears, blah [00:46:00] blah, blah.

They shed some pounds by taking out the backseat, forged wheels, this, that and the other. So what you’re telling me is this is Toyota’s GT 3 9 11. They’re like, here, here’s a track ready car. We took the backseat out. So Tanya has a car that she can now take to the track and then Home Depot to load up on mulch before she goes home.

A hundred percent. I, I’m really waiting to see one of these in your driveway. And it’s going to be somewhere north of 45,000, 45 grand for a Corolla. Wow. For a three cylinder, making 300 foot pounds of torque. I mean, this is what the focus Rs should have been. Mm-hmm. Speaking of. Things that should have been other things.

We need to go back to our countdown. How many days are left, Brad? Negative 25, I think. Something like that. For the DeLorean. That’s right. The alpha five. Wait, wait, hold. Hold on. Hold on. Alpha five. What the hell is that? Don’t you mean the DeLorean? D M C? No, no, it’s called [00:47:00] the alpha five. It’s the fifth concept.

Of the new DeLorean. Wow, that’s dumb. So the one we talked about where we were saying, Hey, it’s really different. The previous version of this version, there was another one that was the alpha four and there was an alpha three and blah, blah blah. So it’s gone through five revisions. The one that was revealed just after the last drive through episode is called the alpha five.

I got early access to the pictures and I posted ’em right alongside of the last drive-through. So if you haven’t seen them, they’re out there. I’ll probably post some more. I had a want. What moment? What do you mean? I, I like it, but I don’t, but I do. You actually saw, I’m not on its own by itself. I’m like, okay, but then a DeLorean.

I’m like, no, no. I don’t know. It should be the Alpha too, as in the second generation of the Lucid Air. Yeah, it, it does have a lot of styling cues in that direction, that’s for sure. I, I think what gave me the www moment, it’s the Gull Wing doors. I know [00:48:00] it’s a signature part of the DeLorean, but they’re the size of a freight liner.

It’s a four door gull wing with only two doors because it must be like electrically assisted because they’re like 900 pounds a piece. They’re huge. They’re like three quarters of the length of the car. They sourced them from the Tesla. God, do you know how many problems those things have? Terrible. What we have to reconcile ourselves to is DeLorean.

Is dead. The DeLorean, we knew there was only one, it was the DeLorean, but that’s like saying the Audi as if there was only ever like one Audi, right? But like DeLorean is technically the name of the car company. We just have to wrap ourselves or around the concept here that it’s a DeLorean, but it’s not the DeLorean.

Finally, they’ve made a second car in their lineup. Can we petition DeLorean to create an alpha two and a half where we shorten it and it only has two seats? Cuz then I [00:49:00] would buy one. I think that’s my biggest issue with this. It is actually really a pretty car from the front angle, the rear angle. The interior looks really cool.

It’s when we went to a four seater, they took that design and they just literally stretched it out. It just looks wrong. That’s what’s killing me about it. It’s like when West Coast Customs took a charger and turned it into a two-door. It’s a two-door F four seater. It’s the size of a sedan that only has two doors, but it’s not a Mercedes coupe where they do that, right?

Where they take a four-door and they cut the roof and put two doors on and all that. These doors go from one fender arch to the other. They’re just, they’re enormous. Do you think this is like 52 inches tall or whatever? Height? Eight, whatever it was. 43 inches? No, 43. It’s probably 52 inches tall. I mean, that front end.

I love the threequarter view of the car from the front. It’s just [00:50:00] shrink it. Just shrink it down. Gimme a two seater sports car. And then I’ll be happy. Right. Well, maybe they’ll do that. Maybe they’ll introduce the, the mini version of the alpha five or something. But I, I think someone is doing that. They are giving you the, the mini version with the two doors, right, Brad?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He is, he is. It’s not, it’s someone, Ty DeLorean, who’s that? The long lost son allegedly. Lies of John DeLorean is building. What I can only say are Reliant Robbins with D M C grills put on the front. Tell me I’m wrong. You’re a hundred percent right. Exactly what It’s he, so he’s basically taken old Reliant Robbins that are still floating around Europe, I’m sure.

And grafting, uh, D M C looks, well, it looks like a Monte Carlo front end with a D M C badge. A And who’s he selling these to? Not me. He’s selling them to the Taliban.

Oh, what a mess. [00:51:00] Hey, you gotta butter your bread any way you can. So what’s worse? This or that new lata that’s being introduced with like no air conditioning and no door handles and no radio. And I think someone made a good point. Did the original Lata come with those features? I don’t think so. I mean, Russia’s doing Russia.

What? You know they got, they got supply chain issues. What you gonna do? They, they got San sanctioning issues. What a mess. So are there any other EVs that we should talk about now that the DeLorean has a little bit disappointed us? No. No. Everything. They’re all dead to us now. They all, they’re, they all suck.

So there’s an update on Mercedes Q XX that we covered a while ago. They claimed something, you know, astronomical in their mileage and that they had hit over 600 miles on a single charge. It’s that real sleek looking Mercedes. All the arrow. Yeah. It looks like an L [00:52:00] L P car, right? Yeah, looks like a fricking race car.

Looks awesome. They traveled 750 miles on one charge. All I have to say is big whoop. Jeremy Clarkson did this in a diesel jag. Tell me I’m wrong. My question is, of those 750 miles, how many of them were downhill and was the car in neutral off? So they drove from Germany to UK, I believe, and they allegedly were not hyper mileing it by driving, I think at excessively low speeds.

However, their average speed was around 52 miles an hour, which is, I would say probably maybe on the low side for some of the highways. But it depends what roads they were taking. I would find it hard pressed that they. Didn’t encounter a hill anywhere, but I think that speaks to whatever technology they’re using plus their covis vision of drag being so low.

You know, this is a concept car, it’s not [00:53:00] a production car. Agreed, but let’s redo this test at normal speeds. Let’s do it at 70 miles an hour like everybody else has. Well you gotta figure, you probably are gonna do better than the cars that are out today then, because you’ve doubled what everyone else is doing.

Basically. Hundred. But nobody wants to go 52 miles an hour. Yes, but, but the point is you’ve doubled it on the same size battery as other people are using. You’ve doubled it. So if you drive faster, you’re gonna go less miles, but there’s no way you’re gonna suddenly do 250 miles out of a charge. I mean, unless you’re doing a buck 50.

I was gonna only on a racetrack again. So if they can really do seven 50 on kind of normal city driving, if you’re cruising a bit higher, they should be able to like all day long, be hitting four or 500 miles of range. I guess the bigger problem I have with this car is it’s not an experiment in reality because of its overall dimensions and its shape.

It’s not a car like we talked about. It’s not a car that people would actually buy. It’s impractical. So yes, they [00:54:00] are proving a point. But do it with a Mercedes eq, S U V monstrosity. Well, unclear what they’ve done, but if they’ve come up with something in the battery technology or the delivery system, then their next step should be exactly that.

Now that I’ve refined it in this beautiful concept, let me put it in something else and see what I get. Because this is impractical. This is basically a two seater, the way the rear slopes down, you’re not fitting anybody in the back seat, which is fine to have a two seater, but at the price point, this is probably gonna be, no one’s gonna afford it.

So, If you mastered something with your battery technology, slap this in a an S class or C class or whatever, and let’s see what it does. Speaking of the JAG that you mentioned, JAG, how do you feel about another resurrection of older vehicles electrifying them, giving them new life. Somebody is doing this with E types.

I have [00:55:00] one thing to say about this, and I’m sick and tired of companies like Singer and E C D and whoever the companies are doing it with Land Rovers and stuff. I’m tired of you people taking these old, beautiful cars and bastardizing them. If you’re gonna do it, do it like Factory Five and Super Performance, where you get a patent for the design.

Change it slightly like they did with the Shelby Cobras. Make your own fricking bodies and chassis and everything. Don’t destroy the these iconic vehicles. Don’t gut them. Don’t gut them. Don’t destroy them. Just leave them as is. Maybe they’re finding barn fines that are already rusted out, clap traps and refurbing them.

But to your point, refurb them back to their petrol. Restore them. Yeah. I mean I would imagine that they could probably take some of these vehicles and if they restored ’em back to actually factory and take ’em to auction and make more money than what they’re selling them for. But maybe they thought about doing that and the market’s not there anymore.

I don’t [00:56:00] really know, but I don’t like seeing it. So what if the tactic was different instead of using Tesla power plants and all that kind of stuff and electrifying them completely, what if the option was to hybridize the old cars, maybe eliminate the manual transmissions and put in a hybrid package, modernize the interiors?

You know, a singer makes some beautiful interiors. You can’t deny that you take an old E type jag that you’re restoring and put that level of detail into it. Modern electronics, you know, get rid of all that Lucas Prince of Darkness stuff. But you have a hybrid hybrid, so you still have that Jaguar 12 cylinder or eight cylinder sound, but now I’ve got like modern, more fuel efficient way of using that older car.

Would that be more acceptable? Maybe Singer was a bad example. My main gripe with it is that they’re ruining the market for these cars because they’re buying them all up and doing these things to them and there’s nothing left for the average Joe to buy unless we wanna buy one of their overpriced vehicles, leave something left for us.

If I want to go out and buy an E type Jag, I don’t want to have to go to [00:57:00] E C D and buy it with a Tesla motor. For $250,000 or whatever they’re gonna sell it for. I wanna be able to, to do a barn fine and restore it myself. I mean, we’ve talked about before, singers buying up all the air cooled nine 11 s and the market is absolutely destroyed, not just because of them, but just the whole nine 11 market period is just crazy town and it has been for a little while and they’re not helping it on a smaller scale, in a different market.

We’re running into that with the R 30 twos and the the Volkswagen, the Mark fours because we know of a couple people that are buying them up and destroying them, stripping them for parts, and you’re taking inventory out of the market, which is driving up the prices of the cars that are in the market.

And it’s just making it harder and harder for actual enthusiasts that just want to get a car and drive to do that. Some of those specialty models are hard to replicate cuz they were specialty models, they were unlimited numbers and things like that. I mean, to the point of singer, I mean, they put out a quality product.

The cars are gorgeous. I mean, if you can’t deny that, it follows a tradition in a way, kind [00:58:00] of like Alala and Roof and some of the other companies that were always taking nine elevens and modifying them. But I’m starting to hear through the community, there’s a resurgence of people saying, all right guys, you know, we didn’t care about the 76 9 elevens and stuff.

They were garbage. Everybody hated those. You either had a classic short nose car or you wanted that turbo look, late eighties sc, you know, or whatever it was. And then the nine 60 fours came out and all that and they’re like, They’re going and saying, no, we need to take all those race cars that, you know, we bought those set late seventies, nine elevens, gutted them and stripped them and widened them.

And people are saying, we need to convert those back to stock. So there’s this whole thing going on now there too, where older Porsche race cars are getting converted back to street cars. And I’m like, talk about an undertaking, which makes me think to the point of this, JAG, what happens when the shoe falls and we have a bunch of these electric Astons and Jags and Alpha Rome males and all these things that we’ve been talking about, these classically bodied cars and somebody goes, I wanna put a petrol power plant [00:59:00] back in it.

Good luck. You’re gonna pay for this car 10 times by the time it’s said and done with. Now that brings up my next idea that just popped into my head as we’re talking about this. I want to take a Tesla model S and put a Chevy LS swap or LS swap, all the things. You know what? Yeah. I guarantee the VR Society guys.

On Instagram, we’ll find a way to put a VR six into Tesla. Cause they’ll put a VR six in anything. So I challenge them. If any of you guys are listening, do it. There’s no drive shaft. Didn’t somebody already do this? I mean, you got the guy with the Pacifica putting a Hellcat engine in it. You know that’s, that’s happen.

So there, so theres YouTube video of Vibrant Performance, whoever this is or whatever. Anyway, we brought a Tesla toma, it’s S swapped. Amazing. This was like a year ago. They took the body off and put it on a C7 Corvette and went, Ooh, it’s S swapped basically. Basically, no, the C7 Corvette is Tesla swapped.

So I guess [01:00:00] it’s time we move on to Brad’s favorite section. Lost and found, where we find out if Brad can find a brand new 2016 Dodge Dart for us to buy this month. Did you call the local dealership yet? No, I was busy. Chuck is waiting for your call. Chuck LeDuc. I’m going to give you a call. Operators are standing by.

I haven’t gotten an email from you in a long time, so I hope you’re still there. You were a good salesman. If you’ll recap from last month, that 2005 four GT base is still out there. Oh, right alongside that. Viper, I’m assuming Viper’s gone. The Viper is gone, but this can’t be real. A 1988 Cadillac Deville.

Listed as new is only 166 miles away from me. For how much? 17,000. What, what For a Cadillac from the eighties. There’s not even a picture of it. It’s a, a picture of someone doing a thumbs up saying, yes, you can Fishing attack. [01:01:00] Yeah, it’s gotta be fishing. You can get a 2009 Audi A four that’s listed as brand new or a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse.

I’ll pass. Thank you. A 2012 Fiat 500 new old stock on that one. I found it. You can get a brand new 2013 Dodge Dart Limited GT and Knox Ford four 70 miles away. Oh, how much? How much? 10,750. That’s not terrible. What color is it? It is rental car. White. That explains a lot. Mm-hmm. So we found another Dodge Dart.

Look at that. We had one month where we didn’t have one. Another one has surfaced. So how many more Dodge Darts are out there next to that? There’s also a 2015 Chrysler 200 s. Oh. Which would you choose? That’s a tough call. I would choose the dark, the bus Amtrak. I, I’ve driven both. I I actually thought the 200 wasn’t bad.

You’re in the front seat. I’ve heard [01:02:00] in the back seat. It’s terrible. Oh yeah. The roof might as well be in the door. It’s so low back there. Here’s something that Tanya needs to get her checkbook out for. You know, screw the Toyota GR Corolla. You need a 2015 Mercedes-Benz S sls. A M G GT Final Edition. Oh, that is pure sex right there.

It really is. It’s pretty slick looking. And it’s only $549,989. Oh my God, that you know, it’s probably cheaper to buy a GT three Mercedes to go run an SRO than to buy that street car. Except you can’t drive a GT three Mercedes on the street. That is a beautiful car. But I could trailer it to the track and run the hell out of it.

Yes, but then you need a truck and a trailer and you’re Yeah, yeah, yeah. This, these are, these are trivial things. There is money left over. I’m telling you. No there isn’t. Not when you spend 50 grand on a pickup truck and then 15 grand on a enclosed trailer, cuz you don’t want it to get rock chip and stuff on the street.

And then you pay your [01:03:00] $400,000 for your race car. You’re spending the same amount of money and you can’t drive it on the street. Alright, let’s be real, but it’s ok. It’s okay because you also has race car. No, because see, your trailer now is also your mobile home. And so you don’t have a house or rental payments because you can’t afford to live anywhere else.

But inside your trailer, you also don’t have a significant other, you don’t have money for track fees or race fees. I mean, you can’t buy safety equipment. You can’t buy fuel. Especially not now, you bathe every few months at the track. Every few months. That’s about right. I think I could do it down to clown on this one.

I’m gonna call Jess and find out what she thinks. So since we’re talking about historical things, when I’m not listening to the Goldman girls over my Bluetooth, I did discover another show that was absolutely riveting. It is a six or seven part mini series that’s available on Motor Trend called Seduced by [01:04:00] Speed.

And I have to say, that’s not what hooked me, cuz I was like, I I, I gloss over stuff like that that, you know, I was like, oh, overly dramatic. This was because the cover art was Liz Carmichael and the Famous car, the Dale and I’ve been dying to get behind, you know that whole documentary and all that kind of stuff.

And I saw it pop up and I was like, oh, lemme check this out. Seduced by Speed reviews the stories behind auto manufacturers like Liz Carmichael and the Dale John DeLorean and the DMC 12, not to be confused with the Alpha five Jerry Weigert and the Vector W eight Zli versus Leno, and the story behind the Zeta Moroder V 16, which was actually quite fascinating and many others.

But I think the best part, and Tanya would enjoy this, it’s narrated by Lake Bell. I know that name Lake Bell. I don’t recognize that name. You would know her voice if you heard it. Oh yeah. Oh, I know who, yeah. Okay. I recognize her, but why would I know what show she was on? She was one of the lawyers on Boston Legal.

Oh.[01:05:00]

Debbie Crane that said it’s done in an office like interview style with photos and archive footage, bunch of stuff mixed in. I thought it was really well done. Every episode average is about 42 to 45 minutes. If you want to binge watch about four hours, five hours of TV and learn something about some really obscure car manufacturers and their backstories, their origin stories and geek out on that, I totally recommend checking out seduced by speed on MotorTrend.

I love how we had no idea who she was or what she was in, and it’s clearly printed in black and white in the show notes. I mean, that’s on y’all. We have to switch gears and give you guys some sad news. We found out through our network of friends out there in the, in the automotive world that Dr. Cone of the Cone Museum and Foundation in Philadelphia passed away in the middle of the night during Lamonts.

So we were sad to hear that. That was on June the 11th and uh, we were actually planning to make a trip back out there to see the collection changes all the time and, and for those of you that [01:06:00] know, they pulled the cars out and they actually exercised them once a month. So it’s always really cool to get out there, especially when you can go, you know, when some of the Lamont’s cars are coming out or some of the other vintage sports cars and whatever.

So we have really enjoyed the time when we were up there. We got to spend time with Dr. Simion and take some pictures with him and whatnot, but it was sad to hear his passing rest in peace. Absolutely. We’ve got one more thing to talk about when it comes to lost and Found. For anybody looking for a new daily driver, road and track came out with a list 20 sports cars that make excellent daily drivers lies.

You saw the list, thought it was terrible. None of none of those cars make sense? A 2022 McLaren gt, right? Excellent Daily driver. Excellent daily driver, or the BMW Z four. Okay, the Z four fine. The Toyota Supra fine. Which is a Z four. An Aston Martin super leg. Legit. No, I mean we, we know how nice it is to drive an Aston Martin.

I mean, just look at what happened with James May when they did those [01:07:00] cars to, to go down the Stelvia pass was the Stelvia Pass. I mean, Ferrari, anything is not a good daily driver. The Camaro, the four gts, did this replace the super speed or whatever it was other than the Supra and the Z four? None of those make any sense as everyday sports cards.

I mean, there’s stuff on there like the R eight if you wanna look like a total badass. Yeah, get an R eight. You look like Batman. Is it practical? No, the R eight looks like Ironman Get it right, which is Marvel’s Batman. So yeah. What? What, yeah. What is this Marvel you speak of? I have no idea what you’re talking about.

It’s marvelous. The Ford Mustang actually should be on the list. I agree. So that’s a good one. The Z should be on the list for the Z was there’s a, there’s the, on the S 2000, an impractical car, get an accurate nsx, but everything else on this list is like 2022. 2021. Now suddenly there’s the 2000 to 2009 s 2000.

I have a love hate relationship with S two thousands and mostly because of coaching. Further [01:08:00] down, there’s another section is the best Classic cars for daily driving. Oh, enlighten me. Here we go. Let’s look at this. Ah, the Volkswagen Beetle. Yeah. See that’s the only option I would, I could rock that. The The fox body.

The fox body Mustang Hells yeah, the Chevy and oh my God. Burn this list. Burn this list. Nope, nope. Burn this list Tanya. Burn this list. Tanya. This is the legit Impala, not the sixties Impala, but the nine early nineties God LT one powered Impala sports car. Not a sports car. This is a classic car. Yes. Okay.

The Nissan president, an xj, an xj wrangle, or Cherokee. Ooh. Ooh. AE 86, because those are easy to come by now. Yeah, a hundred percent drift king, the MR two super impractical as well. 2000. It’s a great daily driver. 2002. I hate those cars. Where do you put the groceries? In? In? In our first gen MR two. [01:09:00] Where do you put the mulch?

Here’s probably the most realistic one. Finally. The E 30 series? Yeah. Is that a classic? Now that makes me feel old. Eric, you were going to be so happy. There are three cars right here that I’m going to tell you that are just going to tickle your heartstrings. Oh Lord. The Volkswagen Golf, g t I. Yeah, classic.

The mark one, the, uh, Volkswagen, Colorado. Oh yeah. And here’s another one of your favorites. The Datson Z. Yes. Excellent. Although I approve this message. You skipped, you skipped the SOB 900. Well, cause I was only talking about cars that Eric might actually like. You know, the 900 is started to grow on me cuz I’m starting to see some tastefully redone and restored nine hundreds.

I was always weirded out about those cars. I got to drive a 900 turbo many, many years ago. It was as awkward as you think it is. It’s a sob. It’s got weird stuff. It’s kind of like the Ciro and BX and some other cars and I’m like, they’re so weird that you kind of wanna love him. The SOB 900 evolved from fighter [01:10:00] jets.

Oh yeah. Yeah. You know, you know I, when I was in elementary school, one of the neighbors up the street had a SOB 900 and I saw it every day when I was walking home from school. And the only thing I thought was that is the weirdest looking Porsche nine 11 I’ve ever seen. That’s the nine 11 I drew as a kid.

Because I couldn’t draw nine 11. That’s the nine. That’s the nine 11. You still draw. Well, I guess we would be remiss, uh, you know, honestly a little short on the Tesla news. Um, how is that even possible? There’s so much drama, you know, it’s just, we’re shorting Tesla news. You gotta be Dogecoin. I need some more.

Well, there is the whole like Tesla, Elon Musk and SpaceX being sued or something. Can we throw Solar City in there too? Might as well just round out the herd, the sort of pyramid scheme involving Dogecoin. I don’t, I don’t know the details, but, you know, two 58 billion is the claim. So that’s, is that all, is that [01:11:00] all?

No, that’s all. That’s all, that’s all bankrupt him or has he still got money left on the table for that Mercedes? Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe that’s why he is been kind of speaking these bankrupt words lately. Is that why he, he’s pivoting to Twitter. So who’s gonna buy Tesla? I keep saying it. Somebody’s gonna gobble ’em up.

Volkswagen, that would be an interesting fight. Chevy cuz they got nothing. Nicola didn’t work out. I mean they just keep spending that cash. Just keep printing it. Right. Chevy will do it, but they’ll come up with the idea 10 years too late and then they’ll have to buy Tesla from Lake Volkswagen or Ford.

STIs will just absorb like the Borg. So someone posted some article about data likely shows Teslas on autopilot crash more than rivals. The data definitely shows they crash more into stationary objects on the side of the road with flashing lights. Um, however, this is not very exciting because it’s clear the Chevy cold is way more exciting.

That’s why. Well, it’s unclear whether [01:12:00] all the other manufacturers have reported at the same frequency or the same claim. So if this is an apples to apples, it’s not really meaningful. So it’s kinda like me. Moving on. So Tanya, we need to go back and revisit when you spoke about the hot lap at v I R against the tecan a couple months ago.

Mm-hmm. Yes. What, well, you know, that came back to haunt us this month. Uh oh. Oh yeah. This was the Tecan versus the Tesla that was like modified with stock. We’re gonna put it in air quotes. Yes. Quote stock. But, but then had like a list of modifications. That’s, that’s right. So Brad and I were approached at v i r by two gentlemen and they said, we really wanna talk to you.

We wanna sit down and have a conversation. We’re like, oh boy. Wow. Fingers pointing in your face and everything. Oh, yeah, man. And it was, it was intense. In a slightly Danish accent. And I was like, man, who is this guy? You know what? They wanted to talk to us because we were interviewing drivers to get their stories and we were actually sent down by the press officer, [01:13:00] like, these guys wanna talk to you.

You need to go buy their trailer. Like they are anxious to talk to you. And I’m like, oh man, what the heck are these? The people in the Tesla? Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. We got to sit down with Johann Schwartz, the driver of that Tesla plaid, and he set the record straight. He actually wanted to talk about another record that he holds, which you’ll hear about in the episode.

So he is the record holder at V I r, in that Tesla for the hot Lap, v i r Grand course. Just in doing our, our due diligence and our research before we taped came up and was, oh my god, is this, this the driver that we talked about last month? And the other record that he holds is in the Guinness World Record book.

It’s actually really, really cool and it is motorsports related. So spoiler alert, we got Johann Schwartz and Todd Brown from Rooster Hall Racing, and that episode will be airing here probably in a couple weeks or so on Break Fixx. So look forward, it’s gonna be a very entertaining episode. Again, he sets the record straight on the hot lap at V I r and some of the other stuff that [01:14:00] both of them are involved with.

So it was pretty cool to have that come back at us while we were at the ir. What’s more interesting is Brad might be able to use his a hundred dollars deposit on his cyber truck. The cyber truck design is finally locked and there’s an updated timeline. 2030? No, just kidding. Oh

damn, Brad. Alright. Is at least like a bond, are you getting like interest on this? A hundred dollars you put down? No, I’m not. It actually went to Elon Musk buying Dogecoin. Nice. Are you gonna get some Dogecoin for it? So in indirectly I, yeah, Dogecoin, which is worth, it’s probably nothing right now cuz all of crypto is in the toilet.

Apparently the updated timeline is mid 23 now T B D. But yes, allegedly the design is locked and this like satellite image. I’m just kidding. It’s not that bad. But this drone footage here? Yes. Side mirrors and [01:15:00] one nine foot windshield wiper. The windshield wiper is so long it can’t go down all the way or it’ll be like that guy hauling wood on the last month’s episode.

I have a solution to the problem and I witnessed it. On the way home from v i r. Let me enlighten you guys. No, no. Cuz I know Brad. We had to make a special trip to get windshield washer fluid. He was complaining that he couldn’t clean his windshield. I kept thinking about it. I was like, ah, it’s summertime.

Just pour a bottle of water in there. Whatever. Those words came back to haunt me. Later, as I was stopped at a light, the people behind me open their sunroof, reached out, poured a bottle of water across the windshield, and then squeegee it from inside the, no, no. I thought you were just gonna say they poured it and then use the wipers.

I’m like, okay. Well, what happens? You run outta, you run outta liquid team effort. One person with the No, the other person with the squeegee from inside the [01:16:00] car reaching out of the sunroof. You know what? If you’re gonna be a passenger, it’s gas grass ass or squeegee? No, no. I was busting up laughing cuz it was unbelievable and I’m like, I’m gonna miss the light.

Cause I’m laughing at these guys. They’re squeegeeing and pouring water and I’m like, wow. What was the car Virginia was, was some non nondescript Ford that I don’t even remember. I was like, it could have been a focus. It could have been. I mean, you were so distracted by it. I was laughing so hard. I was like, this is unreal.

It’s one of those moments where you’re always gonna be too late to bust out your phone and record it and then people are gonna be like honking at you, whatever. But they’re right behind me and I was just laughing my ass off. I was like, I couldn’t believe I said Brad. There you go. You didn’t need to go to advanced Auto and buy windshield washer fluid.

Just pour your long gorilla arms and just, you know, wipe your hand. You don’t need do too squeegee. Just rub it with your hands. I [01:17:00] need a ride or die with me to do that. Okay. Wait, wait a second. So this implies not only does the motor for the reservoir not work or the lines or something, the windshield wiper the motors or something about them also does not function.

So, What if it had been raining? Would passenger have been like, like constantly like squeeing out the sunroof, the whole like trip? These are questions that remain with unanswered. I’m telling you. Would he put, would they put like an an umbrella out? Yes. To keep the water? Yes. There you go. So he would’ve the sunroof while they squeeing.

Yeah. He would’ve went up with an umbrella and then he would’ve que there need a third person to hold the umbrella while the second one is squeezing while the first one is driving and trying not to crash while he’s laughing his ass off at his stupid ass friends. Unbelievable. And I’m just like, I saw the squeegee come out the sunroof and that was just like, that was it.

No, no, no. So this means that it [01:18:00] wasn’t the first time that they’ve done this, they came prepared with their bottles of water and they’re squeegee. Alright, think about this for a minute. We’re riding in Andrew’s car. Better get the squeegee in the water. But you know what, this is not the only weird thing I saw on this trip.

Trundling down the highway doing my thing and I look in the rear view mirror and I see of all things. Mercury Sable. Oh wow. And I’m like, you don’t see one of those every day Mercury sable. I know Dan’s got like six or 10 of ’em up at the mountain that are all turning into dirt. But this one was especially odd and it caught my attention.

It wasn’t the platinum beige classic color. The mercury Sables come in. No, no. It was moving at a high rate of speed. It just looked really, really odd to me. And I’m like, of course it did. There was a mercury stable. No. Well, no, not, not just that. It was like, something’s wrong with this car. I need to throw the meatball flag here to use a motorsports term.

There is a problem with this vehicle because it was crab walking down the [01:19:00] highway and the driver was struggling to keep it in the lane. So I slowed up. I got passed and they were, must’ve been doing 85. I mean they were booking. That sounds like a very safe speed to be doing when you’re having a mechanical issue on your car.

A thousand percent. So this car blows by me basically going down the road sideways, right. Crap walking down the lane. And as it went by, suddenly all of the little warning emojis in my brain went off and I backed way off because what I realized was, The reason your spare tire says, do not exceed 55 miles an hour.

My God is not because the tire cannot go 85. It’s because your car crab walks one mounted to the vehicle. So basically they’re three wheeling going down the road. This donut is dragging the car sideways. They’re fighting the car the whole way. And I’m like, what are you [01:20:00] doing? Do you think the tire was inflated?

No, it was a spare. It was a no, but it could be an uninflated spare. I, I don’t know. But it was bad. I mean, it was, it was hunched down and it was crab walking the whole way, and I was just like, my God. And then it dawned on me, this is why I tell people all the time, I know it’s a pain in the butt, especially with those scissor jacks and everything else.

Never put the donut on the front. Mm-hmm. M can you imagine? It’s like having skinnies at the drag strip. You first corner you take, and you’re exceeding the limit of that wheel and of that tire. Dude, you’re going off in the woods, it’s gonna under steer like a cow. It’s terrible. The crab walking bad enough, but put the donut on the back, try to maintain that safety speed because it was just ridiculous.

And the way they were sawing at the wheel, why to keep it going down the road was bonkers. Why is that person so dumb? Slow down. Why are you doing 85? It just blew my mind. Between that and the windshield wiper squeegee, I mean, [01:21:00] it was a red letter day. So where do you put the spare tire when you’re using Super Cruise?

If you’re not steering, who cares? Let the car fight it. I can see the steering wheel in front of me doing this. Trying to Super Cruise explodes at that point. It cannot compute. Cannot compute. All your bassar belonged to us. Well move over Florida, man. We got Virginia people. I, I hope I have lowered your guys’ expectations.

What expectation? Wow. I’m just blown. So something really, really sad that we all knew was coming subprime lending in the car market and borrowers. Surprise, surprise with escalating prices and escalating credit. Balloon payments. Yeah, like that. And they’re not paying their debts down. They’re not paying off their credit cards.

They’re stopping payments on their personal loans and car loans. They’re included in that. Yes, we’re in inflation and most credit cards are adjustable rate, and with the fed [01:22:00] raising rates every quarter basically. All those minimum payments are gonna start going up and people are gonna, they’re gonna pay for their house and their food before they can pay for anything else.

Yes. They’ve been talking about this for years. We knew it was going to happen. It’s finally starting to happen. So here’s what I want to know. Do we get a Christian bail movie version of this kind of like the big short, or is that just still called Drive to Survive? I don’t get the joke. I, I, I, Tanya, I think you and I have to shut Eric down now.

If he hasn’t watched Drive To Survive. He cannot make drive to survive Jokes. He tried, he tried really hard this month to get me to watch it. He’s like, we’re gonna do it. I’m putting it on the tv. I’m like, no, I can’t. I can’t. Did you put it on? No, because apparently Golden Girls got put on, but not drive to survive.

You know, I clicked on Drive to Survive Season one and Golden Girls showed up. I don’t know what happened. Those saucy old ladies are amazing. That was the, that was the original drive to survive. [01:23:00] Yes, St. Oof additions. They were surviving. All right. Not much drive there though. Well, they had a drive to survive.

Not that they had to, not that they had to drive to survive, but they had the drive to survive. The drive to survive. And Blanche was a slut. Rose said, so we know this, it’s Rose said, so I, yes. Well, since there in Florida, it’s probably time that we move on to some Florida man stories. We actually have a couple Florida stories.

One of these is a very interesting, I mean they’re have some sort of truck meet thing. It already happened and they’re poppo gonna crack down on illegal activities involving truck people doing truck things at a truck event. In Daytona, America. I mean, pew, pew, pew, I don’t know, like cool pew, pew. I think this, I think this has already passed, but maybe you were at this truck event and saw some stuff.

There’s probably alligators involved. God knows. I don’t even know where the hell we are. Well, look at what the fuck are we talking about? Because I, I’m waiting for this, this other [01:24:00] story I’m saving the best for last. Come on. You can’t lead with that and then go to fricking truck month, like special event.

Well, we know, we know how you feel about trucks in general. So, you know, when I, when I, so for the truck story, when I see, oh, these trucks may get towed or, or going to be towed, I just see in my mind the video, we’ve all seen it of the guy with the F three 50 doley and the, the repo man comes and try and takes it and he literally gets in his truck, slams it in four wheel drive and drives off the tow truck and then takes off.

That’s what I’m envisioning. Uh, these people with these bro dozers, they don’t care. They’re not gonna get caught. They’re gonna end up in the Everglades somewhere. I mean, this sounds like some sort of Ocean City water fest, truck edition, H2O and subprime loans. Right? So let’s just mix that in there too.

Yeah, they, they’ve got their 10 year, 15% interest, F three 50 dual aid diesel rolling coal down in Daytona Beach. They’re not gonna get caught by no pop pop moral of the story. Go to like a sanctioned event [01:25:00] that’s controlled where you can do things safely and don’t be a butthole when you leave on the road where there’s other innocent people.

Tanya, you’re really asking too much. Pick one of those things. Okay. Just pick one. You get one, you get one thing. Oh God, I wanna see the bro dozer crab walk with his spare tire on. That’s all I’m saying. Wasn’t there a problem with, which trucks was it that had that problem where suddenly, and I witnessed this, it was terrifying to behold where they have some sort of differential problem where the whole truck would like violently start shaking.

Do you know what I’m talking about? No. That Dan knows what I’m talking about. Cause we had this conversation once. I know my Jeep had the death wobble. If the front suspension was loose. I think that’s what it’s called. Something like that. The front end would start doing this. My old wrangler used to do it all the time until I actually went in and tightened up every single bolt under the front suspension.

I actually was near somebody. 70 plus miles an [01:26:00] hour on the highway and it looked like an earthquake was happening just under them. Never seen anything like that. Like I wasn’t sure what was gonna happen, but I got out of their way cause I was like, I do not wanna be collateral damage in like this thing blowing up because it was, I guarantee you so, so violent and then all of a sudden it stopped.

Yeah. For me the only way it would stop is if I slowed down to like 30 miles an hour. They definitely didn’t slow down that much, but I don’t know what they did to get it back under control. But it was just like one minute it was fine. The next minute it was like fricking earthquake and they’re lane just under them and then it was like, okay, again, it was so bizarre truck stuff.

And I bet they weren’t driving to the repair shop either. Oh hell no. But anyway, speaking of nothing related to anything I just said, but next story. Speaking of crazy stuff and crazy people, what is it with these crazy lawsuits? Last month we talked about the person suing the [01:27:00] car owner who dropped their car off for an oil change.

Yes. Where the tech killed a fellow mechanic heard because he couldn’t drive manual and somehow it’s the owner’s fault who wasn’t even there. Anyway, so this, this is another one on par with that out of Missouri. So God. There are all kinds in the world. The headline says it all, Geico, and we all know who Geico is.

Car insurance provider. Geico is ordered to pay Missouri Woman 5.2 million. So you’re thinking, oh, what happened? Like, what was this accident right after she contracted s t D in a car? Wait, what? That. S t d? Yes. So she does the deed with somebody in their car, then allegedly afterwards, guess the little disease, whichever one it was.

And then because it happened in his car and the car insurance provides for injuries and losses, she’s [01:28:00] turning around trying to get money from his car insurance. What? Not just turning around trying to get money. She got the money. Who got the money? Who got fired from Geico over This is what I’d like to know.

Right. Somebody didn’t take this seriously and our blew up, our rates better not go up because of this. And oh, actually my rates have gone up, but usually that’s statewide. So we’re not in Missouri. But nonetheless, 5.2 million probably is gonna be, uh, impacted countrywide for Geico. Um, so maybe that is why my rates went up.

Hmm. Eric, what insurance company do you use? None yet because you, you gave me something this weekend and I need to report it. Oh, alright. Alright. I need to, I need to file a claim cuz daddy needs a G T R. Man. I just don’t e I can’t even, I don’t How does this stuff, how does it not get laughed out of court?

Like, how does the judges just not throw this out or, I mean, even Geico, like, what the hell? You know, what’s the [01:29:00] craziness? The main problem with this is it sets a precedent now. Thank you. There’s a precedent where someone can say, I got a sexually transmitted disease having sex in a car. You owe me the money now.

But now what’s the can of worms of like, I come to your house and I don’t know my homeowner’s insurance should pay for it. Yeah. Like you give me food poisoning or you know, you’re at whoever’s house and they give you the disease. Now what jokes on you? Homeowner’s? Insurance doesn’t pay for anything.

Rack. I don’t. Insurance is a racket. This is terrible. Nevermind. Okay. I can’t, and, and the audacity of somebody I would never even consider, like who, who is the person that thought to go sue Geico over this? That’s why you’re not a millionaire, Tanya. Clearly, clearly I’m doing it wrong in life. You’re doing I too have, just wait, just wait for the reality show that comes next and it’ll be fine, you know?

But seriously, Eric, you got Geico. I, [01:30:00] I need to do what your, your policy number. I need to do life better so that I could have that 500,000 Mercedes. You know what the problem, the problem is you’re a good person. That is my problem. Yeah. Gosh. Well, if we haven’t talked enough about motorsports, it’s time to go behind the pit wall.

Talk about motor sports news. So we’re gonna switch gears and talk about indie and Formula one. Again, June is the month for all the best racing, right? So the Indy 500 also happened and the purse soared to an astronomical new height, I guess. Basically broken some records that race winner first place, Marcus Erickson took home 3.1 million out of a total purse weighing in at, I believe it’s 16 million.

This distributed across all the driver’s contingency and otherwise, that’s a lot of dogecoin for the Indy 500. So we’ve talked a lot in the past about Michael Andretti’s ambitions to go to Formula One. A lot of people may or may not [01:31:00] know that there’s an Andretti Autosport team still running an indie car, and there’s been some shuffling of the deck over there.

Again, with drivers and whatnot, people not, you know, putting their best lap times down, not living their best racing life. I’m not a big Indy car fan. We need Sam on here to do his, his Indy car report. Yeah, his Indy car report. Alexander Rossi. Not to be confused with Valentino Rossi. Alexander Rossi is being replaced next year by Kirkwood.

Good for the Indy 500. I unfortunately didn’t watch it, just like drive to survive. Not watching that either. So you guys watched the Formula One race, so what is going on? What is this porpoising thing? Did they suddenly turn into sea mammals? What the hell is going on the cars? They is a bouncy as they go down as the track.

They bouncy. Bouncy. What do you mean they’re bouncy? They have like more down force than if another car was sitting on top of them. Yeah. No, no, no. Bouncy. Bouncy. Are we talking [01:32:00] kangaroos? Like what are we talking about here? Basically we’re talking like basically like a porus. So it’s jumping, they’re jumping out of the water.

No, they’re vibrating. They’re bouncing down the streets. Okay. There’s nothing more exciting than watching a driver’s head. They’re oscillating vertically. You know, the vertical oscillation, we all experience it. So it’s, it’s like the stance bros. When they hit a bridge joist and they, they bounce for like five minutes until the car settles down.

That’s exactly what it is. So I think my opinion on what’s going on is all the cars were redesigned for this year and they’re finding that now the tracks all need to be rep paved. Well, yeah. I mean, it’s something to do with the under underside. They haven’t got it quite right, but apparently, like Red Bull has so far because they’re not suffering and they haven’t suffered.

As bad as everybody else, but their design is slightly different. They’ve got, I don’t wanna say bent the design rules, but maybe there’s like some caveat loophole that they’ve, they’ve got like these wings at the front underneath that are I think [01:33:00] redistributing the air probably in a better way. And I don’t think anyone else is running quite that same design.

So I don’t know what channeling is happening underneath. And basically they’re just sitting there and they’re doing this bouncing and they’re compressing everyone’s spines in the seat and their heads are like floppy ragdolls in the cars at 200 miles an hour bouncing off the halo. It can’t be pleasant.

The last race or whatever. No, it was Azerbaijan when Hamilton got out and he was like basically holding his back, which everyone likes to complain that he’s just a crybaby loser, but I can only imagine that is not pleasant for your back. So I’m sure he was in legitimate pain and there were other think drivers complaining about it too.

So can I ask a stupid question? No. What if we put the 15 inch wheels back on and the tires absorb some of the, yes, we talked about this a little bit, but in thinking about it, maybe it’s not a tire issue. Well, the tires are part of the suspension on Formula cars. Right? That side, sidewall deflection makes a huge difference.

But they all have the same tires. Right? So [01:34:00] why is Red Bull not having the issue, or other teams aren’t complaining as badly, but it could also be the air going over the tires. It could be a lot of things. Cause granted, maybe the overall diameter is the same, but it’s not deflecting the air the same way.

The sidewalls are stiffer. There’s a lot in that tire technology, and it’s a little bit, I hate to say unproven, going from a 15 inch wheel to an 18, cut the sidewall in half. There’s a lot of stuff going on there that I would love to see them just throw a set of fifteens on and see if it makes a difference.

Like, let’s start with the simple things first, right? Because all those designs they come up with, with the funky air and all the, the tunneling stuff that they do, they’re pretty, I hate to say, pitch Perfect. At the end of the day, what’s the biggest change to the car is these ridiculous wheels that they put on to make ’em look like, you know, matchbox cars.

Yeah. And the FIA has said, you know, I mean, they’ve issued a press release saying that they’re going to step in and look at everything and come up with a solution. Oh, they are. They’re just gonna wave a magic wand and not worry about the engineers. They’re just gonna tell ’em what to do. [01:35:00] Yeah. Oh, okay.

Cool. Good job guys. You’ll learn about it in drive to survive. No, I won’t. So Tanya mentioned Azure. Baja. I heard a little rumor that Ferrari had four DNFs in that race. Yep. What the heck happened? Signs was a gearbox issue. I think his motor was still running. Failure signs. Okay. Hi. Cleric. Blew the motor cuz all of a sudden it started smoking.

Mm-hmm. I think one of the other, one of the Haas also had a similar fate. It wasn’t smoking as badly or it was the alpha one or the other. I don’t remember which was the issues. But basically, yeah, four, the power plants. Poo-pooed. And to make matters worse, Schumacher is still having issues. Was that the race he crashed in?

I mean, which one hasn’t he crashed in? That’s what I’m saying. Schumacher is the new Mazin. Well, I wouldn’t say he is as bad as that guy, but he was doing really well in Canada except. The car died. Well, have you seen the Canadian track? I mean I’d love to be there, but it’s like driving around a potato.[01:36:00]

It’s not like as complicated maybe as some of the other tracks. No, but he qualified, he and Magnuson qualified like five and six. I mean they were at the top of the field. I don’t They were the only team with two drivers in the top six. Yeah, so I mean they were in a good position and then unfortunately Magnuson suffered a front wing damage that meatball him and then he lost his shit ton of time in the pits and could never recover.

And then Schumacher’s car, he pulled it off the track basically cuz it died. So that was it for Team Haas. And I was very worried during that race because Alonzo started on the front line, which apparently was the first time in forever. And he was, so, he started number two. And I was just thinking it’s the Alonzo train for 70 laps now, which is annoying as hell and amazing to watch all at the same time.

No, it’s not. It’s so frustrating to watch. It’s, it’s frustrating to be behind him, but, oh my, he gets his elbows out so [01:37:00] far for, he reaches from wall to wall. You cannot get around him even in the grass. He’s just, That guy knows how to defend. I was very grateful when he had the pit and let everybody go by.

That race was a good race. That was a good race. That was a very exciting race. It’s unfortunate. McClair ended up starting all the way in the back, fighting his way through d r s trains to get finally, when did he come in? Fifth? Mm-hmm. Climbed his way back up from basically dead last to fifth probably if he wasn’t stuck in d r s, trains could have done so much better.

He did some awesome non D r s passes, which you often don’t see non d r s passes anymore. So it was pretty cool. And then the battle between science and Verta and at the very end was like someone needed to make a mistake. I mean, science was breathing down his neck and he was making mistakes unfortunately and just couldn’t get around them And unfortunately the Ferraris don’t have the straight line speed, so there was no way he was gonna make the pass, but he was glued to him basically for the last couple [01:38:00] laps trying to get back into first place.

So there was also a video going around, and I’m sure you saw it, Brad, with they were basically critiquing Danny Rick and talking about how his driving style is part of the reason why he’s not competitive because he’s too old school now. I mean, yeah, I can see that being a problem. He’s your heart heartthrob.

I mean, aren’t you a little disappointed by that? Of course, Danny, Rick, your boy, he’s always been in like the middle of the pack. He’s like this guy that, I feel like everyone had all these high expectations and then. He had one or two podiums and blah, blah, blah. And then, but for the most part, the majority is middle pack.

And then it’s just gotten worse. Like he was jumping ship, like he didn’t stay long enough with anybody. He had a lot of promise at Red Bull. But Max first Sapen had more promise. And I mean, I think you and I theorized this or you theorized it, that he was kind of maybe a little scared of having to compete with Sapin and he didn’t wanna be the number two driver on his own team.

Yeah, there’s ego there, right? So he, he made the jump. The jump to Rene was just [01:39:00] not good because the car just wasn’t really competitive with McLaren. It’s just a completely different car and he just, he can’t seem to get it together. Well and the McLaren’s themselves aren’t competitive cuz everyone, you know, not this year, no.

They weren make Lando seem like, you know, Lando was supposed to be the next first step in himself and he can’t do anything out there either. So Yeah, this year McLaren, they kind of like the way Mercedes, they just, they can’t get it together. But last year the McLaren’s were pretty competitive. I, Danny won a, a race, you know, last year.

A race. Adam, how many races? Like 30 because everyone else dnf. No, I’m just kidding. Oh, well he, he has actually won some races and he is podium a few times, so he’s doing better than a lot of the drivers in the field right now. A lot of the drivers in the field right now have not as much experience as in That’s true.

They don’t have as many raises under their belt. I mean, he’s like 27 and they’re 19. I mean, I get it. He’s got some gears on him, right. I think he’s in his thirties. Wow. He’s He’s a geezer. He’s a bronze. Yeah, right. He’s bronze class. Yeah, he’s 32. I [01:40:00] mean, for F1 standards, No, he’s ancient, but Schumacher was still out there running till he was like almost 40.

Right. Or something like that. I mean, a lot of those shooter was also wearing the fastest cars. True. But I mean, back in the day, the F1 drivers were a lot older than they are now. Now they’re like, you can drive a cart at like five years old and then by eight you’re in a formula car. You’re like, good to go.

You know, it’s, it’s nuts. We gotta switch over to sports cars and talk a little bit about s A and S R O, you know, kind of goes hand in hand. So I’ll start with a little bit of SSA news. Talked early on about the next year’s lamont’s and all that kind of stuff, and the changes in GT four and whatnot. And I, I happen to mention that SRO owns GT four and they pretty much do, they own that class of racing globally.

And I s A partners with them on that. Right. They kind of license it. We have this conversation with some other folks in the same respect, like T C R, the touring class now belongs to I S A and they license that out to other folks to be able to run in that series. S A and S R O have renewed their long-term partnership for the GT four Home [01:41:00] allegation.

And like I said, that’s gonna bring to bear. All sorts of manufacturers that we haven’t seen for a long time in sports car like McLaren, like Audi coming back, you know, things like that. More BMWs, more Mercedes and and whatnot in those classes. Hopefully room for Nissan with Z, you know, things of that nature.

So I’m really excited for GT four because it opens the doors for other cars to be on the big stage, you know, later down the road, whether it be at Petite Lamont’s or at Lamont’s itself and, and Rolex and some of those other races. So I’m, I’m really looking forward to that. Brad, you and I gotta talk a little bit about our, our experience at v I r with sro.

So I’ll kick it off to you and say, what did you think? I thought it was great. I thought the racing was really, really good to see. It was very competitive and I like their, their setup. It felt like an SSA race from a spectator standpoint, but more down to business. They didn’t have a lot of fanfare and a lot of the fluff that you get in an SSA race that brings in a lot of casual fans.

But I thought the racing was great. Earlier you mentioned running [01:42:00] elbows out being super defensive. I think we saw some of that at this weekend at V I R. Right. Our good friend of the show, Andy Pilgrim, ran in the GT class. He held third place for till the final lap in an eight year old Ferrari 4 5 8, which is, yeah.

Yeah. Last of the production, GT three cars of that era. I mean, holy smokes. The Huracan that should have, I don’t know why he started so late in the pack. I think he was supposed to start second or third or whatever, but he spent the entire race clawing back through both classes. Cause it was a two class race and every time he got up to Andy, he seemed to kind of lose it for some reason.

I think he was intimidated. I think he was scared. I, I know Andy and I’m intimidated by him as well. He’s the nicest guy in the world. Unless you’re on a racetrack dude, he made that Ferrari super wide, that’s for sure he did. But I feel gutted that he came in forth cuz he really deserved that podium. He did.

And you know what, it was a good race. It was an exciting race. But that Huracan, I mean [01:43:00] that Lamborghini was hauling ass. There’s no other way to put it. He was rocketing through the cars and I mean his closing rate, his speed, that thing was unbelievably good. He went off what, two or three times during the race even and still ended up third overall.

One of those is cuz Andy scared him, I think. Yeah, I think more than once was, cause Andy scared him. Who, who else was there that, that we saw? Well, there was your favorite Sally McNulty running in the Honda Civic. You keep saying that, but I mean, yeah, she’s cool or whatever. She had a rash of bad luck, didn’t she?

She did have a bit of bad luck. What she, she had a wreck, which I think she, she broadsided a mini in the race on Sunday. I’m not sure what happened on uh, on Saturday, but well on Saturday somebody clipped her and pulled the rear bumper so she was dragging it around like a parachute. Was terrible. True, true.

And qualifying and practice rough weekend. But hopefully she can turn things around at Watkins Gwen and hopefully we get to talk to her at Watkins Gwen as well. Absolutely. And you know, [01:44:00] we weren’t joking when we posted on Instagram. We’ve got, you know, commitments from Sally McNulty and Samantha Tan to come on the show, so some spoiler alerts there.

So look forward to more personalities from SRO coming on the show here in the future for such an event that it was kind of low key as, and compared to like the big circuses that we’re used to, there were a ton of fans. You looked and the parking lots were full, the paddock was full. The the track was humming spectators everywhere.

And to your point, it’s not the same kind of multi-class racing, it’s sprint racing, so hour long races and each of the, the run groups, right, whether it’s tc, whether it’s GT America, GT three, GT four, they run their, their allotted time schedules and you’ve got fans in every group, you know, people that span the entire, the entire series and the entire weekend.

I thought it was a great experience. Obviously we got a lot of access over the weekend or over the course of practice and the race itself. And we’re gonna follow up with a lot of folks and you’re gonna hear those episodes in subsequent weeks. But I thought it was absolutely [01:45:00] fantastic. Agreed. I would encourage folks that if you don’t know what s Rro is, go back and listen to our subseries of episodes sponsored by SRO to learn what the series is about and come check out some of the races they are traveling the country.

There’s uh, races out on the West coast down in Florida. We’re going to Watkins Glen next month with sro. You know, they’re gonna be at Indie, they’re gonna be at Nashville, they’re gonna be all over the country. And it’s just a fantastic series. Lots of great people and lots of great action out there. I hear there’s some other news buzzing around the virtual world.

Are we talking about possibly fours? A motorsport finally being announced? Yeah. Well, does it have a release date? It’s been like 10 years now. I believe the release date is spring next year. Spring of 2023. Unless there’s, hold my breath. Further delays are there Chip shortages writing the code, the words in the Microsoft.

I do remember seeing something that said it was going to also be compatible with Xbox One, not just the new series X, but I don’t know if that is actually gonna be true or [01:46:00] not. So what’s the over under on it being four to seven with new cars and a facelift? With the amount of time they’re spending on it.

It should, should definitely be more than that. I mean, it’s been, how many years since 4 0 7 came out? It’s been a long time. It would be a generational leap in immersion. It’s been five years, so it’ll have been six by the time it comes out. Good lord. That’s like Sony with Grant Smo, right? It takes like 10 years for the newest one to come out and then nobody cares.

The latest trailer finally giving a date for when the game will be done. They didn’t talk a lot overall on the game. They just focused in on the dynamic weather that they’re working on, and they alluded to how the dynamic weather is gonna impact the physics and tire. So as the day changes through the game, the sun changes, the shadows on a track change.

The track cools or heats differently and it actually impacts the tire temperatures and it impacts your grip and all that stuff as you’re racing. And that. Changes dynamically as you are [01:47:00] playing lap after lap or whatever. I mean, that’s a pretty big change physics wise versus what the static were. The puddles always in the same place.

Brad, correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t they have this in Project Gotham for. Well what I was gonna say, not related to Project Gotham Fours, but they came out with the same claims when they were teasing Forza Motorsport seven. I mean, not with the changing puddles and stuff like that, but with the changing temperatures and the, the day turning to night or getting darker.

I mean, because anybody that’s driven fours of Motorsport seven knows when you drive at v i r going into turn one, you can see absolutely nothing. It’s pitch black, but then coming around to turn 10, it’s like sunny and bright and everything. Now it doesn’t shift as you’re going through the race around the track, but this is all stuff that they talked about was the big improvements for fours and Motorsport seven.

So I’m curious to see if it actually gets into fours motor sport. Yeah, and I feel like they’re taking a playbook out of Codemaster’s physics engine because the ego engine already has all this [01:48:00] technology, right, that they use in dirt and they use in grid and they use in Formula One and all the other games outside of Project Cars three, which as the madness engine in it, I feel like they’re playing catch up a little bit.

But on the same token, when we’re doing virtual racing, we always avoid the rain races cause they’re terrible. Right. No, I love them. The rain races are the best. Rain races at Silverstone and v I R are amazing. Maybe for you. I hate them but I love them. We normally, the vote goes dry races and let’s go.

Right. But of course, Although Daytona is always at night, it’s true, it’s better at night. All I will say is that as long as I can play it on controller, I’ll be happy if they make it so that you need a wheel, uh, to really enjoy it. There are already sim games out there designed for that. Just make it so I can be competitive with the controller still.

Yeah. I made that leap over this past winter and I tried iRacing and I, and people are trying to convince me of how great iRacing is. I don’t get it. I don’t have the patience to tune for 10 hours. It was bad enough. Tuning and Forza where you’re sitting there, you know. Fiddling around with that puny physics engine to try to [01:49:00] get the cars to do anything, especially on a controller.

I moved into a set of corone, and I tell you what, it’s the best arrive and drive sim that’s out there. You don’t need to do a bunch of tuning. The biggest thing I had to do was tweak the overall steering range on every car. Once I found the cheat sheet on the internet that somebody had developed, I jump in, load my set, and I go and I purposely run and I put it in my live stream, no sets.

All I do is change my overall steering radius and I go on and I, you know, I’m placing plenty of races out there and some of the other guys from GTM are running with me as well, and we’ve had a lot of fun and I highly recommend it to people. The part that it lacks it is GT three and GT four racing, which is always seems to be the most fun anyway, and there is some touring car in there and whatnot because it is modeled after SRO and things like that.

What it lacks are the American tracks, right? It’s highly focused on the European ones. I don’t have a problem running races at SPA and at Silverstone and whatever, but it would be nice to run at the Glen or at V I R or some of the other tracks [01:50:00] that GT America goes to. Yes, Laguna Seka is in there.

There’s like a handful of them, but it’s not the full list of tracks. The other thing that annoys me about iRacing, for anybody that’s familiar, I know all the diehards are gonna tell me. Yeah, you know what you’re talking about as best sliced bread. I don’t like the whole way it’s monetized, right? Every time you turn around it’s another 15 bucks.

It’s another this, it’s another that Gotta buy this track, gotta buy this version of the track cuz that’s the one that the series is using. Oh, you gotta buy this card and everything’s like 15 bucks, 20 bucks. Even when you got the Dogecoin from your buddy to buy it, it’s expensive. It gets you expensive, really fast.

A c c on the other hand, it’s like, okay you’re all in for a hundred bucks and the expansion pack comes out sorta of like it does on Xbox and it’s 10 bucks and you’re like, oh, I got three new tracks and 10 cars and let’s go because they’re updating it to keep up with the series in Europe and all that kind of stuff.

So from a cost perspective, total cost of ownership. And I don’t have to have the latest $5,000 ate set up to make it work. And then I know fan of tech sponsors them. [01:51:00] I think it’s good and I, I highly recommend people try it out. It’s a lot of fun. Sounds like iRacing is just nickel and dimming you. Where does all that money go?

Cause it doesn’t go into the graphics. Oh hell no. Still playing Grand Two graphics. Hell, oh, it’s like 360 graphics. They’re terrible. There’s no high definition about that thing. It looks like it was designed for Windows 95, like you’re playing Sim City 2000 or something. It’s ridiculous. But the physics, the physics, oh, get outta here.

I mean, a CCC has all the same stuff. And you know what? I’ve got it all set up with buttons and this and that, and I, my pit stops. I got that strategy down. I’m, that’s sitting here trying to like, do mental gymnastics on how that’s supposed to work. It’s very straightforward. It, it’s just like being in an SRO race.

It’s down to business. Get it done and go. And if anybody wants to learn more about a asset, of course, so just watch Eric’s Twitch stream. I haven’t run in a while. I’ve been pretty busy. We got a lot of projects going on over here, but when I do get some more free time, I will be back to streaming my ACC races on Twitch.

So that’s twitch.tv/grand tour and Motorsport. So just in case you haven’t [01:52:00] got enough motorsports in this episode and you are suffering from some post bans, blues motorsport, that TV is where all the action is. They have a bunch of really cool documentaries and mini sos and things for you to catch up on, like Mazda wins for Japan.

The story of the 7 87 B. Mr. Lamar, Tom Christensen makes it six for Audi, Graham Hill, the triple crown, Jackie, the tortoise ix, his refusal to do the Lamont. Start back in the the seventies. Ford upsetting Ferrari, not Ford versus Ferrari. Alonzo starts the dominance for Toyota and tons of other stuff.

Motorsport TV has probably the largest catalog of different disciplines of racing from motorcycles through trucks and everything in between. So it’s a really cool platform to check out. Their subscription is right along with everybody else’s, but it’s a great way to tap into racing around the world, things that you’ve probably never seen before or forgotten or didn’t know how you could catch up on it.

Check it out if you get a [01:53:00] chance. And Eric, talking about Jackie Icks real quick. We also wrote an article that’s on our website and we’ll go ahead and append that to the, the show notes for this episode that you can go ahead and check that out when we wrote about the Lamont start. Yeah, that’s right.

That’s right. And it, it was a critical turning point in endurance racing when he refused to do that. And, and the best part is he did it and he started behind everybody dead last and still ended up winning Lamont’s at the end of it. So it’s a pretty cool story and it changed the whole dynamic of safety for endurance racing.

So that’s why we no longer run to the cars and jump in and do all that craziness. We’ve got some upcoming local news and events, uh, brought to us by collector car guide.net, the ultimate reference for car enthusiasts. So let’s see what’s coming up for July. We’ve got. PCA Potomac has begun its series of weakened brunches.

The hundred first Barbara Fishy Classic Motorcycle Race is coming up on July 4th. Audi Club, Potomac Chesapeake hosting their summer shakes and breaks crews. The Audi Club is also kicking off their summer Audis and ice cream at [01:54:00] Brewster’s ice cream locations in both in Virginia and Maryland, and with roughly 650 cars coming on offer.

July 21st of the 23rd. GAA Auctions will have a little something for everyone. Check out all the cars for sale in Greensboro, North Carolina, gaa, and tons more events like this. All of their details are available over@collectorcarguide.net. Now it’s time for our hpde junkie.com Trackside report. So what’s coming up in July.

Emera, the Eastern Motor Racing Association is hosting their mid-summer blast at New Jersey Motorsports Park, lightning and Thunderbolt on July nine and 10 weekend. Along with that, the RX seven Club known as Rotary Spirit is celebrating their sevens day at New Jersey Motorsports Park alongside of emra and a lot of GTMs will be at this event as well.

Hooked on driving, as we announced before, has added a V I R full course weekend to July. So you gotta check out hooked on driving.com for those details. Right now we’re at the height [01:55:00] of H P D events for the year. If you can’t find an event to go to right now, I, I don’t know what you’re doing, but head on over to h hpd junkie.com and find yourself a track event for this coming weekend.

In case you missed out. Check out the other podcast episodes that aired This month we chat with Maureen McFail about her work at Mo Racing and her goals for getting more women drivers and female racers into motorsports and how you can become a part of that effort. As a follow on to the MO racing episode, we rereleased our Patreon Pit Stop Minio with Mary Haggy from Moon Mark, who is friends with Maureen for some unfiltered paddock talk.

Dean Case from s r o Motorsports GT America talks to us about his past as an engineer working on the original Mazda Miata, as well as his efforts to launch Nismo in the US and Mazda Motorsports brothers, Nat and Chris Bongiovanni joined us for a Father’s Day special where they recounted some valuable lessons learned from under the hood of a yellow 1970 3:00 AM C Gremlin, how that shaped their professional careers, [01:56:00] along with a dose of fatherly advice for all of us Petrolheads.

For every four outta five Petrolhead surveyed, when asked, what car should I buy, the answer is always Miata. Our panel of guests, Dave Peters from hpde junkie.com. Jim Tano from No Money Motorsports blog and Bill Snow from late to Grid podcast. Join us to help answer is Miata always the answer. Thank you to all the guests that came on the show this month.

We have some really exciting episodes lined up for July and August, so be sure to tune in. Don’t forget that our Patreon contains exclusive behind the scenes extras and pit stop minisodes. We’ve also recently updated our Patreon site to make it easier to find all this extra content. So if you haven’t checked it out, hop over to www.patreon.com/gt motorsports today.

So we do have new Patreons for June. Big shout outs to our newest Patreon supporters, Janet and Brian Wartell of Marietta, Ohio. Thank you both for supporting the show. For other shout outs, we have [01:57:00] some anniversaries. Andrew Mason is celebrating eight years. Eugene Kay, seven years. Steve Furman, four years, Jordan Furman.

Three years Neil and Dale Bechamp and Hunter Wilson, one year with gtm. And remember, for everything that we talked about on this episode and more, be sure to check out the follow-on article and show notes available@gtmotorsports.org. We didn’t have any special guests hosts on the show this month, but we look forward to more guest host in later episodes.

And if you would like to be a part of the conversation, hit us up. And of course, our co-host and executive producer Tanya and all the members who support G T M. Without you, none of this would be possible. Can we put our eight logos on Tanya’s beetle now? Yes. Yes, but only on the Death Star. Yes. Alright, I’ll put the Audi emblem on the back.

Eric, I don’t know if you, well you went 95 but you didn’t see it. So on the way home along 29, I saw a G I [01:58:00] mark five Herby. No. Yes, no A GTI. Mark five Herby. What’s the opposite of maximum? Cause That’s it. Brown Schwartz, it’s

here. We are in the drive through line. Me and her cars in front of us, cars in back of us all. Just waiting to order. There’s some idiot in a Volvo with this bright sun behind me. I lean out the window and scream, Hey, watch your trying to do Blind Me. The wife says Maybe we should park.

If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about gtm, be sure to check us out on www.gt motorsports.org. You can also find us on Instagram at Grand Tour Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, you can call or text us at (202) [01:59:00] 630-1770 or send us an email at crew chief gt motorsports.org.

We’d love to hear from you. Hey everybody, crew Chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted to remind you that G T M remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies and GTM swag.

For as little as $2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of fig Newton’s, gummy bears, and Monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports. And remember, without fans, supporters, and members like you, none of this would be possible.[02:00:00]

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The Answer Is Always Miata: A What Should I Buy? Deep Dive

What happens when three grassroots motorsports podcasters walk into a virtual room to talk about the most beloved roadster of all time? You get a podcast within a podcast within a podcast – and a whole lot of Miata love.

Photo courtesy Bill Snow, Late to Grid podcast

In this special crossover episode of Break/Fix, we’re joined by Dave Peters of HPDEjunkie.com, Jim Tramontano of No Money Motorsports, and Bill Snow of the Late to Grid podcast. Together, they unpack the mystique of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, share their motorsports journeys, and debate whether the answer is always Miata – or if it’s time to move on.

Jim Tramontano’s story starts in a Mopar household, where Chargers and Challengers ruled the driveway. He even owned a Mustang before a friend convinced him to drive a Miata. “Within two or three miles,” Jim recalls, “I was like, alright, the Mustang is for sale.” That moment launched a career in autocross, track days, and eventually racing – all on a shoestring budget. His blog, No Money Motorsports, was born from the need to share tips on how to go fast without going broke.

Dave Peters, meanwhile, came from the world of Nissan 370Zs. “It was hard on the expendables,” he admits. Tires, brakes, and clutch issues made the Z an expensive track companion. After driving a friend’s Miata, Dave was hooked. “Once I had it on the track, I never thought about the 370Z again.” His site, HPDEjunkie.com, was built to help drivers find more track time – and yes, the Miata gets credit for its success.

Bill Snow’s journey is rooted in small car love. From a Triumph Spitfire to a Mini Cooper S, he’s always gravitated toward nimble machines. When a turbo-swapped Miata caught his eye, he jumped in. “Immediate smile,” he says. That purchase led to track days and the creation of Late to Grid, a podcast dedicated to helping grassroots racers avoid the mistakes he made – like showing up late to grid.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Listen on Apple
Listen on YouTube
Listen on Spotify

Is it Miata or MX-5? The panel agrees: it’s Miata. While Mazda may have used MX-5 internally, the NA generation wore the Miata badge proudly. As for what “Miata” means? Jim offers one theory: “I’ve always heard it means reward.” Whether that’s true or not, the driving experience certainly feels like one.

Spotlight

Late To Grid is a podcast about motorsports and getting on track.  Bill Snow interviews the guys and gals who work hard all week to be weekend warriors.  He also interviews professionals in the motorsports community that can help you and your racing.  His audience includes members of SCCA and NASA and those that participate in Track Days, HPDE, and endurance racing.  His goal is to share the stories and inspiration that will grow our sport.  Search for their show on all your favorite Podcatchers. @latetogrid on social media. 

Jim Tramontano created No Money Motorsports – A site with the primary goal to get folks on track, as much as possible, by spending as little money as possible.  He started autocrossing in 2007, started track days by volunteering with NASA in 2012 and moved up the HPDE ranks in his Daily Driver Miata.  He’s in his 5th year racing Spec Miata with NASA Northeast, and you can check out his work over at www.nomoneymotorsports.com

And last to grid, but certainly not least… a shoutout to Dave Peters and the folks over at HPDEjunkie.com for deciding that something needed to be done to promote High Performance Driving Events (HPDE). So, they created a website with the goal of turning HPDE into a house-hold name, and now HPDEjunkie.com is the most inclusive and most current listing of HPDE, Track Days and Open Track events for the United States and Canada! Check them out at hpdejunkie.com or follow them on social @hpdejunkie

Synopsis

In this episode of Break/Fix, the panel discusses the allure and features of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, often celebrated as a top choice for car enthusiasts. The episode features conversations with special guests Dave Peters from hpdejunkie.com, Jim Tramontano from No Money Motorsport, and Bill Snow from the Late to Grid podcast. They share their personal experiences, covering topics from the affordability and design inspiration of the Miata to track day tips and their favorite modifications. The guests also discuss the best and worst aspects of Miata ownership, various racing experiences, and the potential future of the Miata in the evolving automotive market. The episode concludes with lighthearted exchanges about favorite cars and bucket-list tracks.

  • How each of you came into “the world of miata”... and briefly give us your motorsports bio
  • Miata or MX-5 … which is it? What does “MIATA” even mean? 
  • We hear all the time “Miata’s are slow” – fact or fiction? How do you make a Miata fast(er)? Tips/Tricks thoughts on going faster with a low hp/momentum vehicle.
  • Miata’s are CHEAP; that’s what we always hear at least, what’s the TOC (total cost of ownership) really like? And where to go for Miata advice and parts? What are some of the best “life hacks” for Miatas? 
  • What’s the best/worst parts about owning a Miata?
  • In an alternative universe where there is NO MIATA, everything else being equal, what would you choose to race? If you had to start all over again, would you stick with the Miata you have?
  • Which generation is the best? Which one *should* people buy? Or why not? Thoughts on the ND1, ND2. What do we think about the Fiata? (124 Abarth). Rumors or whispers about the 5th gen Miata… Bueller, anyone? 

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Our panel of break fix Petrolhead are back for another rousing. What should I buy? Debate using unique shopping criteria. They’re challenged to find our first time collector, the best vehicle that will make their friends go. Where do you get that? Or what the hell is wrong with you at the next cars and coffee

for every four out of five, petrol heads surveyed when asked, what car should I buy? The answer is always Miata. Many folks would argue that the Mazda MX five known to many of us as the Miata is a great option for a number of reasons. It’s well-made efficient and is surprisingly affordable. Some would say the Miata is one of the most popular roasters of all time beating out all the British cars that inspired it, and it’s a formula that has worked for years with others trying to imitate, but never quite capturing the magic created by Miata.

Is that true? Is there more to the Miata mystique than meets the eye? What’s it really like to be a Miata owner?

Crew Chief Eric: That’s right, Brad, in our first ever double crossover episode, we aim to [00:01:00] answer those questions and more as we chat with returning guest and drive through news sponsor Dave Peters from hp d junkie.com, along with Jim Montano, founder of No Money Motorsport blog, as well as their friend Bill Snow, founder of the Late to Grid podcast.

Welcome to Break Fix, gentlemen. How about we get into it?

Crew Chief Brad: Thanks for having us. Hey, thanks, so, so this is like podcast inception. It’s a podcast within a podcast, within a podcast. Absolutely.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, I’m gonna start off with, you know, we talked about the answer is always Miata. I’m wearing this t-shirt for Blip Shift, which I love that says, the original answer is Lotus Ilan.

Many will say that Miata was born in California, built in Japan. We actually had somebody on the show not long ago that was on the original design team for the Miata, and that was a super interesting story and whatnot. But we talked with him about its British inspiration and he said, oh, well it’s really a combination of cars.

They stole from Alpha, they stole from Lotus, they stole from here. They stole [00:02:00] from there. So let’s talk about how each of you came into the world of Miata and briefly give your motor sports bio, you know, talk about what you do and things like that. So why don’t we start with Jim from No Money Motor Sports.

Jim Tramontano: All right. Hey, uh, so I’m one of those people that 15 years ago, you would’ve never guessed I’d be in a Miata. I, uh, grew up in a muscle car household. We had Mopars chargers and challengers, my house, and I had a muscle car. And then I got a Mustang, almost got kicked outta my family for it. I had it and, uh, started Motorsport with that.

I started autocross and then one of my buddies bought a Miata. And he is like, you just have to drive it, man. Like, just, just try it out, drive it. Got in the car, drove it, and within like two or three miles was like, all right, the Mustang is for sale. And that’s really how I got a Miata. Ended up buying that exact car from him.

’cause he found another one he wanted to upgrade into. That’s really how the, the Miata thing started.

Crew Chief Brad: What year? Mustang.

Jim Tramontano: I had two at first, so I got a 95. Started Autocrossing in that, but yeah, the last year of the 5.0 sold that for an oh [00:03:00] five, which is the first year of the retro body style.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay. So I’m not surprised you got rid of those for the

Jim Tramontano: Oh, I don’t know. I, I miss ’em both though, so much. I don’t regret selling ’em one bit, but I miss them every day.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I, I’m there with some of my cars too.

Crew Chief Eric: 200 horsepower of five liters of Awesome. Yeah. Oh

Crew Chief Brad: 2, 2 15. Two 15.

Jim Tramontano: Oh, okay. Yeah. You must have the, the GT model.

One of the times right before I like decided to sell it, I was at a stoplight two lane road. No one sight except for right behind me was a minivan, and I just plastered, I took off from that light as hard as I could. Second gear and I’m halfway through second gear and I look in my mirror and the van is right on my bumper.

It’s like, oh, this isn’t gonna work. From there, just started track days where I had been autocrossing to that point, uh, and then basically jumped right into track days with the Miata. I started doing volunteering and working with nasa, doing a lot of days with them. Really just as time went on, [00:04:00] just then I started instructing.

Then I started time trial, then I started racing just kind of the way the cookie crumbled there. And through all that, I got into doing track days, like right outta college basically. So I had absolute mountain of student loans and a teaching job that paid a lot less than my student loans we’ll say. So I started this whole thing on an extreme budget.

The, with the Miata, I was living in apartments, I was working on it in the apartment parking lot and all these things. And with that I got a lot of. Kind of strategies and tips to really do it on the cheap and do it easily. That is where my whole No Money Motorsports thing came out. ’cause people kind of could see that I was making ends meet and making it happen, and I was getting the same questions kind of repeatedly.

Like, oh hey, how do you do this? How do you do that? How. So that’s where the idea for making a whole blog about it came out.

Crew Chief Eric: So as many of our guests may remember, Dave Peters was on our show during season one, and he told us about how he started life in a three 70 Z Nissan. But Dave, how did you end up in the Miata?

Again,

Dave Peters: mine was budget reasons as well. The, uh, three [00:05:00] 70 Z just, it was hard on the Expendables tires were maybe two weekends and they were big 19 inch three oh fives on the back. So full set was, I think it was about $1,500 and it was a staggered setup and. Brake pads went about as quick, it just wasn’t a great track.

Car had fuel starvation problems and overheating problems, and not of the engine, but like the clutch would overheat because the clutch line was next to the catalytic converter. And, but it really was more about money. You know, I did it a couple of times and realized a couple of times a year wasn’t gonna be enough and I couldn’t afford to buy three, four sets of tires a year for the Z and you know, of course you see 50 M Miatas at every van out of a hundred cars sometimes.

So I knew there had to be something good there. And a buddy of mine got into it and, and he kind of wanted to know what car to buy, and I was like, I, I think he wanna buy me auto. I mean, it just seems to make sense. And he did, and I still had the Z and he let me drive it [00:06:00] once and I was like. Yeah, at, at first it was just kind of a like, yeah, I, I can suck it up and do this and have this little horsepower thing.

Once I had it on the track and then the more I drove it on the track, the more I was just hooked on the way it felt driving it, and yeah, I never thought about the three 70 Z again. I probably, after the first time I tracked the me. Well, maybe not then. ’cause it broke down the first time I took it out. And I think I got three laps in a weekend.

But, um, that was my own dumb mistake, you know, that that happened. So yeah, it really just boiled down to instigation was financial once I got in it. I, I really don’t want anything else

Crew Chief Eric: you’ve told me before. The more time you spent behind the wheel, the Miata is what inspired you to build hpd junkie.com as well, because you were dying to go to more events and drive the car.

Dave Peters: I did start the website with the three 70 Z, but again, you know, I, I mean, I, I’m an honest guy and the whole reason for the website was to [00:07:00] get on the track more often and, you know, kind of help the budget. Yes and no. I, I did have the three 70 Z when I started out. I, I probably only had it for a year before I got the Miata.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, we’ll attribute the success of h hpv junkie.com, tier Miata, not the Nissan. How about that?

Dave Peters: That sounds fair. I can live with that.

Crew Chief Eric: And last but certainly not least, bill, tell us about late to Grid and your Motorsports past.

Bill Snow: Thanks very much for having me on it. It’s great to see Dave and Jim again.

Yeah, so Bill Snow, host of the Late to Grid podcast where, you know, the idea is to get people together to, to share stories and inspiration for. You know, grassroots motor sports and, um, share the stories that might, might inspire some folks. And my motor sports background started, um, gosh, probably in in middle school, I would get dragged to sports car races and IndyCar races with my dad.

And, and he was a spectator and really started to enjoy that. And I, at one point in high school, I thought to myself, well, shoot, I could probably be doing this. So my first car was a two 80 [00:08:00] ZX and I joined the SECA and I started auto crossing and just fell in love with it. But then after college and marriage and kids, you didn’t have fun cars anymore for a while.

And I got a 76 Triumph Spitfire just a tool around in. And, and I had a mini Cooper s that I got back into autocross a little bit, but I, there was a time when I was at a corporate meeting and we, and our name tags, we had to write a little line under our name. Something interesting about us. And I, I still remember what I wrote.

I love small cars, so I always enjoyed, you know, the mgs and the Spitfires, things like that. The Mini Cooper of course, being a small car. So, fast forward to, uh, just a couple years ago, one of my employees has a, an amata. Of course, he’s turbo swapping it, and it’s a blue car with a red hard top. And of course it’s got these 2 25 sticking out.

He is doing all this other stuff and he runs in these circles. I said, listen, I’m getting the itch. If any of your friends are selling them, Miata let me know about it. Not necessarily saying I could pull the trigger, but, so he comes to me a couple days later, he says, Hey, my buddy just got a type R and he just bought this [00:09:00] Miata from the south.

He’s got mad dog roll bar for it. He’s got oline coil overs, stainless steel lines. He wants to sell it. I said, well, all right. So I drove it and man. Immediate smile. All those parts were still in the box. So I negotiated to buy the car and I said, you know what? Let’s work on a deal to buy all the parts too.

After having it on track a couple times, I’m hooked.

Crew Chief Eric: So what inspired the podcast?

Bill Snow: So the name is, so like 20 16, 17, and 18, we did, uh, some endurance racing. I got the racing for free if I stored, transported and wrenched on the car. I mean, there, there were days I was loading the car up on the day we were leaving for the track and finishing like simple things like oil changes on the car.

So inevitably we were getting to the track at the last minute, getting through tech last minute, getting to grid, realizing something’s wrong. Inevitably, I was always late to grid. It was my fault. So I kind of thought if, you know the podcast, we could kind of maybe help people not get late to grid. So what are some tips and tricks?

And uh, you know, we had an episode where, uh, Gabe Gutierrez, who races a [00:10:00] Mustang in, uh, NASA events, he’s all about checklists. So he shared all about that, and that’s how he’s never late to grid. Gabe is such a great guy. Yeah. And I love

Dave Peters: his wife too. Ann Anna. I

Bill Snow: just, I

Dave Peters: I had to say something.

Bill Snow: No, that’s great.

Yeah. So it’s sharing stories like that to help people realize, okay. You know, part of it is I can do this, I can get on track. There aren’t a whole lot of obstacles. It’s somewhat easy to do, but the other thing is. What are the tips and tricks that people can share with us to make sure that we can get safely on track, not late to grid, and still have a great time at the track.

Crew Chief Eric: We need to test your guys Miata subject matter expertise before we really dive deep into this subject, so we have a question that needs to be answered. Inquiring minds want to know,

Crew Chief Brad: is it Miata or MX five? And what does Miata even mean?

Dave Peters: I always say Miata, but mine I think was technically still called a Miata.

I can’t remember, but, uh, someone told me it was something middle age, something, something, but I can’t remember. Maybe the guy that was on the design team can [00:11:00] has told you and you can fill us in.

Bill Snow: I’ve always heard it means reward.

Crew Chief Brad: Oh, you’re being rewarded for driving Miata by the driving experience. I could see that.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, I, I could

Crew Chief Brad: see that you’re not rewarded by the horsepower though, but that’s a whole nother story.

Dave Peters: No, definitely not.

Crew Chief Eric: I think it had some, it

Crew Chief Brad: has something, one of those names that sounded cool.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah,

Crew Chief Brad: I think the NA Miata actually had a Miata badge on it. It wasn’t MX five. It was, it actually was a Miata the Tic-Tac,

Crew Chief Eric: but I believe it was always known internally to Mazda as the MX five, and then it got badged as a Miata, wherever that came from.

We’ll leave that up to our listeners to write in and let us know where this little bit of trivia comes from. You know, as we were just joking, we hear all the time that Miatas are slow. So is this fact or fiction? And if it is fact, how do we make a Miata faster? Well, let’s talk about some tips and tricks on thoughts on going faster in a low horsepower momentum vehicle.

Jim Tramontano: Look, they’re slow. They’re always slow, and that’s why they’re good. Uh, once [00:12:00] they become fast is the problem. But the trick is to not ever slow down. Home track to me is New Jersey Motorsports Park Lightning. I always tell people you hit the brakes twice on that entire track, and like one of those is kind of a lighter breaking anyway.

Uh, so really the biggest trick for Miata to to go fast is not to add a turbo. It’s not to add power. It’s just don’t slow down.

Crew Chief Eric: Isn’t that the same theory as when you’re driving a go-kart?

Jim Tramontano: Yeah, basically. Oh, I have a go-kart, which is much faster than my Miata though. So

Crew Chief Eric: that’s what I tell people all the time when we’re carting.

Just don’t use the brakes. What, what? Yeah. So with that being said, thoughts, tips, tricks, things that people can do to take a stock Miata and make it better.

Bill Snow: Number one. Seat time. That’s the only way any driver’s gonna get faster. I don’t care if you’re doing turbos, you got nitrous, you got rockets, you need seat time.

That’s that’s number one. Number two is tires. So once you get some seat time and you get a feel for what your current tires feel like, you put new tires, grip your tires, stickier tires on [00:13:00] there, you’re gonna get a little faster. Third brakes. If you can go a little deeper, carry that momentum a little bit further, just touch ’em and have ’em grab quickly my opinion, brakes.

Then you can look at steering suspension stuff. If those four things aren’t putting a huge smile on your face around the track, then maybe you start bolting some stuff on. But those four things I think will make you faster and let you have a lot more fun around the track.

Jim Tramontano: I thought you were gonna say maybe find a new hobby if, if the films aren’t working

Crew Chief Eric: other sports becking, right?

Yeah. But that you actually bring up a really good point, bill. When you get to that part of the equation and you’re in a Miata and you wanna go faster and you start bolting things on, is it really worth bolting them on? Or do you do like Jim said, and kind of just walk away and maybe buy a different car?

Bill Snow: You know, I got some advice. Uh, when I had the Mini Cooper, I wanted to do some Boltons because the track where I was going, man, I’m really struggling with this one turn. And man, if I could have the supercharger sort of gimme a little bit more power more quickly, I can get off that turn faster and have a little bit more.

He said, you’re thinking about this all wrong. You have to get more seat time, you have to drive more, [00:14:00] you’ll get faster. You don’t need bolt on parts. So what did I do? I ordered all the parts in both of ’em up and uh, it wasn’t until years later I realized, you know what? He was right. It is about seat time.

If you’re not getting faster, not having fun with the basics, especially with a car like a Miata, then maybe this isn’t for you.

Dave Peters: There’s always the, uh, lotus philosophy, add lightness,

Crew Chief Brad: simplifying, add lightness. Um, and,

Dave Peters: and I, uh, I’m victim of adding power, but I didn’t do it at the beginning. And it’s not, it’s not boost, it’s just more air through.

It’s not a huge game. But Eric, you were still faster than me. You had a little more horsepower

Crew Chief Eric: and my car was how much heavier than yours. I’m just saying. I don’t know. But

Dave Peters: you did, but you did have slicks on.

Crew Chief Eric: Alright. They

Dave Peters: used slicks though. Used slicks.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s true. I wanna say, I wanna call

Dave Peters: it even I think you had, I think you had a little more power.

You, you were gaining like, I don’t know, six to 10 feet a lap on me.

Crew Chief Eric: It was fun though.

Jim Tramontano: That was a good, that was a good run at Carolina.

Dave Peters: It [00:15:00] was a fun run.

Jim Tramontano: One thing also that I, I found for really making the me outta more fun, if you’re struggling with the power, is go racing with one. Or even if you’re not going racing, find somebody to really do a session with.

I personally got to a point where I was starting to burn out a little bit. I was like, I was looking at Mustangs again. I’m like, I want something with more power. And then I got fresh tires and my two of my friends started showing up with the same car and just us driving together was like the total refresh that I needed.

Like, this is so much fun, you know, who cares? We’re point by Corvettes in the straightaways. We are door to door in the corners and it’s a blast.

Crew Chief Eric: You just reinforced a misery Loves company, right?

Jim Tramontano: Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

Crew Chief Eric: And, and I’ve heard that and, and it’s true. I’ve run some Miatas myself. We had an SSM here at GTM for many years and it’s one of those things that it’s not that fun when you’re the only one at a de and you’ve got bruises on your left arm because you’re given a point by constantly, especially a place like DIR and Glen and things like that.

But when it’s you and 40 of your best friends that all make [00:16:00] 105 wheel horsepower, it’s a whole different ball game, right? It’s, it’s to Bill’s point, they’re microcar and it’s like NASCAR on a small scale, right? You’re all there together, bump drafting. And since you’ve raced Jim, that brings up a good point.

We’ll talk about ev everybody’s experience on track. With the Miata, but I’ve heard it said before that a lot of the Miata races are nose to tail waiting for somebody to screw up. And if you do stick your nose out at the wrong time, you get sent to the back of the pack because there’s no way to get back in.

Jim Tramontano: Yeah. Uh, that, that’s really it. I mean the, especially on bigger tracks, if you watch some of the videos from Daytona where NASA chance was last year, that actually even more so at Daytona when the global MX five cup cars were there. So they’ve got a little bit more power, but they still drive just like ours.

The last lap on one of those races was three wide three, and it wasn’t three cars. It was three lanes wide. No, not that one actually. But that was wild too. That one. That

Dave Peters: was same way.

Jim Tramontano: Yeah. Well, no, but this was three lanes wide. The leading car went [00:17:00] from first place to God. I think he finished seventh in one corner.

He just got freight trained by two other lanes, and it was just like, oh, oops. It’s an extra level of chess that you have to have beyond driving,

Dave Peters: I’m sorry. I mis mistook it for the Seing race because it was pretty much the same ending last corner. I think whoever was in third came out of the corner in first and ended up crossing the line in third.

Jim Tramontano: Yeah. Oh, that

Dave Peters: was a great, it was milliseconds between the three cars. It was amazing.

Crew Chief Eric: In spec racing, there’s a lot of still one sixes out there, a mixture of one eights. You don’t see too many NC or nd third and fourth gen Miatas every once in a while, an NC with a penalty and things like that. Why is everybody still sticking with the older cars?

Are they really the best and especially for the racing, or is the spec classes just designed around the NA and the nbs?

Jim Tramontano: Well, spec Miata is only NANB. Actually, you can’t run the NCS or nds in our class. [00:18:00] There’s a lot of noise, I’ll say coming up now about SMX, which is the NC cars. There’s a traveling race that’s gonna be happening this year.

It was supposed to happen about two years ago, but you know, COVID. So we’ll really see this summer how those cars take off. And if they do, to me it’s not the same car, it doesn’t have the same magic as ours. It’s very similar, but there’s not nearly as many. So they won’t ever be as cheap parts won’t be as plentiful.

I hope the racing will be just as good. ’cause our cars are getting older and older by the minute it’s, yeah, they have their own, their own playgrounds. ‘

Crew Chief Eric: cause there’s other spec series out there, spec E 36, spec E 46, uh, spec, Boxter Spec 9 44. You know, things like that. So there’s other spec races for people that don’t want a Miata that are still interested in doing that kind of racing.

But those classes are some of the fastest, most grueling racing out there. To Dave’s point, let’s talk about some of your experiences with Miatas on track. And maybe if they’re not, eh, okay, you know, they’re all right. But maybe some of your biggest oops moments, maybe those learning moments, [00:19:00] something that the Miata taught you as a driver.

Something you still carry with you today.

Bill Snow: You know, the first oops moment came at a track day I had with the Miata. I pointed by a C eight ducked in right behind him. So this track date was supposed to be filtered for people that had previous track experience. So if you had previous track experience, you could bring anything you wanted, you wanted to, except for race car let, you guys came out with c eights.

They just bought him. Point him by, I duck him behind him because now we’re at the end of a straightaway and he slams on the brakes, the nimbleness of the Miata right out of the way. I have it on GoPro. I, I’m hesitant to, to post it ’cause I don’t wanna stir anything up with, with the ca driver. Um, but I thought, oh my gosh.

Just, you know, the horsepower difference between the two cars. The handling of the Miata was just great though. And then I realized, you know what, we’re gonna back off a little bit. We’ll throw a lap away, put some distance the next time around. But those ca eight guys gotta talk into at lunch. So we didn’t have any afternoon.

Well, yeah, I guess one other quick thing that the Miata has taught me about, it’s just, it’s trying to find the limits a little bit. And, you know, getting [00:20:00] a feel for that. And it’s, what I found about the Miata is you can, you get such a great seat feel and you can start to feel when things are gonna start to break loose or, or give away just a little bit and you can dial it back and try it a little bit further.

That’s true with a lot of cars, but I feel with the Miata, for whatever reason, it just, maybe it fits me a little bit better. You just get a good feel for yourself in the track.

Crew Chief Eric: Do you find that it translates to other cars? Or do you feel that you have to relearn if you take another car on track or to a motor sport event?

Bill Snow: Uh, if you’re moving to a front wheel drive, you know, there’s a little bit more adaption to that, but other rear wheels, for me it feels similar. We used to race an E 30. I feel like the handling is, I won’t say similar, but the feedback seems similar to me. Between the two.

Crew Chief Eric: We call that fun wheel drive, by the way, it is a totally different driving style than you guys are.

I I like that fun wheel

Jim Tramontano: drive.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes.

Jim Tramontano: That’s not the one I heard. There’s another one that I heard. You

Crew Chief Eric: must be referring to the nine 11 drivers that they, you wheel drives going backwards. Yeah. Yeah. Those guys,

Dave Peters: I mean, I can say that I, I definitely think it made me a better [00:21:00] driver than I, if I’d have kept driving the three 70 z and, and kind of to what Bill’s saying is, I think what it is that makes it magical is the balance.

Front to back. It does. It gathers up super easy. You know, you start feeling the the ass end come around and then a little flick of the wheel and it comes right back under you. I can’t really speak for driving other stuff except the ZI. Honestly, I think I’ve just driven another Miata on the track, couple other Miatas on the track.

I’ve never driven anything else, so

Jim Tramontano: never lift really is a big one. As you progress to get faster and faster into Miata, you know, it’s easy to drive a Miata decently because of the low speed, but if you really wanna go fast, you need to be on the limit all the time. So,

Dave Peters: full send. Full

Jim Tramontano: send. Yeah, full send all the time.

I mean, I’ve got some clips I keep on putting up clips of, mostly turn one at NJ Motorsports Park, just sideways. Hold the gas car and like, oh, you’re good. You know, just steer through it and keep your foot planted. And that’s translated pretty well to other cars. I actually, I got to drive at E 30 at Limerock last year, which [00:22:00] is really exciting to not have a dry session until the race started at a track like Limerock, if you’re familiar.

But I looped it. My first wet practice session, but you know, you have to find the limit. So you have to cross it to find it. Things translate, but those cars like to move around on the tail a lot quicker than mine does.

Crew Chief Eric: I feel like all the paddock jokes suddenly come out when you say that, like what’s it like to drive a car with torque, you know, compared to your,

Jim Tramontano: I was afraid.

I was like, this car feels like it’s got so much power and you know. Maybe I had 30 more horsepower than my Miata, but also 300 more pounds. But eh, it was fun.

Crew Chief Eric: Bill sort of alluded to something that I want to touch on that comes up at every driver’s meeting, especially as a coach. You hear it all the time, students complaining this and that.

What are your pet peeves as a Miata driver on track? What really gets you hot and boiled? Corvette guys, the ca brake check

Dave Peters: won. You know it, it seems to happen to me every time I’m at VIR you chase ’em from turn [00:23:00] one to Oaktree and they should point you by and they don’t. And then you kind of catch ’em going down rollercoaster onto the front straight.

They probably shouldn’t point you there, but you know, you’re right back on ’em and turn one. And I can remember once probably doing six laps behind the same Corvette. I was so frustrated I didn’t go pull in for extra space. I just pulled in and stayed in.

Bill Snow: The pet peeve is the uh, faster car that that rides you.

You know, you give ’em the point by they pass you and then you’re right on their bumper and the turns, I think we talked about this earlier or something like that. You chase ’em through a couple turns, they’re way ahead and you catch ’em in a couple of turns. Yeah, just ’cause they have five times more horsepower doesn’t mean, uh, they’re necessarily all that faster on the, the track.

I think

Dave Peters: it boils down to egos honestly. Um, they don’t wanna let the 120 to whatever horsepower Miata get by their 500 horsepower, whatever, actually, and I shouldn’t have singled out Corvette guys. ’cause it’s not just Corvette guys. It was just easy to say after.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh no, no. It’s the Mustang guys and the Porsche guys and the, uh, Viper guys.

And you can, [00:24:00] anybody, anybody with power than me? Pretty, pretty

Jim Tramontano: much. So, and I’ll, I’ll preface this by saying I’ve never actually done it, but I have very much tried in advanced de groups to push cars outta corners. You know, they drive off before I can actually push their bumper. But I’ve tried, I’ve gotten close.

There’s been two, there’s a nine 11 where if there was air between our bumpers, I’d be shocked. He, he got away from it. That is,

Dave Peters: that is the good side of it, is freaking out the guys with the a hundred to $200,000 car by being on their ass. That usually will get you the point by two. Yeah.

Jim Tramontano: Uh, if it doesn’t, the, the thing that I learned that helps is the next corner.

Instead of being in their mirror, following them, be in their mirror sideways. Uh, and then usually you’ll get a very fair point by it because,

Crew Chief Eric: or a black or a black flag, one or the other. I mean, you know, yeah, it depends.

Crew Chief Brad: Just pass ’em in the dirt

Crew Chief Eric: hunch stook style and you know, to your, to your point, I feel your guys’ pain.

I run a low horsepower car as [00:25:00] well and you know, it’s a lot heavier than Dave’s, that’s for sure. But yeah, you’re there, you’re glued to somebody, you’re like, oh my god. And you know, being an instructor, I, you know, I tell my groups, especially if I’m a group leader, I’m like, Hey guys, these Miata guys, they didn’t transport themselves.

Here they are on you. And their foot is to the floor, like get out of the way. You know what I mean? Be respectful of it and whatnot. And a lot of people don’t respect the momentum cars and how much work it takes to drive one, because we don’t have the horsepower. We don’t have 5, 6, 7, 800 horsepower on demand, like some of these Camaros and Corvettes and, and Vipers and whatnot.

So it is a struggle. The struggle is real, but I always like to remind people to be respectful. And you know what else? Tuck behind the Miata because they are hauling ass and you might learn something. That’s the other thing I try to remind people, follow their line, see what they’re doing, see how you can carry more speed because that low horsepower momentum car is gonna demonstrate that very, very quickly.

Jim Tramontano: I’ve actually gotten a lot of. I’ve given point buys the [00:26:00] fast cars coming up on straights and they wave it off and they’ll follow me for two or three laps and then they’ll present and go the next straightaway. And it’s, it’s pretty cool that they’re trying that. The one thing that I have noticed, if you are in a Miata and you’re tired of not getting point buys, make your car look like a race car, like sticker it up.

’cause since I’ve been in the spec Miata, people let me right by. I mean, maybe it’s because my comfort level for space between cars has gotten a lot shorter, but, so I’m, I’m closer than I used to be, but I don’t really, I haven’t gotten hold that held up much lately. How many stickers do you have? Oh, I can’t count.

There’s a lot. Let me, there. Better be a lot of HPD junkie stickers. Well, I mean, if you got how, how much horsepower do you

Crew Chief Eric: Well that, that’s my point. If he’s got like 20 stickers, that’s an extra a hundred horsepower. You’re Oh yeah. Immediately faster. Oh, of course. Yeah. Well, they’re required

Jim Tramontano: alone.

Crew Chief Brad: There’s quite a few.

So Dave brought up the a hundred thousand dollars, the $200,000 cars. We know that the Miatas, at least maybe in previous markets, not the COVID post COVID market, that they were cheap. At least that’s what we hear all the time. So what’s the true [00:27:00] total cost of ownership really, like for HPD and for earth collaboration?

Um,

Dave Peters: I, I mean that’s, it really depends on what you wanna do with it. I think you can keep it really cheap and throw some coil overs and some little wider wheel and tire and a roll bar and some racing seats and roll with it. But you can be like me. Go down the rabbit hole and just do everything you possibly can to it, which a lot of it we know.

And that was part of the hobby for me too, was I didn’t really wrench a whole lot on other cars working on the miana. I felt really comfortable. So I just kept doing more and more and, you know, I liked fiddling with little fabrication things and so it, it really depends. And, you know, as far as cost, I, I paid I think 2,500 for mine, but you know what, you could, I would think the same car now would be six grand and I’ve probably put 10 to 12,000 in it.

But again, a lot of it was, you know, not necessary just ’cause I wanted to And

Crew Chief Eric: it wasn’t all in one shot either. It was over the course of [00:28:00] years. No, no.

Dave Peters: It was o over, yeah, over probably five years. And, you know, it, it could be anything from hood vents to a different shifter to things that absolutely aren’t necessary.

They just make it a little nicer or

Crew Chief Brad: cooler or

Dave Peters: whatever you wanna call it.

Crew Chief Brad: If we all look back over time and, and start calculating how much money we put into our cars over the years. Don’t start crying

Crew Chief Eric: that, hey, that’s their boat. We don’t do that here. Yeah, no, but only if you wanna be depressed.

Dave Peters: Even still, you know, 12 grand invested into a track car that is fun as hell is still nothing.

Right. Exactly. You know, comparatively, you know, you guys can relate ’cause you’re in lesser expensive cars, but you go to a chin event and every car there is a hundred thousand and up. Yeah. So,

Crew Chief Brad: you know, you do, you’re, you’re nowhere near that and you, you have just as much fun if not more fun than they do.

Dave Peters: Exactly. And, and there’s definitely the fun of running one down and kind of laughing, thinking what you’ve spent

Crew Chief Eric: versus them. I’ve seen Dave’s car in person. It’s very nice. So good job. Well,

Jim Tramontano: [00:29:00] thank you. Thank you. One thing that was wild was my consumable budget for, I think it was the two years before I started racing.

So I was instructing and with my club they had a special where you could do time trial for just $50. It was like a little, like a bump up for the instructor group. There was very few people that would run in my specific class and time trial, but there was enough to get. Max’s contingency and hawk contingency.

So for two years I didn’t spend any money on tires or brakes. Nice. Um, brake pads are completely covered. Uh, and I was only going through a set a year anyway. Tires were, so that was 30 bucks, right? Yeah. Five the better. And then the tires was, were given to me too. So I would run ’em for a year and then just replace ’em with contingency tires and sell off the old ones.

And it, it worked out, uh, pretty well.

Bill Snow: So I bought mine a little bit over two years ago for the car. All the, uh, the stuff that he had new in box and then a set of, uh, wheels and, uh, re 70 ones. I was still [00:30:00] just under 10 grand. And the only thing I’ve had to do in the last two years is we pulled the motor over the off season here just to reseal every gasket.

The rear main was leaking a little bit, the front crank a little bit, I mean, so seals and a couple bearings and a new pulley. And I did some upgraded voter bounce and upgraded Kevlar timing belt. So I’m probably right where David is probably 12 grand total.

Crew Chief Eric: The Miatas, they all come in different colors and flavors like Skittles, right?

So, but there’s like a base setup. A lot of people say I run the SSM package. Whatever that means, means something to you guys, but I, I don’t know, I dunno what it means, but I guess the question is like, how similar or dissimilar are your guys three miatas, which are, you know, all NA and B series cars.

What’s the setup like? What kind of parts would you recommend other people buy and where are you getting ’em from? Like what’s, where’s the best place to source this stuff?

Jim Tramontano: So mine is a spec Miata. I have to run what I’m told to run. I don’t have a choice in it, which I’m fine with the current setup. About three years ago, we [00:31:00] switched to Penske Shocks.

And when I say that everyone I see their eyes open. They’re like, it’s a spec class. They’re so expensive. They’re actually not, they’re $200 each. For the shock. The total shock to buy ’em the first time with the amounts and everything is like 1200. And then the full suspension package, I wanna say, including the shocks is like 2,500 or so.

And it, it is absolutely not the best possible suspension for Miatas. There’s better options out there, but the cost is really low. I mean, that’s what some people are paying for shocks on BMWs. So the cost for the suspension package is low. And the good thing about the Spec Miata package, there are thousands and thousands and thousands of them running.

So if you’re at a track day and you’re like, Hey, my car is handling like crap. If you can go talk to a spec Miata guy and say, what, you know, what setup do you have? What’s your alignment? What’s this and that. I mean, you know, it’s not gonna be the same if you’re on street tires versus Toyos or Hoosiers, but you’ll be able to have that kind of baseline of knowledge.

That’s really helpful. If someone asked me what to buy right now, what I would say is [00:32:00] try and find an old spec Miata suspension. Most of us took ours off. We had the Bill Steins where the old style, we, most of us replaced it with the Penskes. And you can get the bill Steins for so cheap, you still have to pay for this, the amounts and the springs and all that.

But really to get a very, very competent track suspension for very, very little money, there’s, you can’t beat it.

Bill Snow: Yeah. I think the best advice is what Jim said. You talk to other owners, you walk the paddock at a track day and hey, what do you run? And you look, you look like you’re handling pretty well or what advice do you have here?

Jump forums can be good and bad. When I’ve got asked some advice, I’ve mentioned one of my employees has a Miata, so you know, he’s been good to say, Hey, run this, run that. A bunch of the parts we just bought. We went to Fab nine and X five for a lot of that. But I’ve heard good things about flying Miata as well.

You know, being track.

Dave Peters: I think it’s definitely a whole different ball game than what Jim’s doing. Bill kind of said it at the beginning, start out with tires. I kind of think brakes are probably the first thing. Tires, but they’re kind of right there together too, is gonna make the, the biggest difference.

Again, [00:33:00] it’s such a different market between racing and track day. It’s, you can kind of do what you want or what you can afford or what you are able to do yourself. And as far as parts, man, I’m kind of all over the place. I mean, I, I buy some stuff from Rock Auto, I buy a lot of stuff from a spec meato guy.

I can’t remember exactly where he is. Somewhere in the central part of the country. It’s,

Bill Snow: it advanced, advanced

Dave Peters: auto Sports. Yeah. I mean, you know, the way I look at it with him is he might only sell one wheel hub type, you know, brand or one break master cylinder brand. But I feel like he’s probably figured out which one’s the best and his prices are amazingly good.

I, I, I got a, um, clutch, the hydraulic part rebuild kit, and I think the master cylinder, a stainless steel line and slave cylinder altogether was less than a hundred dollars. So, you know, he’s definitely been a go-to for me, I bought some stuff from Flying Miata. To me, they’re a little more of a street car site, not fully, but to me that’s the [00:34:00] feel I get that they cater a little more to that agree.

Crew Chief Eric: So what’s your setup like, Dave? What suspension are you running on your Miata?

Dave Peters: You know, I, I have a coil over suspension. It’s nothing crazy. It’s a, I would call it an inexpensive, it’s a Vmax is, is what I have. And I, they have several different levels and I have the Vmax Extreme Track Pack and, and actually got those from Fly Miata.

And at the time, and I think you still can, if you buy Coilovers and their Sway bars at the same time, you get a considerable discount. They’re probably in the 12 to $1,300 range at this point. With the sway bar. I wanna say I paid nine something, but that’s been five years ago. And you know, honestly I’d like to be able to speak on, you know, is there a huge difference between a a thousand dollars coil over and a.

I think some, you know, Olins, I think can be almost three grand bill. I think you got a lucky score behind that car with a set of olins did. But, you know, honestly, I’d really like to, to drive a car [00:35:00] with them to see is there $2,000 worth of difference in, in these shocks, or, or am I, am I a good enough driver to feel the difference in $2,000 worth of shocks?

I don’t think, I don’t think I am.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s a very good point, and I think there’s a, there’s a fallacy a lot around some of these parts. I tell people all the time when they ask my opinion, you know, let’s say with Volkswagen stuff, I’m like, start with this and work your way up. Never build the car past your ability to drive it, because that’ll get you into trouble.

So yes, there is some, why spend the money three times. But I’m also telling you, don’t waste your money on these 12 things. I’ve already wasted my money on those. Yeah. Here’s 11 of them suck and there’s one of them that’s. Good. Go start with this one. Right? Go from there. So it is a progression and a lot of people just want to go to finished product and then the car is undrivable.

And it kind of leads me into another question about the different kinds of types of Miatas. I’ve seen ’em all right. From the track cars to the ssms to the stance bros with like negative 12 degrees of [00:36:00] camber and bags. And then you’ve got the square Miatas. For a lot of people that don’t know what that is, tune into our autocross episode where we talk to a mi autocrosser where he’s running like 2 55 square on an nb and it’s like, how is that even a thing?

They’re all, oh my, we had

Jim Tramontano: 90 fives.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean it’s insane, right? They’ll get steam rollers and they stick out eight inches from the body, but they’re all set up very different. But it also seems like the community’s very tight and there’s certain things to get and not get. My question coming out of this very long ramble is can you build a Miata that does everything?

Is there a combination that works for the track for CROs for the street? So you can have one car and not three. I know you end up with three Miatas over time, but

Jim Tramontano: I have a, I’m sure you could answer they, yes, every Miata can do all of these things. When I started doing this, I had a bone stock Miata. All it had was a front sway bar.

’cause it was initially by the previous owner built for estock autocross. That was it, front sway [00:37:00] bar. And I tracked that car for two years and daily drove tracked with the occasional autocross for two years and it was perfect. It was amazing. I mean, I was scraping my mirrors. It was leaning so hard in the corners, but that was good.

I learned how to drive in that car. Short answer, yes, they can leave it stock.

Crew Chief Eric: So what are some of the best life hacks for Miatas? Things that you’ve learned? Make waste to cut corners and save money and, and bring down the total cost of ownership.

Jim Tramontano: One thing that I do, that I get a lot of hard looks for is the biggest weak point on our cars is the front hubs.

The more grip you have, the more likely they’re to fail. It’s not an if, it’s a, when I’m looking right now at my shelf, in the garage, I have six pre-packed hubs. ’cause I bring at least three of the track with me. Sounds familiar. My hack for that is buy the $25 hubs. On the GMB hubs. They’re junk, but they’re all junk and they’re all gonna fail, so you might as well buy ’em and repack ’em with good grease.

And then in the meantime, once you have those, keep your eyes out [00:38:00] for cheap deals on OEM hubs that are old off desert cars, off part out cars. If they’re still good, if they don’t have movement in ’em yet, you can still take ’em apart and repack ’em. That’s my one hack ’cause that’s worked out well. Uh, I have a.

A pile of hubs. That hasn’t been an issue in quite a while for me. Now, the other street hack was actually kind of fun. I, you know, I wish I had a picture that I could hold up to the screen here, but Miatas get very hot and a lot of us take the air conditioning out or the air conditioning is junk or it’s, doesn’t work anymore.

I took a, a gutter downspout, the little 90 degree turn from a gutter pipe. And attached it right after my sail window. ’cause even when the windows open, no air gets in this car and I had it attached there, so it would take air from right behind the mirror and throw it right at me in the driver’s seat. I swear it saved my life on hot days and I’m talking street track, whatever.

It’s, it was a, it was great. All for $4.

Dave Peters: It made me think of, I love when I can buy something [00:39:00] from my car at Home Depot or Lowe’s.

Bill Snow: I don’t know. I get such a charge out of it. One hack is something Jim brought up earlier. You know, there, there’s such a huge racing community and such a huge car culture around me is there’s always gonna be a good deal on something used.

Or a part out car. And no matter where you live, you know, you’re in the Facebook groups, there’s constant, Hey, I’m looking for this, and 10 people chime in with, Hey, I, I have one. Or just part out. Yeah. Being able to, you know, get stuff from the spec racing community or from the car community.

Crew Chief Eric: And you bring up a really good point, bill.

Where are some of the best online communities or forums for miana owners if people are looking to get in for the first time? Obviously if you’re in the know, you’re in the know, but where, what’s some great resources for folks?

Bill Snow: So, I’m in Ohio and there’s a couple good Facebook groups, um, Miata Owners of Ohio.

To me, the Facebook groups are a little bit better than the forums these days. It’s just, it’s, it’s more real time. It sometimes I think it’s easier to search wherever you are. Do a couple of searches for some Facebook groups. That, uh, are Miata focused and geography focused. I don’t know if I’d [00:40:00] call

Dave Peters: it

Bill Snow: a

Dave Peters: hack, but there’s a myth about brake rotors that you need slotted or drilled or whatever.

Don’t spend bunch of money on your brake rotors for a Miata Rock Auto, $80 for all four shipped to your door. Um, that’s all you need. That’s it. It kills me when I hear someone say, yeah, I’m gonna go get the big break package, and I’m like. Please don’t, please don’t do it.

Crew Chief Eric: You know, your, your stock breaks become the big brake package when you take 500 pounds out of the car.

Absolutely. If anything,

Dave Peters: upgrade to the, uh, I have the sport brakes on mine, which are a little bit more break than what Jim probably has on his car, but I mean, they’re more than enough.

Crew Chief Brad: But what is this? I, I thought Miata owners didn’t have brakes. They, they never use them putting money into them. We use them very briefly.

That’s in front of us. We have to use It’s an

Crew Chief Eric: brake. Yeah.

Dave Peters: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, what good or breaks? All they do is slow you down after exactly [00:41:00] whatever. You know, as Miata owners, longtime Miata owners, now in some cases, what’s the best and worst parts? Outside of the driving experience it, it can be either or. So what are the best or worst parts about owning a Miata now that you know?

Oh,

Dave Peters: honestly, think of a bad, anything bad. I mean, I mean, I’m sure there is the best is just, it’s so fun to drive. It’s cheap. Everything’s cheap for and plentiful and. I guess the downside is they are getting more expensive. If you wanna get into a Miata, price has definitely gone nuts.

Jim Tramontano: My call for the best part is I wouldn’t be able to afford doing this if I didn’t have a Miata.

I don’t know if there’s any car that had, I can get a consumable budget this low and a parts budget this low. The worst part is that coming out of every tight corner, I can’t just drop my foot and go completely sideways and be a hero. Like, I, I really want that on like a de day if I, you know, going for a ride or if there’s, you know, look around, there’s nobody on track and you want to have fun.

I do wish I had a car that could do that, but the trade off to [00:42:00] me is still not worth it, not happening.

Bill Snow: The best part, always fun to drive, always puts a smile on your face no matter what. And there’s always the people that wanna talk to you about your car. You’ll be. Pumping gas. Oh, I remember I had a Miata or you know, so and so had a Miata.

Is that your girlfriend’s Miata? You know, all those sort of things. It is, did you just come,

Crew Chief Eric: did you just come from the Haircuttery? Yeah. You know, all the jokes,

Bill Snow: but the, uh, the worst part is, it kind of goes in line with what Jim just said. Yeah, you’ll be on the freeway and, and I’m not advocating for street racing or saying this would be street racing.

You are on the freeway and you know, a charger challenger or an STI rolls up next to you and you’re like, man, I, I wanna play a little bit. And you can’t hang with them if they drive you,

Crew Chief Brad: I wanna do some MythBusters. Um, but it’s probably directed more at Jim. So in a lot of these racing series, there is a conspiracy theory that in order to be competitive and to win all the front guys are, they’re, they’re, they’re spending a lot more money than the people at the back of the pack.

Is it the same [00:43:00] for the SM and SSM guys? Is that part of the game? You’re Mr. No money Motor sports. Are you competitive racing and are the front runners putting in more money than the back back markers?

Crew Chief Eric: Bradley are, are you, are you referring to this mythical 1.7 liter Miata that doesn’t exist anywhere?

Jim Tramontano: One point not. I would like to invoke my

Crew Chief Brad: Fifth

Jim Tramontano: Amendment rates. That is the best question. That is not just a good question. That is the best question. That’s kind of been my own personal journey. This is my fifth season racing now. I’ve always been doing it very cheaply, but each year I kind of ramp it up a little bit more, or prep or what I’m doing.

Last season we average 19 cars a. And I ended the season in, was it either fourth or maybe fifth for points? I didn’t win any races yet, you know, well I had I think a couple thirds this year and a lot in the top five, top six, uh, which kind of stinks was a lot of six is because that’s right out of to bucks.

[00:44:00] But, uh, I was able to stay right up there in the front of the pack on the engine that came in my car when I bought it six years ago. One set of sticker tires per season doing alignments. Basically myself, my friend David t and Z Auto did my alignment like two years ago, and that’s the last shop alignment I had.

If you spend more money and more prep on these cars, you will be able to go faster, but. Having the spec series, the spec roles, and the prep, you get a lot less advantage spending more money in spec miana than you would if you’re spending money in an open class like a, like an ST class or an unlimited class.

So it still makes a difference, but not nearly as much as anywhere else. We are at Watkins Glen in like three weeks for our first race of the season, and I just bought a new engine, new used engine. So ask me this question again at the end of the month, now that I’m making power, that should be right up with the top boys and girls.

We’ll see how I can hold up. We’ll see if that extra 10 horsepower is worth the money.

Crew Chief Eric: What’s the displacement of that motor? Did

Jim Tramontano: you say It’s uh, I [00:45:00] believe it’s 1.9 liters now. Oh. Oh,

Crew Chief Eric: okay.

Jim Tramontano: It is actually an overboard, you know, 1.81 and I have to take a, a 15 pound weight penalty, which is good ’cause I already did that with COVID and how I learned how to bake bread.

So I’ve been

Crew Chief Brad: preparing for this. Congratulations on being like right in there with the, with the top guys. That’s, it’s pretty admirable. Thanks. Five years of racing. That’s, that’s really good. It’s an alternate universe. The Miata, the MX five does not exist. What do you drive? Everything else being equal.

What is your track weapon? Your race weapon?

Crew Chief Eric: Ooh, that’s a really good question, Brad.

Bill Snow: I’d probably go E 30, E 36. I’ve only tracked an E 36, but we raced an E 30. It just, I really, really enjoyed it. Plus, although the E 30 pricing’s going through the roof like everything else and parts, but you know, E 36 or even E 46, they’re everywhere.

Parts are available everywhere. They’re somewhat reliable. So that’s what I would go with.

Crew Chief Eric: I like how you emphasize somewhat. That’s good.

Bill Snow: Yes, they’re reliable. [00:46:00]

Dave Peters: Yeah. I’ll tell you what really makes me curious for some reason, is the B-R-Z-F-R-S Toyota 86 i, I had driven one on the street. My dad had one for a little while and it was a nice driving car, but that was prior to me ever driving on the track.

So I don’t feel like I really drove it. I’m very curious about those cars. So that might be my choice.

Jim Tramontano: I have a two part answer here. So for racing it would be 30, got to race the Specky 30. It was a blast. I didn’t rush this sell by Miata after doing it. But they’re a lot of fun in my opinion. They’re more fun to drive, they’re slightly less fun to race, if that makes sense.

Just ’cause the handling characteristics I’ve known at all. Yeah, right.

Dave Peters: But if for a,

Jim Tramontano: for tracking the 86 cars all the way. The B-R-Z-F-R-S, the 86, I mean, that to me is about as close as you’re gonna get to a modern Miata. I know they still make Miatas their formula’s a little bit better, in my opinion. I mean, to not have to worry about a roll bar that you can’t even really easily put in a new car, a new Miata, [00:47:00] the glass transmissions that they put in the new Miatas.

Right now I’m leaning towards the 86 cars, plus there’s so many that they’re selling. That might be our next big spec class.

Crew Chief Eric: Do I get a vote? Brad? Can I throw one in?

Crew Chief Brad: Uh, you cannot say E 36. You’ve down that road before. It’s not gonna

Crew Chief Eric: be a BMW, that’s for sure. I’m gonna, I’m gonna stick to my roots and I would say no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I would say 9 44 for God, all previous reasons stated 50 to 50 weight distribution, the whole nine yards. And they’re quicker than E 30 technically. So I, I think I would go with the 9 44. See,

Jim Tramontano: we’ve, I could see that being an option every time that I’ve seen one on track. I mean, there was a two year spread where every time one showed up for our race group, I was like, when’s the red flag gonna happen?

And that’s how we feel about it was a terrible joke because it was like, oh, there’s, there, he, uh, he’s out of the car, but it’s on fire. Oh, there it is. It’s parked over here. It’s just like, ah, man. [00:48:00]

Crew Chief Eric: To dovetail off of what Brad said and bring it back into reality a little bit. If you had to start all over again, would you stick with the Miata you have or would you do something different?

Dave Peters: I wanna pop up

Bill Snow: headlights.

Dave Peters: I definitely would not do anything different, you know, obviously didn’t know then what I know now, but I think I made the right choice.

Jim Tramontano: I would do the same exact thing, street me out for a while, then suck me out when I can.

Crew Chief Eric: Two of you having nbs and one of you having n na, I have to ask the question, are those the best generations?

The original two? Do you have any love for the NC and the nd? If not, why not? Let’s talk about the newer ones as well. We don’t, nobody seems to really focus on them. I’d like to

Dave Peters: drive. I’d like to drive both. I, I’ve ridden in an ND on the track and it’s, it, you know, it seemed pretty cool, but driving in riding’s two different things.

And I don’t even think I’ve been in an NC on the street, but I’d be very, very curious to drive both.

Bill Snow: I do like the NA and NB styling. I know the NC isn’t too much different. Some people [00:49:00] say, I just don’t necessarily like the lines of the NC or nd not say anything negative about ’em. But the one thing is, um, I’m a fan of simplicity and the more complicated a car gets.

The more expensive it is to repair, the more things that can break simple, to me is better.

Jim Tramontano: Bill kind of nailed my, uh, why I like the NA MDs so much. They’re so simple. They’re reliable. They’re so, the NCS had some early engine issues. The nds are having transmission issues. They’re still great, fantastic cars and maybe it’s just me sticking with what I know.

I would love to get in one. I’m not ruling them out for the future as our cars get older. We might have to start moving up sometime soon, if nothing else, just to keep up with the, the general speed of track days. ’cause they both have a good amount more power. They’re great cars. I, I would love to track ’em and street ’em, but I’m definitely not selling mine anytime soon.

Crew Chief Eric: I hear you on that. I got, I’ve gotten the opportunity to run a couple prepared NCS on track and I really like them. I would choose them honestly, a because they’re, look, they’re a little bit more comfortable, they’re bigger, [00:50:00] but the swap potential, if you’ve got that mentality is huge. You could put a 2, 2, 3, 2 5.

There’s a lot of power options for the NC NC turbos they have over Europe, you know, make it 300 plus horsepower. I, I just like that chassis and having driven the older ones as well. When I got in the NC it was a little less twitchy. Because it’s a bigger car. Which actually leads me into my question to you guys about maybe your gut reaction to the ND because it went smaller again, right?

The NC is the largest Miata by far. Mm-hmm. But then they went backwards and they said, let’s go back to the original size. So when that car debuted and you guys got to put eyes on it, what did you think? And what do you still think about it today? Really lot. I liked it.

Dave Peters: I mean, I like the, I like the way it looks.

I mean, not stock right from the showroom. I think the wheels look a little funky and a little small on ’em. But I like the lines. And you know, like Jim was saying, I’ve thought about the NC and ND option as the future [00:51:00] of what happens when you can’t find anymore NAS or N Bs, or God forbid IB mine up, would I go that route?

So, yeah, I’m curious about ’em,

Jim Tramontano: Barry. The only hard stop I have for really the ND I think over the NC is the roll bar is so tough to put in those cars right now the only solution I, and I could be wrong here, but I believe the only solutions are like over $2,000 for a like one specific company that makes a roll bar you can go on track with and it’s not ready for that compromise yet.

Um, what

Crew Chief Eric: about the rc, what about the RC edition?

Jim Tramontano: You have to have a roll bar in those too. Yeah, it looks like it’s a regular target car, but the back of the car actually lifts up to put the target underneath. So it’s, there’s no fixed roof portion. I’ve heard just recently heard that some clubs do let you on track with that.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable really wheeling a car like that without some sort of protection in it. Yeah,

Crew Chief Eric: because to your point, some clubs allow the NC two, the one with the convertible hard top to be run just with the factory hoops. Yeah. Instead of a roll bar. So that’s kind of interesting ’cause the [00:52:00] NC one and NC two soft top to hard top, all that kind of thing.

Dave Peters: A friend of mine just bought a, um. Nd, what do they call ’em? Rf. Yep. And he bought it specifically to track it. And evidently when you put a roll bar in one of those, the top never goes down again. You have to actually, you know, disconnect it. It is what it is. It’s track cost. Yeah. Why

Crew Chief Eric: spend the extra money for the fixed roof when you look so good

Dave Peters: though?

He did have, I think there was something that the chassis better, or it handles better or there was a reason, and honestly, oh, I know what it was. If he bought a soft top, he wanted to put a hard top on it. And the hard tops for them are like. Insanely expensive. He kind of did the math and figured out that, well, I might as well just buy an RF and go that route.

Bill Snow: Yeah. I was glad to see that it came back to the closer to the original size. You know, if you look at the mini Coopers lately, you know, if you took, you know, an R 50, R 53 when they came back in early two thousands and looked to at where they are today, they’ve gotten [00:53:00] fatter,

Crew Chief Eric: the maxi, that’s what we call ’em around here.

Bill Snow: Um, see, I haven’t, I haven’t been up close to one. I haven’t been in one, so I can’t, I can’t speak to that. But, um, I was glad to see that it kind of returned back to the original idea of, hey, it’s supposed to be a, a small, nimble. Car.

Crew Chief Eric: So that leads into a another variant of the Miata. I, I often call it the Fiat, and that’s the Fiat 1 24 Barth, which is very similar in some ways to the NC Miata, although it shares the ND chassis, it’s actually physically larger.

It’s more comfortable to sit in and things like that. So what do you guys think about the 1 24 spider?

Dave Peters: It’s ugly

Crew Chief Eric: blasphemer,

Dave Peters: you know, it’s, to me, it’s almost like they tried to copy an nb, definitely lines that look like an nb, but then especially the back.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Yeah.

Dave Peters: But then there’s some lines that just look like they’re slightly out of place.

To me, it just. I don’t like it, but I think that it’s just very [00:54:00] minute things that they did that make me not

Crew Chief Eric: like it. So let me ask you this, if they re-badged it, changed the sheet metal and brought it back as an Alpha Rome male, hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Would that change your opinion of the fiat?

Dave Peters: No, definitely. I mean, it, it really, it’s a, it’s an aesthetics thing. I’m, I mean, I just don’t like the way it looks. And, and then it’s got what, a 1.4 turbo in it. One’s gotta be faster or drive better than the other. But I, I really don’t know.

Crew Chief Eric: So I’ve read in the tests and even they did a review on the grand tour.

Richard Hammond drove one and basically, because the fiat weighs more than the nd but it makes more power. They’re basically equal. But the difference is the tunability of the fiat is huge because there’s people like Euro compulsion that make turbo kits for ’em and things like that. You throw ’em on, suddenly you have 300 horsepower.

You have a rocket ship, right? Mm-hmm. So I think the flexibility of the Abarth motor is great. If you want to go back to what we were talking about earlier in the episode where it’s like, I want that need for speed. I want to fulfill and satisfy [00:55:00] that, but I don’t want something that isn’t a Miata, right?

Bill Snow: To me when I was, I was looking at some of the pictures again before the call. You know, it kind of looks almost video gamish. I don’t know why. And a lot of the renderings I saw, I read an old article from 2016 Road and Track or MotorTrend or something that did a comparison. And just like you said, Eric, they came out about even, I have not seen one on the road though.

Have you guys, anyone seen? Oh, they’re all over

Crew Chief Eric: the place here. Yeah. Yeah.

Bill Snow: Not here in Cleveland.

Jim Tramontano: I, I fell into that love with it, or I guess out and in the first time I saw one in person, I was at New York Auto Show and I was not a fan. But then when I started to see ’em, I, I like it. It kind of has that old Fiat Roadster look, which is like a little bit awkward.

But it works. It definitely has that look. Personally, I am not a fan of turbo cars though. I mean, I know I’m gonna have to change my opinion ’cause everything is turning into turbos. I’d rather have the normally aspirated Miatas and then I know the ND two Miata. I think they bumped it. What, like 40 horsepower.

Maybe not four. They there was a huge bump for the [00:56:00] second generation of the nds. I like them and used car market. I’m not gonna say no to one, but I’d still rather stick with the Miata version.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s a pizan thing. We get it. You know the whole, yeah.

Jim Tramontano: So you didn’t see the guy off camera holding a cannoli saying, you better say you like the fiat.

Yeah, right. As a Chrysler person too. A Mopar guy. I have to like the fiat, you know? Right, exactly.

Crew Chief Eric: Amen to that. Amen to that. I’ve got a lot of

Jim Tramontano: texts. Why are you racing mes when you could race that? I can’t though, but you’re close

Crew Chief Eric: and the price on those things is, has gone nuts to, oh has to Brad’s point earlier, used car market going through the roof and things like that and, and you know, when you start looking at what a used six speed fiat would cost, you can buy a rag out Alpha four C and have a mid engine fighter jet more power and all that kinda stuff.

So it’s kind of this weird balance when we start talking about again, what should I buy? How do I spend my money in today’s market when a used car from five years ago is 30 grand? You’re like, well, do I buy. [00:57:00] You know, I’ll Mach E for 40 and it’s a brand new EV and get all excited about that. Or do I buy an SSM for that price?

’cause a lot of ssms, you know, especially you want a front runner, they’re expensive, right? So there’s a lot of different things to consider when you get into that. That being said, since you guys are in the community, any rumors. About a fifth Gen Miata coming out. I mean, the nds getting a little long into tooth as well.

It’s been around now five, six years.

Bill Snow: I haven’t heard anything. There was talking of an ng, wasn’t there? Yeah, it’s rotary powered.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s never gonna happen.

Jim Tramontano: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. If you know me, you know my opinion on Rotaries and I’ve, I’ve hurt some feelings, but I’ve been very Right. I’m,

Crew Chief Eric: I always say if the Germans thought it was a good idea, they wouldn’t have given up on it.

Right. Just, just let’s take the nine 11 as an example.

Jim Tramontano: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Well,

Jim Tramontano: what I’ve heard is that everyone that blew up, they just were driving it wrong. And it’s simple tricks that you’d have, oh [00:58:00] wait, they just blew up. It’s a two stroke. Yeah, a hundred percent.

Crew Chief Eric: So I’m really curious to see what the future of the Miata is like.

I mean, we’re talking about now, it came out in 19 89, 9, although it was as model year. Yeah. As we talked to one of the folks that was on the design team for the Miata. They were developing it years earlier. Right. And we joked on another episode. It’s one of those cars that was designed in the eighties, came out in the nineties, and now has lasted forever.

We’re talking a 30 year run, and so it’s, we’ll be curious to see what the next decade looks like, especially as we move to EVs. Do you think there’ll be an electric Miata, or is the Miata maybe on its way out?

Jim Tramontano: It’ll definitely be an electric version of some sort. I’m excited for it. I’m about 10 years before I can really get behind electric stuff.

Maybe five years. But I’m excited for that too. That’ll be fun. You just want the e torque. Yeah. Well, the only thing is I also wanna be able to do a 35 minute session at the Glen. Through, but, we’ll, we’ll see.

Crew Chief Eric: That actually brings up a, a great question. Best Giata swap you’ve ever seen, [00:59:00] or one that you lust after?

There’s always that guy that’s got the, well, I dunno that that’s on you, right?

Dave Peters: It’s subjective. Yeah. I mean, the best Miata swap I saw was an NC that had a two five in it. And, you know. I think like most track day Miata guys, you go through the like, oh, I’m gonna put a turbo on it. And then No, I’ve decided I’m gonna supercharge it.

No, I’m gonna do a, a ecotech swap. No, I’m gonna do, and you know, I kind of went through all that and went back to, I’m not doing any of that. ’cause every time I see one, they’re broken.

Jim Tramontano: I wanna try a k swap me out. I wanna drive one because my daily driver is KI love to

Dave Peters: drive one too, but you know, to do a K swap, it’s just insanely expensive.

It’s too much money.

Crew Chief Brad: We have somebody in the club that’s got one

Jim Tramontano: Ah, perfect. Send it my way. Yeah. My daily is at oh seven Civic. I, I have that K every day and I love that engine. I just, every time a minute I hit B Tech. I’m like, I wish the Miata had this.

Crew Chief Eric: So, no, no LS or coyotes or [01:00:00] five oh, it lost too much.

Too much for the chassis. It’s way too much. Why a Corvette? But you see guys doing it all the time, right? Fire breathing, dragon V eight. Miatas. Right.

Bill Snow: Do a lot. They’re always part the panic. Yeah. Jim, cover your ears. I have a collection of, of Rx sevens, which will end up, it’s still a pile and, uh, but, but I’m gonna end up with extra rotaries.

I always thought, man, love the stick of rotary in there. Why not? I’ve seen

Dave Peters: a miana with a rotary and I’m trying to remember when and where it was. I mean, it it, it’s closed on the side of the road. No, no, it was actually, it was a robing and it did break down.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, I’m not gonna, I’m not gonna argue with Bill.

It’s cool. Yeah. But it’s sort of like other people’s kids like, yeah, I’ll play with you for a while as long as I get to give you back. You know what I mean? Like that’s me and Rotary. I’m all good, man.

Bill Snow: That sounds like one of my projects then. Yep. Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: I do think though, the coolest I’ve ever seen, and I’m sure you guys remember this one, it was out of Southern California where [01:01:00] they put the Hellcat engine in the Miata.

Dude, that thing, I’ve seen that. Awesome.

Jim Tramontano: Let’s see. That car went into a ditch shortly after it was built, and I haven’t heard anything since.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, there’s no more videos about the Hellcat Miata, but it was cool for all of eight seconds. Yeah.

Crew Chief Brad: Wow. We have somebody in the market for a Miata. They’re six, four and 300 pounds.

What Miata do you recommend

Dave Peters: you did?

Crew Chief Brad: You

Dave Peters: pulled

Crew Chief Brad: this

Dave Peters: on me the first time around

Jim Tramontano: four. Alright. I got on it an NA or an NB because you can drop the floor, there’s a ready made kit, you drop the floor two and a half inches and you just get an aluminum seat on the floor back. Planet Miata claims they built one for a six foot eight driver.

Crew Chief Eric: Were his feet coming out the popups or what? Right.

Jim Tramontano: Well, it really, it depends. 6, 6, 4 might fit depending on how your torso size,

Crew Chief Brad: the 34 engine zine. I do not fit in a, in an na [01:02:00] in stock trim.

Jim Tramontano: If you come to one of our events, I want you to try and sit. Oh yeah. Not stock. There’s a car too you might fit into.

There you go, Brad. You could wear, could wear

Crew Chief Brad: it. Find one event.

Jim Tramontano: You can,

Crew Chief Eric: you

Jim Tramontano: can wear that Miana.

Crew Chief Brad: The latest accessory,

Jim Tramontano: my friend has one, he, he built, he’s got a drop floor of the seats on the floor all the way back and he built a eight or nine inch steering wheel extension. ’cause it was the only way he could get his knee.

The arch in his knee is to fit. He’s very comfortable in the car

Crew Chief Eric: drive with T-Rex arms, like, yeah. Oh yeah. So that said, Brad, I think we should do maybe some lightning round pit stop questions. What do you think? Sure. Let’s go for it. I’m gonna, I’m gonna start with my favorite, so I’m gonna ask. Bill sexiest car of all time.

Bill Snow: Uh, late sixties GT 40

Crew Chief Eric: oh

Bill Snow: oh. Dave,

Dave Peters: you, you got me on. This is a s Are you testing me? Uh, it was Ja The answer is not Miata in this case. No, no is not. It was, it was Jaguar XK, E, hard

Jim Tramontano: top.

Crew Chief Eric: Nice.

Jim Tramontano: A type B Jag. Yeah, [01:03:00] Jim, I’ve got, so it depends on my definition of sexy that day. Honestly. I always go back to my 1969 and a half Super bee in the green.

The bright green metallic. Woo. One of these days. Mopar, man. So

Crew Chief Eric: see that leads into the other, the other pit stop question of favorite, a classic on this show, which is what we call the million dollar man question or the million dollar garage question. So since you started with the Super Bee, you have a three bay garage, what do you put in the other two bays?

Jim Tramontano: Oh, that’s easy. Two spec Miatas. Because if I have that kind of cash in the beginning. There’s no way I’ll make it through a weekend without crashing one of the spec Miatas, when you have a second one in the garage, you will win a lot of races knowing you have a second one in the garage.

Crew Chief Brad: It’s called No fear.

Jim Tramontano: Yeah. Oh yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Dave, what do you put in the other two bays in your garage?

Dave Peters: I really want a. Spec spider, you know, uh, that’s a five 50 spider copy. I just love that car. And, and it’s attainable. Not at the moment, [01:04:00] but I think at some point I could afford one. And then, um, I don’t know, I probably want a late seventies, early eighties Porsche nine 30 or 9 35, something like that when I was a kid.

That was the car to me.

Bill Snow: You guys reminded me. I totally forgot about the Alpha four C. I think it’s a, it’s a fun car to see on the street. It sounds awesome. And, and I’m not one of these guys that’s gotta have a million dollar car. So throw one of those 50, 60 grand in the garage and then again, not looking at crazy expensive, but something I would love to have is a GT three 50 R.

Crew Chief Eric: Which year though, like our late sixties.

Bill Snow: Oh gosh. Um, no newer, sorry. Yeah, good point. And the third bay full of tires.

Crew Chief Eric: Right? I was gonna say, well he’s got ’em suspended over the cars, you know, he’s got a loft up there. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Crew Chief Brad: exactly. Tires and fuel tanks. Yep. Ugliest car in the world other than the fiat.

I was gonna say, I already told you.

Dave Peters: No, that I don’t feel that madly about it. [01:05:00] Matador. Oh, Matador. I haven’t had, I haven’t had anybody pull

Crew Chief Eric: that one.

Dave Peters: That’s a good, that was the ugliest car ever. The wheels were like a foot in from the fenders. Um, and it just had no style whatsoever.

Crew Chief Eric: Had that long, got kind all of those two-one trying to, it wanted to be a Buick Riviera, but it didn’t know how.

Right,

Dave Peters: right. But it was an a MC.

Crew Chief Eric: Terrible.

Dave Peters: Yeah. One of my neighbors is a kid had one and yeah, I just remember that being, so that’s, that’s, that’s, uh,

Crew Chief Eric: that’s 10 points to Dave for the pull,

Bill Snow: I, I can’t remember the model number, but it’s a Hyundai. It’s got a weird front nose. It’s got a weird rear end. I think you’re thinking of the one where they were like trying to copy

Dave Peters: a Mercedes Jag look.

Yes. Yeah. I don’t know the number of it either, but yeah, those are really ugly. That’s what comes to mind for me.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, it’s like the Genesis G 80 or something like that. The big one. No, it wasn’t a [01:06:00] genesis.

Dave Peters: It was like nineties. Oh, that far back. The size of a cord. I thought, I thought you were gonna say

Crew Chief Eric: like the veloc, the funky one with the, the weird slope back and the, well, that’s pretty funky exhaust in the middle too.

You know, all that stuff.

Jim Tramontano: Not that one. The wish.com. Jaguar sonata, the wish.com. Jaguar.

Dave Peters: Yeah, right, exactly. It looked like, it looked like, you know, you’ve seen some of those Chinese knockoff cars. Yeah, they try. That’s kind of what it looks like, a knockoff jag. Especially when Jag went to those smaller Ford bottom and they went to those smaller jags, but they tried to keep the same headlight look.

That’s what that Hyundai looked like. I know. I know exactly the one you’re talking about, bill. Yeah, it’s a Hyundai Sonata. Is it a Sonata? Maybe it was the first years

Bill Snow: of those, yeah, early 2000. I just did a quick web search of Ugly Hyundai Endi and that’s what you had to go through. 50

Crew Chief Eric: pages. The one he was talking about.

That’s awesome. That must be a popular Google search. [01:07:00] It’s still loaded. Hold on. It’s still loaded.

Crew Chief Brad: You got that A OL working.

Jim Tramontano: So did Jim give us his answer or did he go, I did that. Oh, I’ve got so many good answers for this. But I’m gonna stick, if I wanna go modern, just give myself some criteria. The new WRX.

What are they doing? They’re not bringing STI I copy of the Honda.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Jim Tramontano: Each generation of that car has just gotten uglier and uglier since what? Like the Oh, sixes. The last year they

Crew Chief Eric: look good and it just, but doesn’t everybody say that about every Subaru that’s come out with, with the bugeye came out, they were like, oh, the one previous was better.

And then the one came after the bugeye. The bugeye was so great. This new one’s awful. Yeah.

Crew Chief Brad: But the 2.5 Rs was a nice looking car. It it, yeah. But that was 30 years ago.

Crew Chief Eric: No.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, it was. I do have a two part question. Dave might be exempt ’cause he’s already probably answered it, but any car on any racetrack.

Do I

Jim Tramontano: have a reset button [01:08:00] in my life? Sure. Like if I do an F1 car at Monza or Spa, we’ll say like, as long as I can reset when I crash at 195 miles an hour, I, yeah, this is, this is

Crew Chief Brad: Forza

Jim Tramontano: and you

Crew Chief Brad: can

Jim Tramontano: hit

Crew Chief Brad: the rewind button.

Jim Tramontano: There’s

Crew Chief Brad: my answer.

Dave Peters: Yeah, that’s what, that’s what mine was on the previous Formula One car F1 car in Mon in, uh,

Crew Chief Brad: in Monaco or Monza.

Yeah.

Dave Peters: I don’t remember which track I said, but F1 car,

Bill Snow: uh, I bought one of the Mazda DPI cars at, uh, road America. Ooh, nice. That’s Good. Road America. A nice track. Yeah, that’s a good one. Yeah, that would be mine.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s a great segue into our final Miata question, which is if you could drive your Miata on any track that isn’t one of these ones you already mentioned, what’s your like bucket list track to take your Miata to and go run it?

VIR Patriot course.

Bill Snow: I’d probably, I’ve never been to Watkins Glen. Yeah, you have to go.

Crew Chief Eric: So you got mid Ohio in your backyard. I’m jealous.

Bill Snow: And I’m 35 [01:09:00] minutes from Nelson Ledges too, so that’s great.

Crew Chief Eric: You only break in one turn at that track.

Bill Snow: Yeah, yeah.

Dave Peters: Thunder Hill really has gotten like interesting to me and I really didn’t pay much attention to it till maybe last year and, and part of it was seeing how many events are held there and I was like, there’s got to be something great about this and watched a couple videos. So I’d like to, I’d like to do a full like cross country tour at some point and hit a bunch of ’em, but that would definitely be on the list.

Jim Tramontano: I’m probably gonna have to say Road Atlanta. We have a little sim league that we, and we do a lot of road Atlanta and that just seems like a really fun track. It is scary. We’ve done it. It’s awesome. It’s awesome. Yeah. Don’t put hair on

Crew Chief Eric: your chest, that’s for sure. Oh yeah. Call, call.

Dave Peters: Scary.

Crew Chief Eric: You mature quickly as a driver at Road Atlanta that, that’s a hundred percent, but I would say I would drive any of y’all’s Miatas at Brands Hatch.

That’s my vote right there. I need something low horsepower. So Miata would be perfect for a track like that, but on that bombshell. Guys, [01:10:00] I can’t thank you enough for coming on here and sharing some of your Miata expertise with our audience, with our listeners. So if you’re out there and you’re looking for more information about Miatas, I think you just put Miata into the Google and tons of things will come up.

But if you want more than that, you can tune into Late to Grid, which is a podcast about motorsports and getting on track. Bill Snow, our guest interviews, guys and gals who work hard all week to be weekend warriors. He also interviews professionals in the Motorsports community that can help you and your racing.

His audience includes members of SECA and nasa, which is the National Auto Sports Association, and those that participate in track days, HPDE and Endurance Racing Bill’s Goal is to share the stories and inspiration that will continue to help grow our sport. You can search for their show on all your favorite pod catchers or on social media at.

Late to Grid.

Crew Chief Brad: Jim Montano created No Money Motor Sports a site with the primary goal to get [01:11:00] folks on track as much as possible by spending as little money as possible, which is near and dear to my heart. He started auto crossing in 2007, started track days by volunteering with NASA in 2012, and moved up to HPD ranks in his daily driver Miata.

He’s in his fifth year racing spec Meto with NASA Northeast and you can check out his work over@www.no money motorsports.com.

Crew Chief Eric: And last to Grid, but certainly not least a shout out to Dave Peters and the folks over@hpdjunkie.com for deciding that something needed to be done to promote high performance driving events H HPEs across the country.

So he created a website with a goal of turning HPDE into a household name. And now HPD junkie.com is the most inclusive and most current listing of HPDE track days and open track events for the United States and Canada. You can check out H HPD junkie@hpdjunkie.com or follow them on all your favorite social media platforms at HBD [01:12:00] Junkie.

And you can chat with Dave Peters also over on Garage Riot. So we wanna thank Bill, Jim and Dave for joining us tonight on our episode. What should I buy? The answer is always Miana and wish you guys all the best in the 22 and 23 season. And by the way guys, what should we buy Miana seat time.

Crew Chief Brad: If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about gtm, be sure to check us out on www.gt motorsports.org. You can also find us on Instagram at Grand Tour Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, you can call or text us at (202) 630-1770 or send us an email at crew chief@gtmotorsports.org.

We’d love to hear from you.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey everybody, crew Chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted to [01:13:00] remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies and GTM swag.

For as little as $2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of fig Newton’s, gummy bears, and Monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports. And remember, without fans, supporters, and members like you, none of this would be possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Introduction and Panel Setup: The Miata Mystique!
  • 02:00 Jim’s Journey
  • 04:44 Dave’s Miata Experience
  • 07:20 Bill’s Motorsport Background
  • 10:38 Miata vs. MX-5: What’s in a Name?
  • 11:50 Making Miatas Faster: Tips and Tricks
  • 15:01 Racing Stories and Pet Peeves
  • 26:51 Cost of Ownership and Modifications
  • 30:18 Best Miata Setups and Life Hacks
  • 39:05 Finding Deals and the Best Online Communities for Miata Owners
  • 39:59 Best and Worst Parts of Owning a Miata
  • 42:44 Racing on a Budget: MythBusters Edition
  • 45:24 Alternative Track Cars: Beyond the Miata
  • 48:24 Comparing Miata Generations
  • 58:03 The Future of Miata: Electric and Beyond
  • 58:56 Dream Track Experiences and Car Swaps
  • 01:09:59 Final Thoughts and Where to Find More Information

Learn More

What else should you buy? Check out other What Should I Buy? Podcast episodes for more car buying “advice” 😉 And remember: the debate never ends – it just shifts gears.

Let’s settle this: Miatas are slow. And that’s exactly why they’re great. “The trick is to not ever slow down,” Jim says. Momentum is everything. The panel agrees that seat time, tires, brakes, and suspension upgrades are the keys to going faster – not horsepower. “If those four things don’t put a smile on your face,” Bill adds, “maybe this isn’t for you.”

  • Jim Tramontano's NA Miata NASA SE Lightning Group
  • Dave Peters HPDEjunkie.com NB Miata
  • Jim Tramontano's NA Miata NASA SE Lightning Group
  • Bill Snow's #55 NB Miata
  • Bill Snow's #55 NB Miata
  • Dave Peters HPDEjunkie.com NB Miata
  • Jim Tramontano Spec Miata Racing at Watkins Glen (NASA/SCCA)

Spec Racing, Seat Feel, and the Joy of Being Outgunned

Spec Miata racing is a chess match at 100 mph. “It’s nose to tail, waiting for someone to screw up,” Jim explains. With older NA and NB models dominating the class, newer NC and ND Miatas are still finding their place. But the magic lies in the balance and feedback. “You start feeling the ass end come around,” Dave says, “and a little flick of the wheel brings it right back.”

Bill adds that the Miata’s seat feel helps drivers find the limit – and sometimes cross it. “You get such a great feel for yourself and the track,” he says. That confidence translates to other cars, especially rear-wheel drive platforms like the E30.

Every Miata driver has a story about being stuck behind a Corvette. “I remember doing six laps behind the same guy,” Dave groans. The panel agrees: faster cars with slower drivers are a menace. “Just because they have five times more horsepower doesn’t mean they’re faster,” Jim says. The solution? Make your Miata look like a race car. Stickers help.


Full Send, Always

Whether you’re chasing Corvettes or door-to-door with your Miata buddies, the joy of driving comes from pushing limits and sharing the experience. “Full send all the time,” Jim says. And if you’re tired of being ignored on track, just get sideways in their mirror. That usually earns a point-by – or a black flag.

So, is the answer always Miata? For this crew, it’s a resounding yes. Not because it’s the fastest, but because it teaches you how to drive, how to wrench, and how to build a community. And that, dear reader, is the real reward.


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From Miatas to Motorsports PR: The Dean Case Journey

What do the Mazda Miata, Ford’s TransAm program, and the Art of Racing in the Rain have in common? Dean Case. If you’ve ever wondered how someone goes from engineering iconic cars to shaping motorsports narratives behind the scenes, Dean’s story is a masterclass in reinvention, passion, and staying true to your roots.

Dean Case’s automotive journey began at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he earned a mechanical engineering degree. His first job offer came from Mazda R&D in Irvine, California – a serendipitous start that placed him in the studio just as the Miata was taking shape. “I wasn’t there at the birth,” Dean admits, “but I was there during the development.”

As a studio engineer, Dean played the role of “physics police,” ensuring that design dreams could meet real-world constraints. From the Miata to the MX-6, MPV, and the third-gen RX-7, Dean helped translate artistic vision into engineering reality. He worked alongside legends like Bob Hall (whom he calls the true father of the Miata), Norman Garrett, and the brilliant designer Wu-Huan Chin.

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In 1993, Dean joined Ford’s electric vehicle department, working on the Ranger EV – one of eight electric vehicles launched in 1998 under California’s zero-emission mandate. But his heart was always in racing. By 1997, he’d transitioned to Ford Motorsports, managing the TransAm program and supporting teams like Roush Racing and AutoCon.

Dean’s time at Ford coincided with Tommy Kendall’s legendary 11-race win streak and encounters with racing icons like Paul Newman. “You could talk to Paul about racing,” Dean recalls, “but never about movies. He’d just walk away.”

Spotlight

Synopsis

This episode of Break/Fix features an in-depth conversation with Dean Case, the Public Relations Manager for SRO Motorsports America. The show opens with a history of Case’s automotive career, including his work on the original Mazda Miata and other notable Mazda projects. Case discusses his transition from engineering at Mazda to public relations at Nissan, where he managed product launches such as the return of the Z and the first Nissan 360 global event. He also touches on his time at Ford, covering electric vehicle projects and working with the Ford Motorsport effort in the SCCA TransAm Championship. Moving forward, Case explains his current role at SRO Motorsports America, aiming to enhance accessibility and interest in GT and touring car races. The episode covers a wide range of topics, from historic collaborations with notable figures in motorsports and media to contributions to distracted driving awareness campaigns and animal welfare. It also delves into the impact of Formula SAE on young engineers’ careers and Case’s passion for car-themed music.

  • The answer is always Miata – let’s talk about your work on the Miata team #zoom-zoom
  • You were at the height of TransAm at Ford; tell us some of those stories?
  • Famous Friends: Lyn St. James, Tommy Kendall, Sylvia Wilkinson, Paul Newman, Jay Leno, Garth Stein, Tim Considine and others.
  • Your time with Nissan and NISMO.
  • Your work with Formula SAE – why is SAE so important? 
  • We had Greg Gill on the show talking about SRO > How are you connected? and how did you end up at SRO? What are your plans for the program? The Brand? 
  • What other super cool things don’t we know about Dean Case?

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Break Fix Podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from all over the autos sphere, from wrench, turners, and racers to artists, authors, designers, and everything in between. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of Petrolhead that wonder how did they get that job or become that person.

The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.

Crew Chief Eric: The following episode is brought to you by SRO Motorsports America and their partners at AWS CrowdStrike, Fantech Pelli, and the Skip Barber Racing School. Be sure to follow all the racing action by visiting www.sromotorsports.com.

Or take a shortcut to GT America US and be sure to follow them on social at GT America, on Twitter and Instagram at SRO GT America on Facebook and catch live coverage of the races on their YouTube channel at GT World. [00:01:00] After graduating Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo with a mechanical engineering degree, our guest joined Mazda Research and Development in Irvine, California.

And while at Mazda, he worked on the original Miata. Second generation MX six, first Gen MPV, and the third Gen RX seven. While he loved the people and the work at Mazda, he wanted to try something new, working at a larger car company. That opportunity came in 1993 when he joined Ford as a layout engineer in the electric vehicle department, and in 1997, he was able to transfer to the Ford Motorsport effort in the SCCA TransAm Championship.

While the Ford experience was professionally rewarding, he wished to return home to Southern California a little later, acting as the EV q and a technical expert on a Nissan Media event in 2000, a life-changing event that would lead him from engineering to communications. He became the Nissan [00:02:00] product PR manager from 2001 through 2006, where he worked on every Nissan brand product launch, including the return of the Z, the launch of Nismo, and the first Nissan 360 global event.

Fast forwarding to two Today, our break fix guest is one of those legendary behind the scenes people in motor sports. Mr. Dean case. Public relations manager for SRO Motorsports America, where he works to promote the premier GT and touring car series in the United States. And he’s here to share some of his most fascinating paddock stories with us as if this intro wasn’t enough, right?

So please join us in welcoming Dean Case to break fix. Thank you. Thank you. Glad to be here. So Dean, let’s jump into it. In that intro, it stands alone. Let’s talk about Mazda. You know, we joke all the time. The answer is always Miata, but let’s talk about your work on the Miata team.

Dean Case: Well, actually it was pretty funny ’cause I, it was the only automotive offer I had when I graduated, and actually it was [00:03:00] months later.

I didn’t get the offer right when I graduated from school and I had one non-automotive offer and I was about to take it. My dad said, why would you do that? You work all this time again into automotive, you know, we can. Put you up for a while till you find something. And then I got the opportunity to interview with, uh Mazda, October of 86.

I had just graduated, I guess it was August. I didn’t finish up in June like I was supposed to. I had one more quarter to finish at Cal Poly. I was a little bit behind. It was a layout engineer. I didn’t even really know what a studio engineer did. They offered me the job and I took it. And so I show up the first day and once you sign all the paperwork, then I go back, they take me back into the studio and there was a full size clay model.

Of a two seat road story that was still about two and a half years away from a launch. That was the Miata. You know, I wasn’t there really at the birth. I was there during the development of it. It was still an incredible opportunity to be right place, right time.

Crew Chief Eric: You’re talking the late eighties at this point.

You said The debut of the Miata was a couple years later That came to our shores in 1990. What were they having you [00:04:00] do on the, on the Miata at that point?

Dean Case: Mazda RD and Irvine is a relatively small group. There was a manager, a senior engineer, and myself, just three of us in the engineering group. And then we had the design studio, and then there was a various testing function.

So what would happen? An early layout, you know, a concept that came out of. California suite would be sentencing the mothership in Japan for development. It would come back to us in various times. So we would be involved in some of the early drives. So I got to go on some of the early drives with the Miata, you know, so it was kind of the tail end of it, but I was there for the launch when we were at Chicago Auto Show in February of 89.

There.

Crew Chief Eric: Is it really true that the Miata was modeled after the Lotus Ilan? Is that where it’s got its inspiration from? Well,

Dean Case: some of it not entirely. I mean, they had to Triumph Spitfire and they had other British cars, and even a couple, I think we had an Alpha one time, Mazda went out and bought a number of cars, including a, an Ellan.

The Ellan was at a higher price point, so a lot of it was looking at the cars that were available to everybody. And conventional wisdom at the time is there was no market for a small two [00:05:00] seat sports car. And the reality was there was no market for a unreliable two seat sports car like most of the British cars were.

The reality is most of the triumphs and things they fail on the US shores ’cause they weren’t particularly reliable or comfortable. The Miata was kind of trying to improve on that. Y Yeah. You could say spiritually, a little bit of a lawn, but there was a lot of other cars that they were targeting. They wanted to make sure the price point was affordable.

Keep in mind, that car launched, I think it was $13,900. That was a screaming deal for what it was.

Crew Chief Eric: There’s some names that surround Lamata folks like Jeffrey Barnes and Bob Hall. Did you get to work with them as well on that project? Did that come later at Mazda? No.

Dean Case: Well, actually, Jeremy, I think at that time, worked for Toyota.

He came in later. Jeremy joined, I’m not sure what year he joined Mazda, but Bob Hall was there. I mean the original nucleus of the mean auto. A lot of people claim to be the father of the Miata. I would say Bob Hall is the father of the Miata. There was a lot of other people involved, Mark Jordan, Wang Chin, Mr.

Hii, but ultimately it was an [00:06:00] American concept. The original three people who really led the pitch to Japan was Bob Hall. Mark Jordan and Norman Garrett. Norman Garrett, who was the engineer who hired me. You know, a lot of other people were actively involved. Amazing talent in that studio, Wuhan Chin, who really led the design of the final generation.

RX seven was one of the most amazingly talented people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with

Crew Chief Eric: during this whole time, working on the MX six, working on the minivan, and then the RX seven, an iconic vehicle. We still talk about the third gen RX seven today as a timeless design by Mazda. You look at it and you go.

What year is that car? I don’t know. Yeah. What were the different pieces? What were you working on? Or were you already in your head kind of thinking about the marketing side? Or were you still just bogged down in, in the mechanics of vehicles? Well, a lot of what we

Dean Case: did was, we joke that a studio engineer is more like the physics police.

You know, the designers would come up with this incredible shape as like, well, you know, we really like to have someone who’s over five foot five be able to fit in the car. You know, and, and so a lot of it was making sure that we could fit a [00:07:00] 95th percentile American male into it, fifth percentile. Asian female and making sure that things like headlights are in legal positions.

A lot of what we did was, you know, on our standpoint was to support the creative efforts of the students. Interesting. We had to make sure that when we sent the proposal to Japan, they didn’t laugh at and say, yeah, we can’t build that,

Crew Chief Eric: and we’re gonna talk about more about your history as we go along, but there’s a big gap and then there’s a return to Mazda way later in your career.

Yeah. So let’s kind of jump forward and then jump back a little bit. Try staying in the topic of Mazda in general, and so. When you came back to Mazda on the second go round, now you’re in a position of communications, you’re in the media department, public relations, et cetera. So I gotta ask you, it’s a pretty loaded question.

Zoom. Zoom, was that your, was that your doing was, is that you Dean?

Dean Case: No, that was a, a previous agency donor I think. Did that, that, I think that was, who came up with that? It was a great. Slogan and I mean there’s a lot of uh, Mazda fans out there who still embrace that over [00:08:00] some of the more current ones, but anytime you change agencies, they have to burn everything.

Ultimately, the fact I was able to go back was don’t burn bridges, you know, leave on good terms anywhere you go. And I have to thank Michael Jordan from Automobile Magazine. He’s the one connected me with Jeremy Barnes in the end of 2005. ’cause I was working at Nissan at the time and Nissan was relocating from Los Angeles to Nashville, Tennessee.

And that didn’t work for me from a family standpoint. I wasn’t bashful. I told everyone I knew I’m looking to find something else to stay in California. And Michael used to bust Jeremy’s chops about, you’re doing all this racing but you have no PR support. And Jeremy’s response to him was, well, I’m never gonna get headcount approver.

It’s gonna have to be contract. The only motor sports PR people I’ve met, I don’t like. Michael said, I know the exact guy you need to hire. He knows your products ’cause he used to engineer ’em. He knows the media ’cause he is been doing PR for Nissan and Best for you. He is about to be unemployed. So when Nissan leaves, so I sat down with Jeremy at the 2006 LA Auto Show over coffee.[00:09:00]

Got to know each other and he says, what’s your timeframe? I go, well, I’m working on this formula, SAE project right now, so I’m not even available until uh, June. He goes, perfect, because it’ll take me at least that long to find budget. And he ended up calling me in August and said, I’ve got budget. And actually I think I did the first.

Three races on a handshake agreement. ’cause I trusted Jeremy and then ended up 11 one year contracts.

Crew Chief Eric: So you mentioned to me behind the scenes that you worked on the Mazda Road to Indie project. So do you wanna talk about that a little bit and what that was all about?

Dean Case: Mazda at that time, you know, they were getting into more and more series.

You know, they had the MX five. Such a strange time on both sports cars and open wheel because when Mazda started out, you know, when I joined him in 2006, we still had Champ Car and IRL. What happened was there was already the Star Mazda Championship with the rotary powered cars. The origin you can trace back to the original Russell Mazda car in 1984.

Gary Rodriguez was running that series very successfully, and Mazda signed on with Skip Barber. Also, Mazda had the [00:10:00] engine for the Atlantic Championship, the beautiful brand new Swift car, which could have been a Ford, it could have been a Mazda, ended up being a Mazda. So now all of a sudden there was three open wheel series, so you had.

Skip Barber, which would feed into Star Mazda, which would feed into Atlantics, which would feed into Champ Car. Then 2008, champ Car imploded, you know, it got sucked into IRL. We lost the Atlantic Championship, which was a shame ’cause the Atlantic cars were just incredible on multiple levels and current cars were great and the history of, uh, Atlantics was great, but that disappeared and then all of a sudden it became Skip Barber, the F 2000, the Star Mazda, the Indie Lights.

The lights was never a Mazda engine, but just kind of worked out to where it kind of morphed into this thing we had with Champ Car to the Mazda Road to Indy in conjunction with Cooper Tires was a key player in that as well. There was so much going on and lucky that it survived through the recession.

You know, that time period.

Crew Chief Eric: So we’ll talk more about your transition from engineer to PR as [00:11:00] we go along in the conversation. But one thing I wanna ask while we’re still talking about Mazda, how did you find yourself when you came back in 2006? Did you find yourself still kind of wanting to be in the shop, looking at the designs, working on the cars or at, at this point because you had changed careers, you came at it with a whole different set of eyes.

And I bring it up because a lot of people go through these metamorphoses in their life where they do career changes and things like that. But in your case. You were still in the automotive world and you went from one end to the other, so I just wanted to expand upon that experience for you as you walked back through the gates of Mazda with a different role.

Dean Case: Well, I still knew some of the r and d folks. Some of those were still there. Actually, one of my best friends from Mazda r and d just retired a few weeks ago. Kelvin Heri. He was the director of r and d, and he and I worked together in the late eighties. You have to be honest with yourself about what you’re good at and what your strengths are, and I used to get this really strange compliment early in my career.

My writing was excellent. Pause for an engineer. It’s kind of like being told you’re the healthiest person in the [00:12:00] intensive care ward. You’re not really sure if it’s compliment. But I realized my real niche was explaining technical topics to non-technical people, and most engineers hate doing that. And so that was a niche that I could kind of explore.

You know, we did a lot with Mazda and it’s like, yeah, I, I like to think I was a competent engineer, but I was not a brilliant engineer. My first engineering boss at Mazda Zero mahi. He had over a hundred patents to his name. I was never at that level, and I could admit that, you know, I’m honest about it. I like to think that, you know, I was competent, but I wasn’t the rockstar engineer like some of those are, and most of the ones in motorsports, you know, you gotta really be good, otherwise you just don’t last.

So I like to help tell those stories of the technology and things. But Ford did what Nissan did, what Mazda did, and now what SRO does.

Crew Chief Eric: Let’s talk about Ford. You wanted to go on to bigger and better things. So obviously at some point during this. Entire journey. Ford and Mazda were partnered up, or Ford bought Mazda, if I remember correctly.

So was that a natural progression to go from [00:13:00] Mazda to Ford?

Dean Case: No, actually it was pretty funny. Ford had historically owned about 25% of Mazda dating back to the seventies. And there was a lot of, you know, if you bought a Ford Courier pickup, it was actually a Mazda. And then much later years, you know, you buy a Mazda B series and that’s actually a Ford Ranger produced in Edison, New Jersey.

When Mazda ran into some economic problems in the early nineties, Ford increased their ownership to 33% and basically put their management in place. But when I left, I basically gave up all my seniority at Mazda and started at ground zero at four. There was no. There was no opportunity to to make a transfer and keep any of my seniority or anything, but it was a good move.

But it was really wild to do electric vehicles in the nineties. The F-150 lightning’s amazing, but it’s not Ford’s first electric pickup truck. There was a 1998 Ranger Electric. I worked on it. This was all back because California Air Sources Board had a A mandate they were pushing for 2% zero emission vehicles by 1998.

And this is a great trivia question [00:14:00] for people who like EVs, can you name all of the EVs that came out in 1998? There was eight of ’em that came out and virtually no one can ever guess that.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, other than the gm EV one, right. I can’t think of too many others that are in the popular media at least.

Right?

Dean Case: Well, most all of ’em were fleet only. They were never sold to consumers. But Toyota had the RAV4, ev. Nissan had the Ultra ev. I drove one of those for eight years. Chrysler had a Pacific and Minivan Electric, so there was a bunch of these out there, but they were all test fleets. Only virtually all of ’em were brought back and then crushed.

If you saw the movie, who Killed the electric car, they talk about the EV one. You know, were all, those were destroyed. It basically happened with most all the other ones, and it was all beta software that the technology just wasn’t there. One of the really great things I loved about Ford was they had a lot of career development process.

You know, I encourage students to consider employment at a Ford, at GM or something right outta school because there’s just so much training opportunity and mentorship available. Ford, [00:15:00] uh, you get your annual performance review, but you’d also get your semi-annual, I guess it was little bit of a review. It was more of a coaching session.

The joke is what they want you to say is, well, I’d like to be a design release engineer, get my MBA and move into product planning. And they got a path for that. It’s easy. But if you say, I wanna be transferred to Ford Australia or transferred to Ford Motorsports, they look at you like those are not normal goals.

And I finally got a boss who said. Let me ask, and he called up the head of Ford Racing and asked, how does someone move into your department? He says, well, all of our junior program managers are on loan for other departments. So if you’re willing to continue paying a salary out of your budget, we’d be happy to have ’em for a year.

So when I worked on Trans Am I was being paid by the electric vehicle group.

Crew Chief Eric: What was that transition like? You go from EVs to race cars. What did they have you working on at Ford Motorsport?

Dean Case: A lot of it was making sure that we didn’t, didn’t have bad things happening to us, BOP wise, you know, good old balance

Crew Chief Eric: of power,

Dean Case: balance of performance.

Yeah. Or blaming other people. But you know, actually it [00:16:00] was 25 years ago, just a few weeks back, St. Petersburg, Florida, the season opener for the TransAm series of. It was kind of funny, the, the strangest job title, I was the TransAm program Manager at Ford Motor Company. People say, wait, I thought TransAm was a Pontiac.

Yes, it is. General Motors licensed the name from the SECA. So I had that strange job title there, but a lot of it was just making sure that our teams had what they needed. Help facilitate some of the uh, pre-race testing. We tested Dearborn Proving Grounds. That was a special one ’cause we got the test with Newman Haas and Paul Newman was there at the same test.

So some good things there, but a lot of it was just making sure that we were staying equal and trying to support a couple of the private tier Mustang teams. Mike Lewis and Auto Con. And we had the deck stack that year. You know, we had. Tommy Kendall and Danny Banks prepared Roush Mustangs, and that was the magic year where Tommy won 11 straight races.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s kind of funny because that period in TransAm, imsa, A LMS, let’s call it what it is, it was a weird, turbulent time. I [00:17:00] call it the dark ages of touring car and GT racing because there were so many programs, so many series going on at the same time. And then eventually they would, let’s use a racing term homologate and get together.

Right, and And it became. IMSA and then SRO. Now today as a separate for GT three and GT four, there’s a lot of names that we’re still lurking around. You know, folks that like, you know Willie t Ribs and Lynn St. James. Yeah. And you mentioned Tommy Kendall and Paul Newman. And you know, Tom Cruise ran with Paul Newman and things like that.

And so there’s a lot of celebrity during that time that you came across. And what was that

Dean Case: like? The few times I met Paul Newman during the 97 season. The one thing I’ve been warned ahead of time with Paul, you can talk to him about racing. If you ask anything about entertainment, he will just walk away from you and never speak to you.

Don’t ask for an autograph, but if you wanna ask him about how the team’s going, you know, a race, fine. He’ll talk to you like anybody. You know, he was legendary for when he clubbed race. He would drink beer with the coursework on Sunday, uh, after the races. I mean, really, genuinely. [00:18:00] Nice guy. Very serious about racing.

When he was there at the racetrack. That’s all you want. Do not talk to me about movies. Do not talk to me about tv. So that was pretty cool. Lynn St. James got to know a little bit while I was at Ford. We formed a group, a club, Ford Motor Sports Enthusiast. You know, it was actually, it was kind of funny ’cause we were frustrated as Ford employers.

We weren’t really getting Ford news of race results. So we actually ended up getting in trouble by posting race results that we were told we weren’t authorized to post on the electronic bulletin board. So we formed a club so we could have an electronic bulletin board. Legit, we ended up inviting a number of people to speak.

Uh, Lynn St. James being one of ’em, we made her an honorary Ford Motor Sport enthusiast member, and we had the legendary, John Fitch is a speaker and some other folks like that never met Willie T during that time. He had really finished his Trans Am era. By that time, I mean, Tommy’s only rule challengers that year were Dorsey, Schrader, Brian, cmo, Paul Gen, Greg Pickett, that generation.

Crew Chief Eric: So we’re name dropping all over the place. But you have some other famous [00:19:00] friends that you’ve influenced and, and partnered with. I’ll, I’ll drop a couple names here. Looking at your bio. Sylvia Wilkinson. Got Jay Leno. Gar Stein.

Dean Case: Tim Kine, yeah, yeah, yeah. Tim Kine. Gar Stein’s a good Mazda, right? John Dunan, who was the director of Mazda Motorsports at the time, back in 2008, he was flying to La Mo, so he picked up Starbucks.

At that time you used, you could actually buy books at Starbucks. Remember that, and they would like to feature Seattle based authors. Many times John picked up those book, the Art of Racing in the Rain, just ’cause of the title. It was like, okay, you know, I need something to read on an eight hour flight to Paris.

Bought it immediately. Emailed all of us, Jim Jordan, Steve Sanders, and I. It was like, you gotta go out and buy this book. It’s amazing. And so we, we all did. It was great. The racing was very accurate. It wasn’t a racing story, but racing was the backdrop. Patrick Dempsey was racing with us at the time. A couple things happened.

One, we reached out. Jim Jordan sent a note to, uh, Garth on his website, posted a little comment, like, love the book. You either did amazing research or you must. [00:20:00] He responded like 30 minutes later. Oh yeah. I used to club race a spec Miata. Everything I learned about racing, I know I learned from a spec Miata and it just so happened we were gonna be racing at Portland six weeks later with MX five Cup.

We had a guest car at the time, so we called him up and said, would you like to race a pro race? With us. And then we added, uh, Sam Moses, who wrote Fast Guys. Rich Guys and Idiots back in, I’m not sure the nineties when he wrote that book. So we had fact versus fiction and we had the, uh, motorsports journalist against the fiction writer, and they both thought they were gonna come in and do great.

And they had a, I think, a pretty spirited battle for 21st and the 24 car field. Depth of talent in MX five Cup is astounding. But we got the book, the Patrick Dempsey. Dempsey bought the movie rights and it took Patrick then 10 years to get the movie produced. You know, we’re pretty proud of the fact that we helped make that happen, but it was a collective effort.

John Doon and Jim Jordan, myself and others. So that was pretty cool. Uh, Sylvia Wilkinson is just one of my favorite authors. I mean, when. I grew up reading car books, you know, as a kid. And [00:21:00] you know, you start with the little ones, the juvenile books when you’re 10 or 12 years old. And the first serious one I read was the stainless steel carrot by Sylvia Wilkinson and Sylvia turns out she was a genre of rider, young southern woman novelist who happened to really like racing.

And her publisher said, you should do a racing story. She said, well, I don’t wanna do a conventional one. Maybe I can do a fly on the wall with a young up and coming driver. And do it in the style of a novel. And she did the stainless steel carrot, just a fabulous book. It was out of print for many, many years.

It, it followed John Morton in the BRE Dotsons. I got to know John and Sylvia when I was at Nissan. It was after Sylvia a little bit. It’s like for the 40th anniversary of the, um, championship. Why don’t we redo the book? And Sylvia’s like, no, I’m not interested. I, I’ve worked on a new novel, Sylvia’s written like 20.

Eight books at least. She didn’t wanna revisit the past. After I got to know her and John A. Little bit better, I, I figured out how to exploit her weakness, which her weakness was animals. And I said, what if we did this as a fundraiser for some animal groups? I’ll do the [00:22:00] PR for you for free. Let’s put it back in the print.

But you need to write a new chapter. Where are they now? Because if you found this book on eBay, it’d been like 150 or 200 bucks to find a copy of the original book. And so we put it back in print at $46, which was John’s car number, and we ended up raising a lot of money for animals. But Sylvia’s a brilliant, brilliant writer.

She’s just re-releasing one of her other books. I think it’ll come out next month or sometime in the summer. Dirt Tracks to Glory. So if you like stock car racing, she wrote a really fabulous. A book on that, the early days of stock car racing, and she added some new stuff on this reissue as well, Tim Consign.

He just, sadly that one came to mind ’cause Tim passed away this past week. Tim was a child actor. He played on my three sons and then was very interested in sports cars and became. One of the foremost historians on sports car racing, he did a book on all the Americans who raced in Grand Prix racing that book’s long since out of print, and very expensive two or three years ago, he finished a multi-volume set on every American who ever [00:23:00] raced at lama.

It’s a real, I mean, substantial award. I mean, it was one of those that. He didn’t do it to make money. Books like that are a niche, but it was just his passion project.

Crew Chief Eric: And what about good old Jay Leno

Dean Case: Society of Automotive Historians used to have an annual literature fair in the pre eBay days. This was a big deal.

If you liked car books and magazines and models and other stuff, Pasadena City College would host this swap meet once a year. It was so big. Dealers would drive cross country. To sell books there and Jay would show up and just a regular customer and buy books and I’d sometimes clear out my uh, some of the things outta my collection.

Got to know Jay that way. When we launched the three 50 Z, there’s a funny story. A guy called me that was trying to get one of the Z press kits. We did kind of an over the top press kitt for the launch of the three 50. I was trying to make sure they weren’t just ending upon eBay. It’s like, no, these are very expensive to produce.

I want them in the hands of media. This guy called me and just. He goes, what if I told you I work for Jay Leno as a sound engineer, and I’ll get one to Jay. Done. So I sent him two press kits. [00:24:00] Jay called me and we ended up talking. We put him into a three 50 Z for a week before the car launched. His guys told me it was one of the few times he’d ever seen Jay drive the same car five days in a row.

Jay, pretty much every day would drive something different. It’d be a Bugatti or just, you know, all those strange cars that Jay has. But we ended up being able to take Mr. Caama up there. Mr. Caama was the guy who founded Dotson in America in the 1950s. An exceptionally amazing person. He would come over for the Z Convention in the early two thousands, and I got to travel with him.

The timing just, it was magic timing worked out where we were able to take Mr. K up to a taping. The Tonight Show when we picked up the Z after Jay had driven at a week, and it got a private tour of Jay’s collection. Now, Jay’s collection is astounding and he was definitely a hands-on guy. I mean, he has guys who work on his cars, but you look at his hands, definitely gets his hands dirty and knows how the cars work, you know?

If his Bugatti breaks down the road, odds are, Jay can probably fix it.

Crew Chief Eric: Before we move on, I have a couple questions about your time at [00:25:00] Nissan. So we’ve covered Mazda, we’ve covered Ford, you’ve mentioned Nissan a few times and, and the Z program and things like that. So when you came in the door at Nissan as the new PR guy, one of the things you probably had to do was go back over old ads, ideas, things like that.

What can be used, what can’t, you know, where have they gone? Yeah, what have they said? All that kind of thing. So I gotta ask you a pointed question because we’re reviewed. This little gem in the Nissan marketing world. A few drive-through episodes back, and that’s the 300 ZX Turbo, Ridley Scott Super Bowl commercial.

It was all controversy and it was subsequently pulled right after it aired. What are your thoughts on that and, and let’s answer the big question, why

Dean Case: lawyers? Why is anything pulled like that? We ended up when we did the three 50 Z. Launch. We had four discs in the press kit. ’cause I had started out in 2001.

We were still doing eight by 10 glossies and 35 millimeter slides. It was right at the beginning of [00:26:00] shifting over to digital. And so when we launched the Z, we had the full CD of press images and press releases. But then we did a DVD that had I think about 26. Minute history reel. That was really good that Shiat had produced for the retirement of the Z.

When the 300 ZX ceased production, they did a retirement party, I think the last one ever went into, uh, the Peterson, and they did this big party in this video. So we put that video on. The DVD technically, I don’t know if we had permission, but it was one of those things that if you don’t ask, no one can say no.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, Ridley Scott didn’t come knocking. Right. So it’s all good. No, no. And you know,

Dean Case: it, it is funny that some of these things that we’ve got, these old images, what’s really a challenge for a lot of car companies is preserving their history because. You got records retention, you’ve got what were the rights to it?

What was fascinating, some of the photography that Nissan did in the sixties was just astounding. Two of my favorite shots, one at the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, which is where the original Cannonball run [00:27:00] ended, but just the shot of this Nissan sedan there in a woman standing next to it, the Portofino Inn.

Well, that place still exists. A bunch of other places don’t exist. But there’s also one, a picture of, uh, a Dotson Roadster parked by the LAX theme building. Just some really cool stuff. So it’s a moment in history, not just of the car, but of the location in Southern California. Back then it didn’t seem to be, there was advertising photographer pr, photography, there was just photography, you know, but you look back through some of these old files, it’s like, okay, I can’t find any record of who shot it over 50 years old.

Odds are the person who shot it probably isn’t alive. You know, Nissan bought the rights at that time and there’s no records. So we kind of assume, you know, hopefully I don’t get anybody in trouble by talking about it here. But you know, it’s kinda like, you know, there’s no one who can claim it’s theirs.

And that’s kind of how we looked at some of the stuff. Actually, here’s a funny one, you know, thinking about, ’cause Newman, Paul Newman used to race Nissans. Nissan Legals, you know, they were really good. I mean, I had no problems with ’em, but they were very [00:28:00] cautious on things. All claims had to be backed up with that.

If you said it was X horsepower, you better have documentation that backed it up. You’re not gonna inflate anything. We did a press release about all the SECA runoff champions and Dotson and Nissan product. There were like 75 of ’em, and legal asked, do you have permission from all 75 people to list their names in the press release?

And I was like, no. You know, some of this. I go, I know some of these people aren’t alive. I went to my boss and said, look, this is history, but you know, the legal thing was like, you should be cautious and you don’t put someone’s name in a press release unless you have permission. I was like, well, this is racing.

If we don’t put it, they’re gonna be insulted. And at one point they said, well, you can list everyone except Paul Newman. I go, well no, Paul’s gonna be pissed if we do that. If you notice, I didn’t list him as Paul Newman. I listed him as PL Newman. ’cause that’s how he raced. And as long as we list him as PL Newman, I go, I will stake my reputation on this.

We will not get in trouble if we omit him. We’re probably gonna get a nasty note. Another one that they airbrushed out a BRE logo [00:29:00] on a two 40 Z in an ad, and I never saw it for approval or anything. Pete Brock called me. He was very annoyed, you know, steamed would be better word, and it was some junior person.

It’s like, okay, there’s a Goodyear sticker on here. We got permission from Goodyear to do this, and we got permit, but we don’t know what BRE is because it was someone who was too young to know. And then remove the logo. It’s like, oh, you shot the credibility of that photo down. You know, everybody who knows what they’re looking at knows it’s missing.

So,

Crew Chief Eric: exactly. For the folks that are maybe young enough to not remember when the three 50 Z launched, it’s been 18 years since that car hit our shores, right? 2003 or three 50 Z came out. Obviously it was. A little bit earlier overseas, things like that. But this was also the time when Renault had ushered itself onto the scene.

Right. At Nissan. A lot of people don’t realize that Renault is behind the scenes at Nissan and they share a lot of their technology. Mm-hmm. And then the folks that do know, say the VQ engine, which is a Renault V six. Save the Z. Right. Even though it had, it hadn’t even launched yet. It’s [00:30:00] like it was the crown jewel of that car and it, and it’s kind of funny when we look back over 20 years of evolution from the three 70 and now the 400, and we’re gonna talk about that in a second too.

Dean Case: I’ll have to double check. I I will correct it. I don’t think the engine in the three 50. Had anything to do with Renat. I think that was a pure Nissan engine. You know, Renat obviously stepped in and brought a lot of cost containment and they did a lot of things to help steer the ship in the right direction in the late nineties, early two thousands over in Japan.

But I. Pretty certain that is a pure Nissan engine.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, what I wanted to highlight was something interesting that I remember about that time period at Nissan, which was when they had announced they wanted to do the heritage cars where you could send an old two 40 or two 60. Yeah. Back to Nissan. Yeah.

Four FP. Yeah. And get it completely factory rebuilt. Now we look at. Companies like Singer that are doing that to nine elevens and you know, other companies and I’m like, how were you involved in that? And correct my history if [00:31:00] I’m wrong, but was that a flop or was that a success for Nissan?

Dean Case: I think from a publicity standpoint, a success financially a flop.

That was right before I joined. So what happened when they ended the 300 zx, they still wanted to keep some Z alive. So they came up with this idea of. You could buy a brand new factory rebuilt, two 40 Z Nissans going out and buying up old two Fortys, trying to just find ones that were all straight, no rust, and they would rebuild them.

I think there was a little bit of a flaw. The joke on this was, you know, they asked someone, you know, would you pay $30,000 for a perfectly restored two 40 Z? Is that a good price? Oh yeah. You with a warranty, you know, one year warranty. That’s great. But they didn’t buy it because the joke was most of the guys who were restoring Zs, let’s be honest, it’s usually guys, their wife doesn’t know how much money they’re dumping into the car.

And so he goes, I can spread this restoration over five years. My wife doesn’t know how much is in it. If I spend $30,000 for an old Z, she’s gonna divorce me. There just wasn’t the take. It did a lot to show Nissan’s [00:32:00] commitment to heritage. The director of Nissan PR these days is a good friend Dan Pass, who he and I have zigzagged.

He was at Campbell and company managing Motorsports for Ford when I was at Ford and then he was at Nissan and he is back at Nissan. And so there’s guys like Dan and a lot of others who really care about the heritage. So the nice thing is, you know, I think Nissan does a lot to preserve it. That one just didn’t turn out to be economically viable because the parts didn’t exist.

So they had to go back and recreate tooling for things like weather stripping. And you know, there’s a lot of the boring parts that you still need to do. If you’re gonna make it really proper.

Crew Chief Eric: Rene was good for Nissan. Nissan’s. Good for Rene. There’s been a lot of change, a lot of progress, a lot of awesome things.

Even in the racing programs and whatnot. I mean, we’ve seen oddball things like the front wheel drive, Ellen B Car at LeMans. Yeah. You know, a few years back. All sorts of craziness. But that’s the part about racing that we love is those ridiculous, you know, six wheeled. Formula Cars and Chaparrals and all these kinds of things.

Right? Here we are 20 some years later, the [00:33:00] resurgence of the Z and all that and the three 70 was a great evolution, but I wanna get your take, let’s call it the 400 Z, right? The new one that’s about to come out. Although it, it feels like it keeps getting delayed a little bit and I’m really excited to go drive one, but I wanna get your thoughts on it.

Dean Case: Well, I’ve seen it. I was able to go visit one when, um, friend of mine, Mike Dtz, was uh, doing some photography. So I got permission from the Nissan folks to go. Take a look at it and it looks great. So I haven’t driven it. I think from an aesthetic standpoint, they did a great job. So it really looks good.

Crew Chief Eric: It looks good in pictures.

Some cars photograph really well. Don’t look right in picture and vice versa. Yeah. So how does it look in person? Is it as good as we think it is?

Dean Case: I think so. I think so. I, I think it’s a very good looking car. I, I would consider buying one, so

Crew Chief Eric: I’m right there with you on that. Yeah.

Dean Case: And I think that, you know, the Z has such an awesome owner base loyalty.

I mean, having gone to some of the Z conventions, I think it’ll do quite well. I think there’s people that realize you don’t need 800 horsepower to have a good time in a car. It’s more fun to [00:34:00] drive a, a slow car fast than a fast car, slow. It’s more than adequately power, I believe, as all of ’em have been, the three 50.

Three 70.

Crew Chief Eric: I also heard there was a bit of tug of war politically introducing the new 400 with a manual transmission. It’s one of the few cars being released in the 20 22, 23 sales year with the six speed manual.

Dean Case: Well, I don’t have any, uh, firsthand knowledge of how Nissan came to that decision, but I believe.

Here again, they want it to be viewed as a real sports car. And you know, we joke that one of the best ways to weed out the non enthusiasts is make ’em drive manual transmission to get, you know, more power to ’em for making sure that, you know, the take rate on manual transmission is keeps getting lower and lower and depending on where you live, I mean, Los Angeles traffic, you know, if you’re stuck.

Using it as a commuter car on the 4 0 5. A manual transmission is no fun there. If you can get out up to Santa Barbara County or you know, drive up to Ojai or something, yeah, it’s spectacular. But I understand why the take right keeps getting lower [00:35:00] and lower. It’s ab, but true, but you know, more power to Nissan for keeping a manual transmission in the new z.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s transition a little bit. One of the other things that people don’t know about Dean, or maybe they do if they know you outside of the motor sports and automotive PR world, is that you are big into Formula. SAE. I know you go around talking to different universities and schools and things like that, and so I wanna give you an opportunity to explain to our listeners what formula SEE is all about, why it’s so important and so on.

Dean Case: SAE has really been pivotal to my career. I mean, when I went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the first I showed up, and here again, I never even visited the campus before showing up there for freshman year, and there was no online research to do. All I knew the SAE was, was SAE is the letters on the top of the oil can SAE 20, W 50, or you buy SAE grade eight bolts.

So I kind of knew they, they were something, but I didn’t really know what it was. Until I got to school and discovered SAE Society of Automotive Engineers. [00:36:00] It’s the professional association that automotive engineers belong to. You know, a lawyer belongs to the Bar Association, a doctor of the American Medical Association.

Automotive engineers, if they’re good, belong to SAE. They do a lot of things. A lot of it’s standards developed on the, like the oil can, you don’t have to worry if the mobile 10 W 50 is the same as. The, uh, Texaco or the Arco or whatever, viscosity is measured in the same standard. So SAE kinda works out the kinks on things that are neutral.

Like now with electric vehicles, the charging structure, you don’t have to worry whether you can plug your volt into the same place, a fee at 500 E it’s a standard charging plug,

Crew Chief Eric: except if you’re on a Tesla. But that’s, yeah,

Dean Case: I know. I don’t, I don’t, I don’t wanna talk about Tesla, but yeah, they don’t play nice with others.

With Formula SA and SA bought. SA developed these student design competitions and really they’re to showcase talented students in front of people can hire them. And they started out in the seventies. The first one was actually sa, Baja, and Briggs and Stratton Wood donating eight horsepower lawnmower range.

Students were making basically dune buggies outta ’em, and then [00:37:00] some students in Texas. In the late seventies said, well, we’d rather race on pavement. And that’s how formulas SA started. Competition grew. When I was a student, we did Baja ’cause we couldn’t get the critical mass to do a formula car. And there was only, I think, 15 schools in the country building cars at that time.

Now there’s at least 250 in the US and another three or 400 internationally, and these competitions have gone global. If you don’t have formulas, SA or Baja SA on your resume. You almost cannot get an interview with a race team. You, you look at Honda performance development for the career thing. For an entry-level engineer, they expect to see Formula sa or SA Baja on your resume.

If not, you’re four years behind. And so it’s amazing what this has done to showcase talent in front of people can hire them. So if you have any, uh, listeners who have anyone in the K through 12 world at home, you want to have an amazing career in automotive, please consider picking a college as a formal SA or a sa Baja team.

And even if you’re not an engineer. The best teams now also recruit business majors and graphic design majors. You know, let the engineer [00:38:00] design the suspension, don’t let ’em pick the graphics for the car and get some business majors to help do the business proposal. So it has launched hundreds and hundreds of careers, and now we have students who go straight from formula, SAE.

They’re working for Formula One teams, IndyCar teams, nascar, as well as obviously the major automakers, whether it’s BMW, Toyota, Ford, Honda, they all recruit from these events.

Crew Chief Eric: And the events themselves are akin to an autocross, if I remember correctly.

Dean Case: They’re basically a three day event. And the first day is the static events where they do the design presentation.

’cause ultimately we wanna say, how did you engineer the car? Tell us about the engineering of the vehicle. And they have to do a business presentation. ’cause it’s not just. Can you build a one-off prototype? You’re supposed to build a prototype of something that could be put into low volume production because that’s what’s more important to industry.

And then we have this, also the safety checks. We make sure that the brakes work and all this before we put ’em on the track. The second day is the preliminary events, which is an autocross acceleration runs skid pad. And [00:39:00] then the third day is the endurance event. And the endurance event for formulas run like a solo event.

We will have multiple cars on track with designated passing zones. ’cause you know, with experimental student vehicles that have a pretty surprisingly high powered weight ratio, and these cars will weigh under 400 pounds. Be putting out, uh, close to a hundred horsepower. So power to white ratio is really strong.

Uh, on the Baja one, it’s kind of more exciting. I think they’ll put all the cars on like a motocross track at once for four hours. Then you really see what breaks on the car and can the students, uh, repair it in time. But it, it is been an exceptionally, uh, good thing, the launch career. So I’ve been doing a lot of my work.

I go and speak at universities and I talk to ’em about, you’ve killed your GPA by working on this project. So now let me help you figure out how you get a job out of it so you don’t end up graduating unemployed.

Crew Chief Eric: A few weeks back we talked to your current boss, Greg Gi. About the history of SRO and SRO America and and plans for the program, but obviously you guys have a longstanding connection.

He mentioned he’s known you for a couple [00:40:00] decades now, and I wanna know how you ended up at SRO, but also talk about what your plans are for SRO America and the program, the brand, where things going.

Dean Case: Greg and I first met when he was a magazine publisher and we were launching nmo, I believe. And I met Greg ’cause he was, had a magazine called Tuner Performance Reports.

They were a very serious magazine that they didn’t just say, these chrome bits will make your car look good. It’s like, no. We put it on the dyno and decide whether it actually increase the power or put it on a skid pad and see if it improved the handling of the car. So I got to know Greg as a publisher, and here again, if you get into the world of motor sports or automotive, you find that you see a lot of the same people.

And so I would. Reconnect with Greg every couple years. He was the publisher of Racer for a short while, which was just literally down the street from Mazda r and d. And so when we were having our, uh, media events at Mazda Motorsports, we’d have Greg down there. So he and I have run into each other many, many times over the years.

Jim Jordan was my compadre at Mazda. He’s working on the touring car side of [00:41:00] SRO, and so a lot of it was just. They wanted a little bit of help and asked if I was available, and part of it was just, I’d been out of motorsports for a couple years, but it’s like, I like Greg, I like Jim, I like some of the people in the paddock, but I actually out now have a new learning curve myself.

Uh, getting up to speed and, you know, SROA lot of it’s just as a sport, we always have this challenge. Sponsors kind of come and go, names change, and hey, whatever happens that Speed World Challenge, well, speed TV doesn’t exist. It became Pelli World Challenge. And then, you know, SRO stepped in. The series that existed for 30 years, but we have to kind of educate it.

But the reality now, we have to look at this from the standpoint of what the internet and TV has done to our sport. Now, TV has helped grow the sport, but also a lot of times people say, well, why do I only go to the event when I can watch it on tv? The internet has kind of blown away a lot of the print publications that used to cover it.

As a kid, I used to subscribe to Autoweek and Autosport, and you couldn’t wait to read the Pete Lyons F1 report. It’d be like 12 pages long because even [00:42:00] though it was like six weeks later, that was the first you knew what happened at that race. Now you’re watching it live or you got it online and read it.

So a lot of that’s disappeared. So. A lot of what I plan working on is a lot of the feature stories, the interesting people in the paddock and the cars that I don’t expect a journalist to come out to an SRO weekend and write a race report. You know, these were the four races I saw on this day and here’s who won.

No, that’s just not gonna happen. Everyone wanted to know that, watched it on the, the YouTube stream, but they might wanna know. Wow, that’s a really interesting car. I wanna know more about that. What I’m gonna focus on is trying to go after a lot of target audiences, including SAE groups. I mean, I wanna try to work with some of the SAE students, come out to the racetrack, bring your formula car, help promote some ticket sales for us, and you know, we’ll have a lot of people in the paddock coming by, offer you words of encouragement.

Looking at some of the more of automotive press. ’cause one thing I learned back when I was doing the Mazda stuff, 2006 and [00:43:00] 2007, is if you wanna stereotype a little bit. If you walked into Road America, you got a bunch of hardcore motorsport journalists there at the time who may or may not even knew what we were selling in the dealership.

You go to the New York Auto Show, you got some of the smartest business riders in the business. You guys still race that, uh, RX seven GTU car in imsa. It’s like, well, you know, they don’t follow it. So trying to educate the motoring press on what we race and why we race and the motor sports press on the cars that these things are based off of and why it’s important to race.

That’s a lot of emphasis here. ’cause the nice thing about the SRO paddock, it’s wide open. So you know when you buy a general admission ticket, you can go in and look at the cars. There’s no restrictions on that. We had some amazing tracks. This year. I’m really looking forward. I got two new tracks I’ve never been to, which is rare.

The new one at Ozarks, which if you look at the photos, looks like a spectacular facility, serious elevation change, and then the Nashville Grand Prix. So I’ll get to reconnect with my old Nissan buddies when I’m in Nashville.

Crew Chief Eric: One of the things that we didn’t ask Greg [00:44:00] about on the episode we did with him, and because I saved it for this particular episode, because it’s more your area of expertise, which is.

What’s the vibe like at an SRO event? Some of us are used to going to NASCAR events, or IndyCar or Formula One or even, you know, INSA events. What’s it like when you go to an SRO event? What’s the expectation? As a spectator,

Dean Case: you are not gonna be locked into a grandstand like a most nascar, you know, it’s a different animal.

I don’t want to dis NASCAR, IndyCar or anybody else. We’re our own product. But the nice thing is, I think the key word is accessibility. If you’re at a natural terrain racetrack, I mean, road America is just a beautiful racetrack to see anything run. Anybody who lives within four hours of Road America should add that onto their bucket list to go.

If they haven’t been vi R’s a gorgeous track, Watkins Glen. It’s one of those things you can say, since it won’t be a hundred thousand people there. You can drive around a little bit, walk around, you know, watch from a couple different terms. You can enjoy different aspects of spectating. And the nice thing is if you go into the paddock [00:45:00] area and ask questions about the car, most of the crew guys love to talk about.

So I would say accessibility. There’s certain other forms of the sport that has a perception of his accessibility. But it is really true in sports, car racing in general, and SRO in particular.

Crew Chief Eric: So if you’re accustomed to an INSA race, like let’s say going to Petite LeMans or the sale mm-hmm. Up at, at Watkins Glen, is there the same sort of, let’s call it circus, that you would come to expect at an INSA race where you’ve got the booths and the vendors and the schwa and all that kind of stuff as well?

Dean Case: Not nearly as much. Honestly. It’s a different business model, you know. You know, we hope to grow the spectators. We are looking at how do we get some targeted people in there. You know, a lot of it is getting more car corrals, get a Ferrari car corral, we’ve got Ferrari racing, get all Lamborghini car corral.

’cause a lot of that that we can do at a much more affordable rate for folks than like an IMSA race at Petite Lama is a fabulous event, you know, and it is crowded and so it draws that, you know, we have a different product, predominantly sprint [00:46:00] races except for the, you know, the indie, where we get the intercontinental GT and they’re coming over.

I would just tell people, look at the calendar, look at the map, and come and experience it. I think you’ll have a really great time. And also with the touring cars, there’s that aspect of it. The SRO, TC America Powered by Skip Barber Racing School. There’s no less expensive way to get. Into professional racing.

And if you were to go take a Skip Barber class, no racing’s cheap there. There’s gonna be expenses. And you know, key is you don’t ever quimp on your safety equipment. You know, I think Bell used to have that slogan decades ago. If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet, uh, stay in a cheap motel, but buy the best safety equipment you can.

But if you could do something like with Skip Barber. You could run some of their school races and then graduate and you could run a full-blown TC America weekend on a pro weekend, which is pretty cool. So that’s something also that is, uh, unique to SRO

Crew Chief Eric: and that’s something else that people may not realize.

It lays out similarly to other [00:47:00] multi-class racing. Programs. It’s a full day schedule. There’s racing going on all day. So even though it’s sprint racing, it’s different classes. Yeah. And the track is busy all day long, so there’s something for everybody to watch.

Dean Case: Yeah. Most of our race weekends, we will have four different classes, three different GT CL races, and a 200 car race.

And each one’s a double header, so there’s gonna be four races on Saturday. Four races on a Sunday, on a typical weekend.

Crew Chief Eric: So let me ask you this other question, which we talked about with Greg, and that was in the guise of balance of power and this and that. But you, with your background in EVs, I wanna get your take on the evolution and how SRO America is gonna maybe in the future, adopt EVs into the GT Racing series.

What do you think about that?

Dean Case: I honestly don’t. I think they are looking very seriously at it. I’m so new to the organization, I don’t know. What SRO brings to the table is looking at this not just from a US perspective, but a global perspective. And one of the things is, it is nice is if you buy whatever [00:48:00] Porsche, Toyota, supra, whatever, you know you’re gonna run in GT three or GT four.

You know that if you’re racing with SRO, that same car will not have to be modified if you sell it abroad. One of the other markets. You’ve helped ensure the value of the car. So SROs, adamantly looking at electrification, what makes sense, but they’re looking at it from a big global perspective. I honestly don’t know where we stand right now.

I, you know, my first race week was at St. Pete and we only had the, uh, GT America class. So I’m getting ready for Sonoma and, uh, I’ll know a lot more if I come back future visit, but I know that SRO is looking at it. Everyone’s looking at electrification. It does lend itself quite well to sprint races. You know, the reality is you still can’t put as much energy density into a battery as you can, a gallon of gasoline.

Going back to the nineties, my Ford experience, we had a ranger that had a 50 mile range and the battery weighed almost two. Thousand pounds. ’cause battery technology back then was really, really bad. And compared to all you would need would be 20 pounds of [00:49:00] gasoline go that same range. Batteries are still not on the level of energy density as gasoline.

So, you know, we gotta figure out where we don’t look stupid. I mean, I was not a fan of Formula E when they were switching cars halfway through the. What message are we telling people? You need two cars to do the job of one. What was interesting in Formula E, I went to the two races at Long Beach and it was bringing out new fan people who probably would not have gone to the regular IndyCar race at Long Beach.

And if you look at things like Formula D. That’s expanding the footprint of motor sports. I don’t know, uh, what’s gonna happen, but, you know, it’s nice to see a lot of growth in other areas. You know, formula D has brought new fans and younger, more diverse fan base into the sport. So hopefully some of them will come to some SRO races.

You know, formula E is, you know, you could bring young kids not worry about their ears getting blasted out at a Formula E event.

Crew Chief Eric: So normally we would ask people, you know, about the evolution and you know, what would be missing for promoters sport if EVs came. But I think I wanna ask you a different question, which is.

With your background in EVs, if you [00:50:00] could pick one EV today to run against, you know, the classics, the Ferraris, the Corvettes, and the Porsches, let’s say all things being equal, balance, power is all taken care of. What brand would you like to see come to the checkered flag as an ev?

Dean Case: Right now I have to look at Porsche.

I live right by the Porsche Experience Center here in LA and it’s like, it’s interesting how many of the classes they’re teaching in the electrics there. So I mean, they’re really putting an emphasis. On the performance of Porsche electric vehicles. So that’s pretty impressive. So I could easily see that.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s a good choice. That’s a solid choice. I mean, and, and Porsche has a long pedigree in, in racing, so it only makes sense that they continue to carry that torch. Right. As we kind of wrap up here, Dean, I wanna ask you what other super cool things maybe in the automotive sphere do we not know about?

Case,

Dean Case: uh, my obsession with weird car songs. Is that what you’re getting at there?

Crew Chief Eric: I, I’m, so, let’s go.

Dean Case: I, um, I used to make these mix tapes for my friends at Mazda back in the eighties, and the first year is like, [00:51:00] okay, you put all the obvious ones, little deuce coop, shut down, 4 0 9, all that. Then I just started getting more and more obscure and finding just really wild things.

And people were asking you, you should sell these. I go, no, I’m already in the gray area, giving ’em away to friends, you know, a mixtape, I can’t sell them. That would be a copyright violation. And then in, um, 97 when I was at Ford, I had a friend who’s a musician, Christie Callen, whose band was Wednesday week, and I knew she knew the folks over at Rhino.

And I asked Christie, I go, do you know the folks at Rhino? And she goes, yeah, I know the VP of, uh, a and r. I go, can I get an introduction to him? And so I, uh, called and said, I’m Dean Case at Ford. ’cause I was hoping to do a Mustang CD to celebrate the championship. And so I left a message for, uh, the VP of a and r at Rhino Records.

And like an hour later, this guy James Austin calls me, Gary Stewart said to call you right away. You had a good idea. It’s like, okay. And um. I told him what I was thinking of. I sent him some of these tapes I’d made before. He goes, these are great. We should do this. Turned out we Ford. We didn’t [00:52:00] have the budget to do that for the championship celebration when it launched, you bought a, this was a 99 Mustang.

It was right after I left. There was a 35th anniversary, three CD box set that came with the car. It was the epitome of don’t let music be done by committee. They took out all the car songs and just made it like a 60 seventies, eighties greatest hits package. But James said, you’re gonna hate what Ford did, but we’re gonna do this as a Rhino thing.

So they went ahead and produced a uh, four CD box that I was the associate producer on called Hot Rod Hits and Cruising Classics. It came out in 99. We got nominated for a Grammy for Best box set. That’s awesome. 87 car songs. But so I like to find the really obscure ones. Like, did you know there was a car song about gremlin?

In my gremlin.

Crew Chief Eric: No, I didn’t.

Dean Case: My my bloody Hugo.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s gotta be a good one.

Dean Case: Yeah. I kill for a green Miata by the gutter sluts.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s awesome. So I

Dean Case: got a whole bunch of these.

Crew Chief Eric: I remember at the DC auto show years ago [00:53:00] when Scion, you know, the division of Toyota that they were rebranding for the young kids was coming on the scene.

They used to do this. Thing called the Scion Mix and they were giving out CDs at all the auto shows like Baltimore and DC and things like that. And so I’m wondering if again, you know, by proxy Dean, you have influenced the automotive world yet again to create I’ve a, these mix tapes.

Dean Case: I’ve got a bunch of those.

I do too. I have a small

Crew Chief Eric: collection of ’em as well.

Dean Case: Well actually I think I did have an influence. A friend of mine at General Motors asked me to make a mix tape ’cause he wanted to show GM management about car songs and the fact that, you know, there’s so many car songs about General Motors. Particularly Cadillac and Chevrolet, but I found ones for Pontiac and Buick and Oldsmobile and everything else.

So I did this mix tape for gm and a couple years later they did an ad that I think may have been indirectly inspired by what I had sent them. The funny one is they also, GM did a um, poster that says they don’t write songs about Volvo. With a Corvette. It was like, bullshit. I’ve got four Volvo songs.

Crew Chief Eric: You [00:54:00] know what, Dean, it would’ve been awesome if you had been on an earlier episode of Break Fix called Cruising at the Speed of Sound.

I think we could have used your opinion when we’re reviewed all of these car adjacent songs and whatnot. So maybe next time, maybe we’ll have to do a reprisal of that and bring you back on as a subject matter expert.

Dean Case: Oh, that’d be good. I, uh, here’s one, have you listened to Mark LERs? The car was the one.

Crew Chief Eric: I guess it’s on my list on Spotify now. I’m gonna have to ask. You gotta

Dean Case: listen to that. And what was amazing is the backstory. I listened to the song and I was like, wow. And so I read the liner notes and that’s why I love still buying CDs because you don’t get liner notes with streaming. He was inspired by Mark.

Donahue’s book The Unfair Advantage. Ooh, that’s a good one. Yeah, that’s a deep cut.

Crew Chief Eric: All these fun things that we get into in what we call the car adjacent world. And so, you know, speaking of that, Dean, I wanna give you the opportunity now. Any shout outs, promotions, anything else you’d like to share that we didn’t cover?

Dean Case: Probably some of the best stuff I ever did from a PR standpoint was we were promoting shelter animal adoptions on race cars. And we did a [00:55:00] lot of work with SPCA from Monterey County, which. Anyone knows, uh, Laguna Seka Raceway directly across the street. Driveway to driveway is the SPCA for Monterey County.

So we would do just shameless promotions. We would have bf Good Kitty or per Ellie and stuff, and we’d name animals after the drivers and stuff. So Jay Ato and Robert Davis at Mazda were very supportive of this and we managed to donate quite a bit of money to the shelter and do some fun there. We even did one when we had the Playboy MX five cup.

We had bunnies helping bunnies, so we were promoting bunny adoptions with Playboy playmates. That was fun. And then another one I would, uh, give a shout out to another project we did was, uh, distracted Driver Awareness Project Eloi. If you got. Anybody in your audience who’s in high school or college have any graphic arts thing?

Project yellow light.org. I’ll send you the links on this. They could win a scholarship if they could produce a 25 second video or radio. PSA on distracted driver awareness. So we were working with some of our young drivers to get them to promote the teenager doesn’t wanna [00:56:00] hear me now. I’m 59, I guess now.

Tell ’em to put the phone down, but they’ll listen to someone who’s an aspiring race driver. And it also gives the race driver an opportunity to do some good in the community. If you’re racing in Formula 2000 or something, you can call up the local TV station in wherever, Albuquerque or El Paso or whoever you might be from, and say, I’m in the next Joseph New Garden.

Sadly, they’re gonna probably say who and then say, why do I care? But if you say, I’m a teenage race driver and I’m saving. Lives on the highway. Really, how you doing that? So it gives a, a, a launch point to talk about what they’re doing. They have the credentials to talk about that safety. So that’s just something that, uh, has been kind of a passion project.

And I worked on that with, uh, Julie Garner from Project Yellow Light, and we’re hoping to reactivate that with, uh,

Crew Chief Eric: SRO this year. So folks, Dean has remarked that the only topics he’s somewhat qualified to talk about are cars, motor sports, animal welfare, and his strange obsession with music related to cars.

So if you’re into that, you can follow him on social at. You can find me on

Dean Case: Facebook [00:57:00] or LinkedIn

Crew Chief Eric: and be sure to check out all the changes coming to our favorite touring car series, SRO America, sponsored by AWS, and CrowdStrike coming very, very soon. And thanks in part. To Dean’s hard work now that he’s on board at SRO.

So congrats on the new gig and best of luck in this 22 and 23 season and we look forward to some more epic stories. Thank you. Cool. I think that’s it then. Okay. Thank you.

The following episode is brought to you by SRO Motorsports America and their partners at AWS CrowdStrike, Fantech Pelli, and the Skip Barber Racing School. Be sure to follow all the racing action by visiting www.sromotorsports.com or take a shortcut to GT America us and be sure to follow them on social at GT America, on Twitter and Instagram at SRO GT America on Facebook.

Catch [00:58:00] live coverage of the races on their YouTube channel at GT World.

Crew Chief Brad: If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about gtm, be sure to check us out on www.gt motorsports.org. You can also find us on Instagram at grantor Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, you can call or text us at (202) 630-1770 or send us an email at crew chief@gtmotorsports.org.

We’d love to hear from you.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey everybody, crew Chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies and GTM swag.

For as little as $2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other [00:59:00] volunteers fed on their strict diet of fig Newton’s, gummy bears, and monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports. And remember, without fans, supporters, and members like you, none of this would be possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Dean Case’s Early Career at Mazda
  • 01:26 Transition to Ford and Electric Vehicles
  • 07:33 Return to Mazda and PR Career
  • 09:22 Mazda Road to Indy and Racing Involvement
  • 18:58 Famous Collaborations and Influences
  • 24:56 Nissan PR and Marketing Insights
  • 29:04 Pete Brock’s Call and the BRE Logo Incident
  • 29:27 The Launch of the 350Z and Renault’s Influence
  • 30:32 Nissan’s Heritage Car Program
  • 32:57 The Resurgence of the Z: 400Z Insights
  • 35:07 Formula SAE: Launching Careers in Automotive Engineering
  • 39:50 Joining SRO America: Plans and Perspectives
  • 44:06 The Vibe at SRO Events
  • 50:38 Dean’s Obsession with Car Songs
  • 54:53 Promoting Animal Welfare and Distracted Driving Awareness
  • 56:44 Conclusion and Farewell

Bonus Content

A guided tour of the Long Beach GP with Dean.

Learn More

Dean Case – Auto.biography

Dean Case progressed from race fan as a kid, to automotive engineer as an adult, before devoting the past 15+ years of his professional career to automotive communications with an emphasis on motorsports and engineering PR. 

Photo courtesy Dean Case

After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Mechanical Engineering degree, he joined Mazda R&D in Irvine, California. While at Mazda he worked on the original Miata, second-generation MX-6, first-gen MPV, and third-gen RX-7.   

During his early professional days, Dean was the editor of the SAE SoCal newsletter where he honed his writing skills as an unpaid volunteer.  He developed his speaking skills by visiting many of the local engineering schools to talk about careers in the auto industry. 

While Dean loved the people and work at Mazda, he wanted to try working at the main engineering office of a larger car company.  That opportunity came in 1993 when he joined Ford as a layout engineer in the electric vehicle department.  In 1997, while at Ford he was able to transfer to the Ford Motorsport effort in the SCCA Trans-Am Championship.  1997 was the year that Tommy Kendall shattered the records, winning 11-straight races.  Ford swept all 13 races and the manufacturers championship, and then departed the series.   

While the Ford experience was professionally rewarding, Dean wished to return home to Southern California.  That move came in 1998 when he joined Nissan as a Product Investigation Engineer where he fell back into the EV world, being one of the lead American engineers on the Nissan Altra EV, and Nissan Hypermini EV test programs.   

Dean was acting as the EV Q&A technical expert on a Nissan media event in 2000, which would lead to his career change from engineering to communications. Dean became the Nissan Product PR Manager in 2001 and retained that position until 2006.  During this time Dean worked on every Nissan brand product launch, including the return of the Z, the launch of NISMO, and the first Nissan 360 global event.  Dean was also given responsibility for motorsports, corporate heritage, environmental topics, and product recalls, an eclectic grab bag of expertise. 

In 2006, Nissan relocated their U.S. headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee and Dean began a freelance career based in Southern California. 

His first client in 2006 was SAE International, managing the inaugural Formula SAE West student engineering competition.  It was the perfect match for his skills in both engineering and event management. 

Dean was then reunited with Mazda.  Dean became the Communications Officer for Mazda Motorsports (aka MAZDASPEED) in 2006 and spent the next 11 years on the road promoting the Zoom-Zoom nation from the SCCA Runoffs to Le Mans.  With minimal overlap between the car review worlds and motorsports Dean worked to educate the car review journalists on what, where, and why Mazda races.  He also made sure the motorsports press knew what Mazda had in the showroom.  He especially enjoyed working with the younger drivers in helping them develop their business and PR plans.   

His primary client today is SRO Motorsports America, where he works to promote the premier GT and Touring Car series in the U.S. 

Dean has also worked with Motivo Engineering since 2012 where he has been able to use his engineering background to explain the amazingly complex projects that Motivo has been solving.   

If Dean has a special skill it is in bringing together people and organizations that would not appear to have anything to do with one another for mutual benefit.  His favorite program has been in the promotion of shelter animal adoptions on Mazda race cars. What began, as a one-off with MUTTS Comics and the Humane Society of the United States in 2007 has become a strong partnership with the SPCA for Monterey County, located directly across the street from Mazda Raceway.  

In 2012, Dean connected the dots between Mazda Motorsports and Project Yellow Light.  The program showcases young Mazda racers as spokespersons for distracted driver awareness.    

If you bought a copy of the recently reissued Stainless Steel Carrot, you can thank Dean as he nudged author Sylvia Wilkinson for a decade.  He succeeded by pitching it as a fundraiser for animal welfare organizations. 

Dean has remarked that the only topics he’s somewhat qualified to talk about are cars, motorsports, animal welfare, and his strange obsession with music related to cars.  Dean has gathered up well in excess of 1,400 car songs, ranging from the usual – think “Little Deuce Coupe”, to the bizarre – think “My Bloody Yugo” or “I’d Kill for a Green Miata”.   What started out as mix-tapes for friends resulted in a Grammy-nominated four CD box set by Rhino Records in 1999, where Dean earned an Associate Producer credit. 

Dean has been an active volunteer with SAE, MPG, AARWBA, Friends of Torrance Animals, the Motorsports Hall of Fame, PAWS/LA and Food Forward over the years.   He is happily married, living walking distance to the beach in a Redondo Beach condo covered in cat fur. 

Dean has remarked that the only topics he’s somewhat qualified to talk about are cars, motorsports, animal welfare, and his strange obsession with music related to cars. But if you’re into that… you can follow him on LinkedIn. And be sure to check out all the changes coming to our favorite Touring Car series SRO America, sponsored by AWS & Crowdstrike, coming very soon and thanks in part to Dean’s hard work! 

Dean’s pivot to public relations came unexpectedly. Acting as a technical expert at a Nissan media event in 2000 opened the door to a new career. From 2001 to 2006, he managed product PR at Nissan, overseeing launches like the return of the Z, the birth of NISMO, and the first Nissan 360 global event.

Photo courtesy Gran Touring Motoring, photo by Paul Wilamoski

When Nissan relocated to Tennessee, Dean chose to stay in California. Thanks to a well-timed coffee with Jeremy Barnes at the LA Auto Show, he returned to Mazda – this time in a PR role. “Don’t burn bridges,” Dean advises. “Leave on good terms, and good things happen.” 

He also helped shape the Mazda Road to Indy, a ladder system for aspiring open-wheel racers. From Skip Barber to Star Mazda to Atlantics, the program evolved through industry upheaval and economic downturns. “We lost the Atlantic Championship,” Dean laments, “but the depth of talent in MX-5 Cup was astounding.”


The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and Beyond!

Before Dean returned to Mazda in a public relations role, he spent time mentoring the next generation of automotive engineers through the Formula SAE program – a collegiate design competition that challenges students to conceive, build, and race small formula-style cars.

Photo courtesy Dean Case

More than just a technical exercise, Formula SAE is a proving ground for innovation, teamwork, and real-world problem solving. For Dean, it was a chance to give back, bridging his engineering roots with his growing passion for storytelling and motorsports advocacy. His involvement not only shaped young careers but also reaffirmed his own belief in the power of education and community within the automotive world. Learn more!


Project Yellow Light is a scholarship competition that empowers students to combat distracted driving through creative public service announcements. Dean Case has been a vocal advocate for the program, helping amplify its reach within the motorsports community. Learn more.

Photo courtesy Dean Case

Founded to honor Hunter Garner, a young man who tragically lost his life in a car crash, Project Yellow Light challenges high school and college students to produce compelling PSAs that discourage texting while driving. The initiative blends media literacy, social impact, and youth engagement – values that resonate deeply with Dean’s mission to make motorsports not only thrilling but also socially responsible. Through his work with SRO Motorsports America and his broader communications efforts, Dean has helped connect racing’s visibility with real-world safety advocacy, proving that storytelling can save lives.

Dean’s passion for storytelling led him to collaborate with authors like Sylvia Wilkinson and Garth Stein. He helped reissue Wilkinson’s classic “The Stainless Steel Carrot” as a fundraiser for animal charities and played a role in bringing “The Art of Racing in the Rain” to the big screen. “Patrick Dempsey bought the rights,” Dean says, “but it took 10 years to make the movie.”

Dean always claims he “wears many hats” – literally! Photo courtesy Dean Case

Now the PR Manager for SRO Motorsports America, Dean promotes GT and touring car racing across the U.S. His journey – from clay models to press kits, from EVs to TransAm – proves that careers aren’t always linear. But with passion, humility, and a knack for storytelling, they can be legendary.


The following content has been brought to you by SRO Motorsports America and their partners at AWS, Crowdstrike, Fanatec, Pirelli, and the Skip Barber Racing School.

So Many Dynamos: Maureen McVail’s 22-Year Journey to Empower Women in Motorsports

What do you get when you mix a linguist, a Porsche Carrera, and a passion for empowering women in motorsports? You get Maureen McVail, founder and Chief Innovation Officer of MORacing (Motorsports Opportunities) – a grassroots movement built to inspire, mentor, and amplify women’s roles in auto racing. Her story, shared on the Break/Fix podcast, is a 22-year journey of grit, gear, and galvanizing change.

Photo courtesy Maureen McVail, MORacing; photo by Daniel Burke

In 1999, Maureen made a choice that would change her life. Faced with the stereotypical “mom car” dilemma, she opted out of the minivan and into a 1984 Porsche Carrera. That decision wasn’t just about horsepower – it was about identity. She brought her seven-month-old son home in that car and soon found herself addicted to high-performance driver’s education (HPDE) events at Pocono Raceway.

“I used to joke that Mario Andretti was my real father,” Maureen quipped, reflecting on her innate love for driving despite growing up in a family of educators. Her first manual transmission experience came in a Mercedes-Benz 220D, and she’s been shifting gears ever since.

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Over the years, Maureen’s garage became a revolving door of iconic cars: a modified Cup car, a Porsche RS America, a BMW M3 with 200,000 miles, and a Ford Mustang that led the “She Leads Road Rally” to Seneca Falls. Each vehicle played a role in her mission to get more women behind the wheel – literally and figuratively.

Photo courtesy Maureen McVail, MORacing

She’s loaned out cars to women for DE events, hosted co-ed roundtables at the Simeone Museum, and co-owned race cars in Porsche Club Racing. Her approach? Hands-on, inclusive, and always with a touch of humor.

Spotlight

Synopsis

The Break/Fix podcast episode features Maureen McVail, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of MORacing, who shares her 22-year journey in motorsports and her mission to empower women in the field. Maureen recounts her personal experiences as a ‘petrolhead,’ including purchasing a 1984 Porsche Carrera instead of a minivan and getting hooked on high-performance driving. She emphasizes the importance of creating opportunities for women in motorsports through initiatives like MORacing, which aims to inspire, mentor, and facilitate participation in auto racing. Throughout the episode, Maureen discusses her collaborations with notable figures like Pippa Mann and highlights the significance of male allies in her journey. She also addresses challenges in the industry, advocating for inclusion and diversity while sharing her vision for future developments in motorsports education and community engagement.

  • There is a lot more to the MORacing story than meets the eye, so we think it’s fair that we start with Maureen “ the Petrol head” – how did you get into motorsports? And how did that lead up to the foundation of MORacing?
  • As we know there are so many different forms of Motorsports to choose from, which disciplines does MORacing focus on, and what types of services do you provide to aspiring female driver?
  • Let’s talk about some of the work you’ve done with Drivers like Pippa Mann, etc.
  • Persuading men to view you as a peer and to take your interests seriously, has to be challenging – what steps did you take to overcome these obstacles?
  • Some folks often confuse the need to be in STEM programs or “Hard Sciences” as a requirement to get involved in, have an interest, or learn about racing. Is it really that geeky?

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Break Fix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from all over the autos sphere, from wrench, turners, and racers to artists, authors, designers, and everything in between. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of Petrolhead that wonder. How did they get that job or become that person?

The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.

Executive Producer Tania: Michelle Mutan, Janet Guthrie, Lynn St. James Danica, Patrick Simona de Silvestro, and the late Sabine Schmid. These are names many of us recognize in the racing Hall of Fame and without women like our guest tonight, a woman who avidly promotes the empowerment of women in motor sport with boundless enthusiasm, encouraging women’s participation in all roles of auto racing.

Countless new names would be left off this list. Motorsports opportunities or MO racing for short was created to inspire, mentor and amplify opportunities to drive crew or [00:01:00] avidly spectate at the racetrack. Joining us on Break Fix to tell us all about her Motorsports journey and how she built MO Racing is Founder and Chief Innovation Officer Maureen McPhail.

Crew Chief Eric: Tanya, and as Maureen has mentioned to us behind the scenes, this story is 22 years in the making and we welcome her to break fix, to share that story with everyone. So welcome, Maureen.

Maureen McVail: Thank you so much, both of you, for a wonderful invitation.

Executive Producer Tania: Normally we would just jump right into the who, what, where, or when of.

Whatever, or whoever we’re we’re talking to or about. But we realize there’s a lot more to the mo racing story than meets the eye. So we think it’s fair that we start with Maureen the Petrolhead, and see how she got into motor sports.

Maureen McVail: In 1999. I had a newborn, my second son, and instead of getting a minivan, I got a 1984 Porsche Carrera and knew that it belonged on a racetrack and not on the streets.

Crew Chief Eric: But what drove you to that? Pun intended.

Maureen McVail: I love it. [00:02:00] The honest story is I was married at the time and now have a wonderful co-parent. We divorced and I will not say it was over the driving stuff, but might have had something to do with it. Instead of getting an engagement ring, I wanted a black Wrangler geek to show that my true love wanted to marry me.

He promised the black Wrangler g. Then after our second child was born, I didn’t see the Black Wrangler Jeep yet. So I changed it and I said, now I want a black Porsche. And so we went out searching and looked around and found a beautiful 1984 Carrera, which I brought my then seven month old home in one of those baby carriers in the backseat.

And I did not think that was terribly unsafe because. Porsches are made of steel up.

Executive Producer Tania: I’m gonna say, I’ll look that a car is way more practical than the ring.

Maureen McVail: I like where your head was at. Yeah. So again, having a toddler and mommies and mes [00:03:00] expecting me to show them my new van. I took my 1984 Carrera and got addicted driving in high performance driver’s ed at Pocono Raceway.

After that first time around driving, I knew I was hooked. Then in 2000 through 2005, I drove that same Porsche, and of course it got more and more modified, and I did some of the work myself, including changing the brakes at the track, changing out brake pads.

Crew Chief Eric: So Maureen, were you always a petrolhead?

Because this is already into your adult life where you go, I want a Porsche. What drove you to a sports car?

Maureen McVail: I come from a family of educators. My dad was a classical music professor, my mom a teacher, and I always mention, ’cause I’m so proud, she had her master’s from Harvard. So she was no shrinking violet because I did not have any automotive background.

I swear that this is just natural. I used to joke that Mario Andretti was my real father and that did bother my real biological father who [00:04:00] sent me a Christmas card once. Loved Mario. But anyway, that aside. In 1972, my father was on sabbatical with the entire family and we bought, we noticed I was probably 11.

I still think I had something to do with it. Bought a Mercedes-Benz two 20 diesel oil, and that is what, five years later, I learned how to drive in stick shift, which I believe and. Tanya maybe can help me with this is I’m trying to find out what percentage of women drive manual transmission so we can figure that out together in the future.

Executive Producer Tania: It’s a very small percentage.

Maureen McVail: Yes, very small. A single digit.

Crew Chief Eric: I think the number is increasing though, because I know a lot of women that have said as they’ve gotten older, they’re like, I wish I learned, or I. Bond Day bought a manual and I learned and I’m like, wait, you drive a manual? Really? I’m always pleasantly surprised, but I’m always like, yes, another person driving a manual.

I get excited about that. I think it’s a good thing.

Maureen McVail: Your enthusiasm for them Driving stick is the same as my enthusiasm. I [00:05:00] know that I’ve personally had an impact on at least 15 people joining High Performance Driving and some of them buying a Miata, which is fine with me. I don’t care what it is. Just so you enjoy driving it.

People who borrowed my car are now HPDE addicts. Then a big time move. I sold that highly modified 84 Carrera, and I bought a friend’s modified cup car. Yes, that is a cup car with a very tall first gear, which I stalled out several times. Oops. My first time driving it after I went sideways in turn nine at Watkins Glen, after a year of driving the cup car, I said, okay, it’s for sale so that I don’t sell it all.

Crumpled up. Sold that and went to a RS America, which I drove and also we campaigned and Porsche Club racing. So my co-owner of that car is a guy, but he’s one of the girls. Anyway, we’ll get to that later. Then [00:06:00] in 2011 I bought a 9, 9, 6 for myself for street driving and then started loaning that car out for de events.

Two women drove it at Sebring in uh, driver’s ed. I had it shipped down and shipped back. I’m in the Philadelphia area, so that was quite a feat. 2011, I mentioned the 9, 9 6, but it also, a key time in that date is I had a co-ed event for the women’s round table, which had only had women gatherings and I had that at the Symon Museum, which you should look up if you have not been in the Philadelphia area, is a premier car collection.

And Dr. Fred Simeon is wonderful, so I’m very proud of that. I had a gathering there. We had an opera singer and people bring in Porsches and of course the 50 some cars there on display. So that brings us to 2012 through 2019. Of course, I selling the other ones out from under me. My Cayman S was co-owned and we [00:07:00] ran that in GTB one Porsche Club racing.

When I say we ran it, I did not drive. I was semi-retired by now. My reaction time is not as great as it used to be. I still enjoy driving, but I find it, it’s much more competitive now. So I’ve never raced myself. I have co-owned a race car and ran a racing team, so that brings us to 2020. After selling the G GTB one, I got a Ford Mustang for a women’s She leads road rally.

Say that 10 times fast. She leads Road Rally, which I was the Pace car. We had a police escort in and out of Philadelphia and in and out of Scranton where we had a pit stop going to Seneca Falls, please look up Seneca Falls and see what it means as far as women’s development. And it was the first Women’s Rights Convention back in 1870 something.

The road rally was a huge success, even considering it was done during COVID. We had 25 cars and [00:08:00] about 55 people. Probably without COVID it would’ve had busloads of people. There was a lot of interest in it. I also wanna add to my resume. I bought in 1998, M three, which was one of my favorite cars, which I lent out to have women drive in.

DE had 200,000 miles on it and it was a wonderful car and I really regret selling it. And finally it brings us to 2022. I just purchased a 2008 9, 9 7, and I am learning about it. And my goal with this car is that I will do personally all of the work on it. Of course. Using a friend’s lift. So that brings us to the present.

Crew Chief Eric: Looking at your driving history over the last 20 plus years, somewhere in there, the idea for mo racing was born. So what was the driving factor? What was the catalyst that suddenly you woke up one day and say, I need to do this, and why?

Maureen McVail: I’m into Palindromes because I’m a linguist and I [00:09:00] have a bachelor’s in Russian, and no, that doesn’t help anything and it’s coming in helpful.

Now I can read what’s going on in the news. The palindrome that I use kind of as my motto is so many dynamos. You can read it both directions. So many dynamos is the same both ways. And back to the percentages again. I know that more than 50% of the world is occupied by women and they are driving force, quote unquote.

I wanted to see more women around at the track, and so basically I’m admitting to you I’m a sexist. I believe that there should be more women. Men who treat them just as drivers, which is what led me to want to do more racing because I had male allies and the male allies, to me is the best part of what I’m doing because I get men who say I have daughters or I have sisters, or I, my mother were petrolhead as you call them, or car enthusiasts.

So that’s what got me going. I [00:10:00] wanna ask

Crew Chief Eric: you one that normally I think we would make almost consider it a pit stop question, but this is important to the story that we’re telling here today, and that’s the development of these alternate motors sports events like the WF one W series. There’s all these Yeah, the W series.

I wanted to get your take on that construct, that idea, and how you feel about the future of that or, or where it should be going.

Maureen McVail: And now I’m going to tread very gently because there are different opinions on the W series and my personal opinion is I don’t wanna piss anybody off. My thrust of what I’m saying is that men and women can compete on the same level.

Therefore, the Women’s Series is not a great thing because it’s kind of a showcase. Now, I will say that my male allies who bring articles to me and constantly are saying, you should meet so and so and such and such. Bringing it back to Don [00:11:00] Cox, he believes that the Women’s series is a great thing because it’s spotlighting the women drivers.

Not that they’re women, but that they’re drivers who are women. So that’s my take on the Women’s W Series and Pippa Mann got really involved in arguing the other side of that, meaning I think she’s with me, that men and women should be able to compete using the great neutralizer called a car.

Crew Chief Eric: The machine that propels us all to fast in the same way, regardless of who’s behind the steering wheel.

Executive Producer Tania: So what exactly did MO racing start? What are you guys into? Are you strictly HPDE? Are you doing all

Maureen McVail: branches of Motorsport Mo racing started 2016. We chi the 9, 9 6 down to Seabring. Where I had a coach ready for two friends that flew down, so that’s when Mo Racing started, but it was under a different name.

If you’re familiar with Shift Up now, shift Up was originated between Lynn [00:12:00] Keho and myself. In fact, I’m very proud to have designed the logo. But anyway. Shift up was then renamed to shift up. Now when Lynn and I separated my interest being HPDE and Lynn’s interest being the athletes that she has, and I believe Lynn has now given shift up over to Pippa Man.

Who I wanted to mention should be in your lineup of women that you mentioned early on, plus again, so many other dynamos, Catherine Legg, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. There’s so many, it’s hard to keep track of, but Pippa Man is now heading up, shift up now. So Mo racing started then. I just didn’t name it yet.

Still don’t love the name because I’m not a racer. I am a race car and race team manager and crew chief, and. Many bottle, washer, whatever you wanna call it, it’s still going on. And you asked what we are involved in and we is, there are two women that help [00:13:00] with the website and communications, and this really is just growing now, I swear it’s manifesting itself as we speak because I just met and spent some time with Beth Coretta last Tuesday, a week ago today in Indianapolis, where she was a keynote speaker.

Speaking of which, I do some speaking engagements, which is not my forte, but I am really good at giving clinics and workshops to the likes of Girl Scouts. All girls schools, girls can do anything. Group religious groups, I don’t care who it is, young. Kids who drag their feet and they’re like, okay, what are we doing now?

And then when they get to sit in the race car and change the lug nuts on a race car, they definitely have a smile and a grin on their face. And I know that somebody out of that group is going to pursue a STEM career. Whether they know it or not. And that’s my goal.

Crew Chief Eric: So our audience might be surprised to know that you’re actually friends with one of our previous guests on Break Fix, [00:14:00] a lady by the name of Miss Mary Hague, who was on here talking about her STEM program known as Moon Mark, where they’re doing a lunar race.

And Tanya was on that episode as well. Mary and I go back, she’s friends we met at the track and uh, always a delight to have on the show, but you’re personal friends with her, obviously coming up through the Philadelphia area. So in the vein of that episode that we did, we talked a lot about. Dem and a lot about inclusion and diversity and things like that.

Well, you mentioned your

Maureen McVail: prior podcast with Mary Hague and I happened to just go to the auto show with her last Friday, so we were hanging out and I brought my 26-year-old son along and the two of them met that evening and chatted for hours. It seemed like Mary is the best. She’s another dynamo of so many dynamos.

Crew Chief Eric: A lot of folks often confuse. Getting into racing with having to have some sort of engineering or technical background. I wanted to get your opinion as you’re working on these clinics as to what are some of the barriers to entry into racing? Is it [00:15:00] really as difficult as people make it seem? Is it really that geeky?

Do you need a background in hard sciences to get involved in racing?

Maureen McVail: It’s not difficult to get involved ’cause I use myself as an example. I was a mother of two toddlers and have a bachelor’s in Russian and do not speak English terribly well. And I registered, showed up and my first event happened to be with the BMW Club even though I had a Porsche.

People are welcoming into this. And it is not at all necessary to be mechanically knowledgeable or anything geek like you can just show up and have some fun. And the impetus for me to do it was to go fast.

Executive Producer Tania: I’ll circle back to the clinics thing ’cause I find that very interesting. You mentioned that you’re just from the Philadelphia area, so are you across the United States having impact, or right now you’re localized in the northeast, Mid-Atlantic region, or what’s the goal there?

Maureen McVail: The goal is to have worldwide, let alone nationwide. I’m dating myself here by having home economics. We [00:16:00] learned how to sew, hems and cook. So instead, I think there should be car maintenance class, maybe a three to four series workshop or class. And along with check balancing, um,

Crew Chief Eric: that’s called race car budgeting.

Maureen McVail: Call that Porsche dollars. Get it. Porsche.

Crew Chief Eric: There’s a Porsche tax. Don’t forget.

Maureen McVail: Oh yes. Trust me.

Executive Producer Tania: I just went through that. I think your clinic aspect is really great. So what are you doing there specifically? Like what are some of the activities? Is it you got your race car there and you’re doing demonstrations, or are you doing even mini STEM type?

Activities, they’re building something or

Maureen McVail: I have a handout that, number one, I let them try on fire suits and helmets. And again, this was all pre COVID because with COVID I haven’t done any workshops or clinics, which makes perfect sense to me. Prior to that, just engaging the kids in safety and asking me questions and you [00:17:00] know, saying, oh, the guy’s being macho.

I’m sorry, I’m being sexist again. But the young men are always showing off and saying, oh, I would be able to really race really fast. I always say to them, you can race really fast in a straight line, but what if you have to turn right? You know, like at Watkins Glen in the bus stop. So I don’t use that terminology with them.

It comes more naturally and flows when there’s a bunch of kids around. Revving the engine. Talking about safety first. Put your seat belts on no matter what. At any point in the car, I get them to sign my helmet and pledge that they will in fact tell all of their friends and family members to put their seat belts on the second there, butt hits the seat, and sometimes I bring in Lori Johnson again.

Somebody else I’m giving a shout out to. Laurie Johnson’s of Lady Start Your Engines, does workshops and clinics and sometimes I let her take over and do the clinic, and she is wonderful. She’s a mechanic. Right now I’m [00:18:00] located in the Philadelphia area, and of course we went to Seabring in 2016. This is obviously something that should be offered.

I don’t care whether it’s under the auspices of MO racing or just becomes part of the curriculum for middle school and lower education so that we can get some petrol heads developed. By age 10

Executive Producer Tania: if we need more of that. And not even just for, you know, no offense to the men out there, but there’s a lot of guys that dunno how to change their own, uh, wheel or tire either.

So,

Maureen McVail: exactly. And that brings us to the male allies. Again, I have a personal story about that for the people who are behind the scenes of mo racing. My co-owner of the car is a coach and racer and. Without him, I would not be doing this. He and my pals that we do two-wheeled Tuesdays, which is we hang out in the garage and have beers and work on cars.

And the personal side of the story is one of the guys that I hang out with [00:19:00] actually had breast cancer. So how’s that for non-traditional and stereotypes and breaking the biases? There you go. I have somebody on my team who does a lot of work on radio with me in such day of event who had breast cancer and survived, and it happened to be a male.

Executive Producer Tania: It’s rare, but it, it can happen, unfortunately.

Maureen McVail: Yes.

Executive Producer Tania: I mean, it sounds like you’ve been very fortunate with all the male allies as you’ve gone through this journey. Have you had the opposite? Because I’ve been doing HPD events for years now, and even before that in non-competitive go-karting events where you’re just going to the, you know, indoor.

Tracks for fun and, and unfortunately I’ve been the recipient of the not ally side of things where I had a guy on the go-kart track try to take me out. He t-boned me and his cart was about two inches from hitting my helmet. ’cause that’s how far he rode up. Out of anger that I was. Faster than him in a non-competitive event.

Oh, and I’ve gotten, and that’s something unfortunate. Fortunately, the male friends of mine and [00:20:00] family members may or may not have spun him out later.

Maureen McVail: All right. Payback is, you know what, in retaliation

Executive Producer Tania: of having witnessed it, you know her hand. I’m sorry that

Maureen McVail: happened to you.

Executive Producer Tania: It’s unfortunate, you know, and I, and I go to the track and I get the guys that are really excited when they see you and they’re like, wow, you’re changing your tires yourself.

That’s so cool. And they stare at you like they’ve seen, I don’t know, some foreign animal they’ve never seen before. Or I’ve gotten to people that kind of laugh at me. You’re going on the track in that. Really. And then after I’ve done a session, they, they come back up and they’re like, wow, you’re really fast out there.

I’m like, thank you. Okay, good to me. That’s great. Thank you for your bias. I mean, have you been lucky and been on the fortunate side of the allies or have you experienced some of the, the negative stereotyping?

Maureen McVail: Well, you just reminded me of one of my favorite stories. I was at Summit Point. Changing out my own brake pads at the track and everybody wanted to help.

And I said, [00:21:00] absolutely not. I wanted to do this myself so that I know that I can do it. And I actually had one of my male allies stood there as I was working, turned people away who were offering their help. Hmm. Because I had it covered. If we’re gonna name drop now, I’m gonna name drop. Don Cox was my instructor.

At Pocono and Don Cox should mean something if you follow Penske Racing at all. He was the chief engineer for seven Indie wins and many, many, many other inventions and things like that. He was my instructor and has been my bow and pal and buddy, whatever you wanna call it, for the last almost 20 years.

Do I ever get the sexist garbage of, where’s your husband? Are your sons here? What are you doing here? Kind of thing. You ask if I had luck. I think I created my luck in that. I don’t have any tolerance for being treated any differently, and my [00:22:00] passion and dream is to someday have an all women’s racing team.

Have nobody know that it’s an all women’s racing team until everybody takes their helmets and gear off at the end. You know, flowing hair of whatever color. Preferably not blonde, but yes, us

Executive Producer Tania: brunettes need our time in the light.

Maureen McVail: Damn straight.

Crew Chief Eric: So I have to ask this question. Because both of you have probably similar experiences, but on different ends of the pendulum swing.

And what I mean by that is a couple of years ago, Tanya stepped out of doing DE and became a coach. And Maureen, you’ve been a coach for many, many years. What I mean by sharing in the experiences, probably being the only female coach in the room and then dealing with that come game day, you know, being in the right seat.

So maybe you guys wanna discuss what that was like from both sides and compare swap stories.

Maureen McVail: Well, let me clarify. This is particularly important that I am not an instructor. I loan out my car and I’m an advocate for women, and I’m well [00:23:00] known as a pest, but I have never sat right seat because I thought that people were crazy to do that.

Tanya, nothing against you, but I had two sons that I was bringing up. I always said, we are wearing helmets, we have the harnesses, and we’re all going one direction, so we’re safer. But I just never felt comfortable. I think I could have been an instructor, but I never went that route. I went more the route of running a car.

We campaigned, like I mentioned, a couple cars and Porsche Club. So Tanya, tell me about your instructing. That’s fantastic to me. Again, small percentage.

Executive Producer Tania: It is small percentage. I’m honestly getting more accolades than I deserve ’cause I really haven’t had a chance to do much. In terms of instructing, thanks to COVID, I was able to get out at a few events and then, you know, we all locked down and haven’t done anything for a couple years, so maybe this year.

Come out of hibernation even so, I mean, not even being a coach, just attending [00:24:00] HPDE events, it’s usually me, and maybe you see two other women in the paddock that aren’t there supporting somebody else. They’re actually getting in the car and and running.

Crew Chief Eric: They say that you are the culmination of all of your previous instructors, especially in HPD, right?

You everybody has a natural driving style for the street, but when you come to the track. You are this homologation to use a racing term of all of your instructors, good, bad, or indifferent. You’ve learned something from everybody to the point that you guys are making. It’s very rare to see a woman in the classroom.

They’re teaching amongst the men, and I’ve had the privilege of having several female coaches over the years, and I’ve taken a lot more away from those coaches than I did. Even some of the men, one, especially Ms. Ellen Gutar. Thank her because her teaching style, especially when I was running with PCA many years ago, was so different that it opened my eyes up and I borrowed some of her techniques that I still use today when I’m teaching my students.

It’s different, but again, I have to give her a big shout. And I [00:25:00] think Tanya too, there was a Canadian coach that she had running a Mustang convertible many years ago at an event we went to that you had an awesome experience with.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah. When you said that, I had to think, I was like, I haven’t had very many women coaches, and now as I’m.

Think back, I’ve had three in the early days when I was still being instructed and whatnot. Sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t because they were basically each, the only woman there at that event

Crew Chief Eric: and they partnered you up because you know, it’s like, oh, you drive a front wheel drive, we’re gonna put you in a front wheel drive car.

There you go. Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: They were three different events, but basically, yeah, they were each the only woman instructor at. Any of those events in a sea of, I don’t know, whatever, there’ll be 20, 30 male instructors. So yeah, I mean, it’s definitely a different perspective when you’re in the seat with a female. I, I don’t know, their style is just slightly different.

You know nothing against the men and it’s. I don’t even know if it’s necessarily, you just have a different understanding ’cause you both are female. You, you know, in the back of your minds this is like a big deal that you’re [00:26:00] here both doing it together and you’re in the sea of other men and it feels really good and empowering when you’re passing, you know?

Yes. The guys and their, you know, no offense, their Porsches and I’m in this low horsepower car, bye. And it’s like you got that girl power moment going on that you don’t quite get the same thrill or empowerment if there’s a male instructor in the car. Not that it’s not exciting to still pass people, but

Crew Chief Eric: I’ll flip that coin around and I’ll openly admit, we men can be hyper aggressive sometimes, and I actually found that the female coaches that I had.

You kind of check that at the door, and I will admit that they were actually more technical. As much as we pride ourselves as men is being super technical and knowing all about, you know, it’s a 13 millimeter and you turn it to this torque spect, that’s all just nerd Wikipedia stuff. But when it came down to the finesse part, the really technical aspects of driving it was more like learning how to dance.

There was a rhythm to it, loved it. And there was just a different way of teaching that. Again, I’ve embraced that and I loved it, and it was one [00:27:00] of those things that it was just. So refreshing and, and yet so rare at the same time, I hate to say with, I can get in cars with other guys, and I, I kind of know what I’m gonna get.

It’s written right on the packaging. I’m making a gross generality here, but every once in a while there’s that bluebird that just appears and you’re like, wow, that was amazing. I. Totally blew my mind. And those are the types of experiences that I’ve had over the years with female coaches. So again, I wanna encourage more women to step up and get out of intermediate group.

You know, we do see women out there on the track and, and take the chance, get in the right seat and become a coach.

Maureen McVail: I was gonna say, you’ve just. Talked about my mission at MO Racing. In order to be an instructor, you have to be an advanced student and in order to be an instructor you could potentially be a racer.

Hint, Tanya, you would be welcome anytime. Thank you. Come construct or guest drive my new used 9, 9 7. Seriously, that’s an open invitation. You just gave me a flashback. I am in the reason Toter region, which is Philadelphia, greater area, [00:28:00] and I think it means. Monster Slayer in German, recent to has a lot of female instructors, of which I really learned a lot, and you just gave me a flashback at Summit Point, her saying, come on, why are you lifting a little, you, you know, you’ve got this, you’ve got this, and you can pass these guys.

They’re not as good as you. And to have that voice in my head was incredible and so empowering. And then there were several. Women coaches, and I mentioned that Pippa mam, I had her come and instruct two female drivers. She jumped in with our chief instructor and he absolutely was in heaven because she can really instruct and I think she has the record for the fastest time in the 500 for a woman.

Wow. So she was quite

Executive Producer Tania: a instructor and coach. There’s a lot of things you’ll hear. They actually say that not to toot our horn, that women tend to actually be, you mentioned they’re more technical giving the instructions, but they also, [00:29:00] there’s a lot of evidence that women can tend to be a little more technical in their driving style too.

They’re a little more consistent. They’re a little more precise. They don’t quite get that red mist as easily as the men folk do sometimes. And I remember. Many years ago, our father was very big into autocross, chair of autocross, and he set up the courses and, and did all that stuff. And he even did pro solos.

He was competitive, you know, top of game and things like that. And he would host the driver’s clinics. They were always at the beginning of the autocross season where you’d, you’d have, like for people who are unfamiliar, they’d set up. Little skid pads and slalom and late breaking and threshold, breaking miniature exercises, and you kind of go around to each of these stations all day long.

You would practice the techniques and then it would culminate in an actual alto cross where they’d set up the big course and then you’d go do laps. And I participated in one of these, and this was. Very early in my general driving career, I don’t even remember if I was licensed yet, or I, I might’ve had to have been to [00:30:00] participate.

I forget the name of the guy. He had the Green nine 14. One of my instructors for one of the, uh, Ken. Ken,

Crew Chief Eric: not,

Executive Producer Tania: yes, Ken. He, Ken. Ken is my instructor for some of the, the late breaking exercises, and I remember him telling me that I actually had an advantage over the men because. The way we depress the pedals on the balls of our feet versus not is something of an advantage to us as women.

’cause of the, basically the shoes we wear and the way we’re used to walking. And so we actually have a little more finessing control than than guys generally do. So that’s kind of always stuck with me too and found it funny, the differences between men and women.

Crew Chief Eric: But at the end of the day, the machines that perel us can make us all equally fast.

Right. Love it.

Maureen McVail: You’re stealing all my lines.

Crew Chief Eric: Sorry, Maureen. What can I do? Right. If you could change something about racing even on the local level to make it more inviting, especially to women, what is that thing that needs to change to just drop the wall down? Make it even easier. I know you’re [00:31:00] doing a lot of work, but as you assess all these organizations, if you could give them one recommendation, one piece of consulting to make it more inviting, what would that be?

Maureen McVail: Make it into kind of like golf outings. Instead of having golf outings, we should have country clubs. At racetracks, you become a member for a nominal fee. Not some crazy country club fee come out on a Wednesday night or Tuesday night. Saturday or Sunday and you bring your family and they spectate or come along with you sons or daughters or whatever and drive.

I would like to normalize it. That’s what I would like to see happen. The more women

Executive Producer Tania: there would be would be nice just to show that, you know, we belong there too, right? I mean it think it’s stereotypes that get built from when we’re young that the girl gets handed, the Barbie doll. The boy gets handed Matchbox car and the two shall not cross when who cares?

Everybody can do or play with, you know what they want and there’s nothing. They should hold women back from something [00:32:00] like a car. We can all learn this stuff. So I think it’s great. When you talked about the clinics of introducing that early on to young girls, or even if eventually young boys are in the program too.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes.

Executive Producer Tania: Um, but specifically, you know, young girls. So that they know that they don’t need to be afraid of this stuff because it, in the long run, it’s detrimental to women because as they get older and they haven’t been exposed to this, they’re taken advantage of. We know this. You bought your first car and you needed to go to the dealer, the auto body shop, or the auto repair shop and get your car worked on, and the guy sees the woman walking in and he ain’t just.

Sit back and he is ready for the ride. ’cause he knows he is gonna sell blinker fluid, uh, Uhhuh, unfortunately to her or something. I love it. Right. And I love it. You know, I’m, I’m not trying to put our gender down. I mean, it happens to the men folk too. Let’s be real. There’s plenty that don’t know a lug nut from the windshield wiper blade either, but.

Seems to be [00:33:00] forced or

Crew Chief Eric: perpetuated on women a lot more. Maureen, in 2019, you left your job at Drexel Institute’s, uh, women’s health to become a mechanics apprentice. What led you to do that? What, what made you make that decision?

Maureen McVail: I actually left the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership where I was the event specialist for 16 and a half years, loving my job every single day because of what I got to do, making a difference.

In women’s lives. I had this dream that I had reached my pinnacle there and wanted to start mo racing as a true initiative, and then had life events with my father being ill and then passing away, et cetera, real life things. Then COVID. It really started taking off and manifesting itself, so to speak. I knew that this was my passion and that I would certainly not have a lot more time in my life that I could resign from a job and pursue it.

So again, my timing was a little off. With a pandemic starting [00:34:00] now, I feel it’s picking up again and it’s going

Crew Chief Eric: to come to fruition. What’s the hardest thing about being a mechanic

Maureen McVail: that is? The true physicality of it. I am no spring chicken. I just rotated tires this morning and I balanced tires and I did my own rear brakes on my BMW.

I can do almost anything that I’ve been taught in the last year plus, but lifting is something that I find to be a challenge, but if I really want to, I use my tools. In other words, I can change out tires not high up on the lift, lower down, I can do it. It’s just, I wish I had the rock. I wish I had his muscles and my brain power.

I, I understand that

Executive Producer Tania: part. I often am, uh, get foiled in my endeavors when I don’t have enough strength to un loosen some bolt that I can’t get off, and then it’s like deflated and defeated. Can you come help me?

Maureen McVail: They need your help too. Yeah. I’ll bet you you’ve [00:35:00] helped somebody else out.

Executive Producer Tania: It’s not that I didn’t know what I was doing, it is just I need to go to the gym more.

Crew Chief Eric: My answer to her usually is, do you have a longer cheater bar?

Executive Producer Tania: And normally I don’t. Trust me, I’ve thought of it.

Maureen McVail: You had mentioned women walking into the dealer, et cetera. Also women being told that they need a new air filter. And a new battery being taken advantage of that they had a new air filter six weeks ago.

Mm-hmm. So that price gouging, I love to teach to be aware of that and simple things like if you’re going out in high heel shoes in your car, that you should have an old pair of sneakers in the trunk. To, to be realistic, I don’t wear high heel shoes anymore. I’m old. So for those of you out there, male and female who wear high heel shoes, make sure you have some sneakers in the back of your car.

Executive Producer Tania: There’s nothing more exciting when you go to put the clutch in and your foot slides straight off because you’ve got no traction underneath that high heel shoe.

Maureen McVail: Exactly. [00:36:00] Exactly.

Executive Producer Tania: You only gotta do that once. And you realize, yeah, look, flip flops in the car is a good idea barefoot. Sorry. But

Crew Chief Eric: racing shoes are my preferred way to go all the time.

I wear Pilates as my daily shoes, so it’s all good. Well, I,

Executive Producer Tania: I, I can’t wear Pilates to work, you know,

Crew Chief Eric: but that’s, it’s all good. Mine are pink, by the way. My daughter’s bought them for me for Christmas, so I’m very proud of that fact. I love it.

Maureen McVail: Love it.

Crew Chief Eric: Maureen, let’s dive a little deeper into some of the drivers you’ve worked with.

You’ve name dropped Pippa man a few times. Is there anybody else of note that’s working with you on the program or have you worked with on other programs as well that Menfolk might recognize?

Maureen McVail: Menfolk would recognize? Don Cox because for the last 20 years we’ve been hanging out, so to speak. The amount of knowledge that he has imparted on me and the fact that these other drivers are like, do you realize how smart he is?

Et cetera, et cetera. So. I actually have crewed for him where he actually has depended on [00:37:00] me, and this is a former Penske chief engineer, so that’s a lot of pressure. I could take any named race car driver and they’re probably not as picky as he is. So names of race, car drivers know Pippa’s, probably the most recognizable and Christina Lamb.

Is a hell of a driver and she was down at Sebring and we entered A BMW into the Enduro race and they actually won in their class. Amy Dikes, Christina Lamb, you know Sue Bame, who is a banker and another person who is an attorney. And then I had somebody come out with their son, a mom and son. Team names are not big because I’m trying to really do this on the grassroots level.

Those are the type of people I’m after. And then I’ll pass whomever along to shift up now, or now you guys. So for the named drivers, there’s not a lot other than Pippa. But a lot of potential good drivers. You have to start somewhere.

Executive Producer Tania: [00:38:00] The work you’re trying to do is incredibly important because without the representation, it’s critical for every gender or, you know, race or et cetera, is if you don’t see others like you in that profession or in that area, in that whatever, then you have a hard time seeing yourself there.

And so having that representation and getting people to realize it has nothing to do with gender or anything. It’s just if you try and you apply yourself, you have the capability and capacity to do these things. Now, you might find that you don’t like them, and that’s perfectly fine, but don’t limit yourself.

To, oh, boys play with matchbox cars. So I couldn’t possibly, so I think it’s wonderful what you’re doing. Keep, keep going.

Maureen McVail: Well, we call that you have to see it to be it that if you just take it for granted that Lynn St. James was driving her pinto. Yes. She drove a Pinto and her famous story is she drove it into a lake or a pond or something.

For real. If you can see [00:39:00] these other women doing it, then you can be it. And I’m also not just women, I believe that any minority or unrepresented group should also be involved. So I am very excited when I see somebody of color, you know, either over the wall tire changer, I can’t think of her name right now, but NASCAR Tire Changer and numerous other people.

A good friend of mine is the safety steward for Reason Toter. She’s out there in the pits telling everybody what the hell to do on grid. She is a powerhouse and her name is Svia Fernandez.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah. So in this vein of, you know, getting the representation out there and, and you know, having other young women or other women see women behind the pit wall or in the car, or either side of the pit wall, what obstacles are you facing and, and how are you overcoming them in regards to getting men on board and really, truly.

Seeing these women that are changing the tires or helping [00:40:00] read the data, having those guys see them as true peers and really taking them seriously,

Maureen McVail: seeing somebody in action is the best way to get things done. So I am trained in motech data acquisition and I also, I dabble with AIM data acquisitions, getting guys to believe in me when I can say, here’s where you are not.

Full on the throttle. Here’s where you are breaking early. Here’s where you’re breaking late. Here’s your fuel consumption. Your whole suit is broken. It’s 110 degrees. Now what are we gonna do about it? Et cetera, et cetera. All kinds of things that, again, action is the best example I think. Proof

Executive Producer Tania: is in the pudding.

Maureen McVail: Thank you.

Crew Chief Eric: So that actually leads into another great conversation we’ve had many times before. There’s this fallacy that you need a race car to go racing. So when you’re talking to young ladies that might be interested in motor sport, how do you get them to overcome that and realize they can just show up with their daily driver?

Maureen McVail: Well, that’s exactly what I say is [00:41:00] you can show up with your daily driver and in fact, that is a much better experience. What I find in the high performance driver’s ed, is people showing up in twin turbos and crazy, crazy fast cars that they should not be driving. Yes, that’s the mother in me. As novices that we learned with Momentum cars.

Porsche Cup car is a beautiful race car and I was really lucky to be able to purchase that and drive it for a year. And my mentioned before my race car engineer had something to do with that car. He had modified it completely, so it was like a go-kart wrapped around me. Now I went to that extreme of the cup car.

The other thing for daily drivers is I’ve taken and lent my BMW 3 28 xxi to some women drivers and my son to do hooked on driving. I actually more enjoy a streetcar and learning how. It can perform to driving an all out race car because you have to start as a novice anyway. And so [00:42:00] again, I would love to have a driving school.

I was lucky enough to do Skip Barber, which they gave me buy one get one free because of their belief in my MO racing. There should be a MO racing school that brings your streetcar, have it teched, and go out and drive with instructors like Tanya.

Executive Producer Tania: I mean, it’s a very intimidating sport. A lot of people, you know, they find out, you know, I kind of do this, and they’re not necessarily car enthusiasts at all, so they’re unaware that these type of activities can even happen.

And you know, they have that wow moment. It’s like, really? Well, what do you drive? I’m like, well, I drive X, Y, Z, or I’ve driven X, Y, Z. And they’re like, wow. And I’m like, you could take your Toyota Corolla if that’s what you drive, or your Honda Civic, your Honda Accord. I’ve seen it. I was like, I told ’em, I’ve seen a Honda Accord out there playing Jane.

And you know, that person wasn’t passing the Porsches down the straits, but they were having a good time and they were learning something, and that’s all that matters. So there’s [00:43:00] also that intimidation that people have that they think they can’t get into it. When you’re exactly right, just take your streetcar.

All you gotta do is make sure you have some decent tires with some tread on them. You know, your brake pads and your fluids all fresh and go out there and you’re not trying to be type of man and all, and all the, the great women that are out there right now. You can be that person. Also just in your regular car, just get out there and learn the basics and then, you know, if you find it’s for you, you can step up to the cup car or you know, whatever.

See where life takes you.

Maureen McVail: Well, Tanya, you’re gonna have to come and visit because I’ve been trying to get New Jersey Motorsport Park to have a Wednesday night open trap and have that exact same thing happen. Of course. I think the biggest obstacle there is good old insurance concerns about somebody getting hurt, et cetera, et cetera.

To me, my dream would be instead of going golfing, you go on a weekend and you have open track for a half a day or a full day. It [00:44:00] doesn’t have to be for the whole weekend. I mean, sometimes it’s exhausting in the summer. Yeah. It’s it just go and have. Talk to me in a year or a year and a half and we’ll be talking about that happening.

Awesome.

Crew Chief Eric: Some group out there was doing a women’s track day.

Executive Producer Tania: PCA down here has been advertising like so far all year that in October there’s a women’s only like HPD event. I think it’s like. Mid late October, which I don’t

Maureen McVail: wanna discourage them from doing those things, but that to me kind of goes in the category of W race series.

Crew Chief Eric: Right, exactly. Um,

Maureen McVail: I want there to be blended so that women don’t get treated any differently.

Executive Producer Tania: Like in their regard. I could see it maybe as being attractive to at least pull them in at first. Maybe some women that are intimidated. So. Agreed. Agreed. Hopefully it could it be positive in that respect and then they start realizing and then coming out to the blended events.

Maureen McVail: I completely agree.

Crew Chief Eric: And so if a young lady walks up to you today, let’s say, you know, round about 10 years old and asks [00:45:00] you the question, Maureen, why do you race? What would you tell her?

Maureen McVail: Because it’s the slowest that I go in my life. I’m multitasking at all times doing various projects, being a mom, being a employee, being a mechanic, being all kinds of things.

When I’m racing, I’m going so fast. That I cannot be managing thinking of I have to pick up the dry cleaning or I have to cook something, which by the way, I don’t cook the going fast in a safe environment and the fact that you, whoever that person is, you can do it too.

Crew Chief Eric: Maureen, as we wrap up here, are there any shoutouts promotions, upcoming events, or anything else you’d like to share?

Maureen McVail: My goal is to make sure everybody know, even if I’m repeating myself. Everybody knows these fabulous things are going on. First off, I think you might have noticed that NASCAR was going to give $10 million through Bud Light as a sponsor for Women in Motorsport and Chip Nessi and PNC Bank [00:46:00] just announced on International Women’s Day, a Women in Motorsport campaign.

They didn’t give a dollar amount with it, but I’m sure it’s significant. And I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Chip GSI and Roger Penske and Roger helped Beth Perreta out and Simone Destro as her driver at Indy 500. She, again, is stealing some of what I would like to do with the women race car team. But remember, I want them to be.

Known as women after they win? Yes. No need to beforehand.

Crew Chief Eric: Maureen, you actually bring up a really good point and because I want to talk about something that happened a while ago, you know, international Women’s Day. We do a lot of social media posting and things like that, and I sat on it all day and sometimes there’s events like that where I’m like, you know what?

We’re not gonna say anything. We’re just gonna let it go. Moment of silence. But it took me all day because I just had these thoughts ruminating in my mind and I didn’t know. Exactly what I wanted to say, and then it sort of hit me later in the day. I remember as a kid, and I’ve said this many times on this show, I always wanted to be a rally driver.

I grew up in the group B era. It [00:47:00] was one of those things that has stuck with me. It’s what got me hooked on motorsports. Even though I know rally’s not a big deal in the United States. It’s, you know, very huge everywhere else. But here. And at that time as a kid, you know you’re looking up to your idols, you know?

Yeah. You had names like Volta Royal and Ola Ari Vain and people like that. But then there was Michelle Ton. When I posted on International Women’s Day, I made it a point to be very direct about what I wanted to say and to highlight her because you see all this other stuff and I’m like looking back at the eighties and the late seventies, ’cause she ran for Renault and other teams as well.

She was a pioneer. In motor sports as a female being out there. I mean, the other names that we listed, you know, there were a few that came before many that came after, but I looked at her going of all the motor sport that there is rally’s one of the most difficult, requires some of the most just risk taking, but also finesse at the same time.

And it is a ballet. And so I’ve always looked up to her as one of my motor [00:48:00] sports heroes. And if you ask me to line up. Three, five people that I wanna shake their hand and meet them. Sabine Schmidt would’ve been one of them, and Michelle Zu right next to her. Right? So I wish there were more people like that, that want to be like her and do that and be rally drivers too.

Uh, so I just wanted to bring that up because that hits close to home for me. I know it hits close to home for my family. And those are the kinds of stories I’m trying to pass down like yours to my daughters as they look to the future and, and go into driving and hopefully into motor sport.

Maureen McVail: Or if not, if they want to take a ballet, that’s fine too.

But what we’re doing is combining the two. Absolutely. Uh, the whole idea of dancing with a car is at a technical track like Shenandoah, which is a small track near summit on the same grounds. That’s where one of my favorite instructors taught me how to dance with the car. That’s exactly what he said. And how to apply the brakes to get more steering input, all kinds of technical stuff [00:49:00] that I won’t.

Bore you with, I would invite everybody to visit mo racing.net. Leave your comments there. Email me, contact me, love to hear your feedback. Other than mo racing.net, I want to shout out to Vet Motorsports. I think you’ve had Pete on the show, Mary Hague of Moon Mark we had mentioned earlier, and again, that’s Lori Johnson of Lady.

Start Your Engines. Little plug there, commercial for her. Shout out to all the male allies out there. Again, without them I wouldn’t be able to do it. And the Red Cross for any of those drivers out there, I am a transportation specialist. We pick up the blood and plasma and take it from the central lab out to hospitals, and some of it is stats.

In other words, you can’t be caught speeding, but you can certainly utilize the fact that you have a Red Cross van. So I pull it right into the front of the hospital, put my flashers on, and I’m able to take [00:50:00] in the cases of blood platelets. So shout out to Red Cross and any other car enthusiasts that’s out there.

So stay tuned and if you have any suggestions, I’m open to them. Watch out for what we’re doing because hopefully in a year or so it’ll be standard. Get it standard

Crew Chief Eric: manual. Save the manual.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah. So we thank Maureen for sharing her journey and the great work she is doing with MO racing to empower women in all facets of motor sports.

Mo Racing provides the concierge service partnering with established high performance driving programs, and they would love to get you on the track. So if you are interested or want to learn more, be sure to check out their website at www.mmoang.net or follow Maureen on Twitter at mc vail Maureen, or on Instagram at Maureen McPhail.

Crew Chief Eric: Maureen, we cannot thank you enough for coming on Break Fix. This has been an awesome chat that we’ve had tonight and we [00:51:00] look forward to the MO racing success and getting more women in the paddock and behind the wheel out there coaching all the things that we talked about. So again, we can’t thank you enough for the work that you’re doing, and we wish you the best of success here in the 22 and Beyond Seasons.

Maureen McVail: And thank you. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Thanks so much for the invitation. Thank you, Maureen.

Crew Chief Brad: If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about gtm, be sure to check us out on www.gt motorsports.org. You can also find us on Instagram at Tour Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows. You can call or text us at (202) 630-1770 or send us an email at crew chief@gtmotorsports.org.

We’d love to hear from you.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey everybody, crew Chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees [00:52:00] organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies and GTM swag.

For as little as $2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of fig Newton’s, gummy bears, and monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports. And remember, without fans, supporters, and members like you, none of this would be possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

00:00 Meet Maureen McVail: Founder of MORacing
01:36 Maureen’s Journey into Motorsports
08:41 The Birth of MORacing
14:53 Challenges and Triumphs in Racing
22:21 Women in Motorsports: Coaching and Mentorship
27:22 Encouraging Women in Racing
28:51 Women as Technical Drivers
29:12 Autocross and Driver Clinics
30:47 Making Racing More Inviting for Women
33:03 Transition to Mechanics
36:23 Representation and Role Models
40:49 Daily Drivers in Motorsport
45:34 Future Plans and Shoutouts
50:22 Conclusion and Contact Information

Bonus Content

Learn More

Maureen McVail – Auto.biography

Let me start by pointing out I had zero exposure to cars growing up.  I started my “Petrol Head” passion at 16 when I learned how to drive stick on our 220 Mercedes Diesel. 

My parents were both educators.  My father a classical music professor and my mother an extraordinary teacher.  Neither of whom were automotive enthusiasts.

  • 1999 – 1st HPDE at Pocono in ‘84 911- hooked immediately!
  • 2005 – Sold ‘84 Carrera for Cup Car with full cage
  • 2007 – Sold Cup Car and purchased RS America. Co-owned with driver and MMM managed logistics and data acquisition.
  • 2010 – 2016 – Purchased and sold GT-3. Campaigned RS America as co-owner and crew chief.
  • 2016 – 2019 – CaymanS campaigned in PCA Club racing. BMW M3 owned and rented for DE.
  • 2019 – present – Sold CaymanS and have been racecarless during the pandemic.

I knew Porsches are stock racecars, so I started my driving in HPDE and loved it.  I “retired” from driving in 2017.  As co-owner and crew chief for 2 racecars, I have lived my fantasy of having a race team.  (Which I still plan to do.)

Shift-up was started in 2016 and I was co-founder.  I left that pursuit up to my co-founder. Shift Up Now was later developed and now expertly run by Pippa Mann. I hired Pippa to coach several female drivers at PCA HPDE at WGI.

My passion is to focus the spotlight on SO MANY DYNAMOS in order to illuminate the varied women drivers.  “If you can see it – you can be it” is a driving force or motto of MORacing. 

In 2020 I developed and implemented a Road Rally from Philadelphia to Seneca Falls and back to celebrate women’s right to vote.  25 cars with 50 people with a stop at WGI.

I have guided and/or sponsored over 15 women (one mother and son duo) to get on track with various clubs. That means there are numerous new HPDE drivers because of MORacing. I have conducted numerous workshops and have spoken to Girls Schools and youth groups. I have donated to a mini-scholarship at Lincoln Tech for female techs. I have recruited for and attended numerous Porsche and BMW Experiences.

Currently I am an apprentice at an automotive shop where I have learned and successfully performed oil changes through tire balancing and much more.

MORacing officially took shape in 2016, though its roots go back further. Originally co-founding “Shift Up” with Lynn Kehoe (now led by Pippa Mann), Maureen branched out to focus on HPDE and grassroots engagement. Her clinics and workshops – often held at schools, Girl Scout events, and community centers – introduce young girls to the thrill of motorsports through fire suits, helmets, and lug nut challenges. “I let them sign my helmet and pledge to always wear their seatbelt,” she said. “Somebody out of that group is going to pursue a STEM career – whether they know it or not.”

Photo courtesy Maureen McVail, MORacing

Allies, Adversity, and the Road Ahead

Maureen’s journey hasn’t been without bumps. She’s faced sexism at the track, but she’s also cultivated a strong network of male allies- many of whom are fathers, brothers, and sons of women who love cars. Her dream? An all-women’s racing team that competes anonymously until the helmets come off. “I created my luck,” she said. “I don’t have any tolerance for being treated differently.”

She’s also quick to spotlight other dynamos in the field, from Mary Hagy of Moon Mark to Laurie Johnson of Lady Start Your Engines. And while she’s not an instructor herself, she’s a fierce advocate for women stepping into coaching roles, like Break/Fix co-host Tania, who recently made the leap.


Association for Women in Science (AWIS)

The AWIS is for individuals seeking equity for women in science, engineering, technology and math, AWIS provides career development, networking, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. In addition, our thought leadership, research, and advocacy benefit all women in science. Maureen was featured in a recent article in the AWIS Magazine. Learn more about AWIS | Download a copy!

Maureen’s story is a testament to what happens when passion meets purpose. From wrenching on her own 997 to organizing rallies and clinics, she’s proving that motorsports isn’t just for the elite – it’s for anyone with the drive to participate.

Her motto? “So many dynamos.” It’s a palindrome, a linguistic nod to her degree, and a perfect metaphor for the women she champions – powerful, resilient, and moving forward no matter the direction.


This content has been brought to you in-part by sponsorship through...

B/F: The Drive Thru #22

This episode of the Gran Touring Motorsports podcast ‘Break/Fix’ features the monthly news segment ‘Drive-Thru,’ where the hosts discuss various automotive and motorsport news. They begin with a light-hearted poem about the seasons changing and delve into an in-depth review of the Nissan 400Z, including its design, colors, and performance insights. The conversation then transitions to Formula 1 news regarding VW, Audi, and Porsche’s potential entry into the sport by 2026, as well as other motorsport updates. The hosts also discuss pop culture vehicles such as the upcoming reveal of the new DeLorean, interesting Lego releases, a tragic incident at a dealership involving a Jeep, various recaps of prominent car events, and local news on track side reports. Additionally, there are updates on Formula 1 races, particularly the Miami Grand Prix and Spanish GP, and other domestic automotive updates, including Dodge’s plans for the Hornet and the Peugeot’s nine X eight lineup for Le Mans. Lastly, they cover some peculiar incidents, such as a Maserati driving down the Spanish steps in Rome and diesel mistakenly being dispensed as gasoline at a station in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Listen on Apple
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Listen on Spotify

Showcase: Demystifying the Nissan Z 400

Crew Chief Eric's Personal Impressions of the new Nissan Z-400

Spring has sprung, the grass has rizz… I wonder where all the NISSANs is??? - More info about the NISSAN 400 Z, and my trip to California to see it!  ... [READ MORE]

What the Z shares with the legendary R32

Everyone modifies an old Nissan sports car ... except for one part. ... [READ MORE]

Old vs New - How does the Z stack up?

More first impressions on the new Z 400 seeing it side-by-side with the classic 240. ... [READ MORE]

Camissa's Sports Car Shootout: Z vs Supra vs Mustang

How fast is the new $50k Nissan Z? — New Z vs Supra vs Mustang Mach-1 — Cammisa's Drag Race Replay ... [READ MORE]

How *BIG* is the new Z?

Photographs can be deceiving - we talk more about the size/shape of the new Z. Is it a sports car, or Grand Tourer?  ... [READ MORE]

Am I a Z-man?

To buy or not to buy? THAT is the real question. Do we take the plunge or wait for something more? ... [READ MORE]

**All photos and articles are dynamically aggregated from the source; click on the image or link to be taken to the original article. GTM makes no claims to this material and is not responsible for any claims made by the original authors, publishers or their sponsoring organizations. All rights to original content remain with authors/publishers.


Automotive, EV & Car-Adjacent News

For a list of all the articles and events referenced on this episode check out the show notes below.

Domestics

EVs & Concepts

Formula One

Japanese & JDM

Lost & Found

Lowered Expectations

Motorsports

Rich People Thangs!

Stellantis

VAG & Porsche

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the Gran Touring Motorsports podcast, break Fix, where we’re always fixing the break into something motorsports related. The drive-through is GTMs monthly news episode, and is sponsored in part by organizations like h hpde junkie.com, garage riot, american muscle.com, hooked on driving and many others.

If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of the Drive-through, look no further than www.gt motorsports.org under about and then advertising and sponsorship. Thank you again to everyone that supports Grantor Motorsports, our podcast Break Fix and all the other services we provide. Wait, am I saying it?

Welcome to Drive-Thru, episode number 22. This is our monthly recap where we’ve put together a menu of automotive motorsport and random power adjacent news. Now let’s pull up the window, number one for some automotive news. Hey guys, you know what? We are closing out May. This is airing actually on the [00:01:00] 31st.

You know, spring is almost over as well. I heard that the other day. That summer was already over. I said, really? So it’s gonna be winter next week, weeks practically 2023. I was like, summer hasn’t even started, but it’s over. Well, I mean, if you live in the dmv, it’s winter goes into summer, like a light switch, which led me to write a little poem.

You know, I wanted to share it with you guys. Aw, yeah. So it goes like this. Real simple. Spring has sprung, the grass has rise. I wonder where all the Nissans is. Wow Snaps for that poem. That’s that DEA education right there coming through. I can, I can hear it. Don’t quit your day job. It leads us into our showcase this month.

I wanna start off by talking about the Nissan 400 Z, the proto, the just the Z, whatever you wanna call it, and my epic trip to California to see it. [00:02:00] So if you guys remember last month I reported about, you know, seemingly new information about the Z and all these kinds of fun things. Cause I’m partially obsessed by it.

And you know, I told you that local dealerships are saying August, August, August, I’m hearing now closer to October for the release. And if you guys are following anything on social media about the Z, the press cars are absolutely everywhere right now, which means they were also available to see in person.

You just kind of gotta keep track of where these press cars. I was fortunate enough to have to go out to LA for work and at which point I reconnected with one of our previous guests, Paul Willsey, who took me all over, you know, LA and, and the Canyons in Santa Monica. And we had an absolute blast. And as part of that, we got wind by way of one of our friends over at SRO Motorsports that there was an exclusive, you know, event going on at the Peterson Auto Museum, which I’ll talk about more here in a little bit.

Where the Nissan Z was gonna be shown publicly. It happened to coincide with a [00:03:00] J D M Nissan event that they were having there at the Peterson and. I have a bunch of pictures and I’m gonna, you know, have them available in the show notes as well about the Z and what it looks like and this and that. I tell you what, first impressions are everything, and you put it in order.

I don’t know what to think. He’s not going to put it in order. What? Let me put it in. You can’t get over The French dreams were crushed. Never drive your heroes or sitting in them. He didn’t have those lowered expectations. So first of all, the two that were there at the Peterson were in Canary yellow and battleship gray.

Two of what I feel are the most unattractive colors that the car could come in. A lot of the other press cars come in, Ruby red and this electric blue, and you know, all these other colors that you’ve seen throughout social media and videos and whatnot. This wasn’t the color black, so it was not murdering color.

And I was immediately turned off by that a hundred percent. The thing that stuck out to [00:04:00] me immediately that I didn’t notice until I saw the car in person was this chrome strip that goes from the A pillar down to the rear haunches, I guess maybe certain angles or colors, or it wasn’t there in the prototype or whatever.

It just sticks out to me like a sore thumb when I saw it in person. Maybe cuz it was reflecting in the California sun. I don’t know. But it just annoyed me in today’s day and age in 2022 to produce a sports card with an obscene amount of chrome on it. Just, oh God, that turns me off. Like I immediately said to myself, that needs to be wrapped or painted flat black, one or the other.

Isn’t Nissan big on doing the like midnight edition vehicles? Maybe that’s like the next version. Midnight edition, 400 z. You can get it with your midnight edition Murano. It could be. They must have something else. Toyota has the midnight editions because I thought we rented one when we were in Texas. It was the midnight edition [00:05:00] Murano, or we didn’t have, what did we have?

Was it a Murano? I can’t remember. Might have been Murano. It wasn’t a cross Cabrio. That’s what I know for Stam. Sure. I don’t think it was that. Then a midnight murdered out edition. It was all black. Yes, but it, it was terrible. And that’s beside the point. What I’m getting at here is when you see this new Z from the front outside of this chrome thing, it immediately got my attention.

It’s very angular. It is very reminiscent of the old two 40 Zs. You know, there were tons of two 40 Zs and two 80 s and two 60 s to compare it to at this event. So you’re like, oh, old versus new. I have pictures of them side by side. I like the front. Everybody makes fun of the big rectangle grill. It needs it, it’s gotta suck in a ton of air to cool that motor into turbos and everything else.

I’m totally fine with it. The profile of the car outside of the chrome, it looks really good. When you get to the back, it also looks really good, but you feel like you’ve looked at three different cars as you’ve walked around it. The back feels like you’re looking at a late nineties, [00:06:00] 300 ZX turbo. It is so big.

You think the Mercedes s Ls has got a big butt. You think the nine 11 has got a just a huge rear end and here comes the Nissan. It’s just massive. So I’m like, okay, I, I can put up with that. It was exactly what I thought it was gonna be. It is longer than, and lower than the three 70 z. There’s a lot of people saying it shares a lot of stuff with the three 70 Z fine, whatever.

But it’s not up on stilts. It’s very low, it’s very wide. It’s a big car, you know, it’s sitting on like, I don’t know, like twenties or 20 twos or something. I mean, it, it just, it almost looks like a matchbox car in some respects. So I’m there and I get introduced to like the PR people from Nissan and this and that.

And they’re talking to me and I’m talking to them, asking questions and you know, trying to get some more definitive answers about the car. And one of them turns to me and says, Hey, do you want to, do you wanna sit in it? And I’m like, well, I mean, there’s a bear shit in the woods. Of course I wanna sit in it.

So I hop [00:07:00] in the car and there’s pictures of me in the car and things like that. And the first question out of his mouth, you know, as I’m kind of looking at the interior, and I’m really not saying anything, which, by the way, the interior is very beautiful and plush. It’s a great place to be as much as you want it to be for a sports car.

Nothing too outrageous, but not as utilitarian as a Porsche. So he asked me, he’s like, so what do you think? And I turned to him and my first response was, well, there’s plenty of space in here for my helmet. And he looked at me puzzled. I said, you have to understand, I coach in a ton of different cars, and this is the first modern sports car I’ve gotten into where I don’t feel like I.

I’m gonna be cramped if I’m in a student’s car, if this was my personal vehicle, you know, you compare it to like the Supra, where the roof line cuts off really, really fast. And if you’re over, you know, five foot eight, you gotta either rotate your hips or scrunch down or this and that. It, it’s just, and the Corvette similar to where it’s, it’s a very tight cockpit.

The Z is so big, it has a lot of room. It feels more like a grand tour than a [00:08:00] sports car. So if I want to compare it to something not visually, I would compare it to like a 9 28. It’s a Japanese 9 28. That’s what it is. Am I underwhelmed? Maybe a little bit. I’m hearing really good things about the performance from the people that have gotten the opportunity to drive one.

I have still not yet gotten the opportunity, and I hopefully will soon. That might be a deciding factor. Also, the price is a big thing, right? You’re still hearing pretty low numbers, reasonable at the, you know, upper forties, low fifties, things like that. But who knows, right? With surcharges, dealer markups.

So that’s been my experience with the Z thus far. So there’s a couple other articles that came out in the meantime since I’ve been back from California, and one of them Brad shared with me, which was, what are the things that the Z shares with the legendary R 32? What is the answer to that question?

Nothing. I mean, what it’s a two-door. Is that it, like it comes in a blue color? No, it, it’s not all wheel drive, right? It, it is not some, some little thing. It doesn’t have a [00:09:00] VR six in it, right? Well, no, the, the skyline was an inline six turbo. The Nissan is a V6 twin turbo. What it shares in common, which, oh, nevermind.

It was a want, want moment is apparently the steering wheel design. But even when I looked at that, it’s like comparing a modern G T I to the original one from 83. Oh, we’ve got a three spoke steering wheel, wheel spoke steering wheel. We’ve got another three spoke steering wheel. I’m like, whatever. All right.

So. Yeah. Other than that, I don’t really think they share anything in common. I, I have my Audi has a three spoke steering wheel. You’re pretty special. I don’t know what my car has. Momo three spoke. Do I share with these two? So the other thing that, you know, since we’re talking about the Z, the other thing that’s on my list of, let’s say in the negative column against the car is Jason ESSA’s latest drag race shootout that he did on the Haggerty YouTube channel.

And it’s between the Z 400, the Supra, and the current top of the line Mustang GT [00:10:00] 500, or whatever the heck it is. Excuses aside, right? Everybody’s saying, oh, well if the, if the Z had better tires, if the Z had better tires, it would’ve done better. The end result here is it got spanked by both the Supra and the Mustang.

That’s not boating well for its performance. No, no, not at all. I mean, I don’t know if it’s fair to compare it to a Mustang, but compared it to the Supra, I feel like is a more, I dunno if it’s, if it’s a bigger grand tour then, I mean the Mustang’s pretty close to a grand tour. What’s the weight on the Z?

Uh, that I haven’t been able to confirm yet. Unfortunately, as I 3,600 pounds as I’ve read it, not all of the body panels are equally magnetic, meaning that I think they’ve taken some playbooks out of older cars where some panels are aluminum and some are steel, and not everything is actually metal to try to keep the weight down.

But 3,600 pounds at 400 horse, that’s pretty heavy. All things considered. I mean the Corvets lighter than that obviously, but it’s in a totally different category. The Mustang is about the same weight. I think the super’s a touch [00:11:00] lighter. 3,300 pounds worth of super. Yeah, that, that’s quite, that’s significant actually.

300 pound difference. So again, it’s a 9 28. That’s what I keep thinking now, and I’m like, well, does that still make it as palatable? It, it’s not gonna be a track day superstar. It’s gonna be a B road bomber. It’s gonna be a lot of fun on a mountain road or a mountain run or a cruising or something like that, you know, and maybe an everyday sports car.

But not, you know, hey, I’m gonna go set the world on fire at New Jersey Motorsports Park or some point, or v i r or something, you know, I’d rather almost have an old three 50 Z that’s modified, weighs less. It’s naturally aspirated and you can have a lot of fun with that as well. So, I don’t know. I’m really Well that’s where you’re doing, I mean, that’s a completely different discussion.

Oh, I would much rather have a car that’s modeled specifically for the track as a track car than a car fresh off the showroom floor. I mean, you can say that about anything you can, but it’s kind of what gets you up in the morning. I almost think I would have more fun with the stock three 50 Z in a way, because it’s more nimble, [00:12:00] less computers.

More of a driver’s car cuz it was built 20 years ago. I mean, that’s kind of what I’m thinking too. And then you do some mods to it. Coilovers wheels, they look good. They sound good. Well, you haven’t driven it so you can’t say you can’t peculate. Yeah, I don’t, you dunno if it’s, you don’t know if it’s more or less nimble.

I, I understand which, where you’re going with this. I mean, it’s kind of why they took the Miata back a step to be more in line with the Nas. Far as like the engineering, you know, they, they tried to go back to, they got away from the bloated Ford n c to a more NA based n d. So I understand what you’re saying.

Where it seems like the Z 400, your first impression is it’s not going to be like that. It’s gonna be kind of a bloated, but I agree with Tanya. You should really, I wouldn’t write it off just yet until you get a chance to drive it. I agree. But the other thing that’s now stuck. In my craw and I, I gotta blame Paul for this a hundred percent.

Mm-hmm. We went out in the canyons with his bone stock, 99, 2 and a half liter boxer, [00:13:00] 200 horsepower or whatever it makes, and two 10 or something like that weighs 2,700 pounds soaking wet from the factory. And it was amazing. I forgot what an original boxer was like. I drove one so long ago that it’s like you kind of put it out of your memory and I’m like, for what?

He paid for that you could have one of those with a ton of money left over, not do anything to it, and have an absolute blast. Now is it gonna turn a bunch of heads and people go, Ooh, ah, it’s the latest and greatest. That’s unfortunately the old timer in me that goes, there’s plenty of old cars still left to enjoy.

So this is what puts the Nissan back a minute. Like I got super excited about it and I’m just like, I don’t know, but. I think it still holds true everything we’ve talked about so far. It’s kind of the last of the line. It’s last of these stick shift, rear wheel drive, ice powered coops, right? These, even if it’s a grand tour, there aren’t many coops left either.

A sports coupee, let’s call it what it is, and there’s something to be said about that. So yes, [00:14:00] I’m still holding out final judgment to drive one. I mean, please, if you’re listening to this, convince me that I’m wrong, that I shouldn’t give up on the Z, but right now, The scales have definitely been tipped.

I’m, I’m not really sure where to go from there. So if we pull the Z out of your future garage, what do we put in it? Uh, you know, I know you’re gonna run out and buy a 99 boxer, or are you still on the Alpha Romeo 1 24 train? There’s a lot of cars on that list and I just don’t know yet. I don’t know. I, I mean, I’ve been salivating after the Alpha four C as well.

I think that’d be a lot of fun. It would cost less than a Nissan Z, but then you give up the manual. You do. And you’re a purist. That’s true. That is very true. I am a dinosaur, so I don’t know. There’s a lot to think about. You know, there’s a lot to think about. I think we have some upcoming, what should I buy episodes that might change our listeners’ minds as well.

So I’m gonna leave, I’m gonna put a pin in that until we revisit those later this season. Enough of that. Enough of that. We need to move on. Right? We, we can, we can talk about Nissans till we’re blue in the face. But you know, you guys are big into Formula One and I hear some exciting news [00:15:00] coming from our friends at vw, Porsche, Audi.

Yeah. Some of our favorite brands. They’ve announced that they are coming to Formula One in looks what? 2026 It looks like. Not soon enough. 2026. We gotta wait that long. I mean, is that when they’re bringing out the next generation of car that they just brought out? The new generation. Now we’re waiting for that.

It seems like a three to five year timetable in Formula One. Will they be running 20 inch wheels then? Are they waiting for Trump to become president again and, and reduce the cafe uh, requirements? Vw, the parent company of Audi and Porsche, et cetera. They’re making a push to put Porsche and Audi in Formula One, not just in engines, but actually have their colors being run on a car.

I don’t know which, I don’t think that has been said at all. It looks like Audi is, has an agreement with McLaren, I guess, for power plants. Both of these agreements are for power plants. Porsche will be powering the, the Red Bulls. I don’t even think there’s an agreement. I think there’s a. We on this side wanna do this?

Howdy [00:16:00] Porsche, and then McLaren’s like middle finger. We don’t want you. And I’m sure there’ll be negotiations, at least that was my understanding. So maybe it’s all for nothing. Maybe they’re gonna power the Andretti car. But the question is with that is are they gonna let another team in and have 22 drivers, or is Andretti gonna have to buy out somebody?

Haas? You know, I personally, I think Gene Haas is looking to get out of Formula One because it’s a loss leader for him. I mean, this year the team’s been doing a lot better. Than they have previously, but still, I think he’s been looking for an excuse to get out of Formula One for a little while. What do you do?

Driver shuffle Or you just kick Schumacher to the curb? Well, you keep Schumacher cuz you got rid of the Russians. No, you can’t because Andretti wants to have American drivers on an American team in Formula One. He can put Schumacher on the B squad and keep him as a test driver for the team and not break his contract.

Yeah. But once you get a taste of that sweet, sweet Formula one drive, you don’t want to be a test driver anymore. I mean, I’m sure there [00:17:00] might be some other team. I’m sure there’s like, you know, some other team that wants to kick somebody out out. Maybe they could swoop, swoop up or. Magnussen at this point.

I’m sure that Mercedes wants to get rid of Hamilton since he hasn’t done Jack’s shit this year. How quickly is they’re disrupt fired? I’m tired. I mean, I can say that because I already know he’s a much better driver than anybody else in the world, so I don’t, I don’t care. Yes, Louis, you’re better than me, but you’re still gonna get kicked off the team.

It’s either you or Toto. Totally ain’t going nowhere. Nah. Yeah. So Audi and Porsche want again, formula One. They just need to find a team that they can give power plans to. I think they should go ahead and extend the field. Why not? I do too. I don’t think it would hurt. It’s not like there’d be that much more traffic.

Do they? Yeah. They just gotta get around the back markers of Williams. There’s another team, right? For the taking, Williams is already under new own new, uh, ownership. Didn’t they do a documentary, like basically showcasing that they were dead? I mean, what, what’s going on? What’s going on? You know, there’s this show on [00:18:00] Netflix called Drive to Survive.

No. Where they talk about all of this stuff. It’s been on for four seasons now. No, three seasons. Four seasons. Tonya, correct me if I’m wrong, three, four seasons. Yeah. There’s a lot of information out there. Eric Uhhuh. There’s a lot of information on ancient aliens too, so I’ll just continue watching that.

You go ahead and watch WRC with your 10 foil hat and us normal humans are gonna stick with f1 if you’re okay, since you brought up wrc. You know what? Let’s talk about cool stuff that’s happening in the world of rally around the Audi e-tron. The car, shall We? Nothing is pretty sick looking. It is pretty sick.

And the journalist that the article that we’re referencing here actually got an opportunity to drive it on a test course, and I thought it was pretty interesting. Some of the questions that we had were actually answered about this vehicle, which isn’t a full ev, it’s a hybrid. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

That was our biggest question, right? Which is, how the heck are they gonna get power to charge this thing up when they’re on the dekar rally? Please tell me it’s a [00:19:00] diesel. It’s not. Oh yeah. I mean, their answer was like straight up, like, we don’t have the battery technology. You can’t do this like you won’t make it, which is fair.

So there you go. They put a two liter turbocharged force cylinder on it. So does it get to carry the badge e-tron though, right? I mean, maybe it does cuz the A three e-tron was a hybrid, but whatever. That’s all just badge engineering. The thing that I thought was amazing though is the technology, the MGU technology, which we talked about on a previous episode, and this is why it comes back to Formula One.

Volkswagen had proposed the MGU technology for f1 and now I understand what it is. In simple terms, it’s what I’ve been preaching about for years now, that we need to go the direction of diesel electric hybrids like they do in trains. The difference is the VW Audi MGU Power plant is a gasoline version of that.

It’s a two liter gas motor that runs at somewhere [00:20:00] between 40 506,000 R P M to maintain this like perfect power output to feed the electric system to then, you know, get the car going where it’s going. So I was like, ah, there we go. Okay, so I’m not crazy. This is doable. They are doing it. Diesel is taboo, so we have to do it with gas.

But the one thing I thought was comical is when the journalist was talking about just the sound that it makes, cause it’s, it’s basically running at the high end of the RRP M range for a two liter all the time. It’s just kind of obnoxious. But can I just say we’re overlooking the most important feature of this vehicle?

It’s something it shares with the greatest Nissan ever made. The R 32, it has a three spokes steering wheel

that solidifies its legend dirtiness right there. The two liter motor. It’s not powering the wheels at all. It’s literally only So it’s a generator? Correct. Okay. That, that’s, so that’s kind of cool. But it’s a high [00:21:00] strung generator. Had they used a diesel, think about the range. They could have gotten a gallon of diesel, probably would’ve.

They would’ve gone, I don’t know, 500 miles and it would’ve idled at 1200 rpm. Instead, this thing has to burn its brains out at 4,500 to 6,000 RPM to generate the power needed to run the electric system. That’s nuts. It’s so inefficient. I guarantee if this was pre 2015, pred Diesel, diesel, diesel, it would be a diesel.

A hundred percent. It would’ve been a three, three cylinder TDI in there. What kind of earplugs are the drivers wearing to my point, right? To deal with this. Holy crap. Can you imagine a high strung four banger that you can’t shift gears for like the next 10 hours? This sounds like an rx. It sounds like an RX seven.

Hey, what does that share in common with the R 32 Nissan Shoot me now. Oh wait, that’s a three-sided. Nevermind. Rotor, not a steering wheel. That’s a Dorito. So we’re gonna stick with the EVs for a moment. We’re going back to Volkswagen. They are resurrecting. [00:22:00] Yes. Thank you Tanya. They are resurrecting the scout nameplate and bringing out an EV brand scout offroad, like you’re talking international scout.

Right. I’m talking like minor league baseball scouts. That’s what I’m the Boy Scouts. What are we talking about here? The Boy Scouts? The Girl Scouts of America? Yeah. No, yeah. They’re resurrecting the international scout to be an EV off-road, I guess to compete with the new ev. Hummer will. It’s probably gonna be a lot cheaper cuz it’s gonna be smaller than that.

The Ford Bronco and the Jeep, they want to get in on that sweet suite four by four monies. Just to segue of our hot second, I was in traffic and turned my head the other day and oh, there’s a Bronco next to me. Like, oh, very nice. Very, very nice to see. Nice. And then I got behind it and I was like, uh, it was a little less nice to see from this angle.

Was it a Bronco or the Bronco Sport? Uh, I think it was the sport. My memory is already like erased it. So it’s, so it’s basically the, the Land [00:23:00] Rover freelander or whatever the hell escape, the thing was escape. It’s the four escape. It’s just so like I really like it from the side and from the front, but then like the back is just like too narrow at the top.

They wanted to do like the safari roof, like on the old discos and stuff. It’s got that kind of shape to it. Or the Volvo SUVs kind of have that scalloped rear and I get you on the sport, the Bronco itself, if you see one of those in person, they’re big. I mean it’s like a Ford Explorer big, like you won’t miss it, that’s for sure.

So back to the scout, I was wondering how did they do this And apparently they bought, when did they do this? That’s when did they buy International? They 2020. What? So it says here, international Harvester sold the proto S U V Scout from 1961 to 1980 with the truck maker going belly up in 1985. After nearly 80 years of production, BW acquired what was left of International in 2020 with its purchase of Navistar International Core.

Interesting. They bought the parent company, so [00:24:00] they, they also bought the rights to, because International makes rigs and stuff too, right? They make tractors, they make motors. I mean, so this is, this is all under that Navistar International umbrella, I’m assuming? Yeah, I think it’s cool. It just feels out of place because international is such an American brand.

Such an American thing. I think what a lot of US associate international more with Ford. Than we would with vw. It just seems weird that VW bought them and Ford didn’t, you know? Yeah. You know, this is nothing like Fiat buying your Jeep or anything like that, right? I mean, by way of Mercedes. Come on now.

Yeah. We need, we need the Germans making America’s most beloved military sport suv. Was this America’s most beloved? It was a flash in the pan. No, but the, the Jeep Willy’s was, and it’s kind of funny that Mercedes owned Jeep. I think it’s cool, but again, you have all these neat things in Europe, like the Amar Rock and all these other trucks [00:25:00] that you’ve already built.

Why do we need the international and does anybody care anymore? I mean, I guess they’re gonna try to play the nostalgia card. Yeah, that’s the real question. It’s like, I don’t know. Yikes. I mean, who’s gonna. Buy this with a VW badge on it? Well, it’s gonna have a scout badge on it. I think they’re gonna brand it as its own thing.

It’s like, it’s like Hummer. Hummer is its own ev brand now. So Scout is gonna be, no, no, the German equivalent. It’s like those bags you buy or whatever, blah, blah, by Michael Kors or DA by Versace instead of Prada. It’s Prado. What? Yeah. Yeah. It it? No, it’s, it’s S Scout. It’s scalp by Volkswagen. Magnet Box Scout by Volkswagen.

Terrible. Yes. The People’s Card. The People’s Scout. I mean, I would go test drive when I’d go look at one in person, would I bring it home? You’d have to really convince me like the stats on it would have to be stellar. It’d have to be better than the rivian, which we already know is like the king of the hill right now when it comes to these ev u v pickup, smaller size things.

So I, [00:26:00] to be fair, you’re not, uh, you’re not really a four by four person per se anyway, so I would never expect you to take home one of these, or a Bronco or a Wrangler or a Hummer or any of those. I’m always looking for something to replace my diesel guzzling, $6 a gallon Jeep Grand Cherokee right now.

Okay. Yeah. How about the cyber truck? No, that’s a hard, hard task. So yeah, but none of the things like Brad just named off would be suitable replacements for your use case though. So a thousand percent, no, of course not. But you, you know what else isn’t a suitable replacement for the use case at hand? The Nissan yet another 400.

Well that too, but anything named ID whatever at this point, because they’ve introduced yet another one called the ID five gtx. I’m really confused. Oh my God, I love this. How is it different than the ID four? Although [00:27:00] than the back and Mike is rolling his eyes and could tell us, like the back I guess is a lot more sloped.

I get you there. At first I went, Ooh, this is maybe gonna be like a carrado thing, you know? Cuz it kind of has that side profile, like maybe like a little tails gonna pop out almost, you know? Right. And then you get to the back and you’re like, wait. It looks just like the ID four. The other thing that turned me off immediately.

Okay. Immediately soapbox the ID five is the coop version of VWs. Familiar ev, but changes the standard car. And that’s the other thing I got confused by. How is this a coop of the ID four? It’s the same size or bigger, I think it said. I just want to confirm that I’m not crazy because I’ve had this discussion with Brad a million times about what’s a hatchback and what’s a liftback, and what’s a coop and what’s a not, so I went back to the dictionary again for the thousandth time, and I’m gonna read you verbatim what the definition of a coop pay [00:28:00] is, or a coop, a car with a fixed roof, two doors and a sloping rear end.

It has four doors. Got too many doors. Uh, not, I believe BMW coined the term Grand Coupe. It’s a Grand Coupe from the South on that ugly thing. Did they make like three of them? Yeah, they made a bunch. The Grand Coupe is supposed to be like the two door Benzs and the, the six series bmw, which was a big car, but it was two doors.

But they made a four door version. And then the, the Mercedes has the cls lies, lies. It’s all lies. It’s all lies. Well, to me, it looks like from the side, Volkswagen didn’t just buy international Scout, they also bought Eagle talent because that one line that goes down the side of the car and the back end with the tail, it, this is an Eagle town from the side dude.

And then it’s, it’s got this badge gtx. There ain’t nothing gt even related to the eye about this thing, man. Well, that’s what the, the, the author says, they’re like, don’t be thinking this is [00:29:00] like g t i Cause you’re gonna be disappointed. Don’t be thinking, you know what? It does happen. And we covered this a long time ago.

Oh, we did? I forget what the whole GTX thing was supposed to be. Terrible. Yeah. But it does have a three spoke steering wheel though. Oh. So it, it has lineage in common with the Nissan R 32. Perfect. That’s great. Well, it’s kind of a three spoke. It’s a split three spoke. This goes back to the definition spoke.

It’s a for spoke, but only one of the spokes is split. So it’s a 3.2, 2.5, but it shares a steering wheel with blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So if that wasn’t disappointing enough, there was another article that came across my desk this week, which made me feel super old. So old I, I was wondering how you were gonna react to this one.

I, I cried a little because. Guess what folks? The golf R, which started with the R 32, which is actually the successor of the Beetle R s I [00:30:00] now celebrates its 20th anniversary and I bought one of these new, I would still have that car had it not been stolen. And then I realize, shit, it’s a 20 year old car.

That’s a long time. Yeah, I got really confused at first. I was like 20th. Like what? Like the 20th anniversary came out so long. What is this? What are they talking about? Well, the sad part. And then I was like, holy crap. No, the R 32 20th anniversary, Jesus. Right, because the 20th anniversary G ti I was in 2003, which makes the GT’s 40th anniversary next year in the United States.

And I’m like, talk about feeling old, right? That’s the mental gymnastics that I did. And I’m like, oh my God, the car that epitomizes, let’s see, my personality, my soul is as old as I am. And I’m like, ah, this is terrible. That said, I hate the new one. So they had the picture there. Awesome. R 32 and the Golf Rs and I, [00:31:00] I just like to look at the R 32.

I was gonna say who wore it best? I feel disrespected. That seems no offense. Mark five R 32 in here. All right. All right. I’m gonna call you out on this. I remember while ago we used to say Car in the world. Yep. Was a mark five Volkswagen, and suddenly it.

I think the Mark five Jetta specifically, but the mark five golfs and GTIs and stuff too. They were terrible. They were ugly, ugly, ugly cars. When I, when it first came out, I thought I was looking at the new Corolla. That’s how terrible I thought it was. I thought someone took a mark four, they put like an air pipe onto it and just blew a bunch of air into it and expanded it.

I think they’re, I think they’re hideous. I will give you the taillights look like a Corolla. Yeah,

but I also said that it was mainly the Jetta, cuz it looked like a Corolla at the same time because they looked so [00:32:00] different from the front. Oh, they’re completely different. They’re completely different. Oh, oh, okay. One’s a coop. That’s why it’s a coop. A it’s a very coupe. And the other’s a liftback.

Technically it doesn’t have a sloping back. So it is a hatchback and not a coop. A coop doesn’t have a, it doesn’t have, it’s got only have two pillars. No, so it’s very simple in Volkswagen terms. The Rocco is a coop and the golf is a hatchback. End of story. But then the ID five is a coop. It is not riddle me that bad man.

It has four doors. We gotta go back to this again. Technically it’s a five door, but, you know, whatever it is. What, what does Urban Dictionary say? Let’s go to, we’re moving on. That’s what it says. It says Stop this nonsense, moral of the story. We don’t like the Mark eight. We think it’s stupid. I, I’m not a fan.

And, and you know, and it goes against everything I’ve ever said that the even number generations that got it right. Now I’ve been proven wrong. I hate it. I hate it. Maybe they’re switching to odds and the golf nine is gonna be amazing. Well, the, the golf is [00:33:00] gonna cease to exist at some point, right? I mean, yeah, let’s face it.

I mean, I’m biased, but I don’t know. I like the R 32 when they went with the big chariot wheels and then the, the air dam front bumper, the big low bumper and the front and the back and the little tail. I mean, it really cleaned the look up. Very nice. Of the mark fours, the mark the beetle was a coup. The mark fours the best looking.

It’s the best golfs in my opinion. And I hated them at first, you know? But that’s a whole nother story. We’ll get into that at a later time. Mm-hmm. So we need to switch now to our domestic news, brought to you in part by American muscle.com, your number one source for OEM and performance replacement parts for your Chevy Ford or Mopar.

You probably noticed that we skipped over STIs. But we’re not really skipping over them because we don’t have a lot to say about Ford or Chevy this month for whatever reason. So we’re gonna talk a little bit more about Dodge Chrysler and everybody under that family tree. I’ve been watching a lot of the [00:34:00] European, you know, social media feeds following some of the magazines and other car markets and things over there.

And I, I get to see things that I salivate over that I know that we’ll never get. And this has been going on for years. In the last year there’s been pitches and positions over a new C U V called the Ton, or the Tonal, if you wanna pronounce it in the English Way by Alpha Romeo. And I said, oh, that’s cute.

Alpha’s building another S U V. They already have the Stelvia, who cares? In the last month, there’s been pictures released of the Dodge Hornet. And I went, oh, that’s the Alpha Rome male I’ve been looking at for the last year, basically. That’s exactly what, it’s what I take issue with on the Hornet. Is the name.

If you know anything about classic mopars muscle cars or whatever this thing does, they’re not deserve this name. I’d rather you pick the duster, the shadow, the spirit. Any of those car names would be better than the Hornet for this C Uuv. That’s just my opinion. Why? Why can’t this just be the new journey?

That’s what I was thinking too. [00:35:00] Right. I don’t know why they chose Hornet. Maybe again, this nostalgia player. Exactly. Yep. Badge engineering. But the question is, Does it have a three spoke steering wheel? You know, I do not see any pictures of the inside, but I’m going to guess that it does have a three spoke steering wheel.

Cause all the other cars on our list that we’re talking about today have three spoke steering wheels. So they are all direct descendants of Nissan’s Greatest car ever made. The R 32 skyline, you know it isn’t, but is also under the STIs banner. Peo, we don’t talk a lot about French cars, and I personally do have an affinity for French cars.

I think they’re, they’re quirky. They’re, they can sometimes be cute. They’re a little odd. Don’t talk to me about Citroen, but, you know, I was gonna say, what, what, what do you think of the, uh, cevo, you know, the two cv? That’s not the worst. It’s the ds, but I’m gonna, I’m gonna table that for now. Yeah. The DS stands for D sucks.

Freaking cockroach on wheels. Hate that car. That said, we hinted last year, I think it was about this time on the drive through about the PEO nine X [00:36:00] eight, if you ever noticed, PEOs got this interesting battle between Porsche and them for numbering their race cars. And apparently there were lawsuits years ago about using 900 series, you know, you can’t use nine zero, can’t do this, blah, blah, blah, back and forth.

So they’re always poking a pointy stick at Porsche when they build their next race car. So the nine x eight, it’s real. It’s been revealed. There’s pictures of it. It’s freaking awesome. I cannot wait to see this car at Lamont’s. I can’t wait to see a French brand in the L M D H class fighting alongside of everybody else.

I think this is gonna be awesome. I think you’re forgetting that Nissan did it a couple years ago with the front wheel drive, whatever the heck that car was. That barely made it a few laps. Is this front wheel drive too? Uh, it is not. This is your classic prototype layout? Yes. They want this thing to actually survive more.

The first third, wait, wait, wait. Go back to what you just said. The classic prototype isn’t the whole thing about prototype is, is this one of a kind? It’s like there’s no classic formula. It’s something [00:37:00] completely new in engineering and everything. How is there a classic prototype formula? I mean, aren’t they all spec classes now?

They’re all building to a certain design regulat negotiation? Uh, I don’t think LMP one is. Well, does LMP one even exist anymore? Uh, I think so. I don’t know. The jury is still out on whether or not Dodge will be entering a clone car, running a different badge to have two cars in the field been teased a couple times.

Dart this number will be 2016. I’m really excited about that. I mean, obviously we already have entries from Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche, now PEO officially and others. I mean, the L M D H class is stacking up for the hundredth anniversary of Lamont’s, and I, like I said, I cannot wait to be walking that paddock and seeing it in person.

It’s gonna be absolutely phenomenal. So my hat’s off to them. Speaking of anniversaries, there’s another anniversary to celebrate. Happy Birthday Toyota. Yay. Wait, what? Happy Birthday Toyota 4runner. Oh God. How old is that? Am I gonna feel like a dinosaur? It is the [00:38:00] same age as US. Years Young Edition. Oh God.

Really? 40th anniversary, special edition 2023. Toyota 4runner will be coming to a dealership near you and it’s limited to 40. 40 copies. Okay, that’s just lame. That’s Toyota for you, but it’s got some cool decals. Hey man. 17. It’s coming with. Bronze, 17 inch wheels. You know, I really feel like they missed an opportunity to use copper.

They went a little throwback though with these tri-colored pin striping, which isn’t really pinstriping. They’re really wide, but still the striping down the side. Well, the sun, the sunset striping. Yeah. Which came on their campers and stuff, right? I mean, like, I don’t know. Maybe the 4runner had it, I guess.

Yeah. You know, some of the older runners had it. So going back to my trip to the Peterson as an example, remember we talked about the Alpha Wolf? That truck that looks like the original 4runner from Back to the Future. I actually got to see it in [00:39:00] person. It is a hundred percent legit what we thought it was, and it’s freaking amazing.

The truck from back to the Future wasn’t a forerunner though. Was it Toyota? Yeah, the 4runner is the SUV V. It was like a T 100 or something like that. Or a Tacoma. It was not a 4runner. That pickup truck. No, because at that, that other company, that one company is trying to make a knock off one of it. What is it, alpha?

It was, it was a Toyota SR five. SR five is a package SR five pickup. That’s what it’s listed as the back to the features SR five pickup trick. Oh, I see the original 4runner. Ooh, that takes ugly shit. Now I do believe there was a 4runner that you, well, happy birthday Toyota Runner. You have aged gracefully.

You, you could take the back off of the 4runner. I think some of the earlier ones, kind of like you could with the old Broncos. This is knowledge. We are dropping truth bombs on you people left and right. Meanwhile, over in the Honda Camp, this month’s break. Fix guest, Annika Carter reviews the 2023 Acura Integra for a [00:40:00] girl’s guide to cars.

So I wanted to get your guys’ opinion on what you thought. Now that we’ve seen more pictures of it and looked at her article, I still stand aside my dislike of using the name Integra for this Acura TSX evolution. Don’t you mean the, the Acura Civic Hatchback. I thought it was the Honda Cross Tour v6.

Could be. It is. I thought the red interior though, really cool. The interior does look good. I will give it that. For a Honda, it is a step above what I expected, but looking at it in, in relation to other vehicles, her standing next to it, stuff like that, I was like, this thing is big. Like really big and they had the classic Integra there, like the original boxy first gen Integra, and I’m like, man, that thing is microscopic in comparison to this thing.

I don’t know. I’m with Tanya. Three spokes steering wheel. Does it? Does it? Does it? Oh my gosh. You’re right. It is going to sell millions. It is a derivative of the crx because it has a three. Spoke to [00:41:00] What does this have in common with the crx? Nothing. It weighs three times as much. You can put one in the trunk.

I will say the trunk space is reminiscent of the two thousands integra’s. The way they built a proper lift back, it looks humongous when you open that rear hatch. Actually, whatever, like those cars. Whatever the first photo of this car was when the whisper started and there was that yellow photo, and it wasn’t even like necessarily 360 views of anything, that first initial teaser photo.

There was such promise there. Such promise, and then we got the real photo of it and it was like, what hot trash garbage is this? It looks nothing like this thing you teased us, which could have been really nice. But it says Integra. Well then I want it to be different, but that’s just me. It’s dumb. So let’s move on a little bit.

We’ll switch to random EVs and concepts that we might actually be excited [00:42:00] about. So going back to my trip to California, I saw so many cars I took. Probably 1200 pictures if that was the low number on all the stuff that I took. And the Peterson was an amazing experience. I’ve never been to an auto museum that big, so pretty, just so many different things.

And then I actually got access to the vault, which I thought was more interesting than the actual show floors themselves because that’s down in the basement. That’s where they keep the cars, you know, that aren’t on the floor or being changed in and out, all this kind of thing. There’s really nice, very well educated docents downstairs that can guide you around.

They’ll talk you through, you got questions about cars. I got to see the United Nude try five mile an hour golf cart thing that we talked about that sold for like a gajillion dollars that’s down there. Magnum PIs, actual Ferrari’s down there, the Batmobile, you know, all those kind of movie cars are down the uh, I got to see from Gotham Garage.

Remember we talked about rust to riches and all that. Mark Talley’s, Mach five, Corvette, C4 based. [00:43:00] Movie cars in there and I got to see the exner that he had built. I mean, I stood six inches from it and it was just like, wow. You know, to see all these cars in person that we talk about on this show that we read about or see on TV was amazing.

I’ve never been to a museum like this before. I’ve been to other private collections, other museums, you know, usually those museums are combination of private collections, but the Peterson is like topnotch. Which by the way, if anybody’s listening to this, I have two tickets to the Peterson that I will mail you if you are interested.

Free admission that are good through the 30th of June. So email us at crew chief@gtmotorsport.org or call or Texas at (202) 630-1770 and I will send them out to you. First person to hit us up. They are yours free of charge. That said, I saw so many DeLorean when I was in California that Peterson has one of the factory gold DeLoreans.

And I got a picture of it and all that. That was [00:44:00] really cool to see in person. I took some pictures for you, Brad, because remember we’ve talked a lot about how tall is that car? How big is that car? Put it in reference to my height. It comes up to my waist at 43 inches tall. It’s been so tall. So tall. Yeah.

It needs to be lower. Six inches in stock Trim. It got me thinking though, we talked a lot about last month, you know, they teased us the corner of the back end of the new DeLorean. It also got me thinking about the cyber truck that we talked about with its misaligned body panels and its color mismatch and this and that and I, I started to think about it.

I was like maybe that color mismatches on purpose, because it was on purpose on the DeLorean, they had a hard time color matching the stainless steel to the front grill. Right. The front grills are always like a darker color, you know? Cause they’re painted versus the body color. Yeah. I suddenly realized, you know, there’s another car.

That has that same styling to it. And I wanted to go back and see if it came from the same design house as the DeLorean, you know, from Etal design from Giro. And it turns out that the [00:45:00] 1975 launch of Beta Monte Carlo, which has that same panda bear look in the front with the two-tone nose and all that was not penned by Juro.

It was penned by PanIN Farina. I started thinking, well, I wonder if Juro got his influence in the seventies when the DeLorean was being designed right, even though it came out in the eighties, if he got that from PanIN Farina. So a hundred percent speculation there, right? It’s a little trip down memory lane.

It reminded me that I needed to revisit the website cuz Tanya had said they’re going to be revealing more of the car as we get closer to Pebble Beach. Well, guess what? Pebble Beach is the week this episode releases in four days. Two hours, 51 minutes and 54 seconds. 53. 52 50. There’s a countdown on the DeLorean website.

Can we just say that? Let’s just give our impressions of the DeLorean as if we just saw it. Wow. The new DeLorean. It’s freaking amazing. I gotta say, this is the best looking car I’ve ever seen [00:46:00] next to the new Kunta for me. I know people have their own fossil tage, but whatever. This new DeLorean, oh my god.

Best looking car ever. Eric, what are your impressions of it? Have you seen the rear end? Oh, I’m an ass man. Yes, I have. I didn’t know if you were being serious or not. I was kind of being dumb, but also serious. Okay. He’s setting it up. All jokes aside, there is a new picture. It’s more than just the quarter panel that’s sitting waiting for you on delorean.com.

As you count away, the minutes left to the official reveal at Pebble Beach, and I have to say I’m a little confused. By what it’s, it says DeLorean right there. You’re in the right place. I mean, I know what it is. Here’s what I don’t get. The other picture we got gave me this almost, I don’t know, fantasy of like the Nissan 400 z, where it’s like, oh my God, it’s gonna be, and then when I got the full perspective of the back, the cockpit looks really tight.

It’s got wide hips. Mm-hmm. But it [00:47:00] also doesn’t look anything like the 2021 etal design concept that was Penn by, uh, angel Guerrera that they actually built. One of which I thought they were gonna take that modify for production use, which looks really, really cool. And I’ve posted pictures of both of these in the show notes so you guys can see it.

The 2021 one-off concept is a gorgeous car. I thought they were going with that. Those front shots you see in the teaser video, they’re doing this V thing with the goaling door. So it’s gonna have this maybe b kind of nose, like an Alfa Rome male. Nothing like the concept car they built. A year ago, so now I’m really confused.

What is this new jewelry gonna look like? And I’m not sure if I’m gonna like it. It’s a tester. That is the impression I get from it a hundred percent. I don’t know. I’m just gonna not get excited anymore. How about that? I’m just gonna leave this page up and I will revisit it on 31st, and we’re gonna talk about it next month when we get to see all the pictures from Pebble Beach.

[00:48:00] So stay tuned folks. Write in, let us know what you think. If you get to see the DeLorean before we do, because. I don’t know. May I might need to be convinced. I’m really disappointed though. Huh? You really just gotta drive it a hundred percent. The real question is, does it have a three spoke steering wheel?

That’s what I was gonna ask. I did figure out why the 2021 concept car wouldn’t work though. If you look at it closely, it wasn’t designed for goldwin doors. If that is the keystone centerpiece of the design, that prototype they did last year would’ve never worked. My guess is it was like a financial thing and they, they didn’t want to pay the money for that design.

The new one will probably be a four door coupe lifted. It’s gonna be a a a four door lifted. S U C V S U C U V. Speaking of what’s old is new again. So, Brad, we gave you an action item last month. Did you call some dealerships to see if you could buy a Dodge Dart? You know, I. I’m going to disappoint our audience here.

I did not get a chance to call any dealerships. I meant [00:49:00] to call Chuck LeDuc, but I completely forgot. So I’m gonna have to table this discussion, Chuck. Just know that I’m gonna be giving you a call sometime within the next month. I’m hoping that you can tell me that you’ve got some new Dodge Darts for me to not buy.

But I did go on cars.com and I checked to see if I could find a brand new Dodge Dart. They’re not listed what? But you. You know this was the first time in two years. No, I know. Well, cause they finally sold all out. It only took them six years. But can still buy a brand new 2016 Dodge Viper ACR R. Oh really?

How much. Only $800,000. Whoa. At Deon Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram 800,000. That’s pretty good. Good for them. Do they have a dealer rating of 4.2 on cars.com? No. Go out of out of five. It’s only 200 miles from here. So when we go to test drive the Nissan Z, why don’t we just go ahead and make a detour up to [00:50:00] DeCozen Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.

See if we can take this bad boy out for a drive more than you can afford PAL taxes. I found something interesting. You know, somebody wasted the time to put together a listicle called the bestselling cars from the year you graduated high school. Talk about things that make you feel old and depressed.

This has gotta be the saddest automotive article I’ve ever read. Oh, snap. Really? Let’s take a trip on this road. I’m gonna take a guess, Tanya, and say that the car of your year was the Toyota Camry. No. Oh my gosh. It was this Chevy Cavalier. So it’s the best selling car by year for like 40 years or whatever.

You just, oh my God. Wait, let’s scrap that. Who cares about your high school? Can we hone in on how the Ford Tour, was it 1992? 19 93, 19 94, 19 95, 19 96. Bestselling car. Dang. Does that even [00:51:00] matter? Because starting people didn’t trust the Japanese. Starting in 1997 until now, everything listed is a Toyota Camry.

So, not true. Not true. Not true. In 2001, the Honda Accord beat it probably by like three cars. I’m sorry, I mistook it for a Toyota Camry. Cause they all look the same. How many of these are are beige? That would be Matt Yips favorite thing. Oh, these are all terrible. Every one of these makes me sad. Wow. I mean, there is not a single impressive thing on here that’s not true.

Hey, now the old mobile cut list was the best selling in 1978 and 79 and 80 and 81 odd, but they’re, and then again, in 83 with the Supreme, only because it got ousted by the Ford Escort. I mean, come on. These are all terrible. You know, here’s an honorable mention. It only shows up once on this list. What’s the only car, I think to show up once on this list?

The solarity. The celebrity. Look at [00:52:00] that. Look at that. That is the worst 1986 Chevy celebrity. That is trash. I, I’m with Tanya though. How the hell did the Taurus beat out the Accord and the Camry for like four straight years? None of this, you know, they, they, they went to the bubble Taurus and that’s where I want none of this.

Okay. I wanna know really. 1987 Ford Escort. You’re showing the GT version. Really? I don’t remember ever seeing GT Ford escorts on the road. They were always the sold seven of those. Yeah, they were always the hideous, like the 88 version. That picture would’ve been even funnier if the guy was driving from the right seat and not the left.

Cuz then it would’ve been like, oh, okay. Again, this is the worst automotive journalism ever. Thanks. Car driver. Wow. I mean, it is what it is. If those were the top selling car and the sales numbers are the sales numbers, yeah. I mean it’s, you, you, it’s not the the journalist’s fault. Although I must say 2016, I really would’ve thought it would’ve been the Dodge Start.

These are like the best [00:53:00] selling cars in middle America. I don’t understand where they got these numbers from because nevermind, nevermind. We’ve already done the world map. Remember we did that last year where it’s like best selling cars on the planet. It’s like all Toyotas, and somehow it’s like Day Cs, Senderos or whatever.

Fine, but the Ford to whatever, get outta here. Hey, Lisa wasn’t an Impala. You know, my expectations are completely lowered, so lowered expectation, we don’t have anything. What, just, just a little update though. Uh, the DeLorean will be revealed in four days, two hours, 41 minutes and 37 seconds. 36, 35, 34, 33. Do we have Tesla news?

Are we remiss? You know, I’m okay with being remiss. Might be the first time really not highlighting anything. It’s not to say that there isn’t any Tesla news. I mean, there’s Elon Musk news. Yeah, can, can we do, can we go [00:54:00] inception style and do car adjacent to Tesla adjacent news? I mean, you know, he’s under some allegations now at the moment, and apparently like suddenly we, Tesla has hired all these like magnificent lawyers.

It’s like really the same time that you are being accused of misbehavior. Okay. Whatever. Oh, I thought we were gonna talk about his purchase of Twitter. Oh, that, oh yeah, there’s that too. Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet. Which is like on hold. Did he say it was a, didn’t he say it was a flaming pile of crap?

Lots of things. He says lots of things though. I, I, I don’t know that that was on hold. Twitter put hiring freezes in and all kinds of stuff. Apparently like it, it’s on hold until they show him the bot accounts or something. I don’t know. Yeah, cuz he, I guess he was under the impression that it had more genuine accounts than it actually does.

The value is probably inflated because of the bot users. Yeah. And now there’s so much orchestration that you’re posting once and it’s going everywhere. I mean, [00:55:00] come on. Social media, whatever. Let’s talk about cars. Somebody wants to talk if, tweet me if you use Twitter. All right. Well there better sports.

14. Hook me up. I would be remiss if I didn’t, I would be remiss if I didn’t say this. Apparently they’re rolling out an update to the, I thought it is driving magnificence, uh, cause they’ve been doing that beta testing. How many spokes does that steering wheel have? God, not enough. It’s got a steering wheel.

None. Which one has a dumb yoke thing now? Or whatever? Because you don’t need a steering wheel. You don’t need a, a traditional round steering wheel. Right. Have you seen the car where the tr where the steering wheel slides across the front? I believe we talked about that. Be right hand drive or left hand drive and the, and none.

No, no. This is a new transformer thing. I saw it. And then the seats can rotate. So it can be a one seater. A two seater. Like it’s bizarre. Imagine you’re how generate more seats. Imagine you’re on a road trip and you’re like, oh man, I’m getting [00:56:00] sleepy. You know, I’m driving your passenger’s like, oh, I got this slide steering wheel over in driver’s seat.

So, so what if you’re both sleeping? You, you just throw your hands in the air and say, Jesus, take the wheel. Does it just automatically go into the heavens? You hope, you, you hope that there’s not an emergency vehicle on the side of the road for your carrine into when you, that’s the secret Tesla command now to activate Jesus.

Jesus, take the wheel. Exactly. It’s like open butt all, all over again. But speaking of Jesus taking the wheel, there is new promises that this time next year you will not need a human. The babysit pilot. Tesla. We are there folks. So we’re just gonna send full autonomous level. 9,000. Ian will be here one year.

Approximately. Approximately. Give or take two decades. Take 10. Yeah. What, what’s, what’s the standard [00:57:00] deviation of that? Are we, are we playing cornhole? I mean, what the hell is this? We’re playing butthole. Jesus, take the wheel. So, so wait, does this mean eight by three spokes wheel, so, so if we don’t need a human, does this mean I can just program my car to go to the grocery store and get my milk for me and then bring it back?

Oh snap. You know, you’re right. Cuz curbside pickup, just be like Tesla, Jesus. Take the Tesla to the curbside pickup and then bring it back. That’s right. Hey, no, that’s Johnny Giant. Just go ahead. Yeah, just go ahead and put the milk in the passenger seat. It’s fine. And no offense, offense. Jesus is driving.

No offense to Jesus. Let’s just put that out there. He’s laughing too cuz he is like his, only God knows when this is gonna happen as he knows what not. Jesus is like, I want nothing to do with that fool. I tried to tell him, but he didn’t take the sign. I showed up in his toast and he wet listening. Wow.

And on that [00:58:00] note, I gave him the three spoke steering wheel and everything. Yeah. Momo just announced we only make four spoke steering wheels. Oh Lord. Okay. So we, we, we are remiss, we have no lowered expectations. What are the rich people up to? The rich people are up to buying more Lego sets. So they bought all the collector cars they can now they’re built, they’re buying fake cars.

No, but you know, sometimes prices for Legos are a little bit pricey. So we dump this one in the rich people saying this is the, you have disposable income saying this is up there. Yeah, this is definitely up there. Not necessarily off par, probably with the Lego prices, but for a mere $399 and 99 cents, you too can own this 3,778 Lego piece set of the Ferrari Daytona SP three.

To quote Donovan for garage ride on this one, it’s about damn time. Somebody at Lego was a motor sports enthusiast. They got a lot of new sets coming out. [00:59:00] That speed category theme, if you will, they go by themes, the speed theme speed champions is what it’s called. It’s exciting to see that grow. So can you actually buy this from Lego or with like every other Ferrari, you have to sign up and get on Ferrari’s special waiting list and you have to buy it directly from Ferrari and then you don’t actually buy it, they just lend it to you when you want to play with it.

Then you gotta give it back when the new one comes out. You gotta give it back when the new one comes out to stay on the good side. It is legitimately on Lego’s website coming soon, so it’s not up for pre-order or available yet, but it is there on their website along with. The Ferrari 4 88 GTE E Number 51.

Yeah, that that one’s been out for a while. I’ve seen that one in person as well as the retired. Unfortunately, you can’t buy this one. Ferrari F 40 Now car related as well. If you are a Transformers geek, Lego is also going to be revealing on June 1st, the Optimist Prime [01:00:00] Lego sets. I am excited about that because if they make Optimist Prime, it means they have to make other characters like Megatron and Star Screen and Jazz and Wheel Jack and all those, right?

They gotta all be correlated though, unfortunately. Now, for a price comparison, the Optimist Prime, which does not bring the cab, which I’m a little bit disappointed with, oh, so for a hundred sixty nine, ninety nine and 1500, 1000 508, 1500 pieces. One 70. So, okay. That’s about the size of the Voltron that they did, right?

It stands at in truck mode. It’s five and a half inches tall, 10 and a half inches long, and four and a half inches wide. And when he’s standing, he’s 13 and a half inches tall. I think Voltron was about 18 inches tall. So, but yes, I’m very excited. I want this and then you shall have it. This is a truck. I shall have middle class people doing middle class things.

Yes. [01:01:00] Still playing with our action figures. What’s up? So we’re moving on to Florida. I think we’re moving south. I know this is sad. So this person had just purchased a 2006 Heritage Edition Ford GT for $704,000 from a Barrett Jackson auction. And this is like golf color livery and, and drove it off the golf course and crashed it.

Was quote, unfamiliar with how to drive stick shift. That’s the best part. Why do you buy a car with a manual if you don’t know how to drive a stick? Was it Jerry Stiller? Is that who it was? Is he driving through Del Boca Vista? I mean, if you look at the pictures, He looks like he’s driven through the golf course like the guy did last month while he was evading the police, burying his car in the water hazard and all that stuff.

Well, here’s the question. How unfamiliar are you with driving stick shift that you totaled this [01:02:00] $704,000 vehicle? Probably about five minutes after you bought it at 35 miles an hour. The problem is the wheels were engulfed in smoke because he dumped the clutch and that was the end of that, right? If you’ve ever watched anybody with like their first time behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry, all the herky jerky, and then finally they get frustrated and they dump it, it’s probably exactly what he did.

He looped the car off the golf course and down into the ravine, and that was the end of that. I mean, he alleges, I don’t want people to think I was racing at 90 miles an hour. I was going 35, a hundred rpm. Yes. The crash occurred as he shifted up into second gear from first, not while downshifting, as the official report had said, Guarini claims, old tires, muddy pavement, and a fresh detailing were all factors causing the 550 horsepower supercar to swing out [01:03:00] and hit a tree.

Not stupidity. At which point. It triggered multiple airbags, disabled the vehicle and caused it to slide far enough after hitting the tree that it blocked a sidewalk again. Oh my God, those people aren’t gonna be able to get around for hours. I mean, how unfortunate. I do like the comment here, forget his license.

They need to revoke his man card. Well, hold on a second. Speaking of the license, he was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license, so he shouldn’t have even been driving the car to begin with. Isn’t that driving on the sidewalk? Like that chick that drove the uh, the big wheel? You know she lost her license when she was in college cuz drunk driving.

So she was driving a big wheel down the sidewalk to get to the bars. What’s the statistics on the number of suspended licenses in Florida? I mean, he might not be in a minority. Well, allegedly it was a clerical error, he says Okay. Well, it’s gonna cost him 700 grand to fix that car. [01:04:00] Beautiful car, by the way.

But yeah, that’s unfortunate to see that happen. He’s, he’s gonna repair it then he’s gonna sell it on Craigslist. Garage kept, never wrecked. I’m bring a trailer. No, no low balls. I know what I got. Yeah, exactly. Speaking of escaping the heat, we’re gonna go straight into the heat in Texas. There is a YouTube clip of a hit and run probably when you’re thinking hit and run like, oh, you know, dude sideswipe somebody, God forbid if they hit a person literally in the hit and run.

None of these things, sort of these things. You’d think this was Florida, but it was Texas. Someone on the highway in the main roads caught video camera, I guess dash cam video of like parallel Highway Road, some exit ramps of this. I don’t even know what car it is cuz it’s too far away to see, but it looks like it’s probably like an Altima or something like that.

Ford gonna car Tesla. Was it a Ford Taurus? It was an Impala people. It was a goddamn Chevy Impala.[01:05:00]

That would be perfect. That would be perfect for this story. He just came back from Home Depot and I guess some people would say, well, hey, There’s the reason why you need a pickup truck. Cause you gotta haul some wood. And if you had a pickup truck you could have put it in the bed, not straight out the side of the car through the windows.

So it’s sticking out. He probably, even with the pickup truck, he still would’ve done it this way. He probably, are we talking perpendicular to the car? We’re talking perpendicular to your direction of the drive train of the car. Yes. So they made a T. Okay. Okay. I see the logic here. Wait, they’re eight foot two by fours and a lane I think is about eight feet.

I, I gotta double check my, oh no, these, these look like 12, 14 foot two by fours stand corrected. So this MF effort, because, sorry folks, that’s what this person is. He’s going at a clip with his 12 by fours hanging out [01:06:00] through the glass and he proceeds to miscalculate his spacing of course, and there’s like wood posts and like signs and he starts what wiping out and the car books.

And then he hits this poor S U V that’s standing in a back up lane of traffic trying to like exit. And he just like broadsides it with the 12 by four. Keeps going. As if nothing happened, just keeps driving down the road. Maybe he’s unconscious because the wood like bashed him in the head cuz it was probably like going straight through the driver’s window and not even the backseat window.

He was still steering though I wanna talk about was on autopilot. Jesus with the Tesla wheel through the Tesla. This is unofficial. I wanna talk about the guy at Home Depot that helped him load the wood through the windows of his car. Are you liable at that point if you’re Home Depot? Because I once had a Costco person tell me they wouldn’t load something cuz they couldn’t be responsible for it being loaded incorrectly.

I didn’t know [01:07:00] Costco sold mulch.

It was not mulch only the finest. The finest signature Kirkland’s mulch for me. Redwood mulch, although, you know, could you return the mulch at the end of the season if you were unhappy with it? Only if you’re a gold customer. That’s the Walmart return policy. No, but that’s Costco’s as well. He could return anything at any point in time.

That’s, that’s nor Nordstrom too half used bag of mulch. I didn’t like this. I need a refund. All right, well, don’t be that idiot. Don’t let those Home Depot people load your car or lows, you know, just who knows who it was. Next time you need to buy some Longwood, Mr. Altima, Tesla Impala driver, probably Impala driver.

Just call Uber Eats, they’ll deliver. Hell, you’re a wood chuck. Miss your dinner. [01:08:00] More fiber. I can’t use these GrubHub coupons people sent me for anything, so I might as well use them at Home Depot. I need fiber. All right, so let’s go north. We’re just gonna ping pong around the country here, local to some folks in the DMV area in Glen Benet.

If you’re in the know, you know it’s Glen Benet and not Glen Burney. We fancy, fancy, fancy in the Glen Benet. Hi. How you doing? How you doing? How you doing? How are you doing? Not so well these people, I would say, cuz if you went to the fuel station to fill up your car and unknowingly filled it with diesel fuel, I, I’d say you had a bad day in the Glen Benet.

Apparently Wwo, apparently that’s what’s happened at a shell station. Come on, shell be better. Someone, I guess probably the, the trucker that came in to fuel the, the tanks mistakenly put diesel fuel where the gasoline should be. Wmp Wamp. That’s real bad. Who’s liable [01:09:00] there? Did they give you a new motor for all the ones that just blew up?

Uh, these are great questions. Although what car was this? That the repair cost was only $800. It was a Chevy Spark. It was an Impala. Let’s be real Impala. The motors are junk. They just gave her a whole new car for $800. It says, she said a blue Chevy Spark star. No, the spark is the be the Be spec monster.

Oh yeah, monster. The Spark is our favorite new B spec car. True. True. Yeah, so be careful. I mean, there’s not much you could do cuz unless you could tell the smell was different as soon as you started pumping, like you wouldn’t know. So that’s really unfortunate. At least, maybe it was only relegated to one car.

If it was multiple cars, that would’ve been terrible. But you know, they use a shared pumping system so there’s no way that, unless it was a tiny gas station that, you know, not every pump was affected by that. I mean the cleanup costs alone were probably crazy. Oh. I mean, that is a nightmare. They probably just had to trash all of everything that was in those tanks and then have to get ’em cleaned and all that.

All. Well, they could have [01:10:00] probably pumped the fuel into the diesel tanks cause it wouldn’t have diluted it that much by volume, depending on how much was in there. If they combined it with other diesel and if they didn’t have enough room because. Let’s be real. You know, you go to the station, there’s 12 gasoline pumps and there’s one diesel pump.

Yeah. There’s a lot of truckers getting free diesel that day then or something to get it outta there. So I will say this is a good psa, something I learned, you know, from similar stories. You sniff the handle before you put it in your car. No. You know, very close. No, always you lick it. Always keep your receipt from pumping gas because if something is to happen, you need proof of purchase.

Now she said she filed a complaint with Shell Corporate. I mean, she hasn’t heard back yet. Not surprised. She continued to drive the car with a bad knocking sound. So, because it probably wasn’t pure diesel like you all were alluding to. It was probably a mixture of gasoline and diesel, but which at that point you could pump some of it out the tank, thin it out in the system, you know, all that kind of thing.

Yeah. But the damage might have [01:11:00] already been done if it was. Mis detonating, right? True. But that spark motor isn’t like, you know, a Ferrari engine where you’re worried about, yes it is high tolerances and things like that, but still whatever purebred race card that the spark is. But anyway, just keep your receipts from the gas station in case they do F up like this.

Just it gives you some sort of proof that you were there and smell the nozzle first. It’s good for you or, or taste? No, do not taste it. Do not taste it. Do not smell it either. We don’t recommend that. But speaking of, would you say sports cars, something like that? High powered machines? Mm-hmm. We’re gonna jump across.

Ponds to Europe to another butthole that decided to take their Maserati on a little joyride through Rome. Oh, that sounds like fun. Are we talking like the old Rendezvous movie where the guy at three in the clock in the morning is driving his Ferrari or Mercedes? There’s all sorts of speculation, you know, through the streets of France at high speed to meet with his lover [01:12:00] for the sunrise.

No. How beautiful would that have been? No. Instead, this was an ass hat who decided to drive his Maserati down the famous and historic Spanish steps. Oh dang. Didn’t they do that in a Bond movie? Yes, but in the Bond movie, I’m sure that was fake and didn’t cause damage. Oh, dang. To this part of history. At any rate, it’s only gonna cost 1.5 million euros or approximately 1.6 million US dollars to restore these steps.

Or actually, sorry, they, or they already, these steps already went under a restoration that costs that much. They were recently restored at the tune of 1.6 million US dollars and now this person drove down them and destroyed them. He wanted ’em to look like they did before, so he figured he’d just drive his car down there.

I mean, there’s something to say about that. I mean, and the question is, how drunk was this person? I guess he was taking a shortcut. The funny thing is like there’s surveillance camera and like dude stops like the middle of the steps. At what point did you realize this was a bad [01:13:00] idea? I guess halfway down this staircase, we’re not talking like three steps staircase, lots of stairs.

I’ve been to the Spanish steps. It is big. You could go down it in a car, you could definitely go down it in a dirt bike or a motorcycle or something. But I wouldn’t advise it just as you can. Doesn’t mean you should. You should. Yeah, you should really just go down it on foot. Florida mans brought to you by what not to do.

Now, unfortunately, it will end on a less funny note. Very disturbing note, and a very, just like, I cannot believe it’s a very sad thing that happened. A Jeep owner dropped his Jeep off at the dealership. I’m gonna get an oil change done. You know, nothing atypical here, right? Well, unfortunately, this turned into a huge tragedy when the 19 year old mechanic who was going to do the work, I guess didn’t know, again, was unfamiliar with driving a stick shift, went to move the car in the bay.

A more senior mechanic, 42 years old, was, I do not know why you would do this, but was standing in [01:14:00] front of the vehicle and I guess he lurched it forward and whatever happened, whatever those circumstances were, he struck that man and he ended up dying from that hit. That is very tragic. Unfortunate to happen.

The worst, well, not the worst part. The worst part was this man died, but the unfortunate icing on this cake, the guy that dropped off the Jeep who had nothing to do with this. Is being sued for the death of this man, and I do not understand this. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What? What? Yes, yes. There is a lawyer for the victim’s family and they are suing the owner of the Jeep, not the 19 year old mechanic or the dealership.

They’re suing the unsuspecting, uninvolved patron to the dealership. Not the guy that didn’t know how to drive a stick and apparently didn’t have a driver’s license. This is insane. Fox News, whatever. You must be suing the dealership. They asked the lawyer, we can’t because of a legal standard that’s involved [01:15:00] because the accident happened at work and involved two employees.

You can’t sue the boss in that situation. What. I don’t understand why they’re suing anybody at this point, like other than the 19 year old. This doesn’t make any sense. I clearly don’t understand these laws are aware of how they’re written, but I think it’s absurd and I hope that a judge would just take this and be like, out of my courtroom, because this is ridiculous.

I mean, the closing thought on this is insane, right? Where Fox News comes back and says, so you’re suing the owner of the car who’s getting his oil change. You had nothing to do in this case. And the lawyer says, I have to do that. It’s the law. Wait a minute. So they’re gonna go to court on this, they’re gonna fight it.

Obviously this unsuspecting owners like whatever. And the attorney comes back and says, again, you know, when you hand your car over to anybody, including the valet or person at the service desk at your local dealership, you better be able to trust that person. Granted, I don’t, I don’t take my car very often to a dealership or any third party mechanic, but that never even crossed my mind that if they took my car, like it’s [01:16:00] common practice for a dealership to take your car for a test drive after they’ve done a repair, they’ll drive around the block or something.

So you’re saying they are involved in vehicular manslaughter and I get sued. And I was sitting at home, or they rob a bank and you go to jail because you’re the getaway car. I mean, it, it all turtles happen. So there’s a link to another article within this article. Oh, inception. That basically, basically it’s because there’s a statute known as owner’s liability.

That means the owner of the car is legally responsible. That’s bullshit. If the owner, if the owner gave permission to the driver to drive the car, the owner is negligent. That’s, but the owner didn’t give permission to the 19 year old. He gave it to the service manager, possibly. Then, if that’s the case, I want everybody that’s gonna be touching my car that I need to sign consent, that they’re allowed to drive it.

That doesn’t happen at the dealership. When I turn the car over, some schmuck behind a desk writes me up, copies, my VIN scans, the thing, I don’t know who’s jumping in that car. I didn’t approve for them to drive it. The law is called vicarious liability. It means the owner is [01:17:00] automatically liable for the negligence of the driver.

That’s bullshit. You know what this tells 100s? You know what this tells me? Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever let anybody else drive your car. A thousand percent. Never take it to the dealership. Never, never, never, never, never, never. I don’t, I can’t say enough nevers. That’s the most absurd.

Like that law needs to be changed. I get it. You let your friend drive your car and they do some bullshit or something. Maybe that’s a different law, but like you’re taking your car to a service. You can’t do it yourself. You don’t have any other choice a lot of times, and you are on the hook. That’s not right there.

There needs to be some other clause in here that says, no, it’s the responsibility of that dealership or that mechanic company, whatever. I, I just, my boggles my pissed me off when I read this. So, so, so let’s see. What can the Jeep owner do separately from the lawsuit from the Hawkins family? The owner of the Jeep has some options too.

He can and has sued the dealership. So basically [01:18:00] they’re suing the Jeep owner and then the Jeep owner can go back and sue the dealership. So is this just a dumb Red Robin thing? Like Yeah, yeah. Sue me, but I’m gonna sue him. So, really, I’m, I’m the, the funnel for your money. Yeah. Yeah. So he’s the middle man and basically it goes on the Jeep Owner’s insurance.

They pay out as much as they’re willing to pay out, and then the dealership is responsible for the remaining, which, by the way, the lawsuit is for 15 million. The insurance company has already paid out $100,000, so the dealership with all these different lawsuits, and Peter suing Paul is on the hook for 14.9 million.

And in the meantime, this is now flagged on your insurance and no one’s ever gonna insure you again because you have a 15 million lawsuit against you. I that involves vehicular manslaughter. I mean, come on. Yeah, this is, this is just a terrible story. Basically, know the laws wherever you live and learn to change your own oil.

Yes, I’m learning to change your own oil. It’s not that expensive and it doesn’t take that much time. It’s actually cheaper [01:19:00] than taking into the dealer and everybody gets aggravated. Oh, I have to go to the dealer all day. Wait for an oil change. It would’ve taken you an hour and you could have bought all the supplies and needed at Walmart, but whatever.

Yeah. But what happens when you have to take your car into a service that’s bigger than an oil change? Well, you know, that’s fine. But this oil change is gonna cost this guy unsuspecting or otherwise a lot of money. He’s not gonna get away Scott free. He’s wasting his time. He’s having to go into courtrooms.

Yeah. Lawyer are gonna go up. It’s insane. I mean, this is gonna cost, you know, that $19 oil change or whatever that the dealer promised him is gonna cost him six figures, if not more. It’s insane. The last line in this article, when you hand your car over to anybody, including the valet or the person at the service desk at your local dealership, you better be able to trust that person.

Yeah, I’m gonna trust somebody. I don’t even know their name to drive my, oh my God. This story just gets me all kinds of irritated and upset and angry for this cheap owner. I’m sorry, dude. And on that note, well I guess it’s time [01:20:00] that we go behind the pit wall. Talk about motor sports news. Before we do just an update, the DeLorean reveal is in four days, two hours, eight minutes, and 27 seconds, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21.

And we’re gonna talk about two disciplines simultaneously. And generally these two disciplines don’t go together and that’s nascar. Formula One, they should go together. Aren’t there plenty of Formula One drivers that have made the transition to nascar? Juan Pablo Montoya comes to mind. Well, I mean, there is the guy from, um, Ricky Bobby and then, uh, Cole Trickle.

Cole Trickle, exactly. But what are we really on about kidney riken in making his return to the motor sports world? The voice man. Yes. And he’s gonna be driving what Brad? A NASCAR 90 91 Chevrolet Camaro at the Watkins Glen International Raceway up in Watkins Glen, New York. So he is gonna run on a road course in a nascar.

So that’ll be interesting. [01:21:00] Well, it’s a limited road course. It’s not the full, he’s not gonna do the tow and then all that jazz. But this seems to be a new concept that Track house racing is pushing to put more overseas drivers Formula One drivers and IndyCar drivers alike in NASCAR Cup series stock cars.

I wanna know if he’s gonna be using a three spoke steering wheel. They have that pad in the middle. You seen those? You know, that would be new for him though. Right. It’s true. Did they even have spokes on their steering wheels? They’re like rectangles with handles on them. Yeah, with about 500 buttons.

You’re right. Nobody knows what they do. Buttons and switches. I mean, good for Kimmy is NASCAR that desperate? That’s my question. His retirement, he must have got it really bored really quickly. You see it all the time. I mean, Mika Hocken went to W R C and Olivier Panis went to touring car and I mean there’s there.

I mean, they go wherever they go, right? Valentino Rossi is left motorcycle racing to go racing cars. I. He’s the s R o. [01:22:00] Okay. Yeah. So Kimmy Renan is going to be driving NASCAR on Watkins Glen. Uh, I mean I guess I would watch that NASCAR race just cuz it’s something different. When is that race? It’s in the article.

Has NASCAR season started? That’s how much I pay attention to nascar. I know the answer. Yes. I thought NASCAR started in February. Wrong answer. NASCAR season never ends then How do you know when it begins? Nascar, it’s a never ending story. Okay. NASCAR is gonna be at the Glen August the 20th. When are we at the Glen?

We are at the Glen July the 21st through the 24th. About a month early. Darn. Well since we brought up Formula One, you two are the resident experts. And I’m just gonna bring up a couple of things that I noticed this past month. And we gotta start with the Miami Grand Prix. You mean Monaco Light with the fake marina and all that other stuff going on there?

The thing about that that I thought was ironic, the Miami Grand Prix boss. He admits to being shocked by the financial [01:23:00] loss that they took on the race. And I’m like, yeah, you went out of your way to build this ridiculous track with all this fake stuff like Disney World, but you oversold the ticket sales and yet you still lost money.

I mean, a race in its first year, especially in a new place, isn’t gonna make money. It’s gonna make money in its third year because then you’re still paying down the investment. But I mean, what did he expect? You know, I gotta say the Miami Grand Prix, the spectacle, the fake marina and all that jazz, the helmets is, that’s exactly what you would expect from a South Florida rendition of the French Riviera Grand Prix, which Michael is coming up this weekend, by the way.

And I thought that the, uh, the helmets were the coolest part. You know, Lando with his basketball, Danny Rick, with his Ace Ventura thing, you know, all that stuff, you know, really lending itself to Florida and whatnot. I, I didn’t watch the race. I know you guys did. I don’t even remember it. The track was that good.

Mm-hmm. Underwhelming. [01:24:00] Cause I didn’t hear much from our members as well. I mean, normally there’s a big loo about every race. This, I think the one thing I heard was this track is trash. Lots of things that I heard were, it was basically the fire festival of the F1 season. Yeah. But at least it happened, right?

Because fire Festival has yet to go off. Oh, it’s okay. He’s outta jail. So Fyre Festival actually happened. They got a whole bunch of rich people together on an, an island in a foreign country. There was no music, but they had a festival for minute there. I thought you were gonna talk about Ibiza off the coast of Spain, but you know, Hey, whatever.

It’s, no, no, they were down to South America somewhere. Yeah. Let me just call up my buddy jaw rule and see if I can get the details. I’m trying to think. I like, I think it was a pretty boring race. Like nothing really. I say boring race and there was like five DNFs, but that’s terrible. Oh, is that, that’s, no, that’s not the race.

Where Schumacher and like VE crashed each other out. No, that was this past weekend. That was the Spanish grand. No, no Vedo and yeah, I think Vedo and Schumacher was this race. [01:25:00] Okay. And it didn’t, I’m looking at a picture right here of, uh, so Vettel took himself, well, Vettel got taken out, but Schumacher kept going.

I think probably, yeah. That’s also the race where Vettel claims that he got robbed while he was there at the Spanish camp Pri and laughingly. I heard from somebody going, did he also claim that they stole his talent at the same time? I was like, that’s a good one. That’s really good. That’s clever. So that race was a good race.

The but Miami not so much. I don’t, I can barely remember it. I do remember thinking it was boring. Everyone spread out and like that. But how is it gonna be portrayed in seasons five and six of Tribe to Survive? Because all the drama llamas are gonna be so excited to see the behind the scenes of the Miami Grand Prix.

Well, they’ll be basketball helmets and butt slaps and all that stuff. Well, it is confirmed that there is gonna be a fifth and sixth season of Drive to Survive, which I’m not gonna watch on Netflix cuz I’m not. Which will be interesting to see if, if they’ve taken any of the, uh, feedback [01:26:00] from F1 to tone down their dramatizations.

I’ll put it this way, and I don’t watch the show, but I was thinking about that because we talked about it last month or the month before. If you took the drama away from Drive to Survive, all you’d have left is a boring F1 race. So just watch the F1 race. Well, if you took the drama out of it, you’d have season one and most of season two I would say.

And then like I haven’t watched the fourth one yet. But they definitely increase it in the later seasons. So the bigger question is, with all this drama, is Ferrari cheating? What’s all this nonsense about the tires considering? Unfortunately, the car died in the Spanish gp? No, I don’t think they’re cheating.

At least they weren’t in that race. Uh, let me guess. Christian Horner started poking his nose into what Ferrari’s doing, saying the Ferrari was cheating. I guess because Mercedes and Toto Wolf are out of the way right now. I mean, although Mercedes did a lot better. In this [01:27:00] race. George Russell did get a podium.

He did. Had an unfortunate incident not happened with Hamilton. At the very beginning, I would question whether or not he would’ve been on the podium. Oh, you mean before he ran into Schumacher? No, before K Mag took him out on like Oh, oh K K A. Yes. Point five of the lap. I don’t think it was K Ag that did it though.

It was Hamilton driven into him. No, guys, none of that matters because cleric wrecked Louds. Seventies F1 car at the Monaco Grand Prix too, right? That was not his fault. Brake exploded. Yeah, upon braking, and he had no brakes. You think you would check those things before sending a vintage car out onto the track?

Well blame whoever the heck is the steward of loudest car. Apparently they don’t have enough checklists. Apparently not. There’s a still shot of it and you can see the brake pads or the road or whatever. I mean, it was just like you just saw like this explosion. You could see the parts like out of the car and it was like, and then he hits the wall.

How much is that gonna cost fix? I mean, it’s been [01:28:00] wrecked before. So, well, the last bit of Formula One news that came across our desk, the F I A clears Aston over Red Bull’s F1 similarities after an investigation. What? Aren’t these cars all the same? No. Well, I mean, Aston was in trouble last year as well for allegedly copying the Mercedes design.

Basically, they’re like the Hyundais of the F1 sport because they see what everybody else is doing that’s successful and then they copy it on their own designs. I think allegedly last year they said that Aston bought the previous year’s design for the Mercedes car, and that’s why they were doing so well.

This reminds me of Queen versus vanilla Ice. Yes. Dun dun, dun dun, dun dun. Not dun dun. Yeah. Yep. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Okay. Got it. Well, I guess it’s time we wrap up with some local news. Upcoming local news and events brought to us by collector car guide.net, the ultimate reference for car enthusiasts. First off, our [01:29:00] apologies for the incorrect location of the Porsche swap Meet.

Last month, all the info and collector car guide was correct. The PORs Swap meet is no longer held in Hershey, but in Carlisle. So look for that event to be held there next year and beyond. We still ended up in Hershey and had a great time, so I just, I just wanted to add that. Well, good for you. Did you see any three spoke steering wheels?

They didn’t belong to Nissans, though, the legendary R 32. So let’s see what’s coming up for June. We have the sixth annual Chesapeake Bay Motoring Festival on Saturday, June 4th on beautiful Kent Island, Maryland Sunday, June 5th. Marks the sixth annual Real Steel Car and Truck Show in East Berlin, Pennsylvania.

If you have time to take off from work, join the Northeast Cuatro Club as they take a three day extended cruise to Wampum, Pennsylvania home of pit race for some activities there. Monday, June 6th through Wednesday the eighth. Two big events being held at Dominion Raceway, the Souls for Souls event on June 10th and 11th, as well as the cars late model stock tour on [01:30:00] June 18th.

Gm Carlisle and the Chevelle Nationals are being held on June 24th. Corvette Club is holding its first autocross of the season at a new location, prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, Maryland on June 26th. Side note, I will not be making that one, but I will be making the one in October and I’ve got a couple other people coming with me more news on that one coming later.

And the first of many Independence Day celebrations to be held is Freedom Fest 2022 on June 26th in Frederick, Maryland. And tons more events like this and all their details are available over@collectorcarguide.net. That’s right Brad. And it’s time for the hpd junkie.com Trackside report. So what’s coming up in June?

I found some interesting news coming out of Summit Point Motorsports Park. Guess what, for the second time, in about five years now, summit Point has been sold. The announcement came earlier, what this week? Yeah. The Zader Holdings company was purchased by Parsons Group, a federal systems integrator. They announced today that they’re acquiring Zader and Summit Point, Motorsports Park, and the Summit Point [01:31:00] training facility is not part of the sale, so they’re being basically divested from that.

The current owners of ZA Tour will continue to own Summit Point, and the current staff and management people like Edwin, who we interviewed earlier this year will remain in place. Jeff Johnson, the current Zader vice president, will continue to lead the efforts and the long-term commitment to motor sports at Summit Point.

So that’s good news for us. It just means a change in branding. All that Zader stuff will come off of the signs. Who knows what they’ll be called. Next week, but Summit Point is here to stay at least for the foreseeable future. You can come and join GTMs at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June the fifth with Emra, the Eastern Motor Racing Association, where they’ll be running the Pocono Raceway Southeast configuration with nascar.

Turn one. Some news from hooked on driving. They are happy to announce that they’ve added yet another N J M P date at Thunderbolt on June the 24th, and it will be an open track day for solo drivers. They said, come on and off as you [01:32:00] wish. It’ll be a nine to six open track day with a one hour lunch break.

They are limiting this to 50 cars, so that’s gonna mean a massive amount of open space on Thunderbolt, which is an extremely technical track. One of my favorites as a matter of fact, and they’ve also opened their novice run group for the July 7th through eighth and July 31 through August one. Events at N J P.

These were solo only before. Now they’re including a novice group and they’re opening up both of those events. So look for more details on Hooked on driving.com under the Northeast region for details on how to register for those events. In case you missed out, check out the other podcast episodes that aired this month after 40 years as a leader in the car care industry.

Chuck Bennett, founder of xmal, helps us understand why. Sometimes it’s not the car you need. It’s the car that needs you. Accompanied by Patreon, Minnesota called Einstein’s Packard, where Chuck tells us more great stories about famous peoples and their beloved cars that he’s worked with. We are honored to have had [01:33:00] Barbie the welder, share her amazing life journey with us, explain her artwork and passion while discussing pieces she’s made for Harley Davidson, sema, and more the world’s foremost expert on all things.

Porsche 3 56, 5 50. Spider and actor racer James Dean. Mr. Lee Raskin gave us an in-depth history lesson surrounding the rise and tragic fall of James Dean, but how it also acted as a springboard for Porsche in the us. Up and coming driver and Instagram influencer, Annika Carter talked about what it’s like moving up through the ranks in club racing while supporting her own team, turning wrenches herself, as well as some advice for women looking to get into motorsports and becoming an automotive journalist at a girls guide to cars.

Thank you to everyone that came on the show this month. Please be sure to look forward to more exciting episodes in season three. And be sure to check out our Patreon for exclusive behind the scenes extras in Pit Stop Minisodes. I also hear a rumor that you guys will be recording live from racetracks this year.

That’s right Tanya. We’re [01:34:00] gonna be on site with SRO GT America this year a couple times. First up here in June at V I r where we’re gonna be reconnecting with previous guests of the show. Folks like Rob Holland and others folks, that’ll be on subsequent episodes later this season. So if you’re in the area, you’ve never been to a touring car or gt.

Three GT four race. Come on down to v I R that week in June. You can look at their schedule on Gtam america.us and join us there. We’ll, again, we’ll be recording live and meeting all sorts of people, and then we’ll be back at it again at Watkins Glen in July with SRO as well. And then probably later in the year.

So I’m looking forward to that. How about you, Brad? Anybody you wanna, anybody you wanna rub elbows with somebody you wanna meet? Yes, all of them. All the drivers. I wanna meet them all. I wanna meet everybody. And if you’re gonna be at some of those races, please come up, say hello, tell us how much you love the show, that one listener that we have.

Please make sure you come up and say Hi. We really appreciate meeting our listener. That’s true. And we’re gonna have some swag while they’re there. You know, you can’t meet us in person. We’re gonna do some live recording, like you [01:35:00] said. And if you’ve got a story you wanna share, pitch us an idea, let us know.

I mean, we’re all ears, right? So everyone’s got a story. And yeah, look out for the yellow card that’s gonna be floating around the paddock. All right, so no big shout outs to new Patreon supporters this month, but if you’re looking to have, oh, wall, I know, and if you’re looking to help us out and keep the lights on and keep the momentum that the show is building going, you can log onto patreon.com/gt motorsports, and even the littlest contribution helps.

You can set up your own custom amount or choose from one of the pre-prescribed tiers that’s there, and each one of those comes with different benefits, some swag, et cetera, et cetera. We really thank you in advance if you’re looking to support us, and it really does go a long way and remember that. For everything that we talked about on this episode and more, be sure to check out all the follow-on articles for this episode and others, and show notes are available on gt motorsports.org.

We have some other shout outs. Anniversaries, Shane Cease and Ethan Pinkard are celebrating eight years with G [01:36:00] TM and Darren Palato, who found us via hooked on driving and joined our Northeast region in May. Welcome aboard. We’d also like to thank of course Tanya, our co-host and executive producer for all the wonderful work that she does on the show and all the members who support G T M.

Without you, none of this would be possible. And last but not least, just one more countdown. Check-in for the DeLorean Big reveal on 5 31. We have four days, one hours, 45 minutes, and 23, 22, 21, 20 19. 18 seven. This episode brought to you by the letter Q three spoke steering wheels and Jesus took the wheel is for and three spoke steering wheels coming to every vehicle in the world.

Sounds like a bad porn. Now, which part of it? Jesus, take the wheel. The devil down shifts the straightaway. [01:37:00] I wanna say something, but I’m not cuz it’s inappropriate. Say whatever you want. Yeah. 16 seconds, 14 seconds, 13 seconds.

Here we are in the drive through line. Me and her cars in front of us, cars in back of us all just waiting to order. There’s some idiot in a Volvo with this bright sun behind me. I lean out the window and scream. Hey, watch your trying to do Blind me. My wife says. Maybe we should.

If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about gtm, be sure to check us out on www.gt motorsports.org. You can also find us on Instagram at Grand Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows. You can call or Texas US at (202) 630-1770 or send us an email at crew chief gt [01:38:00] motorsports.org.

We’d love to hear from you. Hey everybody, crew, chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies and GTM swag.

For as little as $2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of Fig Newton’s, gummy bears and monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports. And remember, without fans, supporters, and members like you, none of this would be possible.[01:39:00]

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From V6 Mustang to Spec Miata: Annika Carter’s Unconventional Road to Racing

When Annika Carter first dipped her toes into the world of cars, it wasn’t because she grew up in a gearhead household. In fact, her family wasn’t into cars at all. Her journey began with a bribe – her parents offered her a car if she chose an in-state college in Georgia. That decision would unknowingly ignite a passion that would take her from YouTube tutorials to wheel-to-wheel racing.

Photo courtesy Annika Carter

Annika didn’t want to blend in. She passed on the typical Camry and set her sights on something sporty: a V6 Mustang. It wasn’t manual at first – her parents didn’t trust her with a stick – but that changed. Soon, she was modifying the car herself, learning everything from lowering springs to coilovers through YouTube. Her Mustang became her first track car, scraping over speed bumps and turning heads at car meets.

Her entry into the car scene was serendipitous. A business card from the Athens Area Mustang Club left on her windshield led to car meets, friendships, and eventually, a track day at Road Atlanta. That first day on track? “The best day of my life,” she recalls.

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As her Mustang became less practical for daily driving, Annika picked up a 1992 Miata (below) – cheap, cheerful, and named “Steve.” Steve became her project car and daily driver, teaching her the mechanical side of car ownership. Eventually, she added a second Miata to the stable: a fully prepped Spec Miata race car bought sight unseen from Ohio.

Her fleet grew to include a Ford Expedition tow vehicle, a diesel truck, and a Fiat 500 Abarth named “Bart.” The Fiat, with its unassuming looks and turbocharged heart, became her sleeper dream – “I’d love to gap a muscle car in a Fiat,” she jokes.

Photo courtesy Annika Carter

Annika’s racing career began in Spec Miata, a series known for its close competition and identical cars. “It’s not about power – it’s about technique,” she explains. In Spec Miata, bump drafting and strategic overtakes are the norm. Drivers wait for the smallest mistake to make their move. It’s a discipline that rewards precision and patience.

Her Mustang, despite being a V6, earned its own reputation. With a custom plate reading “ITSAV6,” she made sure everyone knew exactly what passed them on track – whether it was an Audi R8 or a Porsche.

Spotlight

Synopsis

This Break/Fix episode features Annika Carter, a performance driver with a remarkable journey in motorsports. Annika shares how she entered the car world despite not coming from a car-centric family and progressed rapidly through high-performance driving education (HPDE) and competition school with NASA. She details her experience transitioning from a V6 Mustang to racing in Spec Miata, discussing the different driving styles and challenges. Annika also touches on her setup routines, setbacks, and future goals, including a desire to race at Circuit of the Americas. She emphasizes the importance of making motorsports accessible and inviting to women and shares insights on coaching, mentorship, and maintaining the fun in racing. With 68,000 Instagram followers, Annika uses her platform to inspire and engage the racing community.

  • Let’s start off by talking about your Motorsports past. How did you get started? Who/What was your motivation? What attracted you to race?
  • What do you do to prepare for an event/race? Do you have a workout routine? How do you mentally prepare? Do you use simulators?
  • Do you do any coaching? 
  • What does your racing schedule look like? What tracks are you running at? So far, which is your favorite, which is the worst, what’s on your bucket list?
  • If a young girl walked up to you today and asked, Why do you race? What would you say? 

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors, designers, and everything in between. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that wonder How did they get that job or become that person?

The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.

Crew Chief Eric: Our guest tonight has many years of performance driving experience. She has driven racetracks with names like Road Atlanta, AMP, Barber Motorsports Park, Carolina Motorsports Park, VIR, and Roebling Road to name a few. In the summer of 2017, she joined the National Autosport sports associations, high performance driving education program, and rapidly progress from HPD level one to level four, all while completing NASA’s licensing school in a single season.

Fast forward a bit. She began [00:01:00] her racing career in spec Miata campaigning her own car and ultimately hopes to proceed into professional racing, starting with the Mazda MX five cup series, joining Donovan. From Garage Ride and I tonight is Annika Carter. She’s constantly working to better herself behind the wheel.

She believes everything is possible and is fully dedicated to fulfilling her goals on track. And we welcome her to BrakeFix to share her story. So welcome to BrakeFix, Annika. Thank you so much for having me. A pleasure. So let’s start off talking about your motorsports past. How did you get into cars?

Annika Carter: It’s kind of funny how I got into cars.

Cause I didn’t grow up as a car person. My dad is not a car person. My brother is not a car person. I’ve actually made my brother into a car person recently. When I was looking at going to colleges, my parents essentially bribed me to go to school in state by offering to buy me a car. It was just that much cheaper for me to go to school in state.

Cause here in Georgia, we have a state funded scholarship that essentially pays for all of [00:02:00] your tuition at a state school. So my parents were like, Hey, That’s cheaper to buy you a car. Let’s do it. I’ve always liked to, you know, stand out a little bit from the crowd and, you know, drive the same thing that everyone else drives, wear the same thing everyone else wears.

So I didn’t want to just get a Toyota Camry. I wanted something, you know, a little sporty, a little different. Was initially looking at Scion FRSs, didn’t know anything about them, just knew I liked the way they looked. Went back and forth with my parents because they wanted me to have something bigger and finally settled on a V6 Mustang.

Then I didn’t want my Mustang to be like everyone else’s Mustang. So I decided I wanted to modify it. And I am 100 percent YouTube certified in car modifications. I learned everything I know on YouTube. The very first project I ever did on my car was Lowering Springs. Great place to start. Didn’t start easy.

Just dove right into it, you know, just kind of first started getting into cars just by modifying my car. After I’d done a couple of little things to it, I was at school in Athens, Georgia And I went to Home Depot for something and someone from the Athens [00:03:00] Area Mustang Club left a business card on my driver’s side window, like inviting me to go to their next meet.

So I started getting into the car meet scene through the Athens Area Mustang Club there, started making more car friends. Became friends with some people who happened to work at Road Atlanta about a year or two after I bought my car or got my car. I put coilovers on it. All my friends were like, Oh, you can’t put coilovers on your car and not take it to the racetrack.

So I did naturally. That’s, you know, someone says you can’t do it. You got to do it. I just remember that first track day was like the best day of my life. I remember halfway through just thinking that like, this is so much fun and just decided that that was what I wanted to do.

Crew Chief Eric: Was it a manual Mustang?

Annika Carter: My parents didn’t trust that I knew how to drive stick.

It is manual now.

Crew Chief Eric: Good, good. Nothing worse than a V6 Mustang is a V6 Mustang with an automatic, right?

Annika Carter: No, right? I will take the V6 automatic Mustang jokes. I have made them.

Donovan Lara: Nice. I

Annika Carter: will still take the V6 Mustang jokes. I still own one.

Donovan Lara: Having a Mustang, can you tell us if there’s any truth [00:04:00] behind all of the memes that we see about Mustang drivers, uh, not being able to At cars at cars and coffee?

Yeah.

Annika Carter: I would say in some way there is truth to it. Really, it’s it’s starting to become Chargers now, I feel, but really Mustangs, and now Chargers, are like the easiest way to Get a lot of horsepower. And so think like when you’ve got a young kid who can, you know, spend 30, 000 and get 450 horsepower under his right foot, like he’s going to do stupid stuff.

Right. It happens.

Crew Chief Eric: Your first cars would be six Mustang. And then you didn’t make that your race car forever. And you found a couple of cars since then. So what’s the progression and where are you at now? What is, what’s the fleet look like?

Annika Carter: The fleet is larger than it should be. So I started with the V6 Mustang.

That was my first car became my first track car. I started tracking it. It started getting less and less practical for the road, especially because it was lowered. I put on a splitter, it’s scraping over every speed bump. So I decided that I wanted to get myself something practical to drive [00:05:00] every day.

Okay. And naturally my practical car was a 1992 Miata. They’re cheap. You know,

Crew Chief Eric: did you change your mind and go from a Mustang to a Miata because you were passed by one on the track? Is that how it went down? That usually happens.

Annika Carter: Believe it or not. No, it was the cost. Cause spec Miata is a lot, a lot less expensive to run, but I have passed a Corvette in my Miata at Road Atlanta.

And then in my Mustang, I actually, I got a custom plate for my Mustang that says it’s a V6. Because I would pass people on the track and they would think that’d be the thing. It was a GT and I like had to, you know, prove to them that it was a V6. So like that way, when I passed, you know, the Audi R8, which happened or, you know, your Porsche or something like that, I just want them to know immediately that they got passed by a V6 Mustang.

It’s necessary.

Donovan Lara: The flip side of that is I had a Japanese turbo. I’ll spare which one it is back in the day. And my tag said V8 this. Please do that. Do some racing. And it was always, it was, you know, that, Oh, you know, I’ve got a big V8. I can smoke, you kind of thing. Back when I was doing things [00:06:00] I probably shouldn’t have.

Annika Carter: I would love to get my Fiat to that point just because the Fiat is such a cute car. Like you don’t think anything of it. Like it’s just adorable. I actually had like a person come up to me at the post office once and ask me what kind of fuel economy it made because they thought it was like one of those little econo boxes, like a smart car.

And I was like, No, it, it’s not. And then I started it and I saw her like do a double take. He’s like, yeah, it’s so like inauspicious. I like would love to be able to, you know, pull up to a stoplight and when that guy in the V eight muscle car pulls up next to and he’s reving thinking he’s, you know, all cool and everything, just gap him in a fiat.

It would be so great. .

Donovan Lara: I was, I was really surprised. I think you and I talked about the last time I went to the dragon and there was a fiat in front of us and

Annika Carter: yeah.

Donovan Lara: Just through the corners. It was incredible.

Annika Carter: Bought my Miata, his name is Steve. So Steve, I named before I ever bought it. I just thought like a Miata.

It’s got a cute little face. It needs to have like a generic name. So his name is Steve.

Crew Chief Eric: You gotta say it like they did in, what was that? One of those Pixar where it’s like Steve . Right?

Annika Carter: I, I’ve always said it’s spelled with a period at the end. Like it’s just Steve

Crew Chief Eric: full [00:07:00] stop. Yeah. Yes.

Annika Carter: That is my street Miata.

A lot of people get confused. I have two Miatas now I do. So I bought Steve. He became my daily driver slash my project car. And I learned a lot of what I know about cars, about mechanics on cars on that car on Steve, just because the Mustang, a lot of stuff didn’t break. It was like, I was just modifying and making stuff better, but on Steve, I was actually having to fix things at one point, like there was this.

Rhythmic thumping vibration that I couldn’t figure out what it was. So I just replaced everything. I literally did the drive shaft and the axles and the wheel hubs just at the same time, because I was like, yeah, it’s going to be one of them, but yeah. So got Steve had those two for a while, started getting closer to doing competition school, had to buy my first set of track tires for the Mustang.

At that point, I was a college student working at a restaurant and those tires were quite expensive. So I realized I had to find something a little bit more affordable to race. And I also wanted to get into a series where I would have a large group of people to race with. And that’s where I started looking into Spec Miata.

Cool thing about Spec Miata, even though our cars aren’t [00:08:00] very fast, super close racing, all the cars are essentially identical in horsepower and torque, they have the same suspension. They limit you on their tires. I mean, they limit. Pretty much everything you can do to the car. And we’re getting classes of, you know, 20 to 30 cars instead of five.

And it’s fun when you can race someone first through third, or you can race someone fifth through 10th, or you can race someone if you’re in 18th, 19th, and 20th. I

Donovan Lara: heard in spec Miata that essentially you stay in line until an opportunity rises, but if you jump out of line, they’ll. They’ll basically close you off and make you circulate to the back of the pack.

Annika Carter: Yes. In a way it’s kind of like that when you get your group of really evenly matched drivers. So let’s say you’re like places one through seven or something like that. They’re all be really evenly matched. They’re probably all running within a couple of tenths of each other on lap times. So they’ll be running in a line doing what’s called bump drafting.

So close behind someone you’re getting the draft going a little bit faster and you bump them down the straight. And yeah, when you’re in that situation, you just follow and you’re waiting for that car in front of you to make a little mistake. And once you see them make that little [00:09:00] mistake, you go for it.

Sometimes, too, you’ll be in the line and you’re watching for where you might be stronger than the driver in front of you. So you might notice that they’re pulling on you going, you know, out of turn 11, but you’re pulling on them into turn 1. So maybe next time going into turn one, you’re gonna try to outbreak them because you know you’re stronger than them in that corner because the cars are so evenly matched.

It relies very, very heavily on technique and driver skill. Bought my spec Miata out of Ohio, actually sight unseen, had it shipped to me. Started racing that, let’s see, I got that in November of 2017. Started racing that in 2018 I had to get a trailer because I, uh, was initially street driving my race car to the track.

Which like fully stickered, fully caged race car driving it to the track on the street. It’s a miracle I didn’t get a ticket because 500 percent not street legal. I got my trailer and bought a 2011 Ford Expedition as my first tow vehicle because they were cheap and trucks are expensive. So I owned the Expedition and The entire time I owned that car, I was shopping for a diesel truck.

And a year and [00:10:00] a half after I bought it, I found a great deal on a diesel truck, four and a half hours away. Impulse bought that. Kept the Expedition as a daily driver because at that point, Steve was getting his engine rebuilt. And then traded in the Expedition on my Fiat 500. What’s the Fiat

Donovan Lara: called then?

Annika Carter: The Fiat’s name is Bart.

Donovan Lara: Is yours an Abarth?

Annika Carter: Yeah. Oh yeah. So mine has still has the factory turbo on it, but I have a bigger turbo I’m going to be putting on hopefully in the next couple of months, fingers crossed.

Crew Chief Eric: I would blend the two worlds. I’m still after a one 24 spider, which is a Miata with the Abarth power plant.

Right. So it’s the best of both. Turn up the wick on that thing. Make 300 horse and call it a day.

Annika Carter: The Fiat.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s what I call it. The Fiat. Exactly. I’m going to ask this pits up question. Like we always ask, what is. the sexiest car of all time?

Annika Carter: Oh, that is such a difficult question. My first car obsession, when I first got into cars, which was relatively recently, I got into cars as an adult and then got into real estate and had to buy an adult car and bought a 2021 Mazda 3 Turbo.

So I have six cars. But was [00:11:00] the Viper ACR, specifically the ACR and the most recent generation of it. Don’t ask me chassis codes and stuff because I don’t know. But I also have a soft spot for pretty much anything McLaren, especially the Senna. And I had the chance to see a Senna in person when I was in Greenwich, Connecticut last year, along with a bunch of other fantastic cars that I’m never going to see again in my life.

Crew Chief Eric: So we did a Viper episode recently. So I have to ask, you know, there’s the quote unquote classic Viper, which is the blue with the white stripes, which I don’t necessarily agree that is completely classic since the first Viper was red. So what’s the best color combination for a Viper since you said that is the sexiest car of all time?

Annika Carter: Any and all?

Crew Chief Eric: So if you had to buy, if you had to buy one today, what color would it be?

Annika Carter: I mean, the one that first drew my attention was the gray with red and black accents. And probably like if I had to buy one, I would go with that because my theory is always go with a neutral colored car because then you can add bright colored accents.

Or in the future, wrap it. And [00:12:00] if you start with a bright colored car, you can’t add bright colored accents ’cause like your car’s already red or blue or something like that. And then if you do wrap it, your door jambs just really stand out like a sore thumb .

Donovan Lara: So I’m looking at your Instagram over here and now the car’s purple.

Was it purple before

Annika Carter: purple for a couple of weeks?

Donovan Lara: Where do you, so you do that all yourself, right?

Crew Chief Eric: I was going to say the, the color of your Fiat currently is not so neutral. It’s that metallic purple,

Annika Carter: but the car is great. See, so like when I, if I cut it cleanly in the door jams, like it doesn’t hurt your eyes going from the purple to the gray.

You don’t even really notice it. Or like the under of the underside of the hood being gray, you don’t really notice it. Whereas my Miata. is red and I’ve wrapped it black. It bothered me so much in the trunk. I actually painted the trunk black inside of it. And at some point I will be pulling the engine and painting the engine bay black.

Cause I just hate like the car’s black and you open the hood and it’s like red in your face.

Crew Chief Eric: See, that goes back to my theory that everybody should just buy black [00:13:00] cars. And then you paint over top of them or wrap over top and then you don’t have to worry about it. It’s all black,

Annika Carter: black, white or gray.

Yeah. Honestly, black or gray. Cause white would stand out a lot too. Cause white’s pretty bright.

Crew Chief Eric: Exactly. So if we flip that, we take the inverse of that question. What’s the ugliest car in your opinion?

Annika Carter: Um, the Nissan juke. Interesting. Okay. I jokingly call it the Nissan puke. I’m not a fan of that one. I don’t know why that’s the first one that comes to mind, but it is on cube.

I don’t like the cube either, like the asymmetrical rear window. Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: But you know, what’s really funny about the juke that a lot of people don’t realize it’s the closest we’ll ever get. To driving a Renault in this country. It’s a Renault Clio underneath, but the center of gravity is completely wrong because it’s up on stilts and it’s super high as a CUV.

But I’m still like, but, but maybe sort of, but no, unfortunately it’s a joke. Right. But Hey, they stopped making it. So it’s all good.

Annika Carter: I feel like the Duke is very polarizing too. Like I’ve talked [00:14:00] to people, not necessarily car people. I feel most car people who I talked to about the Duke are like, yeah, no, we don’t like it.

But I’ve talked to people who aren’t car people and they’re like, Oh, I love it. And I’m like, how

Crew Chief Eric: are

Annika Carter: we thinking about the

Crew Chief Eric: same car? It’s like the key of soul. And you’re like most car. It’s completely soulless. It’s boring. And somebody else,

Annika Carter: it’s so cute. And I’m like, What

Crew Chief Eric: are you talking about?

Annika Carter: Hey, my friend who has a Kia Soul only still has it because it’s paid off.

That’s literally the only reason he still has that car. Because he doesn’t have a car payment.

Crew Chief Eric: We asked that question recently. Would you buy a Chevy Spark? Would you drive one?

Annika Carter: No.

Crew Chief Eric: Under no circumstances. Absolutely not.

Annika Carter: Throw some race tires on it and some coilovers and you probably could have like a really fun spec race.

Crew Chief Eric: That was my justification was it would make a really cool B spec car with like a Fiesta and a Honda. you because they’re all gutless. So you’re out there just having fun in it. You know, it’s like, who cares? It’s a Chevy spark. So let’s get back to talking about [00:15:00] spec Miata racing for just a second. You go from D E to spec racing and it’s a night and day difference.

The conditioning, the whole process. How did you find the experience? What was it like as somebody coming to motorsport here in the last couple of years and going from, you know, Hey, this Miata on a track day that was, you know, let’s call it street prepared to use an autocross term to a fully caged SSM car.

Annika Carter: It’s different, really any car. Once you go from like your track car to your race car, it’s a very different feeling. Like even my Mustang when I made it full race car. Race cars low key want to kill you, like all the time. They kind of feel like, even a Miata, I know it’s silly to say this with a Miata, it makes 115 horsepower.

I, this is going to sound silly, but like race cars in and of themselves just feel a little wild. They’re just so bare bones. Going from, you know, something that has, and especially with the Miata, right, we’re going from something in the Mustang, I have traction control, I have ABS, I have power steering, to something that has none of that stuff, plus is caged, bare bones, [00:16:00] like, pure race car, it’s just a very different feeling, and it’s really hard to explain, and I think people who haven’t driven race cars have a hard time, like, understanding, too, just how different it can be, because they’re like, oh, my street car’s fast, But race cars just have such a different attitude to them.

And the biggest difference for me is just the difference in how you drive, even a V6 Mustang compared to a Miata. So a Miata is a very momentum based car where you do very little braking, and you’re just trying to carry as much speed as possible. You’re either flat foot on the gas or flat foot on the brake.

It’s one or the other. And you’re not doing a lot of time flat foot on the brake and the Mustang. You’re still having to, even the V6, you’re still having to feather a little bit. Learning that new style of driving was very different to me, but it did ultimately make me a much better driver. The next time I got into my Mustang,

Crew Chief Eric: you mentioned, you know, you didn’t come from a car family.

You weren’t predisposed to it. You didn’t have an auto crossing background or carting. Like some other people that we spoke to, you jumped right into HPDE, which is very similar to a lot of people that are listening to this episodes. Okay. I’ve gone to the track a couple of times. And then you made [00:17:00] that leap into club racing, right?

Let’s What was it like to go through the program? We interview a lot of the organizers sometimes and they, and they talk about it, but you’re the first person to come on here and express what it was like going through the progression. So do you want to take us through what that was like day one to then receiving your license, let’s say a year later,

Annika Carter: for me, I think it was relatively easy because I kind of had a mentor through the whole process.

I got hooked up with NASA because I’m bringing my Mustang to a drag racing shop and when I decided I wanted. To get into road racing. I called the owner just cause I knew he had done racing and said like, Hey, do you have any idea of how we can get started in road racing? I’d been reading through SCCA and NASA rule books.

And just those rule books make absolutely no sense if you haven’t seen them before. And if you’re not familiar with racing. It might as well be in a different language. And he gave me the information of Jerry Mulkey, who’s a coach and instructor with NASA and Jerry lives in North Carolina. And he actually drove down from North Carolina to [00:18:00] Georgia to Atlanta motorsports park for a track day to meet me and instruct me at that track day.

He told me about the NASA program and how it worked. And so he kind of walked me through the whole process. He was my instructor the entire time. He’s a lead instructor. So he was able to sign me off the whole time. So it was very easy for me because of that. So I would say, you know, if you’re coming into NASA or SCCA and you’re deciding you want to get your competition license and get into amateur racing.

If you know someone who already does it, and if you can ask them questions, it really is going to help you. And if you don’t know anyone message me because I get messages all the time. And I make a point to answer, cause I want to share this community with as many people as possible. And if you want to get into racing, I want to help you get into racing.

But I think that’s really the easiest cause it can be a little. confusing. If you sign up for a track day, you don’t know who a lead instructor is. You think you want to be a higher level, but you’re not a higher level. With NASA and SCCA, you have to be signed off by a lead instructor. And then you’re like, well, who do I talk to?

Who is that? I don’t know who this person is. I don’t know [00:19:00] who the race director is. And it gets very confusing.

Crew Chief Eric: The difference between the DE schools And the competition school, did you get a lot out of, you know, the D sessions are sitting here talking about safety and going over the track, things like that.

Did it translate well as you graduated from one program to the other? Or did you see them as kind of two different schools of thought entirely?

Annika Carter: It does translate. pretty well. DE is a lot more just like fundamental based. HPDE1 and HPDE2, the first two levels of DE, the classes to me were incredibly boring and the same stuff over and over again.

Be ready to hear what the flags mean. About 50 million times. I mean, I’m exaggerating 50 million, but maybe not 50. Like you’re going to hear that over and over and over again. And people talking about this isn’t turn in. This is an apex. This is a track out. Make sure you break in a straight line. Make sure you steering wheel straight again.

When you get back on the gas, things like that. And I felt that the classroom for the first two levels was very similar and kind of the same stuff and I tuned out a lot. [00:20:00] But once it got, I got into HBDE3, most of those people are starting to think about going into time trials and racing. So they would talk about fire safety, they talked about like different levels of SFI rating for suits and gloves and helmets and things like that.

I think they did a little bit of talking about trail breaking and string theory and just some more complex techniques. So that was where the classroom actually started getting helpful, but then you only have, I think, one or two classrooms a day. You’re not going as much either competition school. I guess it’s a little bit of a different path because HBD classes fundamentals competition school is really the rules of competition.

They’re not yeah. teaching you how to be a good driver in competition school. It’s just so the school itself is just today. They’re just teaching you how to be a safe driver and how to follow the rules. They literally tell you, at least at the NASA competition school, don’t go off track. Don’t push yourself to the point where you’re going to spin or go off track.

You do that, you fail. Period. Because they don’t care that you’re fast. You could be the slowest driver out there. They just care that you’re paying, you know, watching your mirrors, paying attention to [00:21:00] everyone else around you. And then there’s a written test too, about the rules. And you need to, you know, get those questions right as well.

Crew Chief Eric: So there’s plenty of people I’ve heard stories where they just jumped right into club racing to your point. It’s like, Hey, the point is to be safe, be predictable. You know, these kinds of, they don’t care if you’re fat, the fastest guy or the slowest guy. But do you think, Looking back over your experience that HPDE prepared you to go into club racing.

Maybe you were more predictable and situationally aware and all those things, rather than just coming straight off the street.

Annika Carter: I think yes and no. I think it depends who you run HPDEs with. HPDE is very different from racing in that you always leave courtesy room between you and other cars. And the second you get into competition school, they’re not doing that anymore.

I was bump drafted for the first time in competition school. Immediately, you’ve got cars right up next to your door, and you don’t do that in HPDE because you’re being nice. It’s a different kind of traffic management. It’s much closer driving, but HPDE does still help. You know, if someone’s never been on track before and was thrown into a club race, they would be scared shitless [00:22:00] because from driving on the street to driving in a club race.

Yeah, it would be, it would be a major shock. So HPDE is good to help get you that seat time. But more than anything, I think HPDE exists to improve your personal skill. So they do like weekend schools where it’s three days. They train you during those three days and you have the potential to graduate with your competition license.

And if you go and do one of those, like you can sit there and you can tell me every single rule in the CCR, the club codes and regulations, you can sit there and you can tell me exactly how to go through a corner, but you might not necessarily be able to translate that when you get into the driver’s seat.

So even if you decide to get your license through a school I would still encourage you to just go and choose some of your favorite track day organizations and still do track days just to translate what you know, into what you can actually do in the seat.

Crew Chief Eric: And it’s a good way to learn the tracks and under a lower pressure situation.

You never want to go straight into competition going, this is my first lap at VIR. And you’re like, yeah, you’ll figure it out. I suppose.

Annika Carter: My first lap at VIR was in qualifying. Nice.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s a good way to do it. I mean, [00:23:00] trial by fire.

Annika Carter: No, I did a track day at Daytona before I, okay, no, VIR, I think is the only track that the very first time I drove it was in qualifying.

Yeah. Oh wait, no, that’s a lie. Gingerman, Gingerman in Michigan. Also very first time I drove it was qualifying.

Donovan Lara: Okay. Can I just say the first time I was on VIR, it was getting dark in a car where the front wheels were pointing in at each other and everybody else had already been on the track for about three hours.

That was,

Annika Carter: that sounds like fun.

Donovan Lara: Yeah, came in and gave it off to the next guy and they went from there. But

Crew Chief Eric: Donovan learned the first rule of being a race car driver is making up excuses for why you got to send it, my man, you got to send it. So that being said, did you dabble in time trials at all? I want to get your feelings on, on that discipline of motorsport.

What’d you think of it?

Annika Carter: I have done one time trial event. It was after I started racing Spec Miata. I brought my Mustang and did time trials with it. And it was fun. It’s different from wheel to wheel racing. I think I personally prefer wheel to wheel, but time trial is like safer. [00:24:00] So I felt more comfortable doing that with my Mustang because I didn’t want, you know, to have to buy a new fender for my Mustang.

If you go into wheel to wheel racing, there’s always a chance that, you know, something might happen and you might need to be buying a new body panel.

Crew Chief Eric: You’ve dabbled in different forms of road racing. Do you have any desire to try other disciplines of motorsport like rally or drag race or even autocrossing?

Like what’s your goal? I mean, we mentioned in the intro talking about, you know, MX5 cup and things like that. What’s your long term plan? Do you want to go pro? Do you want to go IMSA? Do you have a desire to drive at Le Mans? Like, what are you thinking about? What are you dreaming about?

Annika Carter: So I have actually done one autocross event and it was in my Mustang and it was fun, but Mustangs aren’t very good autocross cars.

So it probably would be more, have been more fun if I was in a Miata and maybe I would have gone back if I had been in a better autocross car, I have done a couple of drift clinics. I enjoy drifting. I would love to get better at it because it’s made me a better road racer learning how to drift. And I think ultimately, like, if someone were to offer me a seat to drive in Petit Le Mans or Le Mans or something like that, like [00:25:00] I would literally cry because that would be like lifelong dream.

That would be amazing. At the end of the day, professional racing is hard and professional racing is especially hard when you’re self funded and you’re having to find your own funding for it as much as I would love to do that. I think at the end of the day, the most important thing to me is for motorsports to be fun.

So if that means that I stay where I am because it keeps motorsports from being a full time job and makes it so I can, you know, go and enjoy my weekend when I’m actually there and not worry that I’m spending 200, 000 on this weekend and I better not ruin it and yada, yada, yada, then, you know, that’s what matters the most.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s very, very true. So let me ask you this question. If not making it a full time thing, you do have some goals in mind, but is there a goal track, a track that you still want to drive somewhere you fantasize about? This is the dream course, you know, place you want to take your Miata and go run.

Annika Carter: I really want to run Koda.

And I was supposed to run it a couple of years ago, had some issues with the car and wasn’t able to go. And it was so sad. Probably not Koda in the Miata, probably Koda in something [00:26:00] with horsepower.

Crew Chief Eric: I was going to say, cause you mentioned in the Miata, it’s either all on or all off. I think you would be all

Annika Carter: on,

Crew Chief Eric: there is no breaking.

Annika Carter: You’d be sitting there sipping tea on the back straight.

Crew Chief Eric: You’ll read war and peace.

Annika Carter: Yeah. So

Crew Chief Eric: speaking of that, so far of all the tracks you’ve been to, what would you say is your favorite outside of your dream track of Coda? And maybe your least favorite as a driver

Annika Carter: favorites, VIR for the longest time. It was road Atlanta until I went to VIR because VIR is very similar to road Atlanta, but it’s got a little bit more of a technical aspect to it.

Yeah. I guess it was the second time I drove VIR was in my Mustang. It was right after I put the big wing on it. The uphill S’s, when like you actually have more power than a Miata, and you just have your foot flat to the floor. So much fun. So much fun. I love it. Least favorite track? I have a least favorite.

I don’t know if I can have a least favorite. Cause racing’s fun.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s true. But some people will say, you know, maybe, and I want to be careful, you know, cause I don’t want to single out tracks and say, Oh, they’re terrible. But some drivers will say this track [00:27:00] is not fun to compete on, right. Maybe because the way it’s built or the way it’s structured.

So you ever had one where you walked away from the weekend and went, man, that was just. Terrible. I didn’t enjoy it.

Annika Carter: I mean, I’ve had weekends I didn’t enjoy, but not because of the track. If you have, you know, that bad weekend because your car broke down or you made a stupid mistake and ended up in a sand berm on the first lap of qualifying and they’re done that.

Donovan Lara: Nelson ledges.

Crew Chief Eric: I like Nelson. So actually that’s a great segue into how you prepare for a weekend because there’s two sides to this where you need to prepare the car. And as you said, you’re YouTube certified, you’re doing a lot of your own wrench turning. And so you’ve got to get the Miata ready or you got to get the Mustang ready or whatever you’re running that weekend, but you also have to yourself prepared for the weekend.

So let’s talk people through that as a pro am driver. What’s it like? What’s your routine? Do you work out? Do you mentally prepare? Do you use simulators and how are you preparing your car?

Annika Carter: I actually don’t prepare my cars myself anymore. I store them at a shop called Pro Auto in South [00:28:00] Carolina and he gets them ready for me.

So I just pick up my trailer and go. Which is a huge weight off my back, but when I was first getting started and I was prepping on myself because I’m working a full time job and trying to do this, I would take note at the end of my previous event, like what needs to be done? Like, Hey, I know I need new brake pads.

I know I need rotors. I think my wheel hub’s going bad. And then over the next three, four weeks till my next race, I would make a point to get those things. You know, get the parts ordered and get those things done. And then of course, you know, racing, you want to do an oil change pretty much every event. I do them every event because it’s a lot harder on the car than driving on your street on the street.

Please don’t go 7, 000 miles on a race motor.

Crew Chief Eric: Please don’t changing the oil. Yeah.

Annika Carter: Like I have, um, a system of when I do fluid changes. So I do, um, oil every event. I do brake flushes every event as well. Just like a quick bleed, not a full flush. And then trans and diff, I’ll do every three or four events.

Just go ahead and flush them. Make sure those fluids are good too. And of course I have so many cars. I have a [00:29:00] whiteboard in my garage to keep track of it because I can’t, I can’t keep track of that in my head. For getting myself ready. It’s difficult with a job and I wish I could get myself prepared a little bit more.

Not going to lie. There have been times back when I was still working in the restaurant where I would get off my shift at 10 or 11 PM, go get my truck, go pick up my car and drive to the track and get there like four or five, 6 AM and then, you know, sleep. I have done a track day on no sleep as well. I’m like two hours of sleep.

Don’t recommend it. Please don’t do that. Do what you got to do. And then a lot of my prep just comes in my daily routine. Like when you say working out, like I don’t do any sort of special working out for the races. It’s just, you know, trying to stay on top of it every day. The one thing actually that I do on race weekends is I actually focus on staying hydrated, which I don’t do at all in my daily life.

I’m terrible about drinking water, but when I’m going to the track and when I’m at the track, I will drink some damn water.

Crew Chief Eric: Do you also use like, as part of your gear, are you using anything like a cool suit or anything like that? Because it does get [00:30:00] very hot in the car, right?

Annika Carter: Yeah, I have a cool suit and my cool suit decided to break on me in August in Savannah, Georgia, right before my race.

I like put it on, put the, you know, put the ice in the cooler, put it in my car, didn’t think anything of it, plugged in, started my car to go to grid and it wasn’t cooling.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh no. Yep. Yep. To learn these new tracks, some of them you said you dropped in and drove for the first time during qualifying. Other ones you did through DE.

Do you use any simulators to help you learn the tracks or watch other people’s videos or anything like that?

Annika Carter: I wish I had a sim. I want one very badly. When I was supposed to drive Koda, I did borrow a sim that was at ProAuto, the shop that my cars are at, and drove on that a couple times. But usually I don’t use Sims just because I don’t have easy access to one.

My usual go to is videos on YouTube. Major tracks. There’s usually some really good videos. Like Road Atlanta has a fantastic video that literally like points you through where to look and all the different marks on the concrete to like to position your car over and when to start turning in. And so often [00:31:00] you can find videos like that.

And if not that, you can find at least a school line video. And then I’ll just watch that on repeat. Again, when I was prepping for Koda, cause that was the most recent new track that I was prepping for. And I really was so excited to drive there. So of course I did extra prep, but I also I’ve connected through social media with a professional driver who had driven there.

And so I sent him a message and said like, Hey, I know you’ve driven here before. Do you have any pointers? His name’s Simon Tibet. I got, I think I’m, I don’t know if I’m saying his last name, right. I have to give him a shout out because he was amazing and he literally emailed me like an essay. Down to, be careful tracking out in this corner, there’s a really big bump.

If you hit it like this, you’ll go airborne. If you hit it like this, you’ll be fine. Like literally down to those little minute details. It was amazing.

Crew Chief Eric: So how do you find The simulators, you know, the digital world versus the real world. Did it translate well for you? A lot of people say, Hey, I can’t drive with my eyes.

I just got to get in the car and do it. What did you think about all that?

Annika Carter: It took a lot of getting used to. The sim that I drove on for Coda wasn’t one of the full sims [00:32:00] either. It didn’t have the, um, like the seat didn’t move. It had just the steering wheel. I don’t know the technical terms for it, but like where the steering wheel kind of vibrated and gave you some feedback, force

Crew Chief Eric: feedback.

Yeah.

Annika Carter: Yes, that, and it took me a lot of getting used to, but I did get to the point on it where I was running like appropriate track times or lap times for that car. I’ve gone to Andretti’s and driven on their like big giant Sims before. And I think it’s the same thing with that. It just takes a lot of getting used to.

Donovan Lara: You guys are in your element. I’m just enjoying watching the YouTube channel right now. So on the

Annika Carter: subject of driving with your eyes. I am awful at Forza, terrible

Crew Chief Eric: That’s okay. You’re, you’re in good company there. There’s plenty of people that aren’t good at it. We have many virtual racing leagues to prove that.

So in your resume, it also says that you do some coaching and obviously you’ve seen Seeked out private coaching and have had mentors and things like that. So how has the coaching experience been for you as you give back to the NASA community and the other communities that you’ve grown up through?

Annika Carter: I really enjoy it.

So I’ve done track day [00:33:00] instruction with just different track day organizations, and that’s always fun because usually you’re matched up with someone who’s very new to driving, sometimes who’s not. It’s their first time at the track. Sometimes it’s their first ever track day to me. That’s almost the most special just because like I said, I love sharing what I do and getting more people involved in it.

And so if I can take someone who’s never done this before and get them excited about it, I’ve done my job. And then coaching wise, I’ve done some coaching with primal racing school at Atlanta motor sports park. And that was fun because I got to drive a radical, but that’s one of those. Three day racing schools.

So that was, you know, you get to kind of walk people through from honestly their first time ever on track to watching them build their skills and, and get a little bit, you know, get better and get to the point where they might graduate with a competition license.

Crew Chief Eric: So is it true what they say when you first sit in the right seat, you suddenly notice all the mistakes of your student and you become a better driver yourself because of that.

Annika Carter: Yeah, I would say so. I think so. Because you have nothing to do but focus on what they’re doing wrong. Like, you feel like you’re a [00:34:00] terrible instructor if you’re sitting there not saying anything. So you like, you have to find stuff to critique. So, I mean, I would say so. Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Looking at the years ahead, you mentioned, you know, racing is tough, especially when you’re self supported, you know, traveling all over the place.

You know, they talk about the starving artist, or you see, you watch those films about the waitress that goes off and she wants to be an actress, and it’s like, It’s the same thing in racing, right? You got to get there somehow. So what does your racing schedule look like over the next couple of years? What tracks are you running at?

You know, things like that.

Annika Carter: It’s kind of a big question mark right now. I underwent a big career change and I’m trying to get my feet under me with that. Last year, I was trying to race and do that at the same time. It was incredibly beyond stressful. I got towards the end of the year. So I go to SEMA to kind of meet with my sponsors and meet new sponsors and try to, you know, work on my budget for the next year, I almost didn’t even go to SEMA because I suddenly looked at my calendar, had two, three weeks until SEMA didn’t have my booklet made.

My deck didn’t have that made. Hadn’t made new [00:35:00] business cards, hadn’t booked a hotel, like literally just had my pass and that was it. Ended up going and then never really ended up following up with anyone from it. Because like, that was the point when I realized I was like, yeah, this is kind of too much, I have no free time and racing is getting not fun.

Racing is becoming a job. So this year it’s calm down, take a break, let it be fun. I know I’m going to be at VIR later in the year with a, um, a charity event actually, so I’ll be posting about that later and I’m going to be doing, um, I did a charity event at Barber. This past December for Children with Special Needs.

That was so much fun. It was it was so wholesome. I absolutely loved it. We were giving rides to special needs children’s and their families around Barber and I’m going to go on a tangent real quick. The first child who I had in my car. He was I think four. The helmet didn’t even fit him, right? Like he could hardly hold his head up because the helmet was so big.

I buckle him in the seatbelts, like almost going across his face because he’s so little. And of course, when we’ve got this kid in the car, like I am not going 10 tenths. I’m going like half [00:36:00] of one 10th. And so I’m going on, you know, I get on track and I go to take the first corner. I’ve been, I’m in my Fiat and I go to take the first corner.

And next thing I know, I feel something hit my shoulder and I look over and the kid, he’s sitting there with his hands under his legs. Yeah. not supporting himself and he’s like falling over and his head’s on my shoulder. So as I’m driving barber, I’m helping this kid sit back upright, grabbing his hand like, Hey, you need to hold on to the door.

Like, make sure you’re holding on. It was so cute. It was adorable. So I did that event this past December. I’m going to be doing that again. I’m going to be focusing a little bit on getting some of the projects in my garage done because I’ve really missed out on the mechanic side of things. Having someone else prep my cars for me and I miss that.

And then we’ll just kind of see where it takes me.

Crew Chief Eric: Let’s talk about that for a minute. So what are you working on? What’s in the garage? That’s actually, that’s Donovan’s question, right? What’s in your garage? What you doing?

Annika Carter: The current project car is the Fiat. I am, like I said, I have the big turbo for it.

I bought that almost a year ago now. So I’ve had it for a while, [00:37:00] but I went from the car being 100 percent stock. To buying a big turbo. And I didn’t want to just do everything in one go. The company that I bought it from Euro compulsion, they create the turbo. It’s a board out stock turbo. Essentially they create the tunes for it and they create a lot of the parts for it.

And they have their tunes are phased. I hate using that word because it feels so like street racer kid. Like my phase tunes, I hate it, but my stage tunes, that’s what it is. So what I’ve been doing is I’ve been going from like phase one, phase two, and then phase three is the big turbo. So, um, let’s see if I can remember everything I did put on coil overs.

And I did do the, uh, the rear sway bar. It didn’t do the front. Cause I want the car to three wheel because that’s necessary. If all four tires are on the ground, you’re not trying hard enough. That’s front wheel drive life. Yes. I love it, but I went ahead and I’ve done massive front mount intercooler. I put in coil packs from the Alfa Romeo four C I’ve done downpipe and full exhaust.

I’ve done the waste gate. I’ve done the blow off valve. Oh, and the clutch, which don’t even get me started on that. That was awful. Don’t ever do a Fiat clutch on [00:38:00] jack stands, rebuilt axles. And so at this point I just need to put in gauges, which I just grabbed from my storage unit today and should be getting started on those soon.

And then the big turbo,

Crew Chief Eric: do you know what your power numbers are going to be? Or do you have a goal

Annika Carter: according to Euro compulsion? Who’s done this on their cars? I should be about two 30 wheel up from one 30.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s significant for a 1. 4 liter. Yeah. That’s awesome. That’s good. It’s going to be quick. So then what’s the plan?

What are you going to do with it? Just run around, go into cars and coffee and being a menace?

Annika Carter: I mean, track it. I already have.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, perfect. That’s good.

Annika Carter: That’s almost definitely the car that I’ll be taking to BIR this summer

Crew Chief Eric: because it comes up a lot. We call it fun wheel drive. So do you prefer the front wheel drive Fiat or the Miata?

I mean, granted, dollar for dollar horsepower wise, they’re in totally different categories, especially after you do the big turbo, but driving style wise. They are different, which do you prefer?

Annika Carter: I like front wheel drive better in the wet, but I like rear wheel drive. I think better in the dry. I say, I think just because I’m more comfortable with rear wheel drive in the dry, I feel more comfortable.

So I feel like I’m faster in real driving the dry. [00:39:00] But the first time I drove the Fiat on track, my second session was like soaking wet and I had so much fun. I had the guy who builds my cars in my passenger seat. I scared him, which is always my goal. If you’re in my passenger seat, I’m always trying to scare you.

The liftoff oversteer is just.

Crew Chief Eric: Right. Isn’t that awesome? It’s like, you get somebody in your car and they’re like, it’s not supposed to do that. I’m like, yeah, it is when it’s dialed in right. It sure does. Yeah.

Annika Carter: And then I had to force myself to stop driving before I broke something because I had to drive the car home.

Oh, and, um, when I had it at, uh, so when I had it at Barber for the charity event, I got one of the adults in my car. And of course, when there’s an adult in your car, instantly send it. I don’t know, Barb, the turns at Barber, but some of like the back like S kind of areas. If you take it right in the Fiat, you just like popping it a third, your foot’s flat to the floor.

And it just like the way the front with front wheel drive, you just kind of get that little slide, but because you’re giving it gas, like it’s such a controlled slide, it feels great.

Crew Chief Eric: You know, I, I could sense the enthusiasm as we’re telling these [00:40:00] stories and we’re talking about things and it kind of turns me to get another question that I think is important, especially being a woman in motor sports.

If a young lady walked up to you today and said, Annika, why do you race? What would you say to them?

Annika Carter: Ultimately, I do it because I love it. When I first got into racing, I fell in love with it because it was my escape, because I am a very type A personality. I always have something on my mind. I was in school at the time.

I was always thinking about my next assignment, test, whatever it was, always stressing about something. But when you get on track, you can’t do that. If you’re thinking, Oh, I have a test on Monday. While you’re going through turn one, you’re not going to make it through turn one. That 30 minutes of that HPD session that I was on track, it was just me, the car in the track.

And so that’s why I fell in love with racing in the first place. It’s just that it was my escape.

Donovan Lara: You have 68, 000 followers on Instagram. How has having that kind of following on Instagram affected you and your racing?

Annika Carter: I wouldn’t have an Instagram if it wasn’t for racing or cars, I should at least say I didn’t have an Instagram account until I was a freshman in college.

And one of my friends guilted me into making [00:41:00] one. And then one of my car friends guilted me into making it about cars. So I started doing that and then it just kind of started growing and I would not have one if it wasn’t for racing, but it has definitely helped in the like sponsorship realm, just because it gives me an extra something to provide, you know, as far as, Return on investment for my sponsors.

I mean, I keep saying this, but I really enjoy sharing what I do with everyone else, ultimately, I don’t have it for me. I have it. Cause I want to share with, you know, everyone else out there. And I want to share with hopefully young girls or at least their dads. You can then show it to them to see that, you know, anything is possible.

And it really means a lot to me when I have people reach out to me and I’ve, and I’ve had this, let’s say like, Hey, you’ve inspired my daughter to do this, or you’ve inspired me to go and try to do this. And so that means the world to me when I see that there’s kind of a dark side to social media too, and you get a lot of criticism.

You kind of have to learn to have tough skin and take it with a grain of salt and ignore it. Sally McNulty out in Arizona, we became really close friends through Instagram and kind of became [00:42:00] teammates and everything. And she’s amazing. And I love her, but we will literally, like when we get frustrated about a comment on Instagram, instead of like going, you know, and actually replying to that person and giving them what the attention that they want and all that.

We’ll just send it to each other and say, Oh, look what this dummy said. So, you know, now, now all of, you know, if you follow me and you say something stupid, I will be laughing about it with Sally.

Donovan Lara: Yeah.

Annika Carter: She’s amazing. I love her.

Donovan Lara: Since you’ve been involved in cars, how have you seen the scene change for women?

Annika Carter: It’s become a lot more inviting for women. I’m pretty recently involved in the car scene, involved in racing. So I think really since I started, it has, the change hasn’t been too drastic. But when I talk to people, women who’ve been in the scene for longer than I have, it really used to not be very inviting to women.

It was like, you know, Oh, you’re a woman in the car scene. Like, Oh, you’re doing it for attention. You’re doing it because you think guys are going to pay attention to you if you have a cool car or something like that. And now it’s really getting to the point where we see women in the car scene and we’re like, Oh, wait, that’s really [00:43:00] cool and praise them for what they’re doing instead of criticizing and assuming that they have different motives for doing what they’re doing.

Crew Chief Eric: How would you recommend that? Racing organizations or the motorsports disciplines or even at the grassroots level like HPD, how should they change their programs to make it more inviting for women that are interested in motorsport? I

Annika Carter: don’t think the programs necessarily need to be changed. I think it would be nice to see more female instructors and female coaches.

And female role models, you know, in order to get that, you need to get more women in the sport. So that’s kind of counterintuitive, right? But I don’t necessarily feel that the programs that were in place made it harder for women. I just think maybe showing the women who are already in the sport a little bit more showcasing them a little bit more might help just so, you know, when a woman goes and does a DE and she’s the only female in the entire DE1 class, which will probably happen.

She can see like, Oh, there are women who are doing this. Like I’m not the only one. And I think really it comes down [00:44:00] to not so much the organization, but just the other people in that DE1 class. Right. So there’s the one female, well, the 29 men, like it comes to them to make her feel included in not a weird way to like, don’t make her feel included by going up to her and trying to hit on her.

Like make her feel included by going and talking cars with her.

Crew Chief Eric: And that’s exactly to the point I was driving at pun intended is that maybe the way the marketing is. presented, it needs to change in such a way that it’s not just a flashy car on the cover or some dude looking all, you know, hyper masculine.

It’s like maybe an equal representation to say, Hey, there are women at these events. Like I always find that to be funny when you look at the post weekend photos, it’s always, you know, the same 16 gray Mustangs on track or whatever, but there’s never pictures of the people. So I often sit there and go, well, who was at this event?

Who was driving that Mustang or that came in or that Miata? No. You know, was it Annika or was it Bob or who was it? Right. So I feel like sometimes it’s a missed opportunity in the way we represent the events and that the marketing has to change to be more [00:45:00] inviting to everybody that might be interested.

Donovan Lara: Do you think it should happen sooner than that? Because at the point that somebody is ready to sign up for a D they’ve already found it. And you know, it makes me think about, you know, we try to encourage women in the sport to through garage, right. Right. Getting involved with events and things. And it, and it makes me think about things like the fast and furious movies.

Really? Those are kind of the first time. That we saw women, you know, kind of equal to men and racing and driving cars and things. And it became cool. It wasn’t just kind of a guy thing. So, you know, I wonder, and maybe my, I guess my follow up question to that is prior to getting to the level where somebody would want to get involved in a D how do we raise the awareness, I guess, or the make it more inviting for more women to get into the sport.

And, you know, Get involved.

Annika Carter: That’s a tough one. I was kind of going to go the same direction. I think it’s not only just women for sure, but just kind of everyone. A lot of people until they really dig deep on the internet, have a hard time even seeing track driving, not even just racing, but just track driving as being feasible.

To do like, you know, male or female, and I’ve [00:46:00] actually, I had the honor of being part of a group that kind of went out to try to fix that a little bit called track shaker. And so he made a website that’s supposed to be kind of your one stop shop for getting on track. And I do think, you know, I was happy I was involved in that because they’ve got me and they also have a woman named Tracy who does some of their instructional videos too, right?

So we’ve got women who are doing instructional videos for people who are beginning to think about getting on track. But past that point, as far as like, how do we help more women even consider, maybe I want to do this. I don’t, I don’t really know. That’s, that’s a tough one. Are

Donovan Lara: you doing video stuff? Are you on YouTube at all?

Annika Carter: I am about to be, hopefully it’s not going to be, it’s not going to be racing. It’s going to be more like car review related. I guess I’ll be doing some articles for that too. But so like this week I have a CX5 from Mazda 2022 CX5. I saw that you posted

Crew Chief Eric: about that. Yeah.

Annika Carter: So it’s a group called a girl’s guide to cars and it’s literally just women who review cars and it’s supposed to be, I get, you know, going back into women in motor sports and women with cars, right.

It’s supposed to be a little bit more like comfortable for women [00:47:00] to hear from a woman. And it’s supposed to be a little bit more like, Hey, what’s it like to live with this with my kids or something like that. So I’m going to be doing some reviews with them, but because of that, I was like, yeah, I might as well try doing a YouTube.

Crew Chief Eric: So I often think because I have two daughters, you know, and I want to leave something behind for them. And I want them to obviously be interested in motor sports, but I wonder, you know, as we’ve talked to other folks on this show about like STEM and STEAM programs is catching boys and girls at a younger level, where it’s more of an even playing field for everybody and say, how do we engage them in the education world?

I was even talking with some people about, Hey, do you know about the formula SE program? They’re like, what? Like you guys are in academia. How do you not know about this? Right. These existed different colleges and universities. So I’m wondering if maybe people view cars as too complicated, as too difficult, being super nerdy.

And like, you need to be an engineer to understand how a car works and you’re working on your own stuff. I’m working on my own stuff. I mean, I didn’t go to school to be, you know, to turn wrenches. Would you say it’s really that [00:48:00] hard or is it more of just kind of get over your fear and try it?

Annika Carter: I mean, I would say working on cars is not that hard.

And I’ve had that conversation with a lot of my friends. Like I, I have many friends who will ask me like, Hey, like, will you help me change my brake pads? Will you help me change my oil? And I will not help someone unless they help me help them. If one of my friends asked me, will you help me change my oil?

I’ll say, yeah, I will teach you how to change your oil. But no, I do think a lot of people, you know, they’re like, Oh my gosh, you work on your own car. Like that’s so complicated. At the end of the day, it’s really not, if you take something out, just put it back where you found it.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s how I grew up understanding it too.

If you can take it apart without breaking it, you can put it back together.

Donovan Lara: Okay. Many times I have done things like clutch jobs and ended up with five or six extra bolts that I just kind of hid somewhere. So maybe not for all of

Annika Carter: them. If you throw them away, you can pretend they didn’t exist.

Crew Chief Eric: Nice. I, that doesn’t usually fly in the GTM DIY garage.

There’s usually no leftover parts. We’re usually buying more because we’ve broken something. No, all kidding aside, I think this has been a really great conversation and it is a challenge for all of us. [00:49:00] to engage the younger audiences, to engage both men and women, boys and girls all the way through.

Because as we’ve said many times, there are so many different disciplines to motor sport. It spans the entire gamut, right? From go karting to motocross to drag racing, to road racing and rally and everything in between. It’s bigger than people realize. But the touch points are always the same. They’re always grounded in petrol.

Let’s call it that, you know, even though we have the evolution coming, it’s this brotherhood and sisterhood in motor sport and bringing us all together. And we need to keep that going. We need to keep that torch burning. We need to figure out how to engage more women, more diverse audiences, more kids and things like that, because otherwise it all just.

Kind of dies on the vine. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Vehicles are more than appliances, right? There’s more to it. There’s science, there’s engineering, there’s art, there’s all sorts of different things that you can get passionate about. And we see that in, in you too, Annika, and how you’ve come up and where you’re going and taking things.

And so I really appreciate everything you’ve shared with us and your backstory. So [00:50:00] Annika, I know that we’ve done a bunch of shout outs and promotions throughout the episode. So we probably don’t want to revisit that, but let’s remind people how they can get in touch with you, where they can find you on social and things like that.

Annika Carter: My Instagram is where I’m most active. My Instagram is my name with an underscore. You probably don’t know how to spell it. It’s A N N I K A. C A R T E R underscore. If you send me a message on there, I promise I will answer unless it’s something creepy that I won’t answer. But if you ask me a car question, I will answer.

I always try my best to answer everyone the best I can. You can also reach me if you want to do email. My email is on OnykasRacing at gmail. com. Again, my name is. Spelled A-N-N-I-K-A. There’s gonna be an S on the end of that, and then racing@gmail.com. And I have a website. It is annika’s racing.com, and I have some merch on there too.

So if you want stickers, that’s pretty much what my merch is because stickers are amazing. So if you want some cool stickers, you can go there and see those as well.

Crew Chief Eric: And you’re always looking for new sponsors, right? So if there’s anybody interested in looking to sponsor, um, [00:51:00] spec Miata or whatever you’re racing next year, to reach out to you, right?

We gotta get. We got to get you to petite Lamont somehow. Right. Yeah. Right.

Annika Carter: Is this, is this what I should also say? Oh, and if you’re looking to buy, sell, invest in real estate in Georgia.

Crew Chief Eric: And on that note, Annika, I can’t thank you enough for coming on the show. This has been an absolute pleasure and a great look into an up and coming star.

Right. And getting people interested in pursuing this themselves to say, Hey, I can do it too, right? Look at what she’s done. And I really applaud you for being able to share your story. Engage with people, mentor them as well. That’s super important. You know, I’ve never been a fan of drivers. They’re like, Oh, I’m just in it for the trophy at the end, right?

This is all about community. This is all about sharing and us growing together. So again, thank you for everything you’ve done so far and good luck this season and all the seasons to come.

Donovan Lara: Thanks for being on the show. And you know, we’ve graduated as followed you for a long time on Instagram. So it’s a pleasure to get to talk to you in person.

Annika Carter: so much. I appreciate it.[00:52:00]

Crew Chief Brad: If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about GTM, be sure to check us out on www. gtmotorsports. org. You can also find us on Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, You can call or text us at 202 630 1770, or send us an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports.

org. We’d love to hear from you.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization. And our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies, and GTM swag.

For as little as 2. 50 a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of Fig Newtons, Gummy Bears, and [00:53:00] Monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www. patreon. com forward slash GT Motorsports. And remember, without fans, supporters, and members like you, none of this would be possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Meet Annika Carter: From HPDE to Professional Racing Aspirations
  • 01:33 Annika’s Journey into Cars and Racing
  • 04:30 The Evolution of Annika’s Car Collection
  • 07:57 Spec Miata Racing: Close Competition and Techniques
  • 15:01 Transitioning from HPDE to Club Racing
  • 17:01 Navigating the Path to a Competition License
  • 24:12 Exploring Different Motorsports Disciplines
  • 25:38 Dream Tracks and Favorite Circuits
  • 27:02 Reflecting on Bad Weekends
  • 27:26 Preparing for a Race Weekend
  • 27:55 Car Maintenance Routine
  • 29:40 Staying Hydrated and Cool
  • 30:20 Learning New Tracks
  • 32:42 Coaching and Mentoring
  • 34:06 Future Racing Plans
  • 35:21 Charity Events and Projects
  • 36:44 Garage Projects
  • 39:56 Women in Motorsports
  • 45:25 Engaging the Next Generation
  • 49:55 Final Thoughts and Contact Info

Bonus Content

Learn More

Shoutouts on this episode include: Pro Auto (South Carolina), Track ShakerSimon Tibbett, Euro CompulsionNASAPrimal Racing School (at AMP), Barber MSP, VIR, Racing for ALSSally McNulty and A girls guide to cars

Photo courtesy Annika Carter

Along with all the racing, charity work, and many other projects Annika is involved in, she also takes the time to work with Track Shaker as a certified instructor. Her favorite track is VIR, and she offers private coaching through her website www.annikasracing.com

To keep up with Annika, all her projects and racing career be sure to follow her via IG @annikacarter_ or check out her website annikasracing.com 

Annika’s transition from HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) to club racing was guided by mentorship. Jerry Mulkey, a NASA instructor, became her coach and helped her navigate the confusing world of rulebooks and licensing. With his support, she progressed through NASA’s HPDE levels and completed competition school in a single season.

Photo courtesy Annika Carter

Driving a race car, even a Miata, is a different beast. “Race cars low-key want to kill you,” she laughs. They’re bare bones, no traction control, no ABS, no power steering. The transition from street car to race car is jarring, but it made her a better driver. “You’re either flat on the gas or flat on the brake. There’s no in-between.”

Annika’s motorsports dreams stretch far beyond Spec Miata. She’s dabbled in autocross, drift clinics, and time trials. She dreams of racing in the Mazda MX-5 Cup and even Le Mans. But she’s realistic about the challenges of professional racing, especially when self-funded. “If someone offered me a seat at Petit Le Mans, I’d cry,” she admits. “That would be a lifelong dream.” 


Guest-host on “A girls guide to cars” @agirlsguide2cars

You’ll be seeing more of Annika in the coming weeks and months as she joins the team from “A girls guide to cars” where she reviews all sorts of vehicles, including the new Acura Integra. Tune-in/Subscribe to their YT channel today.


The Aesthetic Side of Speed

Annika’s cars aren’t just fast—they’re stylish. She wraps them herself, choosing neutral base colors for maximum flexibility. Her Fiat’s metallic purple wrap turns heads, but underneath, it’s still gray – her preferred canvas for future customization.

Photo courtesy Annika Carter

Annika Carter’s story is one of grit, curiosity, and relentless self-improvement. From YouTube tutorials to bump drafting in Spec Miata, she’s carved out a place in motorsports on her own terms. Her advice to aspiring racers? Start with track days, find a mentor, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. She emphasizes the importance of mentorship: “If you want to get into racing, message me. I want to help you get into racing.”

Because sometimes, the road to racing starts with a bribe for college – and ends with a six-car fleet and dreams of Le Mans.

Annika Carter on Break/Fix Podcast
Photo courtesy Annika Carter

Guest Co-Host: Donovan Lara

In case you missed it... be sure to check out the Break/Fix episode with our co-host.
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The following content has been brought to you by GarageRiot. The Social Media Network for Vehicle Enthusiasts.

Remembering James Dean: The Actor Who Drove Flat-Out

At Gran Touring Motorsports, we often celebrate the legends of racing – Senna, Earnhardt, Clark, Lingenfelter. But in this episode of Break/Fix, we turn the spotlight toward a name more often associated with Hollywood than with horsepower: James Dean.

Joining us is Lee Raskin, Porsche historian and the world’s leading expert on James Dean’s life behind the wheel. What unfolds is not just a tribute to a fallen icon, but a deeply personal journey through motorsports history, nostalgia, and the enduring allure of speed.

Photo courtesy Lee Raskin

Lee Raskin’s love affair with motorsports began on a sweltering July day in 1953 at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. Hosted by General Curtis LeMay, the grassroots SCCA event featured names that would become legends – Masten Gregory and Carroll Shelby. Nine-year-old Lee got both their autographs, launching a lifelong obsession with racing.

From collecting Road & Track magazines to identifying cars by their exhaust notes, Lee’s passion only grew. By 19, he owned his first Porsche – a 1960 356 coupe – and never looked back.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

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Lee’s connection to James Dean began not on the track, but in his sister’s bedroom. After Dean’s fatal crash in 1955, she transformed her room into a shrine. Among the photos, Lee was drawn to images of Dean with his Porsche Speedster. That visual—an American icon beside a European sports car – ignited something.

Years later, Lee noticed inaccuracies in articles about Dean’s racing life. He began writing letters, then articles, and eventually books to set the record straight. What started as a childhood fascination became a mission to preserve the truth.

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Synopsis

In this episode of Break/Fix, we interview Lee Raskin, the leading expert on James Dean, to delve into the lesser-known motorsports accomplishments of the young actor. Lee shares his early passion for racing and his journey to becoming an authority on James Dean. The conversation travels through James Dean’s introduction to car racing, his acquisition of a Porsche 550 Spyder, and the tragic accident that claimed his life. Lee offers insight into the myths surrounding James Dean’s death, the so-called ‘curse’ of his car, as well as the subsequent history and restoration efforts behind Dean’s Speedster. The episode underscores the importance of safety advancements in racing while paying homage to James Dean’s pioneering role in American motorsports.

  • How did you get started down this particular path in motorsports? What drew you to the James Dean story. Was it through Porsches/PCA? Or something else?
  • James Dean was an accomplished actor and American heart-throb, his most popular films being East of Eden and Rebel without a Cause. But many might not know that he was also an avid Motorsports enthusiast and amateur race car driver?
  • Let’s talk about the Crash.
  • Let’s talk about “the Curse” – It is theorized that James Dean’s death was not his own fault, but rather that of the car. Some have also said that this particular Porsche 550 Spyder has it’s own dark and unsettling past. Legends, myths and other tall tales surround the James Dean story, and some go as far as to say that someone building Dean’s 550 died during the construction of the vehicle at the Porsche factory and their soul “haunted” the vehicle after its completion. So let’s get into a bit of fact vs. fiction and unpack this curse.
  • In the end, it’s important that we do highlight one important aspect that is missing from the Dean story: SAFETY. A lot of engineering and thought has gone into vehicle design since 1955 to keep drivers and passengers as safe as possible on the roads. And even more research and development has gone into racing cars, to make sure we lose our heroes to old age, rather than faulty or insufficient equipment. 

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Grand Touring Motorsports started as a social group of car enthusiasts, but we’ve expanded into all sorts of motorsports disciplines, and we want to share our stories with you. Years of racing, wrenching, and motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge and information through our podcast, Brake Fix.

Crew Chief Eric: There are so many men and women that we have lost over the years. Ayrton Senna, Dale Earnhardt, Jim Clark, Peter Brock, John Lingenfelter. The list continues. Many other motorsports organizations have written and will continue to write about those heroes every day. But on this episode of Brake Fix, we are choosing to explore the life of someone lesser known for his motorsports accomplishments and more for his acting and the tragic story surrounding his death.

Today, we take a moment to remember the race car driver and actor James Dean. And with us to unpack his story is the world’s [00:01:00] foremost expert on all things related to James Dean, Mr. Lee Raskin. Welcome to Break Fix, Lee.

Lee Raskin: Hi, Eric. It’s a pleasure to see you again. And I’m very excited about talking about My favorite actor racer, James Dean.

Crew Chief Eric: So before we get started on the James Dean story, I think it’s important that we set the stage on you, Lee, the petrolhead. How did you get started down this particular path in motorsports? What drew you to the James Dean story? Was it through Porsches or the Porsche Club of America or was it something else?

Lee Raskin: Well, I think it’s a, it’s a combination of a lot of things. I first, we’ve got to do a back flip to Lee Raskin at the age of nine. I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, July 4th of 1953. I asked my father to take me to the first sports car races at Offutt Air Force Base. that were being hosted by none other than General Curtis LeMay.

Oh, wow. I don’t know. I just fell in love with foreign cars. [00:02:00] I was buying, uh, Road Track and Sports Car Illustrated. This was an opportunity to go to see some of these cars that I had read about. It was the first race that they held. And actually, Curtis LeMay was really an advocate of the sports car club of America.

And this was his way of getting grassroots racing throughout the country. He was using all the Air Force tarmacs. It was a natural. So I remember it was about a hundred degrees that day. There were no grandstands. We just sort of sat on the hillside behind snow fences, wasn’t a real safe environment.

Certainly was up close and you could smell the rubber and the castor oil. It was really great. After the race, they had brief ceremonies and my father said to me, he said, go up and get some autographs. I had a program, bought that for 25 cents. And he said, go over to those two guys standing there. They’re the ones that finished first and second.

And he gave me a ballpoint pen, and it’s the first time I ever had a [00:03:00] ballpoint pen in my hand. And I went over and I introduced myself, and I got two autographs, first and second. First was a guy, a really young guy, uh, he was just 22 years old from Kansas City, and they referred to him as the Kansas City Flash.

His name was Mastin Gregory.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh wow.

Lee Raskin: And the person that finished second, nose to tail, was this big tall guy wearing bib overalls, and his name was… Carol Shelby. No way. And those are the first two autographs that I collected among thousands, by the way, you know, today. And I still have that. I still have the program.

So that was my introduction to sports car racing. And I went back the next year, they held it again on July 4th. It was just as exciting. And by that time I had done a little study. So I knew Porsches and Morgans and Austin Healey’s and Ferraris, and I could identify them. And back then you almost could identify them by the sounds.

Of course, the Porsches [00:04:00] were rear engine and the Austin Healey’s were a little bit louder and, uh, they were six cylinder cars. And the Ferraris, they just roared around the track as well as Maseratis. In the third year, 1955. My sister was watching James Dean on black and white television. And of course, we only had one television in the household, as did everybody else.

And James Dean was starring on live TV in General Electric Theater, Philco, Schlitz. Both my sister And all her girlfriends were enamored over this great young star, James Dean. Of course, I was 10 years old at the time and I was watching him as well. And then in September, the headline said, actor James Dean killed in car crash.

My sister was absolutely devastated. And she created a shrine in her bedroom, floor to ceiling photos of James Dean. And there were two or three photos that I [00:05:00] particularly liked. Those were the photos of James Dean and his Porsche Speedster that he was racing. And of course I had seen the Porsches, not the Speedster, but the Coupe back then in 53 and 54.

The Speedster was a brand new model that came out in 1955. If I was on my best behavior, she would let me enter her shrine and let me read the articles and look at the photos. I think that’s really when it started. And of course, I was 10 years old and by that time I was collecting plastic model cars, Revell and Monogram and Aurora.

I would spend my 50 cent allowance a week to buy those cars, and I bought every sports car that came out. And I only wish that I kept them, but unfortunately somewhere along the way I maybe blew them up as a 4th of July celebration. Later on, I got into my bicycle, and of course I put cards on the folks and made noises, and I made noises.

Somewhere around [00:06:00] the late 50s, there were records that were produced by Riverside Records, and they were sounds of Sebring and Cuban Corners, and there were all these great sounds of sports cars racing. Sebring and you could identify, you could listen to them. And my friend and I would play games with each other, like which car is this?

And which car is that? Of course, my favorite was the Porsche at that time. Stayed in touch with what was going on with sports car racing. There wasn’t, there wasn’t any more racing at Omaha. It was just there for two years, but I was still buying my road and track and sports car illustrated magazines. And then there was sports car graphic.

And I learned about the races. The Mille Emilia, the Targa Florio, Le Mans, Sebring. And I liked the endurance races because they weren’t over in 25 laps. They went on for hours and hours and you had factory teams. And it’s something that is like chewing gum. It stuck with you. You loved it. And you couldn’t wait year after year for those races [00:07:00] to take place.

And I couldn’t wait to get the morning paper after a race at Sebring and Le Mans to find out who was winning. When I was 13, I begged my father to let me buy a third hand. I would call it as a mini cycle, but it was called a doodle bug. It was made in Iowa, had a Clinton, two and a half horsepower in in Omaha.

You could drive those on the streets. In 1958, my father, my sister and I moved back from Omaha back to where he grew up in Baltimore, and I took my motor scooter with me and of course, The police were always chasing me because it was illegal to drive that on the street. You had to have a license and you had to be 16.

At 16, I bought a Yamaha motor scooter, drove it 15 miles each way to school, went to college and took my motorcycle with me. And then after my first year of college, I begged my father to let me buy a used Porsche.

Crew Chief Eric: That

Lee Raskin: was a pretty big step. It was [00:08:00] 1, 500. It was a 1960 Porsche. Coupe, 1964. I bought it, took it to college.

I had the very first Porsche on the campus of the University of Alabama. Everybody else was driving Fords and Chevys and trucks, too. I had a Porsche.

Crew Chief Eric: This would have been a 356 Charlie, right? A C. Yeah, this would have been

Lee Raskin: a B.

Crew Chief Eric: Right on the borderline. Yeah.

Lee Raskin: Yeah. And I, and that was the beginning. That was my first Porsche at age 19.

The rest is history. I was always trading up. Sometimes I had two Porsches. Sometimes I had three. I’ve had a lot of models, not every model, but I’ve had a lot of models and Porsche became my favorite mark. Although, a lot of people know me as racing a Morgan, racing an Arnold Bristol, and racing an Elva Formula Junior, so I guess I’m a multi marked person.

Somewhere around 1977, I, uh, was reading stories about James Dean in some of the Porsche magazines, the Porsche Club of America, Panorama, [00:09:00] 356 Registry. And I said, you know, that’s not what I remember. That’s not what I saw. And I saw where a lot of individuals were writing articles about James Dean and they really didn’t know what the hell was going on.

They had the cars wrong. They had the events wrong. They had his crash wrong. I wrote letters to the editor, you know, and I tried to straighten things out. And then a lot of my friends said, you know, Lee, you should be writing these articles. And that’s, When things started to happen for me, not only did I write articles, I decided to write books.

That’s been my life since 2004. I haven’t stopped. I always thought James Dean would be like, you know, a fleeting moment in my life, but it isn’t. I realized that I emulated him. I grew up in a very similar fashion of James Dean. I lost my mother when I was 10. He lost his mother when he was nine. I had a little motor scooter that I drove to school.

So did he. I had a Porsche when I was 19. He waited a little longer until he was… [00:10:00] And then I got involved in racing. I never thought that I was James Dean behind the wheel, but I always had a lot of respect for what he did. And it wasn’t until recently that I realized that James Dean really perpetuated the Porsche in California sports car racing.

In his first two races, he was on the podium. So he was really the first. actor, racer in Hollywood to be serious about his newfound sport, and that was automobile racing. And of course, he traded his 356 Speedster in after a year and bought a 550, and he was on his way to his fourth race when unfortunately he had an accident.

It was a moment in time that was unguarded for both James Dean and the person that he ran into. At his death on September 30th, 1955, this is when James Dean’s legend actually began.

Crew Chief Eric: And we’re going to unpack that as we go through the episode, getting [00:11:00] people familiar with the entire story. As I’ve said many times on this show before, Oftentimes for many of us as petrolheads, it starts with a poster on the wall.

And for you, it was photographs of James Dean and his Porsche and things like that, that inspired you to become the petrolhead that you are today. So for those of you that are listening, you know, as we’re diving deeper into this, understand that James Dean was an accomplished actor in American heartthrob.

His most popular films being East of Eden and rebel without a cause. But many of you that are listening to this might not know that he was an avid motor sports enthusiast and amateur race car. driver. So Lee, without dragging this out further, let’s begin right there with his racing career and expand on his motor sports past.

So where did that begin for James Dean? James Dean

Lee Raskin: really got his motor sports start on two wheels. And when he was just barely a teenager, He had a little whizzer motorbike. He took a Schwinn [00:12:00] bike and they took a whizzer, which was a small three or four horsepower engine, and they put it on the bicycle and he drove the hell out of that.

I mean, he just drove it as fast as he could, everywhere he could. Everybody heard him because it was loud. It was unmuffled. He graduated to a little a 125 CZ, a Czechoslovakian motorcycle, which incidentally has been preserved and it’s in the Fairmont Museum in Fairmont, Indiana. And he drove that to school and he got the reputation and the nickname, they called him One Speed Dean.

And that was, he, he drove that wide out. As a matter of fact, he was a bit of a daredevil in order to be a little more aerodynamic on his motorcycle. He would lay prone. He’d be holding the handlebars with his feet out the back. He would try and get it past 40, 45 miles an hour, which was the top speed.

James Dean graduated into, uh, some larger [00:13:00] motorcycles. When he left Fairmont, Indiana, after graduating high school, he went to California to, uh, live with his father in Santa Monica. Then he moved on to New York. He had a Royal Enfield 500cc, and then he bought an Indian TT, which was a really neat motorcycle.

I guess it was probably a 1952 or 53 that he had in New York. And it’s interesting, as he needed some service on the motorcycle in New York, he went to a motorcycle shop in the village. He became good friends with the mechanic. He also was a starving actor, and his name was… Steve McQueen. So James Dean met Steve McQueen and vice versa, and they shared their love for bikes.

It’s interesting that Steve McQueen had an MGTC in New York City, and James Dean admired that, but didn’t have any money, so he was still on a You know, his two wheel Indian as he was discovered by Ili [00:14:00] Kazan in 1954 to start a co star in East of Eden playing the role of Cal Trask. He left his Indian bike in New York, came to California, immediately had some money in his pocket and bought a used MGTD.

His best friend said to Jimmy, you know, I don’t see what you, you’d like about this car. It’s awfully loud and it doesn’t go very fast. And, uh, Jimmy must’ve listened to him because he traded up, he traded the MG for a brand new 1955 Porsche Super. 356 Speedster.

Crew Chief Eric: Is there any backstory to how he went from English Roadster to Porsche?

Because have they established their foothold yet, especially in America? Were they still considered a boutique manufacturer at that point? What drew him into the brand? I mean, you had so many other things to choose from in those early 1950s.

Lee Raskin: That’s an excellent question. [00:15:00] The MG was very popular as well as Austin Healey’s Triumphs.

They were cheap cars, they sold new for around 2, 200, 2, 300, some less, 1, 800. The Porsche Speedster was the brainchild of Max Hoffman, who became the largest Porsche importer and dealer in this country. And Hoffman was the one that said to Dr. Porsche, we need to create a car under 3, 000 to compete against the British cars, not only on the street, but on the racetrack because amateur racing through the SCCA.

Was becoming very popular on the East Coast and the California sports car club on the West Coast. So the Speedster was created in 1954 and it sold for 29. 95, under 3, 000. If it, it sold without a side view mirror. So if you wanted a [00:16:00] mirror, it was an extra five or 6 and that took it over 3, 000. So that was their marketing program.

Brand new, stripped down Porsche Speedster, fast, light, fun, perfect car for California, on the road, on the racetrack. And James Dean, being in California, had befriended John von Neumann, who owned Competition Motors, and he had taken a test drive of a Porsche Speedster. And von Neumann said, look, there’s a new car coming out, it’ll be a super, it’ll have a larger engine, and it’ll have a three piece crankshaft.

Wait a few months, We’ll order this car for you. You’ll be able to race it and the car came in in February of 1955. Jimmy traded in his MGT D and bought the car for 29. 95 and immediately within that month took it racing, competed in the novice race at Palm Springs, won the novice race and qualified for the main event in [00:17:00] under 1500 cc’s, came in third to Ken Miles and Sy Yetter, and Miles of all things was disqualified in his race.

Bye. flying shingle special because he was using aviation fuel. So Cy Yetter, who had, uh, raced Ken Miles first MG special became first and James Dean was bumped up to second. And, uh, within two months, for May Day, he raced at Bakersfield in May of 1955, and finished third in the first group, and then ninth in the main event on Sunday.

Immediately, with that speedster, he was not only driving on the street, But he was racing him. And of course in those days, and days following, you could have a race car, you could drive it on the street, you could take it racing, and you could drive it home, if everything went okay. James Dean was busy filming, he had just started Rebel Without a [00:18:00] Cause after the Palm Springs race.

In March of 1955 and after Rebel was completed, he got a break and he was able to race at Bakersfield. Warner Brothers was not very keen on his racing. They thought something could happen to him and he was lined up for five or six movies. and they didn’t want anything to happen. They didn’t want him to get injured while he was racing.

James Dean had a pick and choose. As soon as the movie was over, he had a few weeks, and if there was a race, he was in it. So his third race would have been Memorial Day weekend. the end of May, and it was a Santa Barbara. He drove his speedster up there. He missed practice because he had to do a stage call or costume call for giant.

And of course he didn’t tell them that he was racing and he wasn’t able to get up there until Sunday. So he hadn’t raced in the preliminary on Saturday. I suspect if you and I were in that situation, they would say tough luck. You weren’t [00:19:00] here, can’t race. But James Dean was James Dean and he was a rising star and it was good promotion.

So they let him race on Sunday and he was racing against some of the competition that he had raced against earlier, but also some new names, I think that he just got ahead of himself. And he qualified further back. What’s interesting, in those days, you didn’t qualify by lap time, fastest lap time. You sort of put your hand in the hat and you picked a number out.

So he came up with a, with a bad number. He was 18th in the grid. So he had never started back that far. And I think that he, as I said, got ahead of himself. On lap four, lap five, he went wide. Hit a bale of hay, over revved his engine, and burned a piston, and he was a DNF that did not finish. And so, here’s James Dean driving his car up, he didn’t have a ride home.

So there are some very famous [00:20:00] photographs taken of James Dean and others pushing the car up on a transporter. So he had a long ride home with his mechanic friend, Bill Tunstall, in the cab of a truck with the damaged car on the, on the back. And they took that to Competition Motors. Within a week or so, he was on his way to Martha, Texas to begin filming Giant.

So he did not race in June, July, or August because he was busy filming. And he lost the edge. And he kept saying, you know, I need a faster car. This car’s not fast enough. So he actually had made a deal with a racer by the name of Jay Chamberlain, who had a Lotus dealership right outside of Warner Brothers in Burbank.

And he agreed to purchase a Lotus Mark 9. Actually, it might’ve been an 8 or a 9. We’re not sure. It was in transition. He put down a deposit. As you know, Lotus was like Morgan. [00:21:00] They made racing car bodies. But they used other engines, so Morgan used a Triumph and the Ford and the Lotus used Coventry Climax and also a Crystal engine.

But James Dean decided he wanted a smaller V8. And having grown up in Indiana, close to the Indianapolis 500, he chose to use an off the engine, Offenhauser, which was made in Los Angeles. He made a deposit for a used Offenhauser. Coffee and he was going to put a v8 in there the british car manufacturers.

They were never in a hurry. So he wanted this lotus to be ready for September because he knew it would be finished filming giant and he wanted to race at Salinas because that was fairly close to Mendocino in terms of having filmed East of Eden in that, in that area. It’s sort of like going home again.

He knew that he had a big fan base. Any case, the Lotus was not going to be [00:22:00] ready, so he canceled the order. He had told John von Neumann, I’d like to buy a 550. Von Neumann said, well, they’re not going to be coming in until September. And by the way, you’re not really qualified. You don’t have enough seat time to race a 550.

Why don’t you finish out the season in your super speedster? Jimmy was relentless. He said, no, I, I want this 550. And as it turns out, he got his way because of five that were delivered through Hoffman to Von Neumann, someone backed out of the deal and a car was available. He traded his super speedster in for 3, 000.

He had to come up with 3, 800. He really had a deep pocket because he was making some, you know, some good money, uh, having just filmed a giant. And so he asked his agent to take, uh, advance 3, 800, came up with 6, 800 and the 550 was his. And he settled on [00:23:00] the car on September 21st, 1955, which would be nine days just before the Salinas race.

Crew Chief Eric: Let’s put 6, 855 in perspective. What does that come out to in today’s currency with inflation?

Lee Raskin: Well, it probably comes out close to 150, 000. They’ve only made 9550 spiders. Most of them were erased. About half of them survived. And today, like Jerry Seinfeld sold a 550 for several million dollars. The auctions today at Amelia Island, they’re going to be offering 550 spiders for four and five million dollars going forward.

It’s a lot of money for a car, but they only made 90. So they’re fairly rare. And most of them have a fairly significant race history in as much as some very famous drivers raced 550s. At Lamar at Sebring at [00:24:00] Watkins Glen and California as well.

Crew Chief Eric: More so than the body and the coachwork itself, the other significant part about the five 50 is it was the four cam Porsche motor as the first time it was introduced, basically in a production car, considered a production car.

Yeah.

Lee Raskin: The Furman engine was developed specifically for the five 50. It was used. During 1954 through 1956, then they not only put them into the 550 race chassis, but they also stuck them into the Carrera Coupes. And those cars were very significant in racing as well. You know, to find a four cam Porsche 356, that car is approaching a million dollars today.

Uh, in value. They were fairly rare. The engine is a double overhead cam. It was very, very rare. Highly engineered. Almost a bulletproof engine. But you needed a good mechanic. You needed someone that was really trained. And incidentally, James Dean [00:25:00] befriended Rolf Widerich, who was sent over from the, uh, factory in Stuttgart to work specifically with Johnny von Neumann in developing their racing program.

So he was the mechanic of choice. in Southern California for all the racing cars, the four cam especially, but also the cc flat fours.

Crew Chief Eric: Curiosity question. There’s later four cam engines, for instance, used like in a 904. Is that a derivative of the five fifties engine or is it a different engine?

Lee Raskin: No, it’s a derivative, and it’s just an improved engine.

And the interesting thing about the 904, that was in the line. The 550, 550A, RSK, RS60, and 61 were type 718 Porsches. that basically were just improved. The engineering was improved. The aerodynamics were improved. The 904 was the first plastic fiberglass Porsche and that was [00:26:00] a fixed coupe. They also made a few open cars.

They used the 904 Carrera engine, which is a very similar engine. They also put a, um, think an eight cylinder engine and a few of those that were raced in endurance races, like the Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia.

Crew Chief Eric: Where did the lineage for that four cam four cylinder stop? Was it with the 904? Did it continue on at any point?

I actually

Lee Raskin: stopped at the 904 because the 906 was a six cylinder engine, and then they used an eight cylinder for some of the Bergmeister cars, the 908, 909, 910. The models didn’t hang around very long. It was 3 56, 5 50, uh, RS 69 0 4 9 0 6 9 0 8, and then, you know, went all the way through nine 17. The car that really stuck was the successor to the 3 56, which would be the six cylinder nine 11, and then the 9 14 6.

You know, the nine 11 was created in 1963, and here we are. [00:27:00] 2022, the 911 is still around. It’s, you know, it’s got a long shelf life.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s very true. Although the original 901s as they, as they were dubbed back then versus a 992, like today, they are years apart. It’s like the original Star Trek versus whatever we come up with now.

Right. I mean, they were definitely ahead of their time compared to other offerings on the road and other marks and whatnot. Lotus was very similar. They were changing models constantly. And those numbers that follow the Lotus was all the revisions, right? The Mark 1, the 2, the 8, the 9, you know, the Super 7s, the 7s, those became Caterhams, so on down the line.

So I find that interesting. But switching back to the 550, what you have to realize about this James Dean story is it’s very compressed. Everything happens In just a matter of a couple of years, and especially in that last year, it’s almost super compressed. There’s so much going on between the movies between the races between changing cars and then [00:28:00] inevitably the crash, which we’ll talk about here in a little bit.

It’s just, it’s almost mind blowing how much was going on on almost a day by day basis. I do want to touch on one more, like, bit of, I guess, trivia that surrounds the 550. It’s been a long standing ideology in the Volkswagen Audi community that we have a tradition of naming our vehicles. And a lot of us know that James Dean called his 550 the Little Bastard or Little Bastard.

So why or how did he come up with this particular name for that car?

Lee Raskin: Well, there’s um, fact and then there’s fiction. The interesting thing is, I’m constantly battling the fiction. It’s just a lot of folklore, you know, it’s uh, unbelievable. A lot of myths about James Dean, about his racing, and then the curse of James Dean and the car.

The Little Bastard is a very unique name. When you think about this and you take a step back, James Dean was probably the [00:29:00] first to put some kind of nickname on his race car. Going through the chronology of racing, there were names, specials that were built, but James Dean may have been the first to put a name, and not only just a name, but a name that was, you know, kind of taboo.

Little bastard. One story has it this way. He had befriended an individual who was a stunt driver at Warner Brothers. His name was Bill Hickman. And actually, Bill Hickman became not only famous because he accompanied James Dean. On that fateful day going towards the race at Salinas, but after James Dean’s death, Bill Hickman became a very famous stunt driver in the French connection and even more famous as a stunt driver in bullet driving, driving the Dodge.

I’m not sure whether it was a charger or challenger. Charger that crashed into the [00:30:00] gasoline station and blew up. That was his claim to fame, Bill Hickman. In any case, Bill Hickman kind of, uh, befriended James Dean and he called James Dean a little bastard and James Dean called him a big bastard. So they had that running commentary back and forth.

But I actually think the name Little Bastard came from a situation where James Dean had just finished making the movie East of Eden, and he was living in a trailer on the Warner Brothers set.

Crew Chief Eric: Okay.

Lee Raskin: It was convenient. There was no rent being charged and it was very comfortable for him, except Warner Brothers said, you’re done with the movie.

It’s time to move on. Jimmy didn’t leave the trailer. So Stanley Warner said to one of his assistants, I’ve had enough. Get that little bastard off the lot. Anyway, James Dean heard about that, sort of tuck it [00:31:00] away. When he bought the Spider, he wanted to name it. He said, I’m going to name this the little bastard and I’m going to show Jack Warner who’s out front.

And in addition to that, all the drivers behind me are going to know that the little bastard is winning the race. Oh, nice. So I think that was it. The Little Bastard, as we know it, was in a fancy script, the tale of his 550. Most people thought that George Barris, the car customizer, painted it on. Because George Barris said, I painted the Little Bastard on there, as well as the 130 and the pinstripes.

It’s not true. The person that painted it on was the other customizer by the name of Dean Jeffries. And Dean Jeffries told me personally in 2004, you know, I’m really tired of George Barris taking credit for this. Yes, we had shops next to each other near Compton, but I painted it. James Dean came to me. He was an artist [00:32:00] himself and he had doodled the little bastard on the tail of a 550 and said, I want you to paint this on.

By the way, my provisional numbers for the race are 130. So he painted the little bastard in permanent gloss black. Dean Jeffrey said it was called one shot black. And then the numbers were painted on in a washable black because it was a provisional number. The car was silver with red tail stripes with a two millimeter gold leaf border.

Were not painted by Dean Jeffrey’s or George Barris. They came from the factory that way. There’s a whole story about tail stripes and why Porsche was using those and we can talk about that was very unique to James Dean’s car number 550 055. I’ve done a lot of research, and I believe that this car originally was destined to be part of the factory team of endurance cars, but for some reason it wasn’t completed.[00:33:00]

Until July, the racing season started much earlier in the spring in Europe, and I don’t think this car was included. And so it was finished up with red tail stripes and sent, you know, as a customer’s car. The tail stripes were used by the Porsche factory to delineate. The cars that usually traveled in a packet, say Le Mans, one, two, three.

They had similar numbers like 32, 33, 34. And, and the drivers interchanged some of those cars. So it may have been difficult at night, especially at night when the cars came through to know who was in what order. So they had tail stripes, red, blue, green, yellow. They use the colors rather than the numbers to keep score.

And so that’s how the tail stripes were created. And Porsche was one of the first to use that. I think Alfa Romeo probably used it as well. So James Dean’s car, silver with red tail stripes, was very unique. You would think that maybe a Dean [00:34:00] Jeffries, painted the gold leaf, but no, it came from the factory.

Crew Chief Eric: So another question about James Dean, before we kind of move on to the tail end of his compressed racing career, he’s often portrayed as a loner, right? You see him, you know, infamous pictures in black and white leaning up against the car, cigarette in his mouth, you know, he’s got that rockstar appeal.

Obviously plenty of people tried to emulate him later, you know, even so much as to be tongue in cheek, like shows like 90210, right? Where they had characters that were basically modeled after him, et cetera. You know, he went from nobody to somebody almost overnight. Was he really a loner in real life? Or is that the way he’s depicted, but from the way you’ve described, he had this whole racing family that he was a part of.

So what was it, loner or petrolhead? You know, which was he first?

Lee Raskin: I think he was a chameleon. I honestly believe, depending on where he was and who he was with, it brought out his persona. [00:35:00] Everybody characterized James Dean as being a rebel, wearing a red jacket. Because of Rebel Without a Cause, he played Jim Stark, and he was a, you know, tormented teenager trying to find himself.

a little boy lost, so to speak. That’s really how he was marketed by Warner Brothers, and I think the teenagers gobbled it up. They loved it, especially the girls. But James Dean was a very compassionate person, and he actually was meek at times. Although he could be outspoken, but I think he was outspoken on the set because he knew How to market himself.

One thing that I really noticed was that James Dean at age 24 knew how to get publicity. He always had a photographer with him. And not only that, he took the photographers to the races. He knew it was good marketing. Yeah, I think 90 percent of his photos had a cigarette. That was part of his persona. But you never saw James Dean off the set in that red jacket.

That was merely a prop. I [00:36:00] wouldn’t call him fashionable, but he was a pretty cool guy, wore boots, he wore jeans, he wore a v neck t shirt when no one else was wearing a v neck. I think that he got a big kick out of that. And he had a lot of friends. He could have been your friend and my friend, and yet we wouldn’t have known each other.

And that goes for men as well as women. And he had his own set of racer friends, and the racer friends didn’t know the acting friends. He, uh, he had one friend, Lou Bracker, who he got involved in racing, but Lou lived in that area, West L. A., knew a lot of people, wasn’t enamored over Hollywood, but became James Dean’s good friend.

and then became a racer. And actually after James Dean died, Lou Bracker actually got hold of his speedster and raced it for a year and became a really good Porsche driver through 1956 and 57. I’ve heard a lot of stories about Dennis Hopper, for example, said, Oh yeah, I, I love James Dean. We were really best of friends, but I’ve never seen a [00:37:00] photo of Dennis Hopper and James Dean together.

Other than, you know, on the set of Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. Dennis may have thought that, and Dennis may have said, you know, I was invited to go to the races with Jimmy, but I don’t think so. I think that if everybody who said they were invited to go to the races, that they all got together, they would have needed to rent a bus with all those people.

Crew Chief Eric: You were talking about, you know, early on about your sister. You know, kind of fawning over James Dean and he was a heartthrob as described, right? And so there are a lot of ladies pined for him and he was an object of desire. Did he have a lady on his arm or was that sort of interchangeable, just like his friends and scenes like his cars too, in this short amount of time?

Lee Raskin: Yeah, no, I agree. Listen, he died at 24. Whoever thinks they’re going to die at 24, although everyone says, well, James Dean had a death wish. No, I disagree. He didn’t. That’s just something that got concocted by a lot of writers. One of the things that I noticed, and I mentioned earlier, I read all these articles and I said, that’s not the way it was.

[00:38:00] And so I started interviewing a lot of his friends over the years. And I’m lucky that I did because most of them passed on. James Dean would be over 90 years old today, born in 1931. Most of his friends and acting friends have since passed on. But I had the good fortune during the 70s and 80s to have telephone interviews or interviews in person.

I had better fortune of recording them. There are a lot of people that say, well, how do you know? I said, not only do I know, I’ve got the recorded voice. No, this has to be, attribution is the best source, you know, in putting together a book or a film. A lot of his racing friends have passed on, but it was great talking to them.

They didn’t think James Dean would be a great racer. They thought he was, it was a publicity stunt, but he had the tenacity and he had the passion for speed.

Crew Chief Eric: He had the right car, let’s not forget.

Lee Raskin: He fortunately, his craft was acting and he was making a boatload of money that he could have a Porsche. He could afford a, not one Porsche, but two Porsches [00:39:00] or Lotus or anything that he wanted.

A lot of people think, well, He was just in it for, you know, the publicity. No, he was serious. I think that he could have been a better driver if he had more seat time. As I mentioned, he was busy filming. He missed a lot of races and some of his competitors had raced and they were getting better than he was because they knew the tracks.

The first time you’re learning, the second time you have a little bit more confidence when you race. I’ve learned that over the years.

Crew Chief Eric: Do any other actors attribute their passion for racing to James Dean? You already mentioned Steve. McQueen, but they came up at the same time. I’m thinking of people like maybe Paul Newman or others that have gone down the same path.

Do they ever credit James Dean’s that, or did they come to it on their own?

Lee Raskin: Excellent question. I had the good fortune to meet Paul Newman at Seabrook in 1977. I was curling for a very famous Baltimoreian by the name of Bruce Jennings, who had the nickname of King Carrera. And we were [00:40:00] competing in the EMSA series.

under, uh, G. T. U. Smaller C. C. S. Paul Newman came to sea break as a co driver for Bill Freeman in Beverly Hills. Porsche. They also had a G. T. U. Car and Paul had never driven at night. And so Bruce Jennings offered to give him a chalk talk at night. Paul Newman came with the popcorn and we sat down. I got to listen and Bruce said, you know, you may think there aren’t any markers at night, but there are and I’m going to point them out to you and you’re going to need these markers for breaking and for turning.

And it really helped Paul Newman. So I got to meet Paul and Paul always said, you know, I raced Sebring once and I didn’t want to race it again. It was a race that I love to hate because it was so difficult. And of course, Bruce Jennings had been racing it for umpteen years and once finished third overall in 1962 in a RS, a 61.

I got to know Paul Newman over the years. I would see him at Lime Rock at some of the vintage racing. I actually [00:41:00] raced against him in a race. He was. Racing a Brumos 914 6. I was on the pole. I was probably qualified 15th or 16th of the 356 group. And by lap six, I saw him coming around the corner in my mirrors.

He was going to lap me. And I just pulled over to the right, pointed out to the left and let him pass. And my biggest thrill was that he took his hand off that steering wheel and gave me a huge wave. Oh, that’s awesome. And I wish that I could have recorded it. But I got to interview Paul Newman in 2004 because he had driven his first Porsche in a movie called Harper.

And it was an old clapped out speedster. And he told me that was the first time that he had had a Porsche. Since that time, he had bought many Porsches because he loved that car so much. But I asked him, I said, you know, you competed against James Dean for roles and James Dean won, you know, and they both competed for Rebel Without a Cause and also for, uh, East of Eden.

And I said, did you ever talk about cars? He said, Lee, cars were the [00:42:00] furthest thing from my mind. I was never, ever concerned about racing cars. I had never seen a car race. You know, on the East Coast or the West Coast. And I knew that James Dean, you know, was really a motorhead, but I wasn’t. It’s something that he picked up.

Coincidentally, he went to Lime Rock Park and a friend of his said, why don’t you take the 356 around? And he got the bug. He loved it. And he had just such a natural eye hand coordination. He was a tremendous driver, and starting at the age of 50, which is incredible. Most people are retiring at the age of 50.

Exactly,

Crew Chief Eric: exactly.

Lee Raskin: Steve McQueen, on the other hand, was also a motorhead, mostly on motorbikes, and was really tenacious and fearless. But he didn’t have the money to get into racing until he became more successful.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s get back to the James Dean story. Let’s get back to this late summer, early fall 1955 and pick up the story from there.

And let’s unfortunately get into his tragic demise, [00:43:00] right? The crash itself.

Lee Raskin: Well, I mentioned that he missed a lot of racing, a lot of seat time, and he said to his mechanic, I need a faster car, I need a faster car. Well, the guys he was competing against, and they were the same people at most races, more people were buying Porsches, and they were beating James Dean because they were familiar with the track.

I think that James Dean was not a Phil Hill or a Sterling Moss. I think that he was tenacious, he was passionate about racing. But his goal was to put the pedal to the metal, and he really lacked the nuances of, you know, how to approach the apex of a turn, when to brake, when to accelerate, uh, when to shift.

I think that he just tried to race as fast as he could. And there wasn’t a race that he was in where he didn’t have some metal to metal contact with somebody. He was seriously myopic. He needed glasses. He couldn’t drive without his glasses. I am too. When I raced, [00:44:00] I wore contact lenses for the sole reason that when I wore my glasses, I had no lateral vision.

So I couldn’t see a car that was coming up on either side of me. I was really at a disadvantage as with a lot of people. So that’s something that I’ve analyzed about James Dean, that his lack of clear vision or being 20 20 was a deterrent to his racing. So, James Dean wanted a faster car. I mentioned that he tried to buy the Lotus, which would have been a sports racer, but he was lucky enough to get the 550.

It’s interesting, someone asked me, well, how did this 550 qualify on the street? It was a race car, wasn’t it? I said, yep, it was aluminum and it weighed 1300 pounds. But it had lights, it had a horn, it had turn signals. It did not have windshield wipers because it had a plexiglass windshield. But other than that, it was a street car.

And of course, the reason it had headlights was because Porsche was using this for night racing as well, for the [00:45:00] endurance racing. So it made sense. In California, this car qualified, it was streetable. So he got a license on it. He had nine days from the time he bought it. on September 21st to get this car prepared for the race at Salinas and the plan was that they would put it on a rented trailer.

He didn’t own a trailer, although he’s having one made. It wasn’t finished yet. Rolf Witterecht got him a trailer from another Cal Club racer. They borrowed the trailer, two axle trailer. James Dean had bought a Ford station wagon as his tow vehicle. So it had a hitch on it. They realized that the car, it needed to be run in.

It just didn’t have any miles on it. So James Dean was trying to break it in, but he was also finishing up Giant. He was like running from pillar to post, from acting to racing. And they were, they would go out at night, Bill Hickman and he, and they would put a couple, a hundred miles on. It wasn’t enough.

So they put it on the trailer. That’s the thought. And they’ll tow it. Rolf Wittereg, strictly by [00:46:00] the book, said, No, you’ve got to break this car in. You and I will drive it to Salinas, and the Ford station wagon with the empty trailer will follow us. So that was the scenario. On September 30th of Friday, James Dean had dropped the car off the night before.

Rolf Wittereg, the mechanic, did the valve clearance, changed the plugs, changed the oil, set the timing. And they were running a little bit behind, and Rolf said, I want to put on safety belts for you. So he installed safety belts on the driver’s side, but not on the passenger side. They left about an hour and a half late.

They left almost at two o’clock. They headed out Ventura Boulevard. A couple of famous shots that were taken by Sanford Roth, who was the photographer that took photos earlier during the day at Competition Motors. It shows a car coming up on James Dean on Ventura and then passing him. Stanford Roth took those shots in black and white.

These are the only photos that we [00:47:00] have. Right before they left Competition Motors on their way, they stopped at a gas station. The most famous photo and the last photo of James Dean alive was taken at a mobile station in Sherman Oaks. where everybody filled up their tank. Sanford Roth did not take that photo.

It was in color. It was taken by the mechanic with a Leica 35 millimeter using color film. So the photos that show up in color, there’s three of them. Sanford Roth, the photographer, didn’t take them. He was shooting black and white. It took me years to figure that out because everybody thought that they came from one camera.

They did not. There was no interstate, so they headed up I 99, which is Sepulveda Boulevard, went through the Grapevine, south of Bakersfield, on 99, at Wheeler Ridge. California Highway Patrolman was traveling south, they were going north. It was a divided area. He did a yo yo and followed them, pulled them both over for speeding.

James Dean was ticketed for 10 miles [00:48:00] over the limit. Bill Hickman, who was driving the station wagon with the trailer, he also got a ticket because California had a law, maximum 45 with a trailer. So he got, he got busted for 15 miles over the limit. CHP officer, his name is Ovie V. Hunter, who recently died, has been interviewed over and over again.

I had the good fortune to talk to him many times, and he told me about how he pulled him over. He heard the car, he saw the car. There was a curiosity because it was a sports car. Hunter was about six foot two. Spider is 39 inches high from a tire to the plexi and he was fascinated by the car but he left with parting words he says you better slow down or you’re not gonna make it to Salinas and James Dean said well you know it car’s not running right unless it’s going at least 80 miles an hour they sort of laughed it off.

Anyway, he took the ticket and folded it into thirds, put it into his shirt pocket. This was at 3. 30 in the afternoon. To do the chronology, [00:49:00] you can figure out when he left, when he got the ticket, they took the racer’s road. They did not go through Bakersfield because the racer said it’s too slow. There’s a traffic signal in every street corner.

Take the racer’s road. You can go as fast as you can. So it was a left. On these two lane highways, it’s about 50, 60 miles. And they would end up at Blackwell’s corner, which is at route 466. Blackwell’s corner was a small coffee restaurant, gas stop back then. And, uh, James Dean, when he pulled in flagged down.

Bill Hickman, because Hickman didn’t know that he had stopped there. He had actually seen a Mercedes 300 SL Coupe, and it belonged to Lance Raventlow, and his co driver was Kessler, so he knew Raventlow was going to the races, so they stopped and they chatted for a while. Raventlow and Bruce Kessler left, I’d say about 10 minutes before James Dean, and they agreed to meet at Paso Robles for dinner [00:50:00] at little after six o’clock.

So here we are at five o’clock at Blackwell’s Corner. James Dean told Sanford Roth and Bill Hickman, we’re going to have dinner at six o’clock. They took off. It basically is a very interesting stretch of road. It’s the desert. It’s flat. And then it goes through an area called the Polonio Pass, and then all of a sudden it shoots down about 45 degrees to the floor of the Chalem Valley.

Today, it’s a two lane, three lane highway, but it was a country road, single lane, 22 feet wide, which meant that each lane was about 10 feet wide. And I’ve traveled on it. There’s still remnants of the road. I don’t know that I would have the balls to drive 80, 90 miles an hour down this curvy road. It’s unbelievable.

Scary. Really scary. But that’s what James Dean was doing. And as they approached the Chelan Valley down the Antelope grade, they passed a Pontiac with two individuals in it. I’d say about a 30 [00:51:00] to 45 seconds before the junction before 66 and 41. It’s a wide junction at Chelan. And the husband said to the wife, boy, look at him.

They were going about 78 miles an hour. And they figured James Dean was exceeding 85, maybe 90 miles an hour when they passed him. And as they passed the Pontiac, an oncoming car was forced off the road because the road was so narrow. So it’s interesting. James Dean didn’t let up. I think that he came so fast behind this Pontiac that his closing speed was scary.

So scary that he whipped to the left to pass the car. He couldn’t stop. He would have run into the car. 30 seconds later. There was a horrible accident, a car coming the other way, a 1950 Ford Custom that was, had a big engine in it, was turning left. In a conventional turn, you would use your turn signal, in those days you might stick your left hand out, horizontally.

Signaling that you were making a left turn. This driver [00:52:00] did not. He cut across the junction at a 45 degree angle. So he crossed over the center line and then all of a sudden he saw an oncoming vehicle. He couldn’t have imagined that this vehicle 39 inches high was traveling at 85 or 90 miles an hour.

And it was, and he spiked his brakes to stop. He couldn’t stop and he went back on the gas and then he realized, I’m in trouble. So he really jammed on his brakes, laying another patch, 30 foot skid. He practically was stopped in the westbound lane. James Dean saw the car, made a racing maneuver, went to the right, on the power, no brakes, no brake lights were seen by the witnesses.

But in that mid engine Porsche, he lost it. The low center of gravity caught up with him. The rear end came around counterclockwise and he hit his left front into the left front of the Ford that was practically stopped. Dean pushed the Ford 45 feet in the [00:53:00] reverse lane, spiraled up 45 degrees and turned over.

actually turned over and landed on its wheels 40 feet westbound. So it was flying in midair as it rolled over, did a barrel roll. All this has been speculated back and forth, but it was the witnesses that said no brake lights. And we saw something fall out of the car as it was turning over. That would be the mechanic, Rolf.

He fell out of the car. And he’s lucky that the Porsche didn’t land on top of him, because he landed about five feet away from where the car was. And he didn’t have belts. No belt, the passenger side. James Dean had a belt, wasn’t wearing it. So there was some speculation by other witnesses saying, well, no, the person wearing the red shirt.

which would be Rolf the mechanic. He was driving. James Dean was wearing a t shirt, not a red jacket. That red jacket wasn’t in the car. That was at Warner Brothers. He was wearing a v neck white t shirt. This 15 year old witness [00:54:00] said, no, the man wearing the red was driving. No, he wasn’t driving. The car was upside down, so he, the right side became the left side when he saw it.

The reason I know all this, despite what everybody else wants to say, is that James Dean’s left foot got crushed between the clutch and the brake pedal. Crushed. He was captive in that car. Rolf flew out, James Dean’s seat broke loose and flew out, and James Dean was stretched, which was not uncommon in a race car accident, left foot still mangled and crushed between the brake and the clutch, his body was stretched in that little cockpit, and he wound up hanging over the passenger door.

If it weren’t for the witnesses and if it weren’t for the ambulance driver that had to use a crowbar to extricate him, there could have been more speculation about James Dean letting Rolfe being the driver. There was no reason for him to be the driver in the first place. That speculation goes back and forth.

I see it every [00:55:00] day. Despite the fact that I’ve written about it over and over again. That’s part of the myth that he wasn’t driving.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, you’ve probably done the math yourself, but have any mathematicians or even scientists sat down with you to say, okay, a 1300 pound car hitting basically almost a stationary 55 Ford, which probably weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 plus pounds to move it 45 feet.

Can you back calculate how fast he was going at the time of impact? Cause he’s had to have been doing. Almost triple digits to push a car that heavy that far. It’s like a missile.

Lee Raskin: That speculation has been ongoing for 25 years. As a matter of fact, I’ve been involved in most of these TV documentaries. The interesting thing is they interview me and then I don’t know who they’re interviewing besides.

So they went to a company called Failure Analysis around 2005, maybe before then. And they did a lot of computer mock ups. They made several mistakes. First of all, they didn’t get the testimony of Mr. and Mrs. Robert White, who were directly behind [00:56:00] James Dean and said, no brake lights, somebody fell out of the car.

The car veered to the right and it flipped over. They didn’t pay any attention to that. There’s a reason for it. They were going to Portland, Oregon. There was a deposition. There was no FedEx back then. The deposition was mailed by postal service. It didn’t show up until after the inquest. So it was never put into the trial, into the inquest.

All right. So that’s number one, but it’s readily available. I mean, I, I have it. I’ve used it. I make reference to it. The second thing is they said that James Dean’s car upon impact turned into a top. It was spinning around, but there are no marks on the ground or. you know, on the on the road or the ground.

If the car was spinning around, there would be impact of all four tires. That didn’t exist. And then two witnesses said the car did a barrel roll, the inertia was 90 degrees up, and then it went over. They said, well, if it’s going faster, You know, he would have been 100 feet down the road. No, the [00:57:00] momentum was going up.

The inertia was up. 1, 300 pounds and you’re right. I think the Ford weighed about 2, 600 pounds. If you look at the crash photos, you’ll see that the left front wheel was crushed against the back, the firewall. It was moved three feet. That’s solid steel. You know, everybody said, well, well, you know, if James Dean had been wearing a seatbelt, if the car had been made more safer, well, that’s all speculation, but we’re talking about 1955, and this is a race car, right?

It’s not a passenger car. There were no safety guidelines back then. I’ve been through this two or three times. There’s been computer analysis every single time. And these people are paid serious dollars for their services. They didn’t do their homework. I’m not saying that they should have talked to me, but they just, didn’t do their homework.

on the road, but there ar that have come to me and is from other acc[00:58:00]

Today, the state of California, Caltran, is actually going to build a ramp over 466, is now 46, to avoid the accident of people turning left. That road sees produce trucks hauling ass at 90 miles an hour. As a matter of fact, when I’m there and I’m looking at the crash site, the biggest thrill for these guys is to honk their horn, to let everybody know, I know what’s here, it’s James Dean’s crash site.

Crew Chief Eric: So that brings up a really good point. As you’ve just said, the site itself hasn’t changed much. The surrounding area has. You can go there and see it today with your own eyes, and it has a history of incident. It has a history of accidents and whatnot. So it kind of begs the question, when you look at the scenario, whoever engineered that intersection, etc.,

where is fault placed? Is it placed on the Ford? or on the Porsche on James Dean or the other people and how does it play out? How do you see it?

Lee Raskin: Maybe because I’m a lawyer, maybe because I understand the [00:59:00] law and maybe because I went to the 1955 motor vehicle code, you know, for some answers. The two California highway patrolmen came.

You had a serious accident. You had a fatality. They had to try and organize what was going on. There were cars, place was crowded, they needed more help. They didn’t get it. They had an ambulance that took James Dean and the mechanic Rolf to the Paso Robles Hospital. They tried to sort things out. The CHP officers had never seen a Porsche.

They had never seen a race car, they had never seen a damaged race car. They couldn’t figure it out. They’d say, well, he’s going faster than 55. Well, yeah, he’s going faster than 55. Well, here’s what I did. I went to the graphs. I went to the Porsche 550 books and I looked at the transmission and what gear you had to be in.

The RPM versus. The speed, James Dean was in fourth gear. He hadn’t shifted down the third. You wouldn’t [01:00:00] go into fourth gear unless you were going 80 miles an hour. And you know, 80 to 125, that was the range of the fourth gear. There weren’t any brake lights. I don’t think he took his foot off the gas until, you know, possibly the impact.

You know, he was clipped pretty good because his riding height was the same height as the grill and the headlight of that Ford, he took a huge hit. There was no protection for him. I looked at the speed. Everybody likes to say, Oh, it’s not James Dean’s fault. Poor James Dean. Well, they both were speeding.

Donald Turnipseed was a college student under the GI Bill at Cal Poly. Every Friday he was booking home to his pregnant wife in Tulare and he’s driving a hot rod fifties car with, you know, with a big engine. I think that Donald Turnipsey played a game every weekend to see how fast he could get home from A to B.

When he made that left turn, he never slowed down and braked and then made a left turn. He just went diagonally [01:01:00] across the roadway because he didn’t see anything coming. His attorney said, keep your mouth shut. He did say, when I saw him coming, it was too late. Yeah, it was too late, but he didn’t make a decision.

If he had veered over to the right, they probably would have missed each other. But he kept advancing. I think that the California Highway Patrol didn’t understand the dynamics of that crash. I refer to this accident as an unguarded moment for both individuals. There was an inquest on October 11th.

Donald Turnipsey was a local boy in a very conservative area. It’s 1955. James Dean was a young actor. That bought a 7, 000 German car who was carrying a former Luftwaffe soldier, not that many years after the war. At the inquest, James Dean, this is Lee the lawyer speaking. had no representation. Rolf Witterich was in the hospital, drugged up.

They interviewed him, he [01:02:00] didn’t know A from B when they interviewed him. His testimony should have been thrown out. No one represented James Dean. Donald Ternosy was represented. The attorney told him to keep his mouth shut. Just say you didn’t see him until it was too late. There was a jury. They met for less than a half an hour.

They came back. They found no fault of either party. If you or I have been driving that Ford and made that left turn, failure to yield to an oncoming vehicle, creating a fatality, we would have been charged. At least Donald Turnipseed should have been charged. With a misdemeanor fatality, he wasn’t charged at all.

Crew Chief Eric: Did he come out of the crash pretty much unscathed? Did the Ford protect him? His nose,

Lee Raskin: his nose went against the wheel. He may have broken his nose. That’s all. Okay. The windshield was cracked. So his head may have hit the windshield too. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. He’s very lucky, but 2, 600 pound car.

It’s a pretty big car. And you know, incidentally, I’ve never [01:03:00] driven a 1950 Ford. But I’ve driven 1954 Ford sedan, you know, they were known for a lot of stability at 60 miles an hour, making a left turn. He may have been close to being up on two wheels when he made that turn and he was practically stopped.

So it’s. three speed gearbox. He had no torque to get back on the power at that point. He was practically stopped at that point. I’ve gone through the accident back and forth. I have a lot of competition. You know, a lot of people that are Dean fans, they don’t want to see any blame towards James Dean. He was a victim.

The way I see it is they both were speeding, they both were at fault, but Donald Turnipsey was more at fault because he caused the fatality.

Crew Chief Eric: And you mentioned earlier there was this flash point in the James Dean story where suddenly arises myth and legend and then we start talking about fact and fiction, but one of those.

Let’s call them tall tales that has grown out of the James Dean ethos is talk about this curse. [01:04:00] And it’s theorized that James Dean’s death was not his own fault, right? As we’re talking about here, but rather that of the car. Uh, some have said that this particular Porsche 550 Spyder has its own dark and unsettling past.

They try to paint this ominous picture. Legends, myth, and other tall tales surround this story. And some go as far as. say that someone building the 550 actually died during the construction of the vehicle and his soul haunted the car after its completion at the factory. Yada, yada, yada, right? The stories go on and on.

The fish was this big, but let’s dive into a little bit of fact versus fiction and unpack. This whole curse story and this whole curse idea,

Lee Raskin: Eric, that’s what keeps us going. There’s no question. I mean, we’re talking about 66 years later, you know, we’re still talking about the curse of James Dean and all these myths.

Well, besides me, there are other famous motorsport journalists like Matt Stone and Preston Lerner. Who, you know, have pretty good [01:05:00] reputations. They’ve come to the same conclusion I have. We’ve all debunked a lot of the curse and the myth. So, we have this crash, September 30, 1955. The car is a mess, and it’s towed back to Competition Motors.

by John von Neumann. We have James Dean dead and preparing, you know, for his burial in Fairmont, Indiana. Rolf was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Von Neumann made arrangements to have a very famous German surgeon look at him to save his leg. He almost lost his leg because it was so badly twisted.

James Dean is racing against amateur racers, same guys, same races, and one particular person that he raced against was a doctor. His name was William Eskridge, who lived in Burbank, not far from Warner Brothers. Not only was William Eskridge a good orthopedic surgeon, he was a brilliant engineer, and he was racing specials that he built himself, using, by the way, an Offenhauser [01:06:00] engine in one of them.

When he heard about the wreck, he said, you know, this is my lucky day. I just bought a roller, a Lotus from Jay Chamberlain without an engine. I’m going to buy that Porsche and I’m going to put the four cam engine up front. It’s never been done, but I can do it. And he used an MG transmission and Austin Healey gearbox, the rear end.

So he bought the car from the insurance company. James Dean’s sole heir was his father. He didn’t have a will. So he was paid off. They gave him about 5, 000, maybe a little bit more for the car. The salvage company got hold of the wreck and sold it to William Eskridge, right down the street from where he lived.

He was first up. He bought the car for 1, 150. 1, 150. What did he get? Practically an undamaged engine. Transmission was slightly damaged because it had been locked in fourth gear, so that needed to be cleaned out. And he bought movable parts. He bought [01:07:00] instruments and suspensions, and he took what he wanted for his Lotus, and the rest of it was junk.

And he gave it to someone that was supposed to take it to the San Fernando dump. But somewhere along the way, those individuals knew George Barris, and George Barris wound up with the carcass. Never bought it, got it for free. George will tell you if you’re still alive because he’s written about it. I bought the car.

No, we didn’t buy the car. William Eskridge bought it. Eskridge created the POTUS, P O T U S. Think about that. He should have copyrighted and trademarked the name, POTUS. President of the United States. He named this Lotus, the POTUS, and I have photos of. POTUS on the car. It was brilliant. He’s got a 4 cam engine mounted up front and he’s winning races.

And he’s racing against, who’s he racing against? Von Neumann and Richie Ginther in 550s. He’s almost beating them. He races the car, he’s got some problems, but he’s sorting it out. [01:08:00] In October of 1956, which would be a year after James Dean died, they’re racing at Pomona. which was on the schedule. Pomona was always an October race, and he’s racing the POTUS.

Previous to the race, he gave some parts to his orthopedic friend, Dr. Troy McHenry, who also had a 550. But McHenry wasn’t as accomplished as Dr. Estridge, wasn’t a good driver. They’re both competitive. Good friends, but competitive. But down deep inside, Troy Henry wanted to beat him. So he decided he had an accident at Paramount Ranch before Pomona.

He decided he’s going to lighten up his Porsche, which was 1300 pounds. He’s going to make it a thousand pounds. He’s going to remove some of the steel and some of the aluminum, and he’s going to substitute that with fiberglass. What he created was a loosey goosey car. No stability. Everyone likes to say, well he’s got suspension parts, he’s got the transmission, he’s got this and that from James Dean’s car in his [01:09:00] car.

No, he did not have any of those parts. He may have had them in his garage, but they weren’t on the car. This is something I’ve been battling for years and years and years. How can I prove it? Well, I couldn’t interview Troy McHenry, but I interviewed plenty of people that knew that.

Crew Chief Eric: Isn’t it extra challenging though, because the Germans, unlike the Americans, you know, we have the fabled numbers matching cars, right?

The numbers matching system, the Germans back then, they didn’t serialize everything to the vehicle the way the Americans did. So doesn’t it make it harder to track down what part belonged to which car and all that?

Lee Raskin: Yes and no. Trailing arms, yes. Transmission, no. Because on the Kardex, we know the transmission number of the 550.

Troy McHenry didn’t have it on his car. After he died, they disposed of the car. It went one direction, the other parts went another. A racer by the name of Al Qadrobi, and also a good mechanic, Got hold of the transmission, opened it up, fixed the fourth gear that was [01:10:00] stuck. See, that’s another thing. That transmission wasn’t gonna work in anybody’s car until it got fixed.

It was stuck by the accident. Kodroby fixed it, kept it for a while, didn’t use it. It was sold to a person by the name of Ned McHedry, a Porsche guy near San Francisco, who then sold it to another Porsche phile by the name of Jim Barrington, who lived in Piedmont, just north of Berkeley. Barrington never used it, and when I was writing about James Dean in the 80s, Barrington got hold of me and said, I got something of interest for you.

He sends me this photo of the transmission resting on some old tires under his front porch.

Crew Chief Eric: No, not Porsche,

Lee Raskin: but porch, his front porch. Up close, he took a photo of the serial number, which matched my cardex. Jim Barrington owned James Dean’s transmission. And he had three disassembled 550s that were for sale.

He sent me a copy. If I had had a spare 14, [01:11:00] 000, I could have bought one. I just bought a Speedster for 6, 000 and that was all I could afford. He had three disassembled cars. One car was 550 029. Didn’t mean anything to me then. It wasn’t until decades later that I realized it was Troy McHenry’s car.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh wow.

Lee Raskin: Troy McHenry’s car he had all cobbled up. So what goes around comes around. It’s really amazing. Okay. Troy McHenry dies, didn’t die because of James Dean’s parts. A lot of people say, well, he was cursed, he died. No, what happened was he was in a hurry, had taken all these parts. He was fiberglassing the car.

He had an accident before. He needed to have a new Volkswagen steering arm put in, and he was putting it in right before the race. In a Porsche, 356 Porsche, you have two halves with a coupler and four bolts that holds the coupler together for steering. Original was a Volkswagen part, then it became a Pitman part.

This was pre Pitman. [01:12:00] He was putting it together. He put the four bolts in, but what did he forget to put on? The four nuts. On lap two, he’s in third place, Eskridge is in front of him and Richie Ginther driving by Newman’s car is in first. I have actual footage of this. He’s coming along and what I didn’t know was he’s waving furiously at his pit crew that something’s wrong and he’s pointing, but nobody knows what’s going wrong.

Well, about 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds later, he lost his steering and he drove directly into a tree. and killed himself. How do I know this? I interviewed a guy by the name of Al Moss, who was already in his 80s. He’s the one that created Moss Motors, the famous aftermarket British parts in California.

Moss was on the supervisory team or the judging team. I guess it was the, um, like a commission. If you did something wrong, you had to, you had to meet with them. The bottom line is he inspected the car, he saw the [01:13:00] nuts and the bolts were missing. The two halves weren’t even joined when he saw it because they completely fallen apart.

How freaky is that? Somebody was in so much of a hurry. I once forgot to tighten my lug nuts and I’m driving down the road about one block and I realized either I have a flat tire or my right wheel’s gonna come off. We’ve all made mistakes like that. He made a fatal mistake. That part of the curse, I’ve dismissed.

He wasn’t killed because of James Dean at all. A lot of people would like to say it was. So, George Barris has this carcass. He said that he’s going to rebuild it, but that was a herculean task. He could never do that. So what he did was he cut off all the cobbled mess, the crumbled mess, and he took sheet metal and he welded it on and Dean Jeffries told me that he saw Some of George Barris’s men with two by fours smacking the aluminum to simulate the closest thing to an accident.

So if you look at photos of the car that really crashed, and then the cars that went on display with the [01:14:00] National Safety Council, they’re not even related. So George Barris is making money doing this. George Barris also makes money by sending his Hot Rods on a tour. He had a circus tour of cars. In 1960, in Baltimore, I went to the Baltimore Auto Show.

Crew Chief Eric: Okay. And what

Lee Raskin: did I see? The little bastard over in the corner, and nobody was paying any attention to it. They all wanted to see the Fords and the Chevy Dragsters, the 406 in all the Hot Rods. Nobody cared about James Dean’s car anymore. Nobody knew what it was. It was traveled around. It was on a dolly.

It was on a skid. You know, it couldn’t even roll it. And it went from show to show to show. So I’ve got all these advertisements through the fifties photos. In my book, I’ve shown the chronology of how this car was displayed. And then you can see things coming off the car. It has tires. It doesn’t have tires.

It’s got a front end. Doesn’t have a front end. It completely changed it around. The things were missing. [01:15:00] After a while, it was just a piece of junk and nobody wanted to see it. My speculation, Eric, is that the music culture of the 60s brought on the demise of this car. Why? Well, it was being advertised as speed kills.

You speed, you die. Here’s James Dean’s last sports car. That’s how it was advertised. By 1960, the Beach Boys and the Hondels and Jan and Dean were saying, no, faster, faster, faster. The music culture took over, dragsters took over, and James Dean wasn’t important anymore. And going into the 70s, I can’t picture James Dean wearing a flowered shirt and bell bottom pants.

Crew Chief Eric: Which actually brings up a really great question that I’ve been thinking about the entire time. Had James Dean not selected a Porsche, had he selected, let’s say a Corvette, right? Because the C1 Corvette came in early 1953, late 1952. Would Chevy have benefited the same way Porsche did? Would it have made the same [01:16:00] impact?

Obviously it changes the whole equation about the accident and all of it, but would it have painted a different picture? Would he be the James Dean that we know of if he was driving a Corvette or does the Porsche just really fit his story more than anything else?

Lee Raskin: Without the Porsche, we don’t have a story.

I’ve said this a long time ago. If the Porsche had been on the trailer, we wouldn’t have a story. Two Fords would have come together, and James Dean might not have been killed. Here’s the interesting thing. 1955, Corvette had been out for What two years, 53, 54, 55, I don’t recall actually seeing a Corvette racing until the later 50s.

I know that they did race. I know they raced at Sebring. The Corvette didn’t handle very well. The brakes were insufficient, the tires were insufficient, the suspension. In all the programs that I have from California at the time James Dean raced, I never saw a Corvette listed in the program. So let’s put that aside.

If James Dean had been driving something other than a [01:17:00] Porsche, he might have been driving an Austin Healey or a Triumph. Most of the current generation has no clue what an Austin Healey and a Triumph are. Here’s the thing. He was killed in a Porsche. Porsche! came down on John von Neumann. They would have liked to cut his head off.

They were so humiliated and embarrassed that he sold a car and someone was killed in it. Nine days later, recklessly, they wouldn’t talk to John von Neumann. They were so angry at him and Portia didn’t mention his name. Ever until the Boxster came along in 1993, created in 19, actually 1989, 1993. It was shown at the Detroit car show auto show and went into production in 1997.

And when they finally mentioned James Dean and they came out with a anniversary special, but it wasn’t painted silver with a red interior, the prototype was. But the anniversary special, they made 1, [01:18:00] 954 of them. That was the first year of the spider. That’s when they started to compare the spider to the Boxster.

Boxster saved them from going bankrupt. It’s the first time they mentioned James Dean. I have the ad. I have the ad that they came out with. They really didn’t mention it until 1997. They were humiliated. There wasn’t any mention of James Dean in the museum. And when they didn’t mention him, they had Donald Turnipsey driving a Studebaker.

Somebody told me that in the museum and I sent him a letter and I said, you’re way off. Porsche almost got to be a partner with Studebaker in 1953. They were going to make a sports coupe, but that fell through, but they were just so far off to answer your question. It’s the Porsche that is so important.

The Porsche that keeps this legacy going. Why? Because everybody wants to have a Porsche or a Porsche, depending on how you want to pronounce it. One syllable or two. The closest thing is to the Boxster. It’s a real roadster. It’s a two seater. It looks like a 550. [01:19:00] The generation today, they can equate the Boxster to James Dean, closer than a 356.

They don’t really talk so much about the Speedster. They don’t really know too much about it.

Crew Chief Eric: And, you know, that’s funny because I associate more with the speedster than I do with the 550. I always kind of forget about it because your point is it is so limited number. Granted, I have a 550 model here in my office amongst all my models and it sits next to a 356 speedster.

Speedster next to a 19 89, 9 11 speedster, right? Yeah. I put all three together and going back, I guess in my formative years too, looking at shows like Beverly Hills 9 0 2 1 oh, where they painted this modern picture of James Dean in the character of Dylan driving a black speedster. My brain always goes there first, and because, look to your point, he only spent.

Less than two weeks with that 550. For me, it just never clicked that the 550 was Dean’s car, except for that was the car that he was killed in.

Lee Raskin: I always thought that the fame, the legacy came from the [01:20:00] speedster. And what I’m about to tell you, and you’re one of the first to hear this, is that James Dean Speedster went missing for five decades.

Crew Chief Eric: Really?

Lee Raskin: Yeah, I’ve written about it in my book. Lou Bracker, his best friend, traded his normal in for James Dean Speedster, raced it a few times, and then it was sold to someone in Hollywood, around the Hollywood area. He took it to Portland, Oregon, traded it. They didn’t believe that it was James Dean Speedster.

They called the California Motor Vehicles and they said, Here’s the number. Can you verify this? MVA sent Union Porsche in Portland a telegram that said first owner James Byron Dean, second owner Lou Bracker, third owner is this man named Jenner, and then Jenner traded the car. Now the car has been, it’s a race car now, no bumpers, no top, you know, got a roll bar and it went through several other individuals and then it [01:21:00] was.

Parked in somebody’s backyard in Portland, Oregon with a tarp over it for about 20 years. Now, when they lifted the tarp, you know what they saw? Moss. A mess. Yeah. It was rusted. It was rusted in half and it was sold and it went to the UK. It’s just a mess. Nobody could make this a car again. It was sold to someone in France who had it for about 10 years.

And he finally sold to someone in Eastern Europe who collected pre A cars, but it never owned a speedster. And he bought it as a parts car. And then one day, three years ago, his girlfriend gave him a book called James Dean at Speed by Lee Raskin, which had the VIN number in it, 80126. And he said, my God, my God, I own this car.

The car is in Eastern Europe. It’s been restored. It’s about to make its debut. There are some legal problems in the registration because someone decided to make a bogus speedster with a fake VIN pin. So there’s two [01:22:00] VINs with the same number. I’ve spent the last two years working with. This person working with France, working with Italy.

It’s a long story. It’s going to be in my new book, but James Dean Speedster is alive and well. It’s going to make a debut pretty soon.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s awesome. And you know, that’s actually a great segue to talk more about your research, where you’ll be appearing, you know, other shows, podcasts, books that you’ve written.

So let’s expand upon that for a moment before we get into our closing thoughts.

Lee Raskin: I was encouraged after writing articles, other people were writing books, they were paying me for, you know, my content, my archives, you know, some of my friends said, you know, Lee, you can do the book, you know, you’re much better than these people, you know, and I did, I wrote the book, I went to David Bull, who was a great publisher, and we worked together, and we came out with James Dean at Speed in 2005, prior to that, I had worked with Chuck Stoddard, Jim Perrin, Don Singh, Steve Heinrich, we put together a wonderful book called Porsche [01:23:00] Speedster Type 540 Quintessential Sports Car.

That book today, if you go on eBay, the top end, you might find it for 2, 000. Maybe you can buy it for 350. Very rare book. It is the epitome of what went into the Speedster. Got all the great stuff from Dr. Porsche. Ferry Porsche, Max Huffman’s got a lot of original archival detail. I wrote about the celebrities, James Dean, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Richard Boone, Paladin, he had a Porsche, a few other people.

So, but others wrote about how the Speedster was created. From there, that was my springboard. Uh, I wrote about James Dean at speed. I ended it at the accident on September 30th. I always knew that I wanted to do something else. 10 years later for the 60th anniversary, I did James Dean on the road to Salinas.

And I really got into heavy detail about the ownership and the accident, the inquest, the miss facts versus fiction. It’s full of [01:24:00] attribution. It’s really good stuff. And now 10 years later. I decided to do James Dean and the 356 Speedster because I knew the Speedster was out there. So we cover a lot of what I’ve written about before, but we cover the restoration of this car, finding the car.

Porsche has never given up on Speedster. I mean, they, they’ve made five new variants since the 55 Speedster, you know, all of a sudden in 59, they decided, you know what, we’re not going to make the Speedster anymore. They made the convertible D because people complaining. Not enough creature comforts, they put roll up windows, a nice convertible top, but the Speedster, or that body, stopped in 1959.

When I bought my Speedster, nobody really cared too much about it. It was a stripped down car, a lot of them were raced. I bought mine for 5, 000. A friend of mine’s father passed away. He’s got it on, bring a trailer today. The last I looked at it, it was 190, 000. Probably going to sell for 250. Car that I bought for 6, 000 is worth 250, [01:25:00] 000.

Imagine that. Crazy, isn’t it? Insane. Insane. Crazy. You may have seen my speedster. I showed it, you know, in Porsche club for years and years and years and took been best in show. And then someone came along with a good friend of mine had a little nicer speedster and, you know, I started finishing second, but.

I had this car for 35 years, a wonderful car. I rarely drove it. It only had 4, 000 miles and with my hands on the steering wheel, just didn’t drive it very much. I was afraid to drive it.

Crew Chief Eric: In addition to the books, you’ve been recently on a bunch of podcasts and you’ve been on the History Channel. Do you want to talk about those as well, where people can find more parts of this story and other places you’ve been quote unquote published?

Lee Raskin: I always wanted to put this James Dean thing down, but it’s impossible. Every day, there’s something on the net or I get phone calls or I get an email. I love doing the podcast. Like I get to tell the story I’ve done like three or four of them. They get better and better and better. Next week, I’ll be going to New York to be interviewed.

Just like you’re interviewing me [01:26:00] about the curse. It’s going to be for William Shatner’s. episode series called the unexplained and by the history channel. It’s exciting. I’m very excited about it. I’ve done a lot of TV documentaries. Each one believes that it’s going to be the best ever. Some of them are better than others.

I decided it’s about the budget. It’s about how much money you have. and who you can interview and where you can interview. There are new facts that I have that I haven’t shared yet. They’ll be in my coming book. There’s always something that pops up. I just saw something the other day. Somebody sent me an email.

I’m not going to mention a name, but he’s published books about restoration of Porsches. And he got an email from someone in Germany that has a steering wheel who says Rolf Wutterich, the mechanic, gave his father this steering wheel. It’s a Spyder steering wheel. It’s fairly rare, probably worth about 10 grand.

But that just popped up and all these things just pop up. There’s always somebody, you know, James Dean’s [01:27:00] glasses have never been found. These are his glasses. I’m wearing his glasses. These are his frames. They’ve been duplicated. I wear them. I don’t think I’m James Dean when I put them on or take them off, but his glasses were obliterated in the accident.

So every time I’m at the accident site, I’m sort of pawing the ground, looking for the glasses. They’re out there somewhere. Well, he had a pair of racing goggles that I have photos of that. over his glasses at Palm Springs. I spoke to his friend Lou Bracker that said they both bought them. They came with three interchangeable lenses.

One was real dark, one was amber, and one was clear. At the accident site, one of the witnesses saw the glasses on the ground, made mention of it in his testimony. About two years ago, I was contacted by someone at Blackwell’s Corner, the person that owns it, saying that this woman came in saying that her mother was at the accident site, picked up a hubcap that belonged to the Porsche, which is not true [01:28:00] because the Porsche didn’t have a hubcap.

Right. The Ford did. And her husband said, don’t touch that. It’s an accident scene. She picked up the goggles and she put them in her pocketbook and took them home. and kept them and died. She told her daughter they’re James Dean’s goggles, racing goggles. The daughter sold them to the owner of Blackwell’s Corner and they’re on display there.

I haven’t been offered, but at some point I’m going to ask the owner if he’ll let me. Try them on. Now, I am not afraid of any curse. I’m not afraid that when I put those goggles over my eyes, that I’m going to die. I might even see better. I don’t know. But isn’t that amazing? Two years ago, three years ago, these goggles pop up 60 years later after his death.

So there’s always something that happens and there’s always something to write about. That’s the most amazing thing. Somebody is always coming to me. I can’t give it up. Here’s the most amazing thing, is that we’re probably in the midst now of trying to make [01:29:00] a film using a CGI character of James Dean, a James Dean duo, to create him digitally.

I would be used as the consultant for his mannerisms. Oh, that’s cool. And I’ve been involved in the script. It can go two ways. It can be James Dean revisiting who he was, or it can be about James Dean, the artistic genius that I believe that he is, and be a completely new venture. And it would be good for this generation to see that this person that was compassionate.

He was artistic, could have been, you know, somebody really important down the road. And that’s what I would like to see in a film. So there’s a lot going on right now.

Crew Chief Eric: Let’s close out with one thought. And it’s, I think it’s an overarching thought on this entire story. In the end, it’s really important that we highlight The most important aspect of the James Dean story, which is safety.

A lot of engineering and thought has gone into vehicle design since 1955, keeping [01:30:00] drivers and passengers as safe as possible on the roads. There’s also been a lot of advocates for this, both on the commercial side from folks like Lee Iacocca, on the racing side from folks like Sir Jackie Stewart, pushing the boundaries to make racing and driving safer.

Even more research has gone into racing cars right into motorsport. A lot of people don’t realize that what happens in the motorsports world does trickle its way down into passenger cars. It takes several years to get there, but those advancements in racing have helped to keep other folks up to their old age and continue to be these heroes rather than dying because of faulty equipment or reckless.

Dangerment or whatever it might be. So I just want to remind people that safety is paramount. We talk about racing and how glamorous it is. And on this show, episode after episode, the overarching thing is that there’s positives to even tragic stories like James Dean’s.

Lee Raskin: I think it’s a significant point.

Something that I’ve. thought about. I see a lot of commentary. Someone will write a story, you [01:31:00] know, it could be Esquire, could be just some kind of motorsport rag, shows up on, um, you know, on the internet. And then you have 200 comments. The comments go from thoughtful to the absurd. The thoughtful ones are usually from individuals that know a little bit about James Dean and what happened.

The absurd are from individuals that speculate or just talk about hearsay. The safety aspect, I hear a lot. Well, he could have survived if he had been wearing his seatbelt, if he hadn’t been driving so fast. Those ifs exist in just about every incident. Where I live in Maryland and most other states, the seatbelt is mandatory.

You get fined if you don’t have a seatbelt on. I’ve raced for 25 years with a six point belt, with a Snell helmet that had to be replaced every five or six years, and belts as well. You don’t replace them, you don’t get to race with Nomex clothing and shoes and socks. And when it’s 90 degrees out, I don’t [01:32:00] mind telling you, and you probably know it’s uncomfortable.

That’s

Crew Chief Eric: for sure.

Lee Raskin: I’ve been involved in a couple of incidents. Fortunately, they were my own incidents. You know, spinning out, going down a track backwards into an Armco. Not a lot of fun. I was never injured or hurt or anything. Car was damaged. That’s spirit of racing. But I’ve also seen fatalities. In amateur racing at summit point at Sebring, uh, you know, have I been upside down in a car?

Yes, once, but I would never ever think about racing without the right equipment because I know what the dangers are. 1955 versus 2022. We’ve come a long way. We wear seatbelts, we have airbags, we have additional structure in our door panels, energy absorbing parts, we have better brakes, electronics that warn you of faults, tire pressure, brakes, whatever.

A lot of this has been developed for racing, as you say, and it does trickle down and it’s expensive. So it has to be [01:33:00] incorporated into a car. And that’s why cars are selling on an average of 40, 000 to 50, 000 a piece because of the expense. When I interviewed some of the racers from James Dean’s era that raced SCCA, They told me that there were deaths all the time.

Why? Before 1961, there were no roll bars, and when they had roll bars, they were square roll bars. They weren’t roll bars, but you had to have something there. Now the roll bar’s got to be inspected, it’s got to be up to spec, it’s got to be spec’d. I would never cheat on safety. If this is what I had to wear, this is what I had to wear.

90 degrees and I was sweating, and I had a mustache and I had to wear a balaclava, well, that’s the way it is. Cut your mustache off and it’s one less thing you wear. Why? Well, because it’s gonna save you if there’s a fire. I had a fire bottle and pressed the button and hopefully it worked. Fuel cell? Of course.

Riders like to say, oh, James Dean died in a fiery crash. No fire. Did he have a full tank of gas? No. He did not gas up [01:34:00] at Blackwell’s Corner. There’s a reason for it. He gassed up at the Mobil station on Ventura Boulevard. He got free gas. Mobil gave away free gas. If you wore their Pegasus, and James Dean wore it proudly, Mobil gave away free gas at the races.

So you gassed up when you got there, and before you left, you gassed up. So James Dean had probably less than an eighth of a tank of gas when the car crashed. Probably was a savior for him of not having a fire. The gas tank didn’t rupture, but he had very little gas in there. So if he had a full tank of gas, it may have come out and exploded.

Anyway, we don’t know about that. But that’s another reason why we race with fuel cells, because gasoline has killed more drivers. Fires have killed more drivers, you know, in the 40s Famous drivers. I see a lot of conjecture about what if, what if Porsche has capitalized on James Dean’s accident and the accidents of hundreds of other racers.

They’ve made [01:35:00] safer cars. If you have a fiberglass car, you know, whether it’s a Corvette or a Lotus. You may have a problem. You don’t have the integrity and I’ve seen these cars come apart in races, you know, all that’s left is the frame. So yeah, I think there are more injuries, you know, that can happen in a fiberglass car, but I think racing in general has improved look at NASCAR.

I mean, it’s all structural. It’s just a facade around the, you know, a steel structure. It’s as safe as you can get. Dale Earnhardt’s death, freak accident. He wasn’t going that fast. He just, you know, he just hit it head on. It was just a trauma. And there may have been some problems with the seatbelt. You know, there was some speculation on that.

But as a result,

Crew Chief Eric: we all wear Hans devices or equivalents now because of that. That was, yeah, I forgot about the Hans device.

Lee Raskin: That’s something that’s not a comfortable thing to wear. Oh, jeez. Tell me about it. And look at the expense. See, a lot of people look at the expense. Look at this expense. They’ve got to buy a new, you know how many helmets I have?

I’m sure you do too. I have a big collection of helmets. You’re barely worn,

Crew Chief Eric: but they’re worth every penny though. At the end of [01:36:00] the day,

Lee Raskin: you are my first helmet is actually like a Steve McQueen bell helmet, the exact same helmet, you know, with the little visor. The funny thing is it’s all friable.

Everything inside is just all junk, you know, it didn’t hold up. Whether it’s the humidity or condensation, I don’t know, but that’s the life of a helmet. And then I would see some drivers that would get pissed off and they would throw their helmet down. And you know what? Probably cracked and they were still going to wear it, you know, the next race.

That wasn’t a good thing to do. Yeah, safety is really important. And I think Porsche has really capitalized and other manufacturers have capitalized. And we don’t really appreciate that for a reason, because we don’t think anything’s ever going to happen to us. We don’t think our car is going to have a flat tire and roll over.

But it does happen if you go in 85 or 90 miles an hour and you have a blowout. It’s hard to control.

Crew Chief Eric: And that can happen on the street as well as on the racetrack. So anything can happen.

Lee Raskin: I’ve seen this ad. James Dean would have lived if he was driving a new Porsche. Something, something similar, silly and similar to that.

I’ve [01:37:00] seen that on the internet. Well, that’s pure bunk. There’s no comparison. It’s apples and oranges.

Crew Chief Eric: If you think about it, he was driving the newest Porsche of the time. That was the cutting edge car at that moment. It makes no sense. It’s complete bunk.

Lee Raskin: Getting down to the accident, and I’ve said this over and over again, and I actually borrowed this from Jim Barrington.

The accident at the Shillam Junction between two individuals. They were in a hurry to go somewhere was an unguarded moment.

Crew Chief Eric: Just to wrap that whole thought up there before we close out. I mentioned earlier, you know, with James Dean, his life been different. Had he chosen a Corvette or chosen, like you said, an Austin or a Lotus or something else, right?

I would have changed probably the whole course of what we’re talking about, but. In the case of the accident, if you replace the five 50 with a 3 56 like a coop or even his speedster, I know that they couldn’t go as fast as the five 50. They were heavier. But would the outcome of the accident been any different had he been in his speedster versus [01:38:00] the five 50?

I know it’s total conjecture, total speculation, but just your thoughts on that.

Lee Raskin: Well, I think the structure of the 3 56 would’ve been, uh, more of a preventive vehicle in terms of being hurt ’cause it had structure. Look, the Porsche was only 39 inches high and I have a nice photo of the replica Porsche next to the Ford Custom, 39 inches high and the Ford’s twice as tall.

What was, how

Crew Chief Eric: tall was the 356 in comparison to the 550?

Lee Raskin: 356 is about five feet high. Speedster would be, um, probably about 45 inches high. You know, the speedster didn’t have a lot of protection either. The doors were very light. The 356 scoop had the structure because it, you know, had a top and a frame, the door frame and the door was heavier.

I think that what we’re really talking about, we’re talking about the Ford, which was really a tank.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, exactly.

Lee Raskin: And so whatever ran against it, you know, there could be some damage, but. It goes to show you Donald Turnipsey wasn’t hurt. He had a bruised [01:39:00] nose. His head hit the windshield. His nose hit the steering wheel.

Pretty well protected. But James Dean had no protection. Whether it was James Dean or Joe Blow, there probably would have been a serious injury, if not a fatality. Here’s what I’d like to address. James Dean was 24. If this hadn’t happened, if James Dean had zagged rather than zigged, in other words, James Dean went to the right is an instinct because he saw more roadway.

You know, he thought he could get by, but he lost it. The car came around. If he had gone to the left, he probably would have missed Donald Terpsey, but he may have run into the car that was behind Donald Terpsey head on. Who knows? It’s a millisecond. I think about this all the time. What did Donald Turnipseed see?

He saw a car coming. He had no idea that the car was moving at 85 or 90 miles an hour. The average person couldn’t comprehend that. A small sports car like that, they’d never seen that before. I’ve been in accidents before. How do they happen? Boom. You’re lucky if you see it happening. Most people don’t. It just happens.

I see these videos [01:40:00] on, um, you know, my phone all the time. Accidents where they have a camera in the car and truckers and all these crazy accidents and you hope it doesn’t happen to you. You hope that you’re not there. They’re really terrible. Most of them are in Europe, but I see them here too. What I’d like to talk about is that if James Dean had lived, if there hadn’t been an accident, he had raced and he got through that.

I think that James Dean may have had an accident somewhere else a different time. I think that James Dean was driving over his head. in a car that he really didn’t have any knowledge of. He needed more seat time in that car. Most of the drivers say that that car was over his head. He wasn’t ready for it.

Crew Chief Eric: And I think that’s part of the moral of the story. That was a point I was going to drive home, that safety is always paramount, but we talk about it several times on this show and various. different guises and episodes where the number one mod you should make to any car is actually seat time before you do anything else.

Learn to drive that car before you modify it or before whatever, because [01:41:00] you never want to have a car be beyond your limit and you need to grow into those vehicles. But again, this car was new to him. He was only nine days into it. And Come to think of how many other mid engine vehicles there were out there.

He was a bit of a pioneer. There weren’t too many that were, you know, road legal that were just out there and about. So it was all new territory, but unfortunately he was taken away too soon and it makes it a sad and tragic story. So, you know, as we’re talking about this. And closing out, who knows what his racing career could have been like.

Had he made it to that race in Salinas the next day, would he have won? Would he have given up on acting altogether and jumped head first into racing for the rest of his career? Who knows? Many other actors have flirted with racing names like Steve McQueen. You mentioned Patrick Densi, Michael Fassbender, Paul Newman, which we talked about just to name a few.

Allegedly James Dean’s dream was to compete in the Indy 500. Had the crash not happened, maybe we wouldn’t be speaking about James Dean, the actor, but [01:42:00] rather James Dean, the Indy 500 winner. Unfortunately, we’ll never know. All we do know is that a young and talented life was taken from us way too soon, and the motorsports history books are at a loss without them.

Or are they? Because Lee has been filling in the gaps.

Lee Raskin: I agree with you. And I’ve written about this just recently. Unfortunately, the James Dean story usually ends with his tragic death. I see James Dean as an artistic genius. I think that he was, he was interested in photography, directing. I think that he was a superb actor.

He really understood the method acting. And I think that he was well ahead of his time in terms of racing. I would have hoped that, you know, he would have been successful with the 550. Perhaps he would have realized that Salinas, that he wasn’t going to be a winner, that he needed more time to be more patient.

I would have hoped that that would have happened. It didn’t happen. The one thing that I’ve come away with recently is that [01:43:00] James Dean as an actor slash racer was really the first celebrity for Porsche. To have won, to been on the podium, back to back races, despite what a lot of people thought would be grandstanding or for publicity, he was the real deal.

And he really did promote, despite his death in a Porsche, he really has promoted The spirit and the legacy of Porsche’s racing by what he accomplished in the months of March through May of 1955, he was a pioneer and he was successful at it and you can’t take that away. And that’s something that I’d like to promote a little bit more, especially now, since we have found his speedster and hopefully we can bring that car over from Europe and we can bring it to, you know, Amelia Island or some Porsche events.

And people can actually see what the car was like and put back. It’s completely authentic. Now, I wouldn’t say that it’s a monument, but [01:44:00] it’s certainly a tribute to James Dean, what he accomplished. And I would hope that Porsche, you know, we’ll finally recognize that. And get on board where, where I’m headed.

I hope that they will.

Crew Chief Eric: So Lee, I can’t thank you enough for coming on the show. This has been fantastic. This has been an education and this is yet another story in the corners and the depths of motorsport where it ties us all together. It brings us together and it gets us thinking, right? And this is why we enjoy doing these types of episodes with folks like yourself to remind us that there’s more than just turning laps when we talk about the motorsports world.

So thank you.

Lee Raskin: I want to thank you. It’s good seeing you again and I want to thank you for your energy and your energy brought out, you know, my enthusiasm. I love talking about this. I think that there’s a generation out there that would love to know more about James Dean and you’re bringing it to them and I commend you on that.

Crew Chief Eric: So again, Lee, thank you so much for coming on the show. This has been absolutely fantastic. And maybe we’ll follow [01:45:00] up with you soon to see where this story progresses, because as you said, it never seems to end. So no, it won’t,

Lee Raskin: it won’t end. It’s going to, it’s going to go. I’ve always said, James Dean lives on.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s right, listeners. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our Patreon for a follow on Pitstop Minisoad. So check that out on www. patreon. com forward slash GT Motorsports and get access to all sorts of behind the scenes content from this episode and more.

Crew Chief Brad: If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about GTM, be sure to check us out on www.

gtmotorsports. org. You can also find us on Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, you can call or text us at 202 630 1770 or send us an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports. org. We’d love to hear from you. [01:46:00]

Crew Chief Eric: Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of BreakFix, and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge.

As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies, and GTM swag. For as little as 2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of fig Newtons, gummy bears, and monster.

Consider signing up for Patreon today at www. patreon. com forward slash GT motorsports, and remember without fans, supporters, and members like you. None of this would be [01:47:00] possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Introduction to Grand Touring Motorsports
  • 00:39 Remembering James Dean
  • 01:15 Lee Raskin’s Early Motorsports Journey
  • 04:14 James Dean’s Early Life and Acting Career
  • 11:34 James Dean’s Racing Career Begins
  • 23:08 The Story Behind James Dean’s Porsche 550
  • 34:04 James Dean’s Legacy and Influence
  • 41:27 A Memorable Encounter with Paul Newman
  • 41:44 James Dean’s Passion for Racing
  • 42:56 The Tragic Crash of James Dean
  • 44:12 Analyzing the Crash
  • 46:16 The Aftermath and Speculations
  • 01:03:52 The Curse of James Dean’s Porsche
  • 01:14:34 The Evolution of James Dean’s Porsche
  • 01:15:03 The Impact of 1960s Music Culture
  • 01:15:44 Speculations on James Dean’s Car Choice
  • 01:17:08 Porsche’s Reaction to James Dean’s Death
  • 01:20:00 The Rediscovery of James Dean’s Speedster
  • 01:22:15 Lee Raskin’s Research and Publications
  • 01:29:46 The Importance of Safety in Motorsports
  • 01:42:56 James Dean’s Legacy in Racing and Acting
  • 01:44:10 Closing Thoughts and Future Prospects

Bonus Content

There’s more to this story…

Some stories are just too good for the main episode… Check out this Behind the Scenes Pit Stop Minisode! Available exclusively on our Patreon.

Learn More

To learn more about James Dean, or talk to Lee follow him on instagram @leeraskin or check out his books available today on Amazon. And for more information on “The Curse” check out Crew Chief Brad’s write-up.

Dean’s motorsports journey began on two wheels with a Whizzer motorbike and later a 125cc CZ. In New York, he befriended a young Steve McQueen over shared motorcycle woes. But it was in California, flush with earnings from East of Eden, that Dean bought his first sports car: an MG TD. He quickly traded up for a 1955 Porsche 356 Super Speedster.

Dean wasn’t just a weekend warrior. He raced at Palm Springs, Bakersfield, and Santa Barbara, often placing on the podium. His passion was real, and his talent undeniable. But Hollywood wasn’t thrilled. Warner Bros. feared injury would derail their rising star.

  • James Dean Porsche 550 Spyder Last Photo Color
    Photos courtesy of Lee Raskin
  • James Dean Porsche 550 Spyder Last Photo Color
  • James Dean Porsche 550 Spyder
  • James Dean speeding ticket Porsche 550 Spyder
  • James Dean crash scene
  • James Dean crash scene
  • James Dean crash scene
  • James Dean Porsche 550 Spyder
  • James Dean crash scene

The 550 Spyder and the “Little Bastard”

Dean’s hunger for speed led him to trade his Speedster for a Porsche 550 Spyder (above) – chassis 550-055. Lightweight, mid-engined, and powered by the legendary four-cam Furman engine, it was a serious race car. He named it “Little Bastard,” a cheeky nod to a Warner Bros. executive who once tried to evict him from his trailer.

Contrary to myth, the nickname wasn’t painted by George Barris but by Dean Jeffries, a customizer who followed Dean’s own sketch. The car’s red tail stripes hinted at its original purpose: a factory endurance racer that never made it to Le Mans.


A Compressed Legacy

Dean’s racing career was brief – just three races in the Speedster and one planned in the 550. But in that short time, he became the first Hollywood actor to take racing seriously. He wasn’t posing for photos; he was chasing podiums.

On September 30, 1955, en route to Salinas for what would have been his fourth race, James Dean was killed in a collision (below). He was 24. In that moment, the legend was born.

Photo courtesy Lee Raskin

For Lee Raskin, James Dean wasn’t just a movie star or a tragic figure. He was a kindred spirit—a fellow petrolhead who lived fast, loved Porsches, and left a legacy that still echoes in the paddocks and pages of motorsports history.

As Lee reminds us, sometimes it all starts with a poster on the wall. Or in his case, a photo in his sister’s shrine.


Other Recommended Reads

Reading List

Don't miss out on great book like this one, or other titles we've read and covered as part of the GTM Bookclub on Break/Fix Podcast.
My Travels On Racer Road: Can-Am and Formula 1 in their golden age
DeLorean: The Rise, Fall and Second Acts of the DeLorean Motor Company
A French Kiss with Death
Driving to the Future: Living life following Formula One racing
Tales From the Garage
Geared for Life: Making the Shift Into Your Full Potential
Ultimate Garages
Fenders, Fins & Friends: Confessions of a Car Guy
Racing While Black: How an African-American Stock Car Team Made Its Mark on NASCAR
The Last Lap: The Mysterious Demise of Pete Kreis at The Indianapolis 500
James Dean: On The Road To Salinas
Performance Thinking: Mental Skills for the Competitive World...and for Life!
The Other Side of the Fence: Six Decades of Motorsport Photography
Racing with Rich Energy
Little Anton: A Historical Novel Complete Series
Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World
Iacocca: An Autobiography
Colin Chapman: The Man and His Cars: The Authorized Biography by Gerard Crombac
Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World
Shipwrecked and Rescued: Cars and Crew: The


Gran Touring Motorsports's favorite books »

Goodreads

Gran Touring's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book lists (read shelf)

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From Scrap to Sculpture: The Epic Journey of Barbie the Welder

In the world of metal art, few stories shine as brightly – and burn as fiercely – as that of Barbara Parsons, better known as Barbie the Welder. From humble beginnings in upstate New York to live welding exhibitions at SEMA and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Barbie’s journey is a testament to grit, passion, and the transformative power of art.

Barbie the Welder on Break/Fix Podcast
Photo courtesy Barbie the Welder

Barbie’s path began in auto mechanics, a field she pursued through vocational school and college. But the industry’s sexism proved too toxic, and after seven years, she walked away. She found herself hauling scrap metal and selling parts on eBay – working seven days a week for barely enough to survive.

Then came a moment of cinematic inspiration. While watching Castaway, Barbie was captivated by a brief scene of a woman welding angel wings in a barn. Sparks flew—literally and metaphorically – and Barbie knew, without a doubt, that she was meant to be a metal sculptor. She hadn’t welded before, hadn’t used cutting torches, and didn’t consider herself artistic. But the fire was lit.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Listen on Apple
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Determined to follow her calling, Barbie saved for nine months to afford a 104-hour night course at BOCES in Elmira, NY. Supporting a family of five on $10,000 a year, she relied on food stamps and subsidized housing. Her welding instructor, Jim Ostrom, became a pivotal mentor, encouraging her hands-on learning style and helping her land a job at Cameron Manufacturing and Design.

Barbie spent five years at the custom fab shop, absorbing everything she could from master fabricators. But she never lost sight of her goal: to become a full-time artist. She bought a garage with a house attached, saved for equipment, and began sculpting after hours – reverse-engineering horseshoe and silverware art she found online.

Spotlight

Notes

This episode features “Barbie the Welder,” who shares her story of transitioning from an auto mechanic dealing with sexism to becoming a renowned self-taught metal sculptor and welding artist. Barbie describes her journey beginning from a small town outside Watkins Glen, New York. She recounts the pivotal moment that inspired her to take up welding, driven by a scene from the movie Castaway. Despite financial constraints and lacking formal artistic training, she pursued her passion by taking night courses and learning through practice. Her dedication led her to work at a custom fabrication shop and eventually become a full-time artist. Barbie discusses her breakthrough moment with viral hot dog cookers and how social media played a critical role in her success. Additionally, she shares experiences from notable commissions for Harley Davidson and Stanley Black & Decker and highlights her efforts in motivational speaking and advocacy for skilled trades. Barbie underscores the importance of showing her craft, especially to inspire other women in welding. Her story is a testament to perseverance, passion, and the transformative power of art.

  • What inspired you to get into welding?, and more importantly becoming an artisan in such a challenging craft.  
  • Did you already have a background in Art? Did you go to formal welding school? 
  • You have to source metals from all different places, many of those come from the Automotive (and Motorcycle) world; how do you look at a rotor, or a piston, wheels, whatever and say… this is going to become a statue? How does that transformation occur?
  • Many might now know that you’re also a motivational speaker with sessions like Welding & Skilled Trade Careers” – “Honor Thy Art; How To Be An Extremely Successful Artist” – “The Inspiration Blueprint; How To Design & Create An Inspired Life” 
  • How are you encouraging other young ladies (or any aspiring welders) to get into this craft? 

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors, designers, and everything in between. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that wonder. How did they get that job or become that person?

The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.

Crew Chief Eric: Creating sculptures for various corporations such as Harley Davidson and giving live exhibitions at events including the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Americaid, and SEMA, this maker came from humble beginnings starting her newfound passion 20 miles outside of Watkins Glen, New York.

And with the help of social media, she became an overnight success with her often gothic inspired self taught art and unique style of welding Barbara Parsons, better known to many of us as Barbie. The welder is tonight’s guest on break [00:01:00] fix here to tell us about her epic journey into the world of artistry and welding.

So welcome to break fix Barbie.

Barbie the Welder: Thank you. I’m so grateful to be here. Gosh, I’m going to hire you to do my intros for wherever I go. That’s amazing.

Crew Chief Eric: Thanks. Let’s get into it. What inspired you to get into welding and more importantly, becoming an artisan in such a challenging craft?

Barbie the Welder: I actually came out of high school with a background in auto mechanics.

I went to BOCES for auto mechanics. I went to college for auto mechanics. It was my first love, I dealt with a lot of sexism and at the time wasn’t able to handle it. I did the best I could handle it, but just definitely didn’t handle it. And after seven years, I left and just fell in love with it and worked for myself for a while.

Hauling scrap metal and selling stuff on eBay, which was better than working for someone else, but very low income for me, even though I was working seven days a week. Sat down with my neighbor one day to watch a movie, Castaway, starring Tom Hanks. And in the beginning of this movie, there’s this [00:02:00] woman welding these giant angel wings.

And she was in a barn welding, and it was dark, and she’s got like this just giant sculpture and there’s like sparks going everywhere. And between the wings and the sparks, like it just spoke to my soul. I cannot put it into words, but I just knew at that moment that I needed to be a metal sculptor, even though I didn’t feel like I had any artistic talent whatsoever.

Or had never welded before and never even used cutting torches, not even for mechanics, which if I had first year mechanics, I would, but I knew I need to be a sculptor. And so I spent the whole rest of the movie trying to figure out how I could make that happen.

Crew Chief Eric: So you don’t know what’s in the box either, then you thought you thought about welding the whole time.

I don’t

Barbie the Welder: know who Wilson is. I don’t know if they do get off the island. I have no freaking clue. I just literally just. I spent that whole time just, yeah, I don’t know how

Crew Chief Eric: I you didn’t already have a background in art, but did you ever dabble with pen and ink or any other, you know, medium of art where you could express yourself?

Or was it when you [00:03:00] first went into welding that you started to discover that you had natural talent in art?

Barbie the Welder: So if someone held a gun to my head before that and said, draw a picture of a dog, I would have died. Just completely, not really just, I felt like I had zero artistic talent. My mom tried to get me to do calligraphy.

I was homeschooled first through fifth grade. She tried to do calligraphy. I remember her having an art box of just like different art supplies. My water colorings were awful. Like just everything bled through the page. Like I’d try to do one and the whole book would be soaked. I mean, just like, there’s just, there was no evidence that I could be successful.

whatsoever.

Crew Chief Eric: You obviously had to go to a formal welding school, right? Not to be confused with fabricating. So what was that journey like going from, you know, working every day, hauling metal, doing those things to suddenly finding yourself back in school with a craft like welding.

Barbie the Welder: I actually took a night course for BOCES.

It was 104 hours over the course of six months. Uh, my local BOCES in Elmira, New York. It took me nine months to save up for, I was [00:04:00] making 10, 000 a year supporting a family of five and was relying on government subsidized help with my housing and with food stamps to help feed my family. It took me nine months to save up the 1, 200 for the school.

I already knew that I was in love with welding before I ever picked up a torch. And when I finally got to go into school, like the first thing they let us play with was a plasma cutter. It really was a magical experience for me, like all the way through. Like literally like the universe just opened up and said, how can I help you?

I made that decision to be a sculptor. And just one amazing thing after another just kind of happened as far as like. My teacher had never taught before in his life. He was 25 years at Jim Ostrom. Thank you, Jim. I love you so much. 25 years at the local welding supply shop where he would travel around to like the local companies and make sure they had the welding supplies you need, he would help them get that stuff for whatever reason, decided to be a teacher.

Now he did it for the one year and the one year old, like what a just amazing. He taught the way my dad did [00:05:00] where he was like, be safe. Don’t go, don’t burn your eyes. Go have fun kind of thing, which he taught way more than that. But it was like in the style of my dad, where it was like, let’s go and work hands on, he wasn’t like, let’s go read everything that basic safety stuff.

I went to work and it just was my style of learning. And so he deeply encouraged me from day one to push myself and to try this and try that. And he saw my passion. He knew what I wanted to do and really just helped really guide me into getting a job at a local custom fabrication shop. Where after six months of school, I went to work at that custom fab shop and thought I knew what I was doing and like learn more in the first 40 hours of work.

Like it’s whole different from being in school and welding a straight line or Jim would have me, he’d say, we need a rack for this material. Here’s one of the racks that we have. He’s like, make something like that that’ll hold the metal. And I went through the scrap bin and got the stuff I needed and copied it.

And he saw that I could do that. And so he pushed me to go to [00:06:00] work at the local custom fab shop. Which I didn’t want to go to work at because I dealt sexism on mechanics and thought that I would get the same thing in the welding industry.

Crew Chief Eric: Looking at your background, you were there for a short time in the fab shop.

And like I said, a lot of us like to pretend that we can weld really well, especially those straight lines on tubing and things like that. There’s some really great fabricators out there can make some really cool stuff. And especially in the car world, if you can dream it, you can make it right. But when you go to sculpting, it’s a whole different.

Scenario. You’re right up there with people that are painting and carving and marble and working in clay. It’s a whole different way of working with the metal. And we’ll talk about that and talk about your transition into that. So you’re there, you’re working at the fab shop and then suddenly you decide that’s not for you, right?

Just like it wasn’t for you in the automotive world. So you decided to quit your full time job and become an artist working out of the house. How hard was that? What was that translation like? And what was it like starting your own business?

Barbie the Welder: Oh, I didn’t know what I [00:07:00] was doing. So I actually worked at that custom fab shop for five years, learning to weld and fabricate before I left to be a full time artist, but I already knew before I took that job that I was going to quit that job to be full time as an artist, that’s a whole reason that I got started in welding to begin with.

I learned from brilliant welders and fabricators at Cameron Manufacturing and Design, that custom fab shop, and then took those skills into, I bought a garage that had a house attached to it, and I saved up again, I got the welders, and I was working part time after work for about 9 or 10 months. Starting to weld stuff, starting to weld art, and teaching myself how to weld art.

I, like, as an artist, I’m completely self taught. I was googling metal art, and I would find something that someone else had made, and I’m like, okay. I would reverse engineer, and I was simple stuff, like horseshoe art or silverware art, like very, uh, basic metal sculpture. And so I would look at it and be like, okay, like…

I can cut that horseshoe in half. And if I do that and I move it 90 [00:08:00] degrees, it’s going to make a toilet paper holder or whatever it was. I was just making any kind of stuff that I was like, that’s cool. How can I do that? And went from that to, um, learning more complicated stuff, but. Stepping away from a very deeply secure job, the best pay I’ve ever had in my entire life, the respect that I had for my co workers who are just brilliant fabricators and just that camaraderie that you have in a, like there’s a brotherhood in the trades, my family, they’re still my family.

I love these guys just deeply for what they taught me because of the, you know, the knowledge they taught me, I was able to step out and do this. It was scary as heck. I know I was walking away from insurance, my two sons, medical insurance. I was walking away from 401k and a paycheck every week. Had I known what I didn’t know, I never would have laughed as far as like, I had no idea I was running a business.

I didn’t know I was going to step up like, Oh yeah, I’m going to start an art business. I just needed to weld art. That’s all I knew and pass that like, and I never dawned on me [00:09:00] like about making money. It would just be goofy to say out loud, but it’s the truth. Like I just, I have no frigging clue about branding market sales.

I didn’t know about social media, leveraging that and, you know, and using that and like, I posted a couple of pictures on Facebook, which was the only platform I had at the time. Oh, I made this, but I was so scared to show people what I made because it was. Something I’ve been working towards for about seven years.

I think it was at that time, literally like this journey where everyone just thought it was bat crap, crazy. Like my parents thought I was silly to go into welding. My husband told me, no, I couldn’t go into welding. And then I made a defiant decision since I was the one making the money. I was like, this is what I’m going to do.

And it’s like all along the way, like people were just like that silly. But then once I. Got that job and I was welding is making money. My parents were like, Oh, my daughter’s a welder. This is awesome. She’s very secure in what she’s doing. When it was time to quit my job, I knew in my heart it was time to go.

My mom cried and my dad told me it was the worst mistake of my life to walk away from that job, which was so hard to do [00:10:00] because like it was made harder. Like I was already halfway out the door and then they start talking like this. I’m just like, am I making a mistake? And the thing is. My desire to sculpt was so great.

It was hard to go against what they were saying. Cause like they’re intelligent people and I know they want the best for me. They want that security. They want it for the boys. Just my need to sculpt was so great that it was pretty much everything else. I need to do this for me and just listen to that and went for it.

The first nine months of being full time is how, like, the first day I’m just like, oh yeah, I’m gonna crack a beer at lunch, it’s gonna be amazing, which it never happened. God, I sat in here for nine months and I made art, selling things, because I just didn’t understand, like, and I’m not a dumb person, but it just, the money never dawned on me.

I didn’t get into this to make money, I got into it to make art. Thankfully, I got into it to make art, because had I got into it to make money, You wouldn’t know who I was. I still be working back at Cameron because the money there is amazing and the benefits are even, you know, even better. I just, I [00:11:00] sat in here and I sculpted.

It was magical for a while because I was working full time in here and I’m working 16 and 18 hour days versus, you know, six hour days in here.

Crew Chief Eric: Right.

Barbie the Welder: And so I was going through supplies a lot more, and then I also wasn’t selling anything. And so the money I’d saved, I’d cashed in my 401k. I had taken a personal loan out the day before I went full time as an artist.

Like, yes, I’m gainfully employed. Figuring that, like, worst case scenario, I would use that loan to pay that loan back. But it would give me that, you know, that cushion and a little bit of savings. Through extra work and really poor decisions in a relationship, I ran through… Uh, I had a guy see me, uh, like, cashing in my money.

I had low self esteem at the time and chose a relationship with a human being who I thought loved me. And he was looking for the money, you know, my decision, he used me for my money and then kicked me to the curb. And it was a physical kick to the curb. So grateful for it because it is definitely. Made me into a stronger person.

Never would I ever come close to letting anything like that happen again, [00:12:00] but at the time it’s what I needed because that’s what I gave myself, made it harder on myself, but I’ll tell you what, man, it’s definitely coming back from all of that. And what I’ve done is it’s built me into someone that I’m so proud of today.

Hated myself in the beginning. I like hated myself most of my life. But through welding and through my journey, like I gained self esteem a little bit. And then as I grow myself as an artist and a business owner, which I know I own a business today, growing myself into someone I deeply love who I am, I respect who I am.

And that’s just complete difference. But that’s because of the art and the things we build, build us.

Crew Chief Eric: Absolutely. As you leverage social media to your advantage, I, I saw that you started going down the path of a lot of other makers, which is to leverage things like Etsy and things like that. People looking back probably want to know what was one of the first things you sold out on the open market?

Oh my gosh.

Barbie the Welder: The first thing I made was a three tier chandelier and I owned that for a year and a half. Actually, the first thing I ever made as [00:13:00] art was I was still working at that custom fab shop and I’d taken these punch outs from metal and arranged them into three daisies and I pulled stuff out of the scrap bin and I Made that for my mom and dad for Christmas.

They still own it. And I told them like, that’s going to be the most valuable one. I made another Daisy after that for myself, which I think ended up breaking because I’m tough on them. So very simple things were just like tack welded together, which is still art. And we all start there. We start with those simple things for me.

I just kept pushing myself to, you know, like, I still like on a daily basis, like push myself hard to improve myself over myself, but yeah, like the first pieces were like, I love flowers. And I welded those. I fabricated a bunch of stuff, designed and made a, basically like a hat hanger, like a jacket hanger, it’s like a shelf.

And then it had my boy’s names on it. And then it had three bolts for like, you can hang a sweatshirt or hang a purse or hang something off of it. Well, I hang my purse off of it because I still use mine every day.

Crew Chief Eric: So what was the item that [00:14:00] really took off? What really set the stage for you? And it was all downhill from there.

Yeah.

Barbie the Welder: This is a horrible question to ask me, but you want the truth that I don’t want to swear yourself. My big dick hot dog cookers.

No shit. Like once I figured out the whole selling thing, which is still taking me, like I’m still learning on a daily basis, but. What I learned is I needed to go and set up and sell at shows. Was at the beginning of like basically taking my whole, you know, my whole shop and set, you know, setting up. I was welding live.

I started like this live welding thing I was doing. I was figuring out like what stuff would sell and I would travel back home and I would hammer out a bunch of stuff real quick and then travel the next show. I was going up and down the east coast, basically sleeping in the back of my truck, you know, setting up for the weekend and then welding for three or four days during the week and travel.

It was amazing. Holy crap, it was crazy, but, and it was like selling on, on Etsy is what allowed me to reach people worldwide from my one car garage and, you know, in a very small town, [00:15:00] but, uh, it was a big dick hot dog cookers. Someone else had made one and I saw it. I’m like, that’s badass. So I made it and I made a picture of it, like out back with two hot dogs on it.

Get the picture. What it looks like. Just go Google it. My YouTube video will come out. Because of my social media following, thank you to everyone who supports me on social media, I’m so deeply grateful for you. It goes viral, and then I’m selling these things like on a regular basis to where I’m literally like, every week I’m sitting down and making like 40 sets of these things, and I’m selling the set.

I’m literally paying my truck off with these hot dog cookers, and like it’s my electric bill, I’m finally starting to feed my belly, like I’m not scared that I’d like to be shut off or I’m going to lose my house. Like it finally got to a point where I’m just like, and that’s what did it was.

Crew Chief Eric: A lot of us have probably been introduced to, you know, metal working and things like that through the popularity of shows on history channel, like forged and fire.

I know my wife and I get really excited watching that it’s night and day compared to what you’re [00:16:00] doing, right? But I’m not here to say that I have some sort of concept of how metallurgy works and, you know, tempering and all that kind of stuff. But what I find is a comparison is that understanding of sourcing metals from different places.

And on a show like Forge and Fire, it’s always like, here’s a crushed car, take it apart and turn it into a sword, you know, you’re like, okay, whatever. But in your case, you’re looking at metals from all over the place. And obviously you have the background and doing that from salvaging and scrapping and whatever, but how do you take something from the automotive world or even the motorcycle world?

You look at a rotor or a piston or a set of wheels and say, I’m going to turn this into a statue of Liberty or something like that, how do you go from raw? to production. What is that journey like for you? And where do you start?

Barbie the Welder: It’s completely a practice in the beginning. Like I said, I was looking, I was Googling metal art and I was looking at what other people were doing.

And that’s where I started was by looking at what other people were doing and copying it. And that’s where you start. And what that does is you do that enough and spend [00:17:00] enough time copying other people, you know, taking their design and maybe twisting it a little bit and making, you know, putting your unique twist on it or copying it directly.

You start with that. But what happened for me anyway is one, I’m very just, I feel like out of school, like even in school, I was able to do it. I could see something I could make it. And that’s, you know, I took that to the, to the Googles. But then after doing that enough times, it’s just starts training your brain and with practice anything gets easier.

And so then I started seeing, like I made a man out of silverware, that’s an arm, that’s a leg, that’s a head. This is really cool. Like there’s a body. But then I started having like all these like cast off pieces, like the ends of silverware because I was using one part and not the other. And I was sitting there one day and I go.

The way it’s just spread out of the table. I’m like, that’s an Indian headdress. Like that would be really cool. And so it just kind of progressed from copying other people too, because I’ve spent so much time, like if you bend the fork here at 90 degrees, you’ve got a hand and you’ve got, you know, you’ve got an arm and like, here’s the spoon is the head and [00:18:00] like the rest of it’s like the body and then you go, like just that practice of seeing it.

I was able to take that and just transition into making my own designs and one of a kind stuff that other people weren’t making. And again, it started simple. Like I said, the Indian headdress was just the ends of silverware, like they’re very ornate to begin with. And I love that. Just take them and just weld them together.

Now here’s an Indian headdress. And I saw the Indian headdress and I go, a turkey tail. And then like, okay, I can weld a turkey. And how would I make a turkey? And like, gobbler thing. And there’s this little belly, the forks or feet. And it’s just that practice. But the more you do that, your brain is literally just making these amazing connections.

You’re talking, I’ve been welding for 15 years. I’ve been full time as a sculptor for seven and a half. But when I say seven and a half years as a full time artist, it’s like, 16 and 18 hour days and it’s barely like I just started taking days off last year, like no kidding, it was no days off for a long time.

And so my art has progressed the way it has because of deep focused [00:19:00] work over a long period of time.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, it’s really incredible what you can do when you’re looking at objects just laying around. I mean, it’s pretty neat when you can abstract from that. But then there is abstract art, right? The really crazy stuff that you see.

But then. There was a transition in your art as obviously as you progress, you become a master and all these kinds of things. And for the folks that aren’t seeing this video in the behind the scenes on our Patreon, there is a pretty famous piece of work that you’ve done and it’s hanging behind you in your shop.

And that’s Davy Jones, right? Similar to the one in the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean movie. And it’s a tool holder, but that’s not made from scraps of spoons and forks and things like that you found around the shop. How do you forge something like that? Or how do you weld something like that? How did that come to be in other pieces?

Very similar to it in your portfolio.

Barbie the Welder: So I did start with the spoons and forks and horseshoe stuff, which is, I feel like an amazing like entry into metal sculpture. From there, I was doing the [00:20:00] shows and setting up and I was welding. Like I said, I was coming home and hammering out, like I was mass producing stuff because I knew what was selling.

And it was like the horseshoe stuff, like 45 is a great price range. And so I was doing that for a long time. I say a long time, time gets away from me. I was doing that for, it was a couple of years of, of doing shows like that. Social media was growing. I was teaching through YouTube. And so people were like, once I learned how to do stuff, I was going over on YouTube and teaching other people how to do it because of being self taught.

I’m like, how wonderful would it be to put that out there? Now it sure as hell didn’t start out. And they’re like, Oh yeah, let me teach people metal art and write books. And what the hell, it just doesn’t make sense. I was teaching people and I was mass producing stuff. It was feeding my belly, but it wasn’t feeding my soul.

It was literally like crushing my soul to mass produce this stuff. And I was so grateful, like so grateful, like my truck’s being paid and my house is being paid and my electric’s on. And you know what I’m saying? Like I got a steady stream of SpaghettiOs going on that I could like, you know, I got like a case of SpaghettiOs instead of one can [00:21:00] like moving on up, you know.

But it was feeding my belly and not my soul. Because I was having to mass produce this stuff. I’m just like, I don’t mean any disrespect in this, but like traveling to the shows, it was just so time consuming and I’m like, my art is just staying stagnant. I’m like, I want my art to really improve. And I was like, the way to do that is I want more shop time.

It’s a lot of travel time and I love the fact that I got to go out and I got to, you know, I got community, I got other entrepreneurs that are setting up and that was just so wonderful. I love to travel, which is wonderful, but I also slept in my truck every night and got my son sleeping in the front of the truck.

And I was like, it was rough, but also very grateful for that. So I was like, I made a decision. I said it to Shimon Kami Fair, which is a local event. It was like a five or six day show. And it was like 70 some hours of sitting in my booth and not welding. And I sat there and I’m like, you know what girl, you’re going to learn how to sell online.

And I did 48 shows in 52 weeks that [00:22:00] year. I said, you get three shows next year, pick your three favorite, whether it’s a social show or a monetary show, pick your three favorite, and you’re gonna learn how to sell online. Now I didn’t know how I was going to do it. But I knew I needed to, because I knew I needed to go back to sculpting things that really made my heart happy.

And I wanted my art to improve. I was making some bigger pieces. And at that time, I’m like, I think 250, 350 was like my top for what I was charging. You know, and those were like more one of a kind, but it was a lot of those hot dog 45 bucks for a set of two. And I can hammer out 80 of them in eight hours, like no kidding.

And it was soul sucking for me. I came home from that show and I just started going on. YouTube and Googling like how to sell online. And it was the social media is what, you know, like where it led me to was like, just build up the social media, Instagram and YouTube around 2015. And just started really going to town on figuring it out.

And so I had finished out the year with shows, which, you know, [00:23:00] was good, but I was making enough money to basically. Pay for and travel to the next show and maybe have like, maybe like a hundred bucks extra, and now you’re talking, I need food. No, when they say starving artists, I did in the beginning, but that’s because I didn’t understand about sales and branding and marketing.

So, and I didn’t even know those terms back then, other than sales, which. I kind of sucked at, um, thank goodness the art was good because I really didn’t have to say anything. I would like sit in the booth and I would be super like nervous about it. Someone would come in and be like, Oh, does your husband do this?

Like literally my name was on, you know, behind me. And like I put Barbie, the welder, a little banner I got on Vistaprint and they’re like, Oh, does your husband know this? And I’m like, yeah, I’m just a pretty face. Like it just, it was kind of harsh, you know, thank goodness I had a good sense of humor.

January 1st, I’m like, you know, no more shows. I stopped booking stuff. And it was awful for about three or four months. I didn’t sell diddly shit. And I was like, like, bitch, you made a mistake. Like you [00:24:00] made a mistake. This is such a, like, no money came in. They had like my like 10 bucks, you know, like 35.

Like, I mean, like, I literally was just like, I’m going to have to do something different because I can’t pay my mortgage. You know, there was like never enough for savings kind of thing. And I also didn’t make good money decisions. So I was out buying like, you know, seat covers for my Jeep. But I should have, I was a major problem also in my business.

They were keel flush seat covers. They’re like waterproof. They’re amazing. After like the third or fourth month, like, I mean, just like every minute that I wasn’t working in my shop. I was working on my business. It’s sort of like zero downtime. And when I was traveling, like the last couple of years I was traveling, I’m playing like Zig Ziglar on sales, like audio books, like listening to that, like it was like Tony Robbins and Oprah.

And like the people that I like, I built this community of entrepreneurs around me that deeply helped me improve myself. It started helping me improve my business. And probably somewhere in there was the idea of like, you know, I really need to like. The art needs to improve because [00:25:00] I’m just not happy, like, shitting stuff out.

All due respect to everyone that bought my stuff. But it was pushing myself like that. After a couple of months, because of working on social media, learning a little bit more about sales, I was showing my stuff in a unique way because of teaching on YouTube. It was drawing people to what I was doing. It started taking off a little bit here and there, a little bit there, you know, starting to make a couple hundred dollars a month versus 30 and 40, you know, and then, like, There was a couple of big sales where like I sold something was like 850 a ton, just like mind blown over because I’m just like, that’s a month’s worth of, you know, pays my truck and pays my house, which I had the time my son, actually my oldest son moved back in with me to help me pay for my bills because I couldn’t afford it.

His friend moved in with us. And so I like only had to pay a third of my bills because these guys were covering my ass, which so dang grateful for that. I did not bend for them. Like I probably still wouldn’t, I probably wouldn’t own the house.

Crew Chief Eric: So the techniques used to create Davy Jones are [00:26:00] very different than those of the Indian headdress.

How did you go from one to the other? And what’s it like to create a sculpture more like Davy Jones?

Barbie the Welder: Oh man, that makes my heart sing. It started with a local entrepreneur as part of a group commissioned a sculpture of a sad angel and framed it out in quarter inch round barn and then took 18 gauge steel and sheeted it like the outside of it like patchwork.

When it got to the hands, I tried and tried and couldn’t figure that out of how to get that to look good, but it just, it just made the hands look like mittens and it was awful. I had the idea to take five eighths inch round bar and sculpt it into hands, like cut a little notch in a finger and bend it.

That was my very first true, like, sculpture, like, not only just sculpture, that sculpture alone, because The guy just took a huge risk on me because I said I could do it and he just, there was no proof whatsoever. He literally just took me on my word. That was my first masterpiece. And not only did I learn how to make larger sculpture that way, cause it was just problem [00:27:00] solving.

I’m like, how can I, so asking myself, how can I make the body? So I was taking pictures of me sitting on the floor and like that position. And then just looking at that picture and referencing measurements off of it. But getting into those hands and having that not work out the way I thought it would, I started seeing that and I was just like, Ooh, that’s a game changer for me.

Not only was it a masterpiece sculpture, like a true, in my eyes, it’s my first tattooed on my arm, true masterpiece sculpture, but it was physically sculpting metal versus tack welding something on that right there. Something shifted in my mind. And that’s when I started seeing metal in a whole new light.

Crew Chief Eric: So what are some of your favorite pieces that you’ve been commissioned to make?

Barbie the Welder: The number one favorite piece ever would be, uh, two sculptures for Harley Davidson, which blew my Freakin mine. Wild. Wild, wild that uh, I had that opportunity. And not only one but two of them. Like here I am, this, again, self taught [00:28:00] artist.

Crew Chief Eric: So what was some of the hardest ones to produce that you look back and go, man, I don’t want to do that ever again?

Barbie the Welder: Oh my gosh. The first one for Harley Davidson was for um, the 35th anniversary of Hogg, the Harley owners group. That one was, up until that point, by far the hardest sculpture I welded.

Because I welded it live at Sturgis, you know, with a little 110 welder and a 50 foot extension cord. And I had no idea if it was going to work, but I told them yes, and then showed up and figured it out when I got there. Like literally just kind of handed my ass like, holy crap, I hope this works. But normally to make a masterpiece sculpture, I’m looking at three weeks minimum time in my shop by myself without distractions.

I had nine days at Sturgis. I had a 10 by 20 tent set up with all my art to sell. And then I’ve got hundreds of people a day coming over and talking to me and want to know my story and want to, you know, and I love people. So I’m just like, but also like I need to get this done. And so that was finished two hours [00:29:00] before I presented it on stage to Harley Davidson.

Other one, like just deeply having to push myself and just that first one was, was one of them. And then the one I just finished recently, which actually hasn’t even been unveiled yet, but made a sculpture for Rock the Trades, which is owned by Stanley Black and Decker. And it is a six foot tall tradesman, a man that represents.

All the different jobs and careers and skilled trades is completely made out of quarter inch round bar. And then people from all over the country sent in tools, special to them, special to their parents, special to their grandparents. And those tools are welded into him. It’s ridiculous because the entire thing is TIG welded.

And most of it, all this TIG welded. And it took me approximately five months to create, which is about two months longer than anything I’ve ever done, but it is by far my best sculpture I’ve ever created. Deeply proud of it. And I’m super honored to work with rock the trades with Stanley black and Decker, DeWalt craftsmen, just the deepest honor [00:30:00] to be able to represent tradesmen and showcase skilled trades careers that are just, there’s so many amazing opportunities in it.

I, through my journey, become an advocate for the skilled trades because of how it’s built me. And how much joy that I find in that just got done speaking Saturday at a local sheet metal workers union. And two more days I’ll be going up to Buffalo and speaking to the American Welding Society up there.

And it’s just, it’s just a mind blowing deep honor.

Crew Chief Eric: With Watkins Glen International being in your backyard, is there any Barbie the Welder statues in the works for the racetrack or anything that we should be looking out for when we’re downtown?

Barbie the Welder: No, we need to talk to you about that. Like why, why not? Who can I sculpt?

Like who would be like the most amazing person to sculpt for that? Wow. Yeah. I feel like I need to make a phone call. I’ve actually set up and sold at the track and a wine festival that they had up there. Have not made a sculpture for the track yet. In fact, I’ve not made a sculpture for any track yet. I was at Richmond last year and, uh, yeah, I feel like there’s [00:31:00] a couple of sculptures, definitely.

We have an amazing history in our, in our town, man. I love. I love this area. It’s incredible.

Crew Chief Eric: Barbie, not every project is a success. Let’s be serious. So how do you learn and grow from the mistakes you’ve made and the and the failures and was there ever a worst idea ever or a project that you’ve put to the side and haven’t touched in quite a while that maybe you regret starting or it’s one of those you’ll get around to it as we say.

Barbie the Welder: So I definitely have no regrets whatsoever in anything I’ve created, but I have failed my way to success. I literally have turned every failure into a stepping stone, and I have paved my way to a very happy, successful life. And it’s just like one failure after another, and it’s fall down seven times, get up eight.

That is like the only way to be an entrepreneur. And I think the only reason I’m here is because I did go into business to make art, it had nothing to do with money and thank goodness. And I think that’s why most businesses fail is because if you go into [00:32:00] business to make money and you don’t make money, there’s nothing left.

But if you go into business for a passion, like when the money’s not there, the passion is. I definitely have a 10 foot dragon sitting out in front of my house that I started sculpting in 2018, I believe it was. I have a six foot tall garage door. Ask me why I made a 10 foot tall dragon. Like sometimes just happens in here.

It’s a magical place. I come in here and I go, you know what? I want to, I want to weld a dragon. Freaking love dragons. And so I started making a dragon, but like I go into the zone and it just like things happen. The only way I could describe it is literally like I’m in the back of myself and I could see my hands moving.

I know I’m doing it, but it’s almost like AI, right? Like it’s just almost like this AI experience. And Jesus, I just had like this next thing I know, I’m just like, what are you doing? And it’s like this 10 foot tall dragon. I had to cut his head off to put his legs on and then I had to take him outside to weld the head back on to make sure it was, you know, like symmetrical.

Is that the [00:33:00] right word I’m looking for? It was like proportionately right. And then I’m like, what the hell? Here I am like at the time where I’m not financially in a good position. That I’m making this dragon. I didn’t have anyone to buy it. I’m pouring time and resources into it, and I couldn’t even weld it in my shop because it doesn’t fit.

There is a picture of me sitting on it, out in front of my garage door, and this is like the last time I welded on it. It’s got a couple scales on it. It’s amazing. I want to finish it so bad, I don’t have the space to do it. And I am working on selling my house this uh, this summer and moving to Daytona Beach, Florida because of the car culture and the bike culture that’s there because I’m madly in love with all of that.

And I’m just like, I just, I literally looked at the dragon today. His name is Argon. I’ve named him. It’s awful because I have to look him in the eyes when I walk past him to get the mail. And I’m just like, I love you, buddy. I’ll get you soon. And just, it may or may not be a lie. I’m not sure what to do with them when I move.

If I move this behemoth, I’m going to [00:34:00] have to drive him to Florida, which is going to cost money. And take time. And so I’m just like, Oh my gosh, like what to do. So it definitely was one of those things where the art comes through me. Like I work purposefully, but also like with Davy Jones, like making him knew I needed the hammer holder.

It’s the whole purpose of making him and I still look at it and I’m in shock that I did it, if that makes any sense,

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, it’s absolutely breathtaking.

Barbie the Welder: Oh, thank you so much. Like, I know I did it, but it’s also just very surreal. Like. I look at stuff I make, I’m mind blown and gobsmacked that I could do what I do.

I still push myself on a daily basis to do better. I’ve got a five foot tall Phoenix I’m starting tomorrow that I’m stoked on. It’s not going to be done until I blow my own mind on that. As far as like, it just has to be better than anything I’ve ever done. And like really push the details and like the, the feathers and just everything and just make it look like it’s literally ready to fly.

I constantly surprise myself and I don’t even know sometimes. Like I know what I’m doing, but [00:35:00] also it just. Oh, I wish I had better words to tell you just how, like, how much I’m in love with what I’m doing, and how honored I am to be able to do this on a daily basis, and how shocked I am that I can do

Crew Chief Eric: it too.

So you mentioned earlier, and many people might not realize that you’re also a motivational speaker, and you have sessions with titles like, Welding and skilled trade careers. Honor thy art, how to be an extremely successful artist, the inspirational blueprint, how to design and create an inspired life.

But there’s one in particular that got my attention and it says, and it reads, fuck you, fuel, how to turn shit into sugar, learn how to take every negative thing you’ve experienced in life into fuel for success. I love that by the way. I think it’s very catching, but what are these all about and how does somebody.

Get involved or attend one of your seminars.

Barbie the Welder: Those three books, the inspiration blueprint, the underlay arts, another one, and then the, the fuck you fuel. Those are books that I’ve written through my entrepreneur [00:36:00] journey. What I’ve learned and how I’ve molded and shaped my life into a life that inspires me.

Without needing motivation, companies will hire me and have me come out and speak to their people. I’ve spoken for the AWS a couple of times. Last one was just, I spoke at Fabtech. That was about being an entrepreneur, like how to build an online business. I have several subjects that I speak on. It is.

Just crazy that I get to do that, but yeah, like a company will have me come in. I built a sculpture for a company and they had me come in and spend time with their employees because they wanted some of my juju to rub off on them. And it kind of, kind of went from there, but I’ve spoken to the AWS a couple of times.

I’ve spoken at schools and everything else. It just like from third grade up to like seniors at both ages. It’s very, very cool. But it’s because of what I’ve built in my life. Like I just wanted to make art. It was a very selfish. I call it selfish. It was just a very selfish mission. I just need to make this art.

And what’s transpired out of that is I turned into a teacher through how [00:37:00] to, you know, how to weld art videos on YouTube. I’ve written three how to weld art books, which is just weirdest thing ever. Because English was my We’re subject in school. And then the other three books, which are how to run an art, like how to create an art business.

Like the actual business part of like the social media and how to get, how to get sponsors to like, to give you stuff and how to like have them pay you to work with them, um, different stuff I’ve learned, but yeah, the speaking is like scary as heck at first. I definitely sweat a lot. I tell people I’m like, I’m not a speaker.

I’m a welder. I’m just going to hang out here and we’ll talk about some cool stuff. As cool as I get to go into places and, you know, hopefully through my journey, like my, my ups and downs, it, uh, I get to inspire someone to go out and live a life that. Inspires them instead of needing motivation to get out of bed every morning or working in a job that they’re not happy, you know, like life is so dang short.

It’s it’s mind blowing to me that to stay in a place like the money is good, but it’s like, it’s feeding your belly, but it’s not feeding your soul. So [00:38:00] it’s finding that soul mission and then staying in that as much as possible. I

Crew Chief Eric: think you hit on the word of the day for this particular episode, which is inspiration.

And it’s really important to note that as we record this, we’re doing this during International Women’s Month. And so I want to ask you some really pointed questions, you know, as one of few female guests on the show, and we’re building that out as we go along, but I want to understand how you’re using your craft and your art to encourage other young ladies to, or other aspiring welders to get into this profession.

Barbie the Welder: It’s Showing up and running my welder, not my mouth, I think is most of that. It’s just showing my skills is going out there and putting my best foot forward and letting my work speak for itself. I am people power. It’s not, you know, one sex or the other or whoever. It’s just, I love to show people how amazing the careers in welding are or any skill trade is just by going out there and doing the best possible work that I could do.

Like when people [00:39:00] think of welding they think of like an industrial building or a bridge or pipeline and that’s usually like, that’s where it ends, or you know working in a factory which these are all amazing, amazing career opportunities in welding. The whole just build us, whether in our paychecks and our pockets and our, our, our souls.

Art for me is like, it’s been a gateway drug to show people how amazing welding is and that there’s and showing up and doing the best possible work I can, and then showing that on social media, whether it’s whatever platform it is. But when, when I show up and I’m showing skills, other women can see themselves.

In a career in welding because I’m there or because other women are there and other women are showing it on social media. I encourage all women, if you’re comfortable doing it, show your welds on there, like show, you know, show what you’re doing, show you in your welding hood because we’ve got less than 5 percent of all welders are women, which is mind blowing to me because I see a ton of them, but I also, I seek them out and I [00:40:00] do everything I can to raise them up.

Even if it’s just like liking their posts that they make. But when I show up and I show myself, you know, as a woman, you know, in the welding industry and showing my skills, other women see that like she can, so can I, and the more women that do that, we’re going to bring more women into the industry.

They’re going to see how empowering it is, how amazing it is, like how good it feels, but then also how damn good it pays too. This is deeply rewarding career.

Crew Chief Eric: I think you touched on something that some of our previous female guests have hit on, which is see me, be me, right? And we talk about that, especially diversity in the paddock and things like that.

If you don’t see yourself there, you won’t be there. So it’s important to, like you said, to show off your craft. You know, even if you’re learning is to get that encouragement from other people, it helps build your esteem as you talked about it earlier. And so that leads into my next question, which is looking back over your long career now in welding, and there’s still a long future ahead.

What kind of advice would you give to somebody starting out learning how to weld? [00:41:00]

Barbie the Welder: Don’t judge your day one against someone else’s day. Look to someone else to see what they’re doing and say, yes, I want to get there, but don’t judge yourself against what they’re doing. Don’t look at Davy Jones and say, I can never do that.

You need to look at what you’re doing and then work to improve yourself over yourself every single day.

Crew Chief Eric: So Barbie, if a kid came up to you tomorrow, especially a little girl and asked you, why do you weld? What would you say?

Barbie the Welder: Oh, that’s such a great question. Welding gives me freedom to make whatever I want.

Crew Chief Eric: I like it right to the point. With that said, Barbie, any shout outs, promotions, or anything else you’d like to share that we didn’t cover up until this point?

Barbie the Welder: So grateful for everyone that likes and shares and comments and follows my social media. My shout out is to all the people that support me online.

Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am doing what I’m doing. My business is completely online and from my very small garage and my very small town, I’ve sold art to clients in 15 [00:42:00] different countries and worked for major corporations and had displayed the most amazing experiences. And that’s because of people on social media that take their special, their limited time on earth, that they will spend time messaging me, writing to me, commenting and stuff, sending me stuff like.

I’m so damn grateful for my support of following on social media. Grateful for you guys. Love you to the moon and back of a zillion times.

Crew Chief Eric: Barbie. That said, you know, I want to thank you as well for taking time out of your day to sit and talk with us and tell your story yet again. And you know, maybe one of these days, hopefully before you move to Daytona, or maybe when we’re down for Rolex, we’ll get to see you around Watkins Glen or one of the tracks.

So I think it would be awesome to talk more about this and expand upon it and get people to meet you and, you know, maybe learn about Barbie, the petrol head, or maybe the motorcyclist or, you know, the other secret things that we don’t know.

Barbie the Welder: Oh, yeah, that’d be amazing. I listen, last year was my best race year ever.

I was at [00:43:00] Richmond and. Pit box, uh, seats at Richmond was amazing with Al. I was at the N H R A nationals out in Indy, and I got to go to my first 4 0 1 race, like literally the best racing year ever. Oh my gosh. I’m not sure I’m gonna top at this year, but I need to get started.

Crew Chief Eric: more to come on that. So to check out all the amazing artwork that Barbie produces through her welding, be sure to check out her website, www.barbiethewelder.com.

click on sculpture gallery or follow her on social at Barbie the welder on Facebook and Instagram. You can also touch base with her on LinkedIn or check her out in action via TikTok and better still you can learn some new techniques through her YouTube channel. And as always, details on everything we covered in this episode will be available in the follow on article on gtmotorsports.

org. So Barbie, I cannot thank you enough for coming on the show. This has been an education and an inspiration. And I think all of us look up to you [00:44:00] as a mentor for those of us that want to weld and those of us that can or claim that we can, you know. Looking at your work is absolutely amazing. It’s stunning.

And it continues to get more and more impressive as every day goes on. So we look forward to some of these new reveals that are coming out here in months to follow. And again, thank you for coming on the show and talking to us.

Barbie the Welder: I’m so grateful for your time and hanging out and getting a little peek into my life today, man.

I’m so grateful for you.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, we thank you as well.

Crew Chief Brad: If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about GTM, be sure to check us out on www. gtmotorsports. org. You can also find us on Instagram Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, you can call or text us at 202 630 1770 or send us an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports.

org. We’d love to hear from you.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here. [00:45:00] We really hope you enjoyed this episode of BreakFix, and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies, and GTM swag.

For as little as 2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of fig Newtons, gummy bears, and monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www. patreon. com forward slash GT motorsports, and remember without fans, supporters, and members like you.

None of this would be possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Introduction to BreakFix Podcast
  • 00:27 Meet Barbie the Welder
  • 01:16 Barbie’s Early Inspirations
  • 03:35 Learning the Craft
  • 06:40 Transition to Full-Time Artist
  • 12:47 First Art Sales and Breakthrough
  • 15:55 Evolution of Artistic Style
  • 21:56 The Turning Point: From Shows to Online Sales
  • 23:46 Struggles and Breakthroughs in Online Business
  • 25:56 Creating Masterpieces: The Evolution of Sculpting
  • 27:45 Major Commissions and Challenging Projects
  • 30:06 Advocacy and Speaking Engagements
  • 38:08 Empowering Women in Welding
  • 40:55 Advice for Aspiring Welders
  • 41:40 Gratitude and Future Plans
  • 43:19 Conclusion and Contact Information

Bonus Content

There's more to this story!

Be sure to check out the behind the scenes for this episode, filled with extras, bloopers, and other great moments not found in the final version. Become a Break/Fix VIP today by joining our Patreon.

All of our BEHIND THE SCENES (BTS) Break/Fix episodes are raw and unedited, and expressly shared with the permission and consent of our guests.

Learn More

To check out all the amazing artwork that Barbie produces through her welding, be sure to check out her website www.barbiethewelder.com then click “sculpture gallery” or follow her on social @barbiethewelder on FB and IG, you can also touch base via Linkedin- or check her out in-action via tiktok, and better still you can learn some new techniques through her youtube channel.

Eventually, Barbie made the leap. She quit her secure job, walked away from insurance and a 401(k), and dove headfirst into art. The transition was terrifying. She didn’t understand branding, marketing, or sales. She posted a few pieces on Facebook but was afraid to show her work. Her parents were skeptical, her husband said no, and even she questioned her decision.

Photo courtesy Barbie the Welder

But her need to sculpt was greater than her fear. She worked 16–18 hour days, cashed in her 401(k), took out a personal loan, and poured herself into her craft. A toxic relationship drained her finances and self-esteem, but Barbie emerged stronger, more determined, and deeply proud of the person she was becoming.

So what was the turning point? Believe it or not, it was a cheeky creation called the “Big Dick Hot Dog Cooker.” Inspired by a viral design, Barbie made her own version, posted it online, and watched it explode. Orders poured in. She was making 40 sets a week, paying off her truck, keeping the lights on, and finally feeding herself without fear.

Barbie the Welder with Davey Jones Hammer Hanger
Photo courtesy Barbie the Welder

From Forks to Davy Jones

Barbie’s early sculptures were made from scrap – forks, spoons, horseshoes. She taught herself by copying others, then began to innovate. A pile of silverware scraps became an Indian headdress. That led to a turkey. Then a man made of silverware. Her brain, trained by years of practice, began to see art in everything.

Eventually, she outgrew the craft show circuit. After doing 48 shows in 52 weeks, she vowed to scale back and focus on selling online. It was a rough start, but she immersed herself in sales training, social media strategy, and entrepreneurship. Her art evolved, and so did her business.

One of her most iconic pieces is a sculpture of Davy Jones, inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s a far cry from her early silverware art – complex, haunting, and masterfully forged. It hangs in her shop as a symbol of how far she’s come.

Weeping Angel by Barbie the Welder
Photo courtesy Barbie the Welder

Building a Life Through Art

Barbie’s story isn’t just about welding. It’s about reclaiming self-worth, defying expectations, and building a life from the sparks of inspiration. She’s taught thousands through YouTube, written books, and continues to sculpt pieces that feed both her belly and her soul. As she says, “The things we build, build us.” And Barbie the Welder has built something truly extraordinary.


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Battle against Brake Dust, Remastered

It’s been a hot minute since we talked about Car Care, especially the Battle Against Brake Dust. In two previous articles we’ve tested products, we’ve developed short cuts and techniques, and in some cases we’ve won a few key battles… but have we actually won the war to keep our wheels clean?

That remains to be seen considering that when I wrote Part 1 and Part 2, it was in “the before times” and now, nearly 3 years later there are all sorts of new products we wanted to pit against our reigning champion ArmorAll Extreme Wheel Cleaner. Does this cheap alternative still have some fight left in it? Let’s find out.

Let’s set the stage

Like all things at GTM, this contest was bigger-and-badder than the previous battles. This time I employed some help with this all-day affair with big thanks and shoutouts to my wife (Jess) stepping in to keep this honest. **Be sure to swipe through all the slideshows throughout this article for different parts of the process we went through.  

  • Two sets of dirty Team Dynamics. Hyper Silver and Powder Coated White; as you might recall from Parts 1 & 2 of the Battle Against Brake Dust!
  • The Contenders: (from left to right) - Zymol Wheel Cleaner, Jenolite Rust Remover, Armor All Extreme Wheel Cleaner, Griots Heavy-Duty Wheel Cleaner, Jay Leno's Garage Wheel Cleaner, Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel Cleaner and... Heavy Duty DAWN because it cuts grease, while you do dishes.
  • Let's pair up the easier wheels against our champ... Armor All vs Zymol, Jay Leno and Chemical Guys.
  • And because all of these remaining contenders are considered "Heavy Duty" cleaners, we put them up against the grease and grime of the White Wheels first. Note: the Chemical Guys Diablo Cleaner was used in both initial rounds, and was our "pick" going into the competition.
  • We got this cool new brush for wheel cleaning, it's non abrasive and really easy to use.
  • Despite getting new wheel cleaning tools, we'd be remiss if we didn't default back to the deep cleaning power of our "water rotary" the trusty Brush Hero Pro.

**Important note: The Silver wheels are coated with Zymöl Wheel Coat, as mentioned in Battle Against Brake Dust: Part 2. And our focus is really the White wheels for the bake-off.


The Incumbent: ArmorAll Extreme Wheel Care

What is there to say about our reigning champion that hasn’t already been said before… it’s a cheap and powerful clean. 

Results: The ArmorAll Extreme Wheel Cleaner only needs about 30 seconds to start working versus its much slower competitors and was the only product where you could visibly see the grime melting off the wheels. The packaging is littered with warnings and even boasts needing very little, if any scrubbing. The ArmorAll Cleaner was able to penetrate and loosen the track residue, not 100%, but let’s see how it stacks up against the rest.


The Hopeful: Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel Cleaner

We’ve used “Car Guys (not to be confused with Chemical Guys) Wheel Cleaner” by the gallon for years, and have loved it for the daily drivers, and it does an OK job on the race cars. It was never a contender in this fight, but it was a rather affordable “do everything” soap in the gallon refill jug. However, many enthusiasts have told us, “if you like that, you’ll love Chemical Guys Diablo, it’s the same but BETTER” – which is what made it our “gut pick” going into this battle.

Results: uh huh, sure, mmmkay … same, same but completely different. Diablo is now sold on the shelves at big box stores for right around $10. For everyday use, I’m not sure I could tell the difference between it and things like Black Magic, Adams or anything else in the same price range that we’ve tested before. For track and hard to clean wheels, there are stronger options out there. #disappointment – note: we actually went back over the wheels treated with Diablo later, using Griots which did a nicer job.


Complete Surprise: Jenolite Rust Remover

Not marketed directly as a wheel cleaner, this British product has been around since 1939 and is designed and advertised to remove rust, grime and hard build up from just about anything metal. You’ve seen those ads on Instagram where they take a rusted cylinder head from 1953 and make it look new with some spray? … this isn’t *THAT* stuff, but maybe? 

  • According to the directions, the Jenolite needs to be "applied evenly" so we used a micro-sponge (generally used for applying wax to vehicles) to distribute the solution
  • The Jenolite become a bit of a jelly as it works.
  • Since the Jenolite takes 15+ minutes to be effective, you have time to go do other things, but while you're away it begins to turn the grime white and calcify it.
  • Using simple tools like a tooth brush you can knock off the dried grime and it drops like powder.
  • Jenolite recommends that you "buff off" the solution before you rinse it. This is time consuming, but effective.
  • Time for the big guns!

Results: Clocking in as the second most expensive cleaner we tested, the Jenolite Rust Remover is NOT a spray and rinse product. The longer it sits, the better. Spray it on, watch the grime turn white and calcify and you can either chip it off (or scrub it off), buff, then rinse. The Jenolite definitely requires lots of time and elbow grease to be effective. Is it powerful – Yes; time consuming – certainly. If you’re in a hurry, you might want to try some of the other options first. Overall, we were extremely impressed with the Jenolite solution and may experiment with it and other offerings more in a future battle.


The Underdog: Jay Leno’s Garage Wheel Cleaner

We literally saw Jay’s cleaner for the first time while cutting through the car cleaning aisle at Walmart, had a chuckle saying “really?!? wtfn!” – so for $11.97, how bad could it be? –  why wouldn’t we try it?

Results: As you can see from the pictures Jay’s cleaner does a heck of a job! What isn’t shown here are the wheels we went back and re-cleaned with Jay’s after the competition was over, when cleaners like Diablo fell short. Jess said one of the funniest things when reviewing this soap, “OMG the smell… it’s like a bottle of cheap cologne and regret” – we still laugh about that now, because it’s 100% true. The scent that they chose is unappealing, but it gets the job done! Everytime we use Jay’s we remain utterly in shock at how it melts away grime. #whatsthatsmell

There are some rumors flying around that Jay’s wheel cleaner is nothing more than Adam’s Wheel Cleaner rebadged. We’d beg to differ, and as we saw in the original Battle Against Brake Dust, the Adams wasn’t all that impressive and we’d be willing to bet in a bake off of just these two products Jay’s would win. However, we have not yet had an entry from Jax Wax come through and from what I’ve learned might be a closer match up. #round4. 


The Unexpected Guest: GYEON’S Q2M IRON

Porsche Al came to us recently with a submission from across the Pacific. Something he found online known as “GYEON’S Q2M IRON Remover” designed for cleaning hard to fight stains and doubly marketed as a wheel cleaner – sounds a lot like Jenolite, right? Rather than wait until the Battle Against Brake Dust, Part 4 – we figured we’d slide this new contender into the mix and see how it stacked up.

  • Shake well before use... CHECK!
  • Spray on this clear skunk smelling solution onto your wheels, dry or wet and wait for the magic to happen.
  • The power of clean... getting darker!
  • As it lifts the grime and break dust, the chemical changes from clear, to purple, to dark purple to yellow/brown.
  • With some quick rinsing everything comes right off.
  • We did a second coat, and then passed over the wheel with the mighty Brush Hero, and here are the final results. NOT BAD!

Results: As you can see from the pictures above, we were pretty impressed with GYEON’S Q2M, it is available on Amazon only, and comes in at a hefty $33/litre, yes… $33 PER LITRE (or a full gallon refill jug at $109). That said, you really need to read the directions before use. Do not use in direct sunlight, wear eye and skin protection, be in a well ventilated space – its unclear what hazardous nuclear material this is made of, but it’s legitimately caustic, has an atrocious lingering skunk smell … that said – it does work! 


Honorable Mention: Dawn Heavy Duty Degreaser

Oops! You caught us… we did slip some “dishwashing liquid” into this battle. The Dawn Heavy Duty Degreaser actually started off as our “control cleaner”, why? We know what to expect from it: Dawn is “tough on grease and safe for ducks” and all that. This super-concentrated version of regular blue dawn is effective as a general cleaner. Wash the car, wash the wheels, wash your pets, and your BBQ grill all on the same weekend – it’s all good. We do think Dawn deserves a place with all the run of the mill cleaners we’ve mentioned before. But for those that don’t want to spend $10 on less than 1-litre of wheel soap, Dawn is always a cheap and effective alternative, just expect to work a little harder for the results, adding Dawn to a spray bottle doesn’t help either, you have get in there and scrub!


Facts & Figures

Rinse first?Y
ColorClear
State ChangeLiquid > Gel
Scrubbing?Very Little
ScentMint
GlovesN
Time"Time to Lift tough soils"
Price$24-$28 / 24oz
Cleaning Power
(1-10)
6

Rinse first?Y
ColorClear-ish
State ChangeDark Purple
Scrubbing?No
ScentFruity & Funky
GlovesN
Time30-60 seconds
Price$11.97
Cleaning Power
(1-10)
8

Rinse first?N
ColorBlue
State ChangeWhite
Scrubbing?100%
ScentPeaches
GlovesN
TimeInfinite
Price$25 / 56 oz
Cleaning Power
(1-10)
5

Rinse first?Y
ColorClear
State ChangePurple
Scrubbing?Y
ScentPerm Solution
GlovesN
Time3-5 minutes; 2 coats
Price$21.99 / 35 oz
Cleaning Power
(1-10)
7

Rinse first?N
ColorClear
State ChangeLiquid > Calcifies
Scrubbing?100%
ScentMusty
GlovesRecommended
Time15 minutes
Price$31.99 / litre
Cleaning Power
(1-10)
9

Rinse first?Y
ColorStrawberry
State ChangeN
Scrubbing?Y
ScentBubble Gum
GlovesN
TimeN/A
Price$9.99-13.99
Cleaning Power
(1-10)
3

Rinse first?N
ColorClear
State ChangePurple to Brown
Scrubbing?Very Little
ScentSkunk
GlovesY
Time3-5 minutes
Price$33 / litre
Cleaning Power
(1-10)
9

The Final Four

4th Place – Zymöl Wheel Cleanerman, do we love our Zymöl around here. The Zymöl wheel cleaner is hard to find, but has all the natural properties, ingredients and scents you come to expect from any Zymöl product. But as a detergent, it does better than the average wheel cleaner on every day wheels and only requires a light mist to be effective, which means despite the price you won’t be using a lot of it. It did a respectable job on the harder to clean race wheels, but compared to the new podium, it unfortunately fell short.

We tied the Jenolite Rust Remover with Zymöl for it’s sheer ability to disrupt all the other cleaners we tested. With more time and experience we feel the Jenolite could be extremely effective.

After many rounds of cleaning, scrubbing… lather, rinse, repeat. We settled on the 2 strongest contenders to try and tackle our champion: ArmorAll. This left us with Griots and Jay’s.

3rd Place – Griots Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner. We’ve seen these products in many of our friends garages, especially folks with high-end cars and collections. Griots is “the one you’ve seen in the magazines” – but is it really worth it? We have to say that value per ounce, roughly $22 for 35-oz bottle sets it surprisingly in the middle on price. You don’t need much Griots in order to get the job done, unlike other products that require complete saturation or multiple applications. We liked the Griots a lot, and it might become part of the line of solutions we employ, but it lost points when we went back over it with Jay Leno’s wheel cleaner and more grime started to come off.


The New Podium

ArmorAll dethroned? Say it ain’t so!  – Yes & No, we dropped ArmorAll to 2nd place for a couple of reasons. 1). The ArmorAll solution is becoming harder to find, and when you can find it, the markup suddenly makes you avert your eyes to other options. 2). It’s definitely EXTREME, it works well, there is no doubt, but do you want to always suit up like you’re going on a lunar exploration every time you clean your wheels? 3). Jay’s is acid-free which also helped it edge ahead.

Initially, it was a tight race between Griots and Jay’s. Griots is really quite good, we like it, and if you’re brand loyal … buy it! like Zymöl products, Griots is designed to work together as a solution so it makes sense to add it to your collection of car care products.

If you’re more budget conscious and want something that can tackle your daily drivers,  tow rig, trailer wheels, and the race car… #askushowweknowJay Leno’s Garage Wheel Cleaner is for you, and is our new Battle Against Brake Dust champion!

Jay’s is available at every big box store, its cheap, and really works… just hold your breath. LOL #cheapcologne. – STAY TUNED FOR LATER THIS SEASON WHEN PART-4 OF THIS COMPETITION COMES OUT. DO YOU HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PRODUCTS WE SHOULD TEST? CONTACT US

Waxing Poetic: The Zymöl Story with Chuck Bennett

Sometimes it’s not the car you need – it’s the car that needs you. That mantra has fueled Chuck Bennett’s four-decade journey from a curious BMW club member to the founder of Zymöl, a company that redefined automotive care with natural ingredients, scientific rigor, and a whole lot of heart.

In this episode of Break/Fix, Chuck shares the origin story of Zymöl, a tale that begins in Bischofsheim, Germany, where carriage restorers used rancid animal fats to achieve mirror-like finishes. Inspired but repulsed, Chuck returned to the U.S. determined to create a plant-based alternative. What started as a personal quest soon became a garage-born revolution – complete with canning jars, coffee urns, and a wife who finally said, “Either stop or sell it.”

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Listen on Apple
Listen on YouTube
Listen on Spotify

After placing a modest black-and-white ad in The Star magazine, Chuck was summoned by the local postmaster – not for a reprimand, but to collect six overflowing mailbags of orders. That first ad netted $40,000 in sales and launched Zymöl into the stratosphere.

Zymol Car Care Assortment

Spotlight

Notes

This Break/Fix podcast episode features Chuck Bennett, founder and CEO of Zymol, a company renowned for its high-quality car care products. Chuck shares the story of his accidental foray into the car care industry, inspired by his trip to Germany to explore his ancestry. He meticulously developed a natural wax alternative free of animal fats, resulting in the creation of Zymol’s signature car wax. The discussion covers the evolution of Zymol, the importance of properly caring for a car’s paint, innovative products like the graphene wax, and the compatibility of Zymol products with various surfaces including musical instruments and horses. Chuck emphasizes the need for attention to detail in car care, proper washing techniques, and the significant impact of following directions when using their products.

  • History of Zymöl (over 40 years in this industry); Where did the name come from?  Are you a chemist/chemical engineer?
  • What types of Products does Zymöl offer?
  • Zymöl in Motorsports
  • Car Care – 101: “The wash is as important as the wax”
  • Special techniques & Zymöl events.

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors, designers, and everything in between. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that wonder How did they get that job or become that person?

The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.

Crew Chief Eric: Sometimes it’s not the car you need. It’s the car that needs you. That’s the motto that has fueled 40 years of love and passion in the world of automobiles, aircraft, boats, horses, and even musical instruments. Using natural ingredients, oils, and waxes, Zymol products enhance any finish without harsh chemicals or abrasives.

And with us tonight to tell the Zymol story, educate us on proper car care, and recount some great stories [00:01:00] is the founder and CEO of Zymol. Chuck Bennett and co hosting with me tonight from the drive through is Tanya. So I want to welcome both Tanya and Chuck to the show and let’s get into it.

Executive Producer Tania: Great.

Crew Chief Eric: So I got to say, I have been preaching about Zymol for many, many years.

I got exposed to it because we were trying products a long time ago. On a car that was very difficult to wax, you know, an unclear coded red Volkswagen Audi product, trying all sorts of different things. And I kind of fell in love with the whole Zymol series of products. This is already 20 years ago, and I’ve been using it ever since.

So I’m really excited to do this episode with you, Chuck. So let’s start off and talk about how you got into waxes and 40 years in this industry. How did you get started?

Chuck Bennett: It’s interesting how I got started and how the company started back in the late 70s. I had gone to Germany. And the idea was, I had seen [00:02:00] a movie that was on television, like a miniseries called Roots, and it really impressed me.

It impressed me with finding your ancestry, getting in touch with where you came from. My great grandmother, who was, by the way, disowned from her family for marrying outside of her station, she married a Dane. And her actual name was, Her last name was Rothschild. She was one of the Rothschild babies.

Where she grew up was a place called Bischofsheim, Germany. So I decided to go to Bischofsheim and sort of get the feeling for where my great grandmother came from. That’s about as far back as I could touch with our family. In Bishop time, it’s, it’s on the Tal River. It’s a wonderful, beautiful place.

They’re known for a few things. One of the things they’re known for is wine. They’ve got great wines. They’re known for great food. They’re also known for restoring horse-drawn carriages. Okay? The original like Landau kind of carriage in Germany at that time, they kept up the approach and the technique of restoring a [00:03:00] carriage with the materials that were used originally on that carriage.

As an example, wood was sanded to an almost perfection, and then it was covered with clay. That clay was sanded. Then they used an enamel paint on these beautiful horse drawn carriages. The black carriages looked like light came in near it and bent around corners. To get into the carriage like they were metal.

They were incredible. I noticed when they were done restoring these carriages when they were done rubbing them out and doing what they were doing that they applied this God awful product on the side of the carriage. I will tell you right now that if I went to a football stadium and I had a container of it and I opened it up, I’d probably clear out half of the stadium odor.

The odor was just the worst you possibly could imagine. Well, what it was was animal fats that had become rancid. There was lards, there was suet. It was the worst thing you [00:04:00] could possibly smell. But the results were phenomenal. At that point I had had a Nivea container. I always liked to do a little moisturizing.

I hate to say it, but I do still trying to look good at almost 75 years old. What I did was I dumped out my Nivea and I got some of their product and I put it in the container. It reminded me a lot of that Lederkrantz cheese. Okay, mixed up with that fish that that goes bad in Norway that they want to put, uh, they have a plan to camp that fish fish.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Yeah.

Chuck Bennett: Yeah. Now, the scariest part was coming back to the United States and I’m saying to myself, What happens if, you know, like a dog gets a whiff of this container because stuff was coming through the container and I’ve got to open this container up and then explain to somebody that it’s not Nivea.

It stinks this bad and they want me to put it on my skin. So I was lucky. I went through customs. It was no problem. I got back here to the States and being a [00:05:00] vegetarian, by the way, I am a vegetarian. I’ve been one since I was 24 years old. This is all for myself. I was not interested in making a company.

This is for myself. Being a vegetarian, I can’t make a product for myself that contains these animal fats. I decided to look at different kinds of plant fats that had fatty esters that were pretty close to what these animal fats were. Very hard to find. I was able to find an interesting plant fat that had an LDL count, which is one of the highest that I’ve ever seen, which is carnauba.

Carnauba is a super LDL. Low density lipoprotein in its natural form, carnauba wax is harder than a concrete block. Wow. And we can get into that later on, we can explain all that stuff. So I had a friend of mine who was working at the time for a pharmaceutical company in New Haven, Connecticut. And she introduced me to an engineer and I sat down and I explained what I was trying to do and he [00:06:00] said, okay, let’s see what kind of oils and plant fats can combine and maybe we can break down this car now, Bob.

And he decided that the best thing he could break the car now but down with was citric terpene. Tanya, you’re familiar with terpenes?

Executive Producer Tania: Uh, it’s been a while.

Chuck Bennett: It’s been a while. Citric terpene, it’s the pressings from the skins of things like oranges and lemons and limes and tangerines. And they press the oil out, and then what they do is they go ahead and they distill the oils.

So you’ve literally got an all natural solvent, which will help you dissolve, which will help you create an emulsion using the carnauba and your plant oils in this citric terpene. So we created a, if you will, a wax, in essence, a wax. And I tried it out and it was terrible, didn’t work. It was like, I went ahead and rubbed Vaseline all over my car.

I said, Oh, Jesus, what am I going to do? I went back to Mr. [00:07:00] Patel and I said, we’re going to do, we have a problem. He said, maybe it’s because there’s no biological activity. There’s nothing that’s making this want to become a wax again. You’ve got a pomade. You don’t have a wax. We need some bioactivity in there.

He said, do you know, there is an animal. That converts plant oils to a wax, and really what he meant was an insect. What we were able to find was the reagent through a company in Chicago called Signal, even though it was, it was synthetic because we didn’t want to kill bees that bees use to convert plant oils to waxes.

So we applied the reagent to our mix. Still at this point, no interest in starting a company. This was for me. Let me tell you about my car and the reason why I wanted to do this. I had a 1977 BMW 530i in Topaz, gorgeous color. And I was using the commoditable [00:08:00] products that are on the market. When I waxed that car and I looked at my applicator cloth and I said, wait a minute, that’s the same color as my car.

That can’t be good. If I’m trying to wax my car, why am I all of a sudden noticing the color of my paint on my applicator clothes? And it’s simple. It’s because the kinds of braces and the kinds of solvents that were being used, we’re doing a very nice job and dissolving my paint surface. So I said, okay, I’ve got to make myself something that’s not going to do that.

So I made the product in my kitchen. Oh. The interesting part of this is, is that I belong to the BMW car club of America. A few of the members of the BMW car club, when I would go to a monthly meeting, had seen how nice my car looked and they made comment about it. And I said, well, I’ve got this sort of wax that I’ve made.

And of course, everybody said, Can I have some? And I started giving these products away. Well, I was giving a lot of those products away [00:09:00] and I was using canning jars to put the products in. About a year and a half after I was doing this, it got to a point where my wife looked at me and said, we need to talk.

I just want you to know that last month you gave close to 1, 500 of our money away making these products. I said, how is that possible? You bought these raw materials. You bought two 50 cup coffee urns as you’re making the products in. You’ve been buying all these canning jars. This has to stop. She says, either you stop doing it or you sell it.

So in Connecticut, there was a wonderful restaurant called the, uh, Silver Inn. And it was located in Wallingford, Connecticut. That’s where we had BMW Car Club meeting. And I had talked to Mark Luckman. At that point, he was the director of the BMW Car Club. He was coming in to say hello. He granted me 15 minutes up in front of everybody.

I got up and said, everyone, you know who I am? And [00:10:00] applause. Yes, yes, yes. You know who you are? You got this great stuff. And I said, well, I can’t give it away anymore. Cause it was like somebody who had gone out and keyed every one of their BMWs got to see their faces. So I said, uh, well, I don’t know what to do.

I just can’t give you these products anymore. And somebody in the back, in fact, I remember his name, Rick Oviatt raises his hand and he says, uh, why don’t you sell us the product? And I’m thinking about

Executive Producer Tania: money,

Chuck Bennett: sending the products. Okay. Well, I could do that, but I have to figure out what it’s going to cost.

So I go back and I’m trying to figure out what it’s going to cost me to sell this product. The scary part, the scary part was that it was probably going to cost me per container around 12 to 13 to make up a container of that product. And this is a

Crew Chief Eric: 1980s dollars, right? So this is

Chuck Bennett: 1980s dollars. Yeah. And I said, okay, I could sell it, but I need to make a profit because I’m going to take some of that money and [00:11:00] plug that back into the business so I can buy more materials.

What am I going to do to figure out what I should write says that. And at that point I had talked to my brother and my brother says, look, he said, it’s costing a 12 to 13 bucks to make it. Are you including your labor in there? He said, no, what labor? He’s well, somebody has got to be making it. I said, yeah.

He says, Look, why don’t you price it at 19? Okay. He says, Yeah. He says to me, he says, everybody’s got a 20 bill in their wallet, especially car guys. They’re going to want to buy it. I said, okay. So I contact Mark Luckman for the BMW car club. And I said, Mark, I would like to advertise my product. In the roundel magazine, they said, okay, so I came up with an ad and the ad was the container of our products and the title of the ad was, this is the first car wax and you should not gloss over.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s good. I like that.

Chuck Bennett: I have to tell you, I had a friend of mine [00:12:00] helped me create the ad. When I talked to the people at the BMW car club. The money they wanted for me to do an ad in there was like insanity. I said, Oh Jesus, what am I going to do? So my brother said, why don’t you contact the Mercedes Benz club and see what they charge for advertising in the star magazine?

I said, okay. So I contacted the star magazine and they said, yeah, well, let’s place. The ad is going to be 800. If we do it in color. And if you do it in black and white, it’s 350. I said, well, I’ll do it in black and white. So it was a great ad that had a little coupon thing at the bottom where someone could cut that out and do a coupon and add an address.

I had to get a post office box. So I went down to Brantford, Connecticut and got post office box, seven 20 little post office box. So the ad ran, nothing. I don’t hear anything. I’m not getting any letters coming in, nothing. I go to the post [00:13:00] office box, like every other day, I hear crickets and there’s moths that have come flying out of it.

I said, okay, this was one of those ventures on my part that I’m going to stick to what I was doing. And by the way, what I was doing at that point, for a living, is that I was a computer hardware engineer that was working for a whole bunch of different companies, helping those companies move. Computer engineering into robotics.

That was my job. Wife still couldn’t figure out what the hell am I doing playing with this stuff. So I get a phone call at my office. At that point, I was working for Wang labs. I don’t know if anybody knows who Wang labs was up in low mass.

Crew Chief Eric: I worked for a derivative of Wang. So I I’m with you. In

Chuck Bennett: fact, my office was down the hall.

From Fred Wang, who is Dr. Wang’s son, right? I get a phone call. The phone call is from the postmaster in Brantford. And he says to me, I’m going to try and do the voice. He [00:14:00] says, Mr. Bennett. I says, yeah? He says, I need to see you in my office tomorrow. Jesus. Yes, sir. Can you tell me what’s wrong? He says, no, I’ll talk to you when you get here.

I called the wife and I said, listen, I don’t know what I, you know, maybe there’s some, some laws that I’ve broken by advertising products in a magazine, or maybe we need to have a federal license to do this stuff. Or maybe the federal trade commission doesn’t like the fact that everybody else is wax on the market.

It’s like 2 a container. And here I am at 19, obviously something’s wrong. So I get up that morning, I had a cup of coffee and it was like shaking all over the place, get in the car and I drive down there and walk in, there’s like a window, right, knock on the little shelf on the, on the window, and it opens up and I said, I’m here to see, I don’t remember what the postmaster’s name is, but I’m here to see him.

He says, hang on. So I said, okay, next thing I know, the window opens up and there’s bags, [00:15:00] mailbags being thrown at me through the window. There’s about six mailbags. Whoa. And the postmaster pieces his head out and he says, It really aggravates me when people get a small post office box and they know they’re going to get this kind of reception coming in the door from doing some marketing or advertising.

He said, you need a bigger post office box. Mr. Bennett. I said, what is all this? He said, it’s a response to whatever you’ve done. So here I am. I’m down there. It’s in the morning. I’m trying to carry out these bags and get them into the car. It wouldn’t all fit in the trunk. They got some in the back seat. I drive home.

The wife at that point was working. I call her up. I said, you need to come home. We got a situation. It’s okay. She comes home. We open up the bags and it was orders. There were orders after orders after orders. There were people that were sending not only checks, but they were sending cash. Wow. And little notes to say, like, [00:16:00] here’s a 20 bill.

Keep the dollar for the future. Thank you. And this is crazy. Our first ad netted about 40, 000 in sales. So I sat back at that point and I said, wow, let me see computers that make me crazy, right? Spending my life, trying to figure out what operating system failure is going to, is going to determine what my life is like over the next.

30, 60 days, or maybe doing this. I decided at that point to get ahold of a couple of really great people, some engineers that were in the packaging business, you know, I decided I was going to go ahead and rent a garage and I’d move. Manufacturing from my kitchen into a garage, and I did. We started manufacturing product.

I designed a container, which is design all wax container. That’s patented. By the way, it’s a patented container. Oh, and there’s there’s all [00:17:00] kinds of things. Strange things about that container. We’ll tell you about it as well. The company has grown from this I’m working in my kitchen to a worldwide company.

I mean, if we sell in just about every single country on the planet, except for ones we can’t sell to, I wish I could like Cuba, there’s a few Asian countries I’d like to sell to. One of which is a got this little guy who’s got a funny haircut. It’s got lots of nice cars. I’d like to sell everywhere. I’d like to be.

I have people take care of their cars, love their cars. And you’re right. It’s sometimes it’s not the car that you need. In most cases, it’s the car that needs you. And there are lots of people who have got wonderful cars. There’s people that have got 1970s, you know, seventies Pintos in the garage that they’re massaging, that they love.

Why would anybody own? Why? Because they love the car. There’s all kinds of. Wonderful automobiles in the hands of wonderful [00:18:00] people that need to keep the dream alive. That’s our goal. Helping people keep the dream alive. We’ve done some pretty incredible things. We’ve branched out and created some other products.

One of the hottest products that we’ve got. Is our HD cleanse. I don’t know if you’ve ever used bleach g cleanse. I, I

Crew Chief Eric: ha I own it. I, I have an assortment of zy products. Yeah. And HD cleanse.

Chuck Bennett: HD cleanse is like an exfoliate for paint. And the interesting thing about HD cleanses, it removes hairline scratches in paint.

And the more you use it, the more hairline scratches are going to be relieved from the paint without abrading the paint. You’re not using a polishing agent that can strip clear coat or strip paint off a car. And especially today, when the average paint on a car today is anywhere between four to six mils, that’s all there is.

So you’ve got to be very careful what you use on, on a car today. The older cars have got 20, 30 mils paint. You can scrub like crazy with those cars. But you still have to [00:19:00] be gentle with paint. Waxing a car, treating the finish of a car, is very much like either baking, or it’s like making love, or it’s any of those things.

You’ve got to be gentle. You’ve got to have a little finesse. You’ve got to work, you’ve got to be mentally in tune with the automobile and you’ve got to care about it because you’re responsible for it. So HD cleanse became a instant hit with people that wanted to resurrect their paint and get their paint to a point where they could apply a wax to it.

Because for years, people had believed that all they had to do was wash the car. And wax it. That doesn’t work.

Crew Chief Eric: I will get into that in a little bit, but Chuck, I got to pause you here because wow, I think this is the most epic origin story we’ve ever had on break fix. So I want people to kind of digest everything you’ve said, but there’s some important fallout here.

Number one, I made a really interesting connection. Finally, I understand why Zymol has been the number one recommended wax for BMW and the BMW [00:20:00] club. I never realized that until now, but also I think a question falls out of this. Where did the name come from?

Chuck Bennett: Oh, well, I was sitting there and trying to come up with a name.

You know, there’s all kinds of things that were in my head, regal wax, and just stupid, stupid things. I like names that sort of name what the product is to sort of tell you what it does. Now, the waxes we make are enzymatic emollients. They’re zymes. They have a reagent in them. It’s like beer. It’s like sourdough bread.

There’s, there’s a live culture inside those containers. You know, that culture gets added after we blend everything and we’ve got the temperature to drop in those containers. And that’s when we add the culture to it. So enzymatic emollients. So I’m looking at this word, two words, actually. I said enzymatic emollient.

There’s a sign there and it’s oil. We’ve got plant oils. What’s the German word for oil? O with an umlau, L. O E L is a German word for oil. [00:21:00] Seim, oil. Put the two of them together. Seimel. That created Seimel. And I’ve got the original press type lettering. You know what press type lettering was? Back in the 70s and in the 80s there were these letters you could buy sheets and you’d put the sheet down on a piece of paper and you’d rub it and it would transfer the letter onto the sheet you’re working with.

I have the original press type lettering of the logo, Zymol. And the only thing that’s changed since then was the original logo was just the word, and now the logo is the word with double rules. Two rules above, two rules below. That’s the Zymol logo. That’s where the name came from. It is an explanation of what the product is, an enzymatic emollient.

Crew Chief Eric: Coming out of the computer and computer hardware world, now you’re a chemist, chemical engineer. What do you consider yourself after 40 years of doing this?

Chuck Bennett: A frustrated entrepreneurial scientist who has absolutely made every possible mistake Right. All I can tell you is, [00:22:00] is that if my mistakes were cow manure, you’d have no place to walk I made every possible mistake you could make.

There was mistakes in packaging, mistakes in blending, mistakes in raw materials that we bought. It was really crazy. And one of the things that I was able to do is to solicit help from the vendors that supplied Me raw materials, people that supplied me, coconut oil, people that supplied me, Carnauba people that supplied me things like banana oil.

A lot of these companies have got biochemists that work for them. And you can get a lot of help from these companies because they have those people working there. And of course, the more help they give you, the more that they can get their product embedded inside yours. Carnauba as an example. Carnival comes from a palm tree called the Copernicus Seraphira.

That palm tree grows in three places in the world, actually four now. It grows [00:23:00] in Brazil. Brazilians are well known for their carnival. It grows in Egypt. It grows in Africa, but it grows in South Africa. And it grows in Brooksville, Florida.

Crew Chief Eric: You were equatorial until that point.

Chuck Bennett: Yeah. We have our own Carnauba orchard.

Is that

Crew Chief Eric: specifically for Xymo? You have your own?

Chuck Bennett: We have our own Carnauba plants. We treat them differently than everybody else. Let’s go back to Carnauba from the world. Brazilian Carnauba is used in almost everything. It’s used in candies, cosmetics. It’s used everywhere. If you’re, have you ever eaten an M& M?

If you’ve eaten a Tic Tac? They contain car now. You get back, you can look at the package and it says it right up. That’s what gives it

Crew Chief Eric: the glossy quote unquote candy coating, right? Well, it’s,

Chuck Bennett: it’s, it’s, it’s the binder that binds the sugar together. Remember that when you mix low density lipoproteins or even high density lipoproteins with sugar, you get some monstrous triglycerides.

Executive Producer Tania: You’ve got too much in your body. It’s a bad thing.

Chuck Bennett: If you’ve [00:24:00] got too much, if you’re trying, if your triglyceride level is too high. There’s a good chance your cholesterol level is going to be totally out of whack. They use that. In Egypt, they use the carnauba there to wax thread. Okay. They wax thread in Egypt because when they’re making wonderful cotton sheets and all those things, they need to wax the thread so it doesn’t get burned out while it’s in the loom.

It has to flow smoothly through the loom. So they wax the threading with the car now in South Africa, they use the car now, but for jewelry molds, it melts in about 180 degrees and it’s very solid. Once it becomes because it gets back down to to ambient room temperature. And in our car now, but here in Florida, we actually Treat the plants like maple trees and we sapped them.

We don’t just, they don’t take, we don’t take the car now, but from the fronds. Now the rest of the world takes the car now, but from the fronts, they send person up to the tree and they take the fronds off and they drop them down. [00:25:00] Somebody down below chops them all up. Puts them in a 55 gallon tank of warm ether, and what happens is all the fats come to the top, they pour the fats off onto a mold, which is sitting on the ground, and the dirt, they pour the fats off onto that, it hardens up, they take the bricks and they shift them up.

There’s a few companies that you can get Carnauba from. The leading Carnauba purveyor in the United States is a company called Koster Kunin. And Koster Kunin is located in two different locations, uh, well three. There’s, they’ve got one in Holland. They’ve got one in St. Louis, New York, and they’ve got one in Connecticut.

They have the ability to process carnauba. And I’ve been in a plant where they process carnauba. They have to use a steam turbine to do it. And they drop these bricks into this one and a half ton bladed system that spins at about 26, 000 rpm. In an explosion proof room. And what happens is it chops the carnauba up.

And the carnauba becomes a powder. And it floats inside the [00:26:00] vessel. And they suck the powder off. While the dirt and sand and everything else and insects fall to the bottom. Wow. That’s how they process carnauba. There’s different types of carnauba. There’s brown carnauba, which is from the oldest of the fronds.

There’s yellow carnauba, and then there’s different grades of yellow carnauba, and there’s white carnauba. And white carnauba is most expensive because it comes from the upper fronds. Carnauba back in the 80s was going for around 15 a pound. Today it’s in the neighborhood of about 150 a pound. It’s pretty expensive material, and it’s very hard to get that, because if you’re getting Brazilian carnauba, it’s coming in by boat.

We all know what the supply chain crisis looks like. It’s pretty crazy trying to get raw materials. It’s one of the biggest challenges that my team has is getting raw materials. So we use Carnauba in almost everything we make. It is the wax of choice. And we’ve gone from using micro fine Carnauba [00:27:00] to today’s marketplace where we use nano fine.

Car, ba. And on top of that we use car, ba, sap, and car Ba. SAP is one of the materials that’s in, uh, as an example, a product that we make called Field Glaze. Field Glaze is used every day. It’s used at the Aston Martin factory. Every single day. They shoot the cars with field glaze. as they’re moving them from one section of the factory to the next, just to prevent scratches from happening and abrasions to the paint.

Also, our spray glaze is using liquid Carnauba. We’ve gone through different suppliers of Carnauba, but we’re sticking with the guys that we know. Make the best of the products that are out there. Raw materials that are out there. As the company progressed, we got tapped on the shoulder by lots of people who wanted us to help them in their endeavors to win at different events all over the world.

Crew Chief Eric: So Chuck, you know, you alluded to a bunch of things as you were describing, you know, the origin of the company and talking about natural [00:28:00] products. You know, we talked about carnauba wax and things like that. So I’ve noticed, and I appreciate, and I kind of show off to other folks, Hey, check out smell. You got to smell this, right?

Especially the cleaner wax. You smell that coconut, you smell the banana, the wheel wax has mints in it. Like it’s very prominent, the natural ingredients that are in Zymo. You don’t find that in pretty much anything else. But I’ve also come to realize in talking to you outside of the show that Zymo offers products, not just for cars.

So do you want to elaborate on that and how you got into developing products for not just cars?

Chuck Bennett: First, let’s talk, we’ll go back and talk about the aromas. You know, we’ve gotten complaints about the aromas.

Crew Chief Eric: What?

Chuck Bennett: Yeah. One of the most pungent smells is banana tosafirols. They are very, very strong. We use the oil from something called a burrow banana.

Yeah. The burro banana is a three sided banana. It’s a short, fat banana. If I were to open one up in my factory, just open a banana up in my factory, in fact, we had [00:29:00] a young lady who was allergic to bananas that worked for us. And we had to let her go home and spend the day at home when we were making products.

that contained banana oil. This stuff is just mind blowing how strong it is. But we’ve gotten actually complaints from people that said, I hate that smell. I mean, there are a lot of people that don’t like the smell of coconut. They don’t like the smell of bananas. We use spearmint oil. in our wheel cleaner.

Yep. They don’t like the smell of spear metal. We’ve had that happen. Let’s go and talk about one of the things that I think is, is really fun is musical instruments, which turned out to be a bit of a disaster. My son, who’s a very, very good bass player, calls me up one day and says, dad, you’ve got to go on.

I think it was either the Gretsch or Rickenbacker website. He says, there’s a bunch of guys on that site that are talking about using your cleaner wax on their guitars and their basses, he says, and they’re all excited about it. I said, not good. What do you mean? Not good. I said, the wax matrix in [00:30:00] our cleaner wax is too heavy.

If you have an acoustic instrument and you’re putting that wax on an acoustic instrument, you’re insulating the tonality of the wood. You are taking that wood and you’re dampening it by putting wax out. He said, well, some of these are solid bodies. I said, well, the solid bodies. That is not my, not my worry.

I said, your hollow bodies and your semi hollow bodies. That’s my worry. I log into that website. It’s a, like a factory website. Tell people who I am. Got a whole bunch of responses from people. I said, wow, you’re, you’re, you’re really, do you play? Yeah, I play, I play bass, all that stuff. And I said, well, why are you, why did you get on board?

What prompted you to get on board? I was very, very upfront. I said, because I want you to stop using my cleaner wax on your instruments. Boom, that tight. Why? I explained. And of course I got like Rick Troviat. Why don’t you sell us the product? I got one guy who sent me up, uh, sent a message to me that said, why don’t you create some products for musical [00:31:00] instruments?

I said, wow, that’s a whole different animal. That’s a different kind of wax matrix. I contacted my son. I said, would you be willing to let me send you some products and you can test it on your collection? He says, not a problem. Dad is I’ve got some instruments here. I didn’t have a question. This big up at the time.

I said, we’ll test it out. So over the course of about 18 months. We created product, tested it, threw it away, just finally got ourselves to a point where we’re able to create some very interesting products. We decided to do a show that’s called the NAMM show, N A M M. The NAMM show happens in Anaheim, California during January, and then in July it happens in Nashville.

The one in Nashville is called the Guitar Show. The one in Anaheim is the big major NAMM show and the NAMM stands for National Association of Music Merchants. It’s a misnomer because it’s international.

Crew Chief Eric: So sort of like SEMA for the car guys, right?

Chuck Bennett: Right. So I’m at the NAMM show and I’m displaying some of our products, talking to people about them.

We had a [00:32:00] booth, we had 50 inch screens. We did s going to do it. We’re gonn felt somebody tapping me I turn around and it was Martin guitar company. An he says, I just want to t Forever. He says, and I love your product. He says, what is this? I explained the situation that we’ve gotten involved in creating products for musical instruments.

What I can tell you now is there isn’t a single guitar that leaves the Martin factory that doesn’t have Zymol all over it. Wow. They use our products on their fretboard. They use our products on their pickups. body of the guitar. Even some of our products are used to polish the finish on the guitar. I’ve got to tell you about the motorcycle world.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, right. Two wheeled friends. Yeah.

Chuck Bennett: Got two wheeled friends. Remember I mentioned Bob Sinclair? He

Crew Chief Eric: did. And actually I was going to lead into that because we got to talk about motorsport at some time.

Chuck Bennett: Okay. Bob Sinclair was the avid motorsport [00:33:00] king, if you will. He was a crazy, crazy guy. I’ve spent hours with Bob Sinclair and Mario Andretti and all these guys, all these race car drivers.

We’ve been out to Baja Cantina out in California, 2 a. m. in the morning, drinking Negro Modellas and getting totally toasted. Great, great times, right? After a pebble event that Bob was out there, which happens in August, then we go back home and the fall sets in and the winter sets in. And Bob lived in Connecticut as well.

Bob was the, the CEO for Saab, Saab Cars. You know, mid November, Bob calls me up and he says, Bennett, we’re going to Milwaukee. I said, when do you want to go? He says, tomorrow. It’s snowing to beat the band out in Milwaukee. I said, it’s colder than Connecticut. They’ve got dogs frozen to fire hydrants out there.

I don’t want to go to Milwaukee. He said, we’re going to Milwaukee. I said, okay, I said, what are we going, what are we going to do in Milwaukee? He said, we’re going out to see a friend of mine, Willie G. Davis. He said, we’re going out to see Clyde Fessler. You’re going out to see the guys that [00:34:00] run Harley Davidson.

I said, okay, you still have that wax, he says to me, that rebels gasoline, right? I says, yeah, I gave you some, Bob. He says, yeah, I used it. It’s incredible. They were going out to show it to him. He said, make sure you bring some. I’ve already taken care of the flight. He says, you got to meet me, he says, at the Hartford airport.

Gonna meet you there, he says, at about nine o’clock in the morning. He called me at eight o’clock at night. Now I’ve got to go back down to the shop. I’ve got to get some product, get a whole kit together. Sure enough, we get on a plane, go out to Milwaukee and we meet everybody. I meet Willie G and I meet Clive Fessler.

The guy said, you’ve got to wax your refills gasoline, right? I said, yeah. He says, we’re going to test it. We go out on a loading dock and I’m freezing my butt off and they bring out a brand new black, full dresser. And he says, wax that tank. I better do it quick. I said, there’s a temperature out here. He said, No, it’s, it’s, it’s okay.

He says, it’s okay. He said, Nick, it’s about 26 degrees. We’re good. The paint was fresh. I take the wax and I rubbed it in between my hands to [00:35:00] get the carnauba soft enough. And I rubbed this wax all over the tank. He says, what are you going to do now? I said, well, I’m going to wait a few minutes and I’m going to buff it.

Okay. So I waited a few minutes. It was a little tough, but I was able to buff it. The tank looked beautiful. He says, okay, we’re going to get it to test. So the guy comes out with a bucket of gasoline and a rag, rag in the bucket. Willie G takes the rag, drapes it over the tank. Gasoline’s like pouring out of this rag out of the ground, out of the floating duck.

He said, let’s go to lunch. I’m standing there and I could feel the blood draining out of my head. Let’s go to lunch. We’re going to leave this rag, soaked in gasoline on the tank. Let’s go to lunch. We go to lunch. Now I didn’t eat a damn thing. We go back, William G. takes the rag off, it’s still damp, and the tank is cloudy.

He says, well, he says, that looks like a problem. I knew exactly what had happened. The carnauba in the wax is hygroscopic. It loves moisture. As the gasoline evaporated, the moisture in the air was getting to the carnauba. So I said, leave it [00:36:00] alone. What do you mean? Don’t touch it. So he stood there and watched it

Executive Producer Tania: and

Chuck Bennett: all of the cloudiness went away.

It was bright and beautiful and deep black. Willie G looks at me and says, so wow. He said, I want 10, 000 kits delivered. He says to us within the next 90 days. So Bob and I get back on the airplane. I said, Bob, I haven’t got any way of making 10, 000. He says, that was what Willie G said. You turn it over to Clive Fessler.

Clive Fessler gets all the engineering people. All the art design people, the label people involved. He says, you’re not going to have to ship them anything. He says for a year, he says, don’t worry. So Harley Davidson with sold our Zymol talent was the name of the product. T A L O N. Of course we couldn’t sell it.

We weren’t allowed to sell it. And just recently we’ve gotten a release from that exclusive. That we can now sell the talent product. So it’s a wax that repels gas.

Crew Chief Eric: So this actually leads into another great story, but [00:37:00] I want to preface this with something really, really important. Oftentimes, as I try to instill in people, Hey, you should try out Xymo, you should do this.

I always get the, it’s so difficult to work with this and that. And I have to explain people, first of all, You should really read the directions and number two, you basically brought up a good point, which was it needs to react with the environment, with the ambient temperature has to be the right temperature to work with.

It needs a lot of oxygen. It reacts to that. And that curing process is super important to the wax itself, especially the cleaner wax and the carbon and some of the other ones, and we’ll probably expand upon that more when we talk about car care stuff, but I think it’s, it’s funny the way you describe this and it’s all based upon the way you built it.

Yeah. In our other talks that it’s not just oxygen that reacts with the wax. There’s another one of these specialty products that you came up with, which is very different and it relates a hundred percent to the motorsport world. So do we want to, do we want to talk about,

Chuck Bennett: we’re talking about fast.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s right.

Do you want to explain what fast means [00:38:00] first before people get like, what are we talking about?

Chuck Bennett: Friction augmenting surface technology. Bob Sinclair again had contacted me and said, listen, I’ve got some friends of mine. One of them is named Bob Snodgrass, and he runs this race team called Brumos Racing.

He’s never

Crew Chief Eric: heard of him.

Chuck Bennett: I hadn’t heard of him. And he said, listen, he said, they really need something to help them go faster. I said, what are they driving? He said, you serious? I said, yeah, what are they driving? They drive Porsches. They drive Porsches. Okay. So he said, what can you do to reduce the coefficiency of drag on the cars?

Well, you know, we use different reagents. The reagent that we use really reacts with oxygen. There are different kinds of materials that react to carbon dioxide and react to water. He said, okay, he said, well, why don’t you come up with a product? He says, we’re going out to this place called Delmar up in California.

And he always did this to me. He would talk to me on a Thursday and say, we’re leaving tomorrow on a [00:39:00] Friday. I said, no, what do we go? That’s not, no, nevermind, Bob. What time do I have to be at the airport tomorrow? He says, well, we’re going to head out to California tomorrow. He says, probably fly out somewhere 30, 10 o’clock.

So we fly out to California, go to the Del Mar race. And that’s where I meet Hans Stuck and Hurley Haywood. Two of my heroes. We go out there and Hans Stuck, you know, he’s, he’s like Lurch. Do you ever meet Hans Stuck? Not in person,

Executive Producer Tania: no.

Chuck Bennett: The guy’s like 6’10 He’s like, how he can fit into that portion was beyond me.

In fact, he’s had them modify the portion. We’re able to take the seat and move the seat back far enough that he could get his legs stretched out. At that point, he says, my leg is in comfortable position to have the gas pedal all the way to the floor. So I said to Hans, I says, Hans, what about the break?

He says, what’s that? Awesome. Nevermind Hans. I got, I got the picture. We took this product. Now we’re there. We had gotten some containers of CO2. [00:40:00] We put the wax on the cars and we shot the cars with CO2. We shot them to a point where we ended up with ice forming on the outside of the cars. That alone psyched up everybody or psyched out everybody that was standing around the competition wanting to know what we were working on.

In fact, one of the officials came over and said, you know, what are you guys doing? Just preparing the surface for racing. As I told Hans, I said, Hans, we’ve waxed parts of the car that we should wax. And there are parts of the car that you need to have drag. You need some downforce in certain areas. We’ve got it nailed down.

I said, but be careful because the car is not going to feel like it’s going through the wind anymore. You’re not going to get the resistance that the car Normally feels that day that we were out there was time trials and stuff. Hans takes his car out times. There’s about four laps and he comes back. He jumps out of the car.

God’s honest truth runs over to me, grabs me and picks me up like I’m a sack of potatoes. And he’s hugging me. [00:41:00] And he says, This is fabulous. He says, This is just fabulous. I said, Okay, Hans. I said, I guess you’ll like it. He says, Oh, he’s, I’m never going to just drive a car again without your product on the car.

So Bruno’s team used our product. Then at that point, Bob Snodgrass knew one of the people from the America’s cup. And we sent our guys to put fast America’s cup racer. We’ve got the pictures of it when it was at Rockefeller center. It was on display at Rockefeller center in New York. So we put our wax on that.

We have different boat race teams that have used it. Do you ever hear of Sutphin Marine? Sutphin Marine, they’re power boat racers. They don’t know if they still race at all, but they wouldn’t drop their boat in the water without Simon Fass being on the

Executive Producer Tania: boat.

Chuck Bennett: The interesting part of it is, is that the wax, when it gets near water, it’ll cause a bubbling effect in the water.

So you’ve got less drag on the water. Really interesting stuff. We got caught putting this product on The America’s team boat, and they told [00:42:00] us that we had to remove it. So I built a wash and the wash contained more fast. Just watched it right. And added more fast to it. Now I get a call from BMW and they said, we need you to come to Rhode Island.

It was the petite Lamont. So we need to have you apply fast because he had heard about it to our cars. Me and a good friend of mine. Marty Sals, he’s a great guy. He’s a terrible lawyer and a wonderful motorhead. We go out, coat the cars, you know, wearing our jumpsuits. We’ve got tanks on our back. We shoot the cars.

I kept telling the guy from BMW, I need to talk to your drivers. I need to talk to them. And I finally got a chance to talk to them. And you know, the funny thing about race drivers is that some of them will listen and some of them don’t talk to me. You’re an engineering lowlife. Please don’t talk to me.

So I went ahead and I said, guys, these cars are not going to react the way [00:43:00] you have had them react before. The coefficiency of drag is severely reduced. That kind of feeling you’ve got when you are up against the air. And you’re in a turn is not going to be the same. It didn’t listen. They didn’t make it to the third turn.

Both of them went into the wall. We had other people try this technology.

Crew Chief Eric: Do you guys still make fast?

Chuck Bennett: We still make fast. In fact, one of the things that we did, we took fast and we packaged it small and gave it to the U S ski team to try it out on their skis. I’ve been wondering about skis this whole time.

All right. Here’s the best part of this. One of the people of the U S ski team decided to wax one ski with our fast technology product. That sounds like a terrible idea. Went down a Hill and immediately corkscrew it into a tree. I don’t think I should probably sell this stuff. We did. We haven’t sold it because what happened was.

The report came back, somehow, one of [00:44:00] our attorneys, Paul Belling is his name, uh, he’s now living in Germany. He’s got a great life there. I loved doing his voice. He said, uh, Chuck, now you can’t sell this stuff. He said, you’re going to kill people. I said, if people are brave enough to put wooden boards on their feet and go down a mountain full of ice, I mean, how am I, how is what I’m doing going to kill them?

Come on, you can’t do it. Liability, liability. You should never listen to lawyers. I probably should have taken this stuff out and sold it. And then we may do it again anyway. We may, we may bring out that ski wax anyway. It’s awesome. We’ve supplied the U. S. Olympic luge team with some of our fast technology years and years ago.

And of course, our logo has appeared on all these, our logos appeared on the Brumos race cars. The logos were on the, uh, Seffen Marine. Then, my wife is an avid horse lover, and we woke up one morning and she said, you know, we make [00:45:00] all these great products. Why don’t we make something for the horses?

Crew Chief Eric: So you’re talking saddle waxes and other things?

Oh,

Chuck Bennett: we already had those products. We already had leather cleaners, leather conditioners. She was more interested in hoof care. She was interested in shampoos. She was interested in conditioners, coat conditioners, mane and tail detanglers, those kinds of things. So I said, yeah, we could look at that. I said, what’s the main goal here?

She says we need to stop flies from getting at them. We had moved to Florida in 2009. There’s a big difference between the fly community in Florida and the fly community up in Connecticut. Down here, the flies got their own council. They park themselves on horses here. I mean, it’s crazy. And then, of course, you’ve got cows everywhere.

Cows breed flies. It’s incredible. We found out very quickly that we couldn’t actually make any products that would repel flies. You [00:46:00] know, there are some products that will. We’ve got a natural extract from chrysanthemums in our soap, or horses. If you take the extract from a chrysanthemum and you go ahead and process it by squeezing out the essence of, uh, in the chrysanthemums, And then go ahead and distill that you end up with something called pyrethrins when the majority of pyrethrins are garnered from chrysanthemums and the flowers of chrysanthemums.

And what they’re for is that they cause insects to stop breathing. It’s a very interesting material. It causes the insect to literally suffocate, but we don’t have pyrethrins, but we do have extract of chrysanthemum in our shampoo and in our conditioner. So we created some products and they’re very, very popular.

The horse care people love our products. And what’s interesting about that marketplace is that, you know, when somebody waxes their car, you know, the car doesn’t decide that [00:47:00] after it’s done getting waxed, it wants to roll over on its back in the nearest mud puddle. Which is what it’s supposed to go. And we’ve tried our products on different horses and different parts of the world.

In fact, we brought some product with us to London. We brought some products that they, they tried it on some of the, the Bobby’s police horses. And then we brought it over to Ireland to, um, uh, Ben and breakfast there called Puddin Hill. And they had a great stable. And we tried some of our products on. on their horses.

And then everybody was very, very pleased. We’re doing very well with our, with our horse care products. Our horse care products are called equine skies.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, interesting.

Chuck Bennett: Yeah. It’s, uh, in fact, we’ve just been notified by Amazon. They’d like us to put a store up on Amazon of our horse care products. We’re trying to keep up with all the different dirty and need to be shiny surfaces on the planet.

I’ll never be able to go after all,

Crew Chief Eric: which is actually a great segue into talking about some car care. And I know you’ve got some interesting techniques, which we’ll, we’ll get [00:48:00] into, but I want to start with a quote you gave me when we were talking before the show, which is the wash is as important as the wax.

Let’s start with that idea and build from there. Why is the is important as the wax. And what’s The best or proper way to really wash a car when you’re prepping it for, you know, a car show or even just for yourself or, or you know, just getting it ready, getting it shined up.

Chuck Bennett: We were sponsor of the two thousands.

It’s either 13 or 15 Ferrari national events here in the United States. We were the sponsors. I’m always, we have an event that we’ve always done at different events like Porsche Parade at the BM bmw, October Fest. Anytime we’ve gone to a car club. We’ve done an event, StarFest. There’s an event that we’ve always done, which I know Tonya would love.

It’s called Suds and Sugar. And what it is, is that we have a demonstration, and hopefully they’ve got their kids with them. We teach people how to wash their car properly. And we have a company come in and make [00:49:00] ice cream sundaes for everybody.

Crew Chief Eric: I’m digging this. Yeah, so everyone’s

Chuck Bennett: sitting there with these ice cream sundaes.

Big. I mean, big ice cream sundaes, right? They’re watching what’s going on. And the reason why I like the whole idea of the ice cream sundae is that I want to kick everybody’s endorphins through the roof. Don’t put in that elbow

Crew Chief Eric: grease, right?

Chuck Bennett: Yeah. I want them to, I want them to see, to be, you know, right there with us when we’re working on the car.

The first thing that people should realize when they wash a car is it has to be a top down effect. You always start from the top of the car and work down. And you need to be able to wash your car with a good sponge, not the kind of sponge that, like a sea sponge, which traps dead sea animals and shells in it, which will put all kinds of interesting patterns on your car, that within, um, A few thousand years when they find that body panel, they’ll try and figure out what you were trying to write, right?

Okay, so you want to have a closed cell sponge that holds a lot of water and a lot of suds. [00:50:00] You need a good car wash product that doesn’t try and shine the car. at the same time. Products that are out there to try and shine a car at the same time. Generally have anywhere between a 20, 000 centistoke to a 50, 000 centistoke silicone blended into the soap.

You don’t need to have, be putting that on your car. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. We’re trying to Wash the car. You need to have a five gallon bucket. That bucket needs to be filled with lukewarm water, lots of good soap in there, a good soap. If you can’t buy a good car wash soap, then what you need to do is you need to get some ivory soap in the bar form.

You need to take that ivory soap in the bar form, I need to find a way to grind it all up and use some of that soap with a couple of tablespoons of salad oil in the wash water.

Crew Chief Eric: Interesting. So cheese grater and some olive oil here. We’re making olive oil. Ivory just

Executive Producer Tania: came out recently, a liquid form of ivory soap.

Chuck Bennett: I know we’ve got it, but [00:51:00] it’s not the original ivory. The original ivory soap is tallow based. Tallow is animal fats. That’s why the ivory bar would float 99, 100 percent pure. That’s why the ivory bar would float in water is that it was pure tallow. And they got it to become a soap by using lye in the mix with the tallow, the liquid ivory.

In fact, I’ve got some here in the house. I happen to like it a lot. I shower with it. But it’s not the original towel. So you shave it, you take your salad oil and you drop some salad oil in the wash water. It may be advisable, no matter what you’re using for a car wash, to take a tablespoon of salad oil and put it in your wash water.

Crew Chief Eric: Would you recommend that even for the Zymo Auto Wash? I would.

Chuck Bennett: I would. And the reason why? Is it breaks up into millions of tiny beadlets that adhere to the silt on the car and help you slide it off the car instead of you dragging it off the car.

Crew Chief Eric: So I’ve heard the same thing from detailers saying that if [00:52:00] you use the old tide.

Powdered detergent. It does the same thing. It’s supposed to lift and shift the dirt, but it’s a bit of a clarifier. It strips the paint.

Chuck Bennett: No. Tide should be used as a silicone cracker to get silicone or sealant, paint sealants off the car. In fact, I went ahead and answered it to the young fellow today who wanted to know how to get the sealant.

He had gotten one of these ceramic sealants, which really aren’t ceramic. I had it done to his car. And now he’s got, you know, what he calls cobwebbing all over the car. I told him, I said, you need to First things first, you need to get that sealant off the car. You go to your laundromat, buy a couple boxes of Tide soap from the laundromat.

The small boxes, you take the two boxes, mix them in a five gallon pail of water and wash the car with Tide. Tide is extremely strong. And it has a lot of phosphates, so it’ll crack silicone, you’ll get it off the car. But let’s go back to using a regular car wash. Try and get a good car wash. We make a good car wash.

There are lots of companies that make good car washes.

Crew Chief Eric: Love the smell of it, by the way. It’s fantastic.

Chuck Bennett: It has [00:53:00] coconut oil, it has banana oil in it. We’ve gone ahead. and try to to create a product that’s pleasing to use and that doesn’t dry out your hands to a point where you feel like you’ve got to moisturize your hands for the next three weeks.

There’s a lot of car washes that’ll do that. It’s the pH of our car wash is somewhere around A six and a half, considering that your water in most towns, most cities is anywhere near an eight is made on the scale of the PHQ is a little bit on the alkaline side, you’re going to balance that out and hopefully get you close to a seven.

Alright, so now we’ve got the salad on there. Next thing you should do is that you need to wash the car with both hands, one hand empty, one hand with the sponge, you take your soap water, you squeeze it off onto the top of the car, or a fender, if you move to that part, or a hood, and you use your bare hand and you run your bare hand over the car first.

Touch the car with the [00:54:00] sponge. Use your bare hand. But you want to find if things stuck to the paint. That bug protein is a wonderful glue for taking a small stone and gluing it to the top of your car or a fender on your car. And there you go, giving archaeologists a time again, trying to figure out what the hell you wrote on your car.

2000 years ago. Because you’ve scraped this stone again all over your car. So hand first, hand first. Once you are satisfied, there’s nothing stuck to the paint. Also gives you an opportunity to be one with your car. To understand whether or not you’ve picked up some stone damage or whatever. And you do that, then you use your sponge.

Let’s say that I did half the roof of the car. I rinsed the entire car. I don’t just rinse the roof. I don’t rinse the half of the roof. I rinse the entire car. Now I do the second half of the roof. I rinse the entire car again. Then I move down, and I move down to the hood. Do half the hood. And I rinse the entire car.

You keep rinsing the entire car. Every time you [00:55:00] wash something on the car, rinse the entire car. Remember that this hand, if you’re left or right handed, is the hands, the magic hand. That’s the hand that’s going to tell you what’s stuck to that paint surface, or where you’ve got some damage, or where you have to be careful, or what needs some special attention.

It’s a simple way to wash a car. It always top down. And when you get to the belt line, that’s the beginning of the rocker panels, you get to the belt line. At that point, you change your water. You change your sponge. And you go to a new water, new sponge, and a little more carwash mixed in. It’s got to be just a tad stronger.

What you’re really trying to get off that paint surface, and you’ve got to think about this for a moment, is not just road silt and bug proteins and acid rain deposits and all that. The biggest culprit that kills paint surface on the cars is the catalytic converter of the car in front of you. American cars are very interesting.

They [00:56:00] use sulfur based cats and the operating time it takes for that cat to get up to full operating temperature is five, zero minutes, 50 minutes. The average commute for most people is 30. So while you’re sitting behind that Suburban and you’re on the 405 or wherever you are, whatever highway you’re on, and you’re trying to get to work, that catalytic converter in that Suburban is spinning hydrochloric acid at a pH of about two all over your car.

Nice. You’ve got to get that stuff off of there because when it dries, it’s not active anymore. The moment that it gets moist again, The moment you get some dew, the moment it obtains any form of moisture, it becomes an active acid again. So washing your car is probably the single, the most important thing you can do.

And believe it or not, it’s the place where most cars get damaged by their owners, because they don’t know how to wash a car.

Executive Producer Tania: So I’m hearing you’re not a [00:57:00] fan of car washes.

Chuck Bennett: Well, I got in a lot of trouble. I got in a lot of trouble. I’ve been interviewed a lot on about different magazines. I’ve been on air with different radio shows.

I could ask that question. Chuck, what do you think of automated car washes? I said, well, there’s a lot of automated car washes that use different kinds of soaps, different kinds of cleaners. One that really, that really stands out in my mind is the car wash that doesn’t use any soap. It’s 100 percent environmentally correct.

And of course, the announcer went, wow, that’s great, Chuck. Tell us all about it. I said, well, what happens is, is that it takes all the dirt from the car in front of you or the 10 cars in front of you. It runs it through a filtration process and it takes out the dirt in certain micron size and then air blasts it with water at your car to clean your car.

So literally what they’re doing is they’re sandblasting your car. And this guy was on air and he said, no shit. I said, yeah, I’m telling you that’s what they do. [00:58:00] And automated car washes. There’s ones with brushes, there’s touchless, there’s all of this. You’ll find that, that a lot of people stop going to an automated car wash when they realize that it didn’t do a good job, the ones that really do clean the car are using different kinds of detergents.

that will strip the wax right off of a car. Now, let’s talk about the offense that a lot of guys and gals make at home when they wash their car. They go and they grab that stuff on the kitchen sink.

Executive Producer Tania: One safe for ducks.

Chuck Bennett: One safe for ducks.

Executive Producer Tania: The blue, the blue stuff. Yeah.

Chuck Bennett: The blue stuff. There’s, what is it?

There’s joy. There’s

Executive Producer Tania: uh, gone.

Chuck Bennett: Ajax. Yeah. All right. It’s interesting about Zymol Wax. Zymol Wax is made from fats and oils. Carnalba is a low density lipoprotein. It is a fat. It’s a solid fat, but it’s a fat. Coconut oil, banana oil, orange oil, any of these oils. These [00:59:00] are fats and oils. Now, that stuff that’s sitting on your sink, what is it designed to remove from your dishes?

Crew Chief Eric: Grease, fats, and

Chuck Bennett: oil. So, wait a minute, if I take this stuff out to my car, if I’ve just spent all that money on Zymo, and I wax the car, and I want to wash it, and I go grab that Dawn, yeah, I’m not going to hurt any ducks, I’m going to grab the Dawn, and I’m going to go out there, and I’m going to put that Dawn on my car, and I’m going to wash it, and then I’m going to call Zymo and say, I got a problem that it doesn’t beat up anymore.

You know what our people have been trying to do? What did you wash your car with? First question out of our customer service. What did you wash your car with? That is the

Crew Chief Eric: first question you asked me. I had a problem as well. And you’re like, what did you wash your car with? I’m like, uh,

Chuck Bennett: yeah, I mean, it’s very interesting.

People sort of get disassociated with what the right thing to do is. And that’s, I don’t know why that happens, but You know, maybe it’s just that they’re expecting miracles to happen all at one [01:00:00] time very quickly. First of all, the W in wax means work.

That’s what that W means. Okay. You’ve got to be ready to go and work on your car. We have customers, many, many customers that will call up and place an order on a Monday. And they want us to get the product to them before the weekend, because they’re going to go spend time commuting with their car.

They’re going to go into their garage, put on some music, they’re going to break open a bottle of Pinot Noir. They’re going to work on their car for four hours. They’re going to be with their automobile. It’s not a problem loving your car. We’ve got this stigma that somehow socially has been pushed around.

Gee, uh, uh, do you like your car? Yeah, I like this car. Do you love your car? Uh, I don’t know. People are nervous about saying, yeah, I love that car. You know, I absolutely love it. I’ve got a car that I love. I’ve got a, a 1990 500 [01:01:00] SL panoramic. It’s got a glass roof. I bought it off of a friend of mine. We bought the car brand new and his wife didn’t want it.

And, uh, the car sat in his garage for shit, almost 10 years. And I said, I’ll take it. We’ve slowly, but surely had to replace a whole lot of goodies on this car. But I love that. And that car loves me. I know it. And cars have personalities and some of them have quirks. Some of them, hell I’ve got a 1984 Mercedes Benz, one 90 E 2.

3 16. Oh, my wife can’t start that car. Won’t start for her. I walk out there, I talk to her, I rubber fend her. I sit down, I tell her how beautiful she is and how I’ve missed her

Crew Chief Eric: all this while the fuel pump is priming. But yeah, go ahead.

Chuck Bennett: Yeah. And I turned the key and I can hear the cold start valve clicking away and I turned the key and fired her up.

There we go. Going back to what we talked about, washing the car. It’s the simplest and the most important protection you can [01:02:00] give your car is to wash it correctly. The next thing is, is cleaning the paint. People tend to put all kinds of things on their cars, waxes. They never clean the paint. They never get the paint ready for wax.

You know, like when we brought out cleaner wax, there were a lot of people that said, you guys are out of your mind. You’re going to make a wax that has no petrochemicals, that doesn’t have any petrol solvents at all. No, we are going to make a cleaner wax that’s water based. At all. You can’t make a water based, what are you, out of your mind?

Well, we’re not out of our mind. We can make a water based cleaner wax. In fact, we’ve just recently reformulated our cleaner wax to add SiO2 to it. SiO2 is one of those magic, it’s not a word, it’s a, it’s a, a naming convention for, A product which is actually fused silica and the fused silica has been ground to nano size.

Well, I will say this, I’m going to get a lot of people that are going to react to this. All of those so called ceramic coatings for cars [01:03:00] are Yes, they’re not real, but they’re just not real product. And they claimed me to have the SIO two in the product. And that was, that’s what makes them ceramic. SIO two is a polishing agent.

There’s no way to make it stick to a car. You couldn’t make ceramics stick to a car. If you’ve ever been to a ceramic studio and you’ve seen when they’ve taken ceramic and they then put it into a, you know, a 9, 000 degree kiln, there’s no way to do that with a paint surface. There’s no chemicals you can make that will make SiO2 stick to a paint surface.

What you can do is you can take 60, 000 or 300, 000 centistokes silicone. Which, by the way, is a hydraulic fluid for, uh, silicone hydraulic fluid. And you can take that and put it on a paint surface and give a detailer a high speed wool pad buffer and have them burnish that stuff into your paint surface.

Not cool. Because at that point, that silicone heats up enough, it [01:04:00] causes that silicone to permeate your clear coat. And you can end up with little cloudy sort of marks that you think are water spots that you never get out. It’s now it’s silicone sitting in between your clear coat and your color coat.

There are a lot of people that swear up and down by these ceramic coatings. We’ve never produced a ceramic coating. We won’t produce a ceramic coating because they’re just not real. What we have done though, is we now have SiO2 and HD cleanse, fabulous polishing agent, and by the way, the particles are nano sized and it does an incredible job.

It’s scary when you think about what companies do to create product. We call it SSDC. Same ship, different container. SSDC. There’s a tremendous number of companies out there that are doing that. They haven’t changed the formulary of their products since the 60s. Back when cars were getting waxed, cars were painted.

They didn’t have enamel paints. Cars back in the [01:05:00] 30s and 40s and in the 50s. They used lacquer paints, and they painted the cars with 26, 30, 35, 40 mils of paint. So what people would do is that they would get some kerosene in a rag, and you’d wipe the car down with kerosene in a rag. It would take off a little bit of the paint.

The car would look great for about three or four days. One of the first guys that came out with a commercial wax was Ben Hirsch and Ben Hirsch started this little company up in Illinois called Turtle Wax. We are good friends with the people at Turtle Wax. We know them. At one point, Turtle Wax was a distributor for our products.

They would distribute our products to the stores like AutoZone and Pep Boys and all of those guys. We didn’t have any way of distributing those because we didn’t have an EDI computer system, didn’t have sales people. That was a whole foreign market to us. They’re probably one of the sharpest companies around.

They don’t subscribe to SSDC, but there’s a whole lot of ’em out there that do. We’ve, for years have tried to get people to understand when they’re working on their [01:06:00] cars, there’s no magic. It’s good product, safe product, product that’s safe for you and your kids to use. We’ve never had anyone call us up and say, geez, you know.

I think the smell of your product or your fumes have made me sick or any of that kind of stuff. We’ve never had any of that, but primarily, uh, what we love to do is build product, build great products. That’s what we like to do, and hear from customers that they love us and that’s what else could we hope for.

Right. That’s awesome.

Crew Chief Eric: One of the things you had said to me was, so when you’re done waxing your car, can you see the wax? And that’s actually a really important and yet loaded statement. I know the answer, but I’m wondering if our listeners know.

Chuck Bennett: We’ve done a lot of events. We’ve gotten up and I’ve gotten up and I’ve shown people what Carnauba bricks look like.

Try to tell people that you can’t buy a product that says it’s 100 percent Carnauba because you wouldn’t be able to do anything with it except maybe use it as a weapon. I mean, yeah, I don’t know. The brick. 100 percent carnauba is solid as a rock. [01:07:00] I had a question come up, and I remember this question. It was at a Miata Club event, and the people that belong to the Miata Club really love their cars.

You talk about naming their cars. It’s, it’s incredible. I had this one customer say to me, how do I know when I’m supposed to wax my car? I said, well, let’s talk about this for a moment. When you’re done waxing your car, Can you see the wax on the car? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Really? You can see the wax? No, no, I guess I can see the shine.

Okay, so you can see the results of you waxing the car. How do you know when the wax is? Well, the car looks like it needs to be waxed. So you need to realize when a car looks like it’s begging to be waxed. You’re not seeing the loss of car wax. You’re seeing new paint damage. You need to keep that in mind when your car is begging to be waxed, it’s doing it for a reason.

It’s because the paint is being damaged. I have to tell you, the crowd went silent when I said that. It was like all the lights split and they all understood what we’re talking about.

Crew Chief Eric: It goes back to that magic hand you were talking about. [01:08:00]

Chuck Bennett: We like very much to have people contact us and say, what’s the proper methodology?

What’s the proper products I should use, which products should I use in a row? We try to help people understand that. And we get a lot of phone calls from customers that say, geez, you know, I bought X, Y, Z product and I put that on the car and then I put your product over it and it doesn’t seem to work.

Yeah, I would think that would happen. That’s like running into your kitchen, making up pancake batter and putting turkey gravy in the pan. And trying to make pancakes on top of turkey gravy. It’s not gonna happen. We try and tell people that, you know, the Zymol products really are engineered to work with each other.

There’s a system there. And if you follow the directions, and that’s something that I want to circle back and talk to you about. You mentioned about Directions. Tanya, it is your chance to try man. Tell him real men don’t need directions.

You know, it’s like, you [01:09:00] know, why, why Ikea doesn’t have written directions and they’ve got pictures on all their stuff.

Executive Producer Tania: Cause it saves them a lot of time and cost in those manuals.

Chuck Bennett: And it doesn’t give them any phone calls. What do you mean? Well, as an example, on the back of our waxes, it says, please refrigerate after opening.

Yep. We’ve had customers and we at least one or two a week will call up and say, back of my container says to refrigerate after open. Does that mean I should stick it in the refrigerator?

Well, yeah, that’s an indication that we want you to put it into your refrigerator. We’ve had customers do some of the darndest things. We had a guy wax the seats of his, white seats of his Cadillac Convertible with our Zymol carbon. He figured that if it works on the paint, it’s got to work on my seats.

We try to give people directions that are fairly simple. A lot of people still don’t follow the directions. We’ve had [01:10:00] people make Zymol tests on YouTube and not follow the directions.

Crew Chief Eric: So that’s a really important point that you bring up because I have baked off Xymo products with friends of mine’s that do detailing.

It’s like you said, you know, bust out the beer or the Pinot Noir. It’s a whole day affair. And they’re sitting there like, look how cool I am. I can do this. I got my buffer and I’m done in 20 minutes and I’m sitting there and I’m putting things on, wait things for dry guys. I’m going to go get a sandwich.

I’ll be back. They’re like, what are you doing? And then when it comes down to it, we actually get back to what we were talking about before, which is the feel. The finish. You can’t see. Yeah, the car, their car looks shiny. So does mine, but you rub your hand across it and the Zymol feels like butter and their stuff just kind of feels like whatever, but I follow the directions.

I’ve been using this stuff for a long time. You have to put the time and effort into your point, love into the process to get out of it. What you, what you want, but please continue.

Chuck Bennett: That’s right. And Zymol products, by the way, are designed to be used by [01:11:00] People call up and say, jeez, you know, the Christmas or my birthday or whatever.

And I got a new buffer. Can I use Xymo with a buffer? Our customer service people ask the magic question. Are you a technician that does this for a living? Is it when the answer is no. And we tell them, well, keep all the packaging, take that wonderful gift back to the store that they bought it from and pick out something else.

I will not stand behind anybody using a buffer unless they do it for a living. And by the way, you can show me where you’ve got some great restoration results. You’ve done some great things using that buffer. I’m interested. I was at a place one time where a guy came up to me and said, Well, what do you think of my car?

Just out of detail. He was proud. It was all scalloped. I don’t know what to tell the man.

Crew Chief Eric: Get your eyes checked lately. I mean, I, I will say this. I have used a buffer with Zymo once and I have regretted it. I know better, but I was really struggling with this one car in [01:12:00] particular and this hood. And I’m like, It didn’t matter what kind of elbow grease I put into it.

I didn’t seem to have just enough oomph. I don’t know what it was. I used a buffer and I realized as I was doing it, at which point it was the point of no return. I was like, I’m heating this up too much and it’s reacting to me doing this. And I had to start all over again. And I was like, now I’ve done this three times and I’m aggravated.

I don’t know, again, it’s one of those things, you know, RTFM, as we say in my world, read the freaking manual. So it’s super important to follow those directions, but I

Chuck Bennett: got to use that. I got, that is great. Read the freaking manual. Oh my God.

Crew Chief Eric: But yeah, so granted it takes me six times longer than anybody else to get the job done, but.

At the end of the day, when you compare car for car for car, even similar cars, you know, coming from the same factory, it’s like, man, that Zymolt feels really, really different. And it’s very buttery. It’s very smooth. The scent is addicting. [01:13:00] Like we’ve been talking about, you have to put in the time and the effort to get out the results that you really want.

There is no quick solution when it comes to detailing these cars at a high level.

Chuck Bennett: No, there isn’t a quick solution. The difference between going to a five star restaurant or going to McDonald’s.

Crew Chief Eric: Absolutely.

Chuck Bennett: You can get it done. Brick of McDonald’s, but it’s not going to be the same.

Crew Chief Eric: I want to touch on something before we kind of wrap up this entire thought.

You had some special techniques for detailing your car that I thought were kind of interesting. And I’m just going to lob this one up for you. Let’s start with black textured trim. What’s your hot take on dealing with things like that?

Chuck Bennett: One of the problems that happens with black textured trim, if you use a product that contains any kind of polishing agent, um, Even if you use a product like our cleaner wax that has a polishing agent, the SiO2, the SiO2 will stick to black trim.

People say to us, how do I get that black again? How do I make that look good again? There’s lots of ways to do it. One way to do it, which I don’t recommend, is to use brake [01:14:00] fluid. on that black trim, which I know a lot of people have done. And the moment you get brake fluid on a paint surface, it dissolves it.

You don’t want to do that. My favorite is either Jif or Skippy crunch peanut butter. You need to go buy a medium toothbrush and take a little bit of that peanut butter and put it in a And like a, a rambutan they call them, and you warm it up in your microwave oven a little bit, and you go out there and you spread the peanut butter over the trim, and you rub it with that toothbrush.

What that peanut butter does, the peanut oil gets underneath whatever is sitting on that black trim, it’s not supposed to be there, and starts to lift it, and the crunchy peanuts themselves act as the abrasive. And they break down before the plastic does, and you just wash it off. And it does a wonderful job at cleaning up the black trim peanut butter.

That’s

Crew Chief Eric: awesome. Listen,

Chuck Bennett: we’ve had one of the other secrets to Zymol is you can ice the surface. Let’s say that you have a car that you really want to get an [01:15:00] extremely deep finish on. We did this with a Ferrari Dino and it was in yellow Ferrari Dino around California. It was Bill Weiner’s car. He was showing it at Pebble, and his guys did a pretty decent job of preparing the paint.

They didn’t have it to my satisfaction. So what we used was Zymol Concord Wax. Put it on with your bare hands, spread it out, and before we buffed it, we took bags of ice that were rolled in towels. We placed them on the surface of the car, let it sit there for about 10 minutes, pulled them off, took some more Concord, rubbed it on the current, Concord that was there.

And then we iced it again. Then we went ahead and applied one more coat of Concord. Let it sit, took on microwipes and very slowly worked the wax into the surface. We stretched out Carnauba on the surface. When the Carnauba got cold and started to warm up again, it absorbed the moisture from the towel.

When we got done with the car, it looked like someone had shot the car [01:16:00] with about 20 coats of clear, great service, great finish.

Crew Chief Eric: And that’s actually one of the questions I get a lot when, you know, showing off Xymo products as well. How do you know when it’s ready? And I say all the time, if you can run your finger across the wax as it’s curing and it doesn’t leave a streak, then it’s ready.

And at that point, it comes off as a powder. It’s actually super easy to remove because it’s fully bonded at that point. And you could just wipe it down, almost like you were just, you know, kind of just. Wiping the car off like you’re investing. Exactly. It’s super easy. But if you have to work or put in a ton of elbow into that Zymol, you haven’t waited long enough.

Chuck Bennett: People use too much of it. That’s the other thing. If I had investors in my business, I would not make them very happy because an eight ounce container of our wax. Will last a motorsport enthusiast, like five years, you’re going to get at least 20, maybe even 24 full waxings out of that eight ounce container.

A little bit goes a long way with Simon.

Crew Chief Eric: That was the Braille cream [01:17:00] model too, right? Yeah. A little dab will do.

Chuck Bennett: A little dab will do. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That is, that’s very interesting. Wow.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s just quickly talk about some new products. That are coming out or have just come out on the market. I know you clued me in because we’re talking about ceramics and SiO2, but there’s actually something cutting edge that Xymo is putting out there.

So do you want to expand on the graphene wax?

Chuck Bennett: Yeah, we’ve got a couple of different products that we’ve played with. We’ve been looking at the kinds of material that would provide someone who loves their car, a finish on their car. That was. Almost permanent. We’re the first company to come out with a graphene based product.

We didn’t invent graphene. Graphene was found by a couple of engineers back around 19, I think it was 1991 at Manchester University in England. They were actually able to separate graphene from graphene oxide, which is what’s in a pencil. Graphene is a [01:18:00] two dimensional material. It’s missing its third and fourth atoms.

The military has been Looking and working with graphene, they have made some new tiles for spaceship re entry. They’ve actually made a t shirt that’s bulletproof. It’s a hundred times stronger than carbon steel and it’s as flexible as water. And this is what makes graphene so really interesting. We contacted a couple of different companies that have got real graphene.

We did some testing. We bought the equipment. We bought a shearing homogenator. We ordered the graphene and the graphene had to come in in glass containers. You can’t come in packed in anything else except glass. Otherwise it’ll permeate the material you’re sitting on. We decided to look at producing what’s known as a graphene colloid.

Colloids are one step beyond an emulsion. We produce these graphene colloids, and we then took oils in particular. We took Lotus leaf extract oil, and we [01:19:00] took Carnauba resin, which is from our, our liquid Carnauba, and we homogenize those together with graphene. There’s some interesting things when you put it on a car and we’ve had lots of problems trying to convey what our graphene product does to a customer, because it’s hard for them to understand it.

When you put it on the paint surface of a car, it finds its third and fourth atom. If you clean the car surface and there’s no wax on it, it will find its third and fourth atom. And at that point, it becomes part of your car. It’s no longer a coating. It’s no longer a wax. It’s not a sealant that we’ve put on the car.

It now becomes part of your paint. It becomes part of the metal on your car. It becomes part of the metalized plastic on your

Executive Producer Tania: car.

Chuck Bennett: The questions we’ve been asked about our graphene product is, How long does it last? It lasts as long as the paint does on your car. If you wanted to shine the car up even more a little bit, you could use our spray detailer over it.

But if you want to take your paint and you want to take all the surfaces of your [01:20:00] car and you want to harden those surfaces, graphene is the way to do it. And we brought our product out immediately, three or four companies popped up and said, well, we’ve got graphene, we’ve got graphing, they’ve got graphing oxide using number two pencil lead in their product and they’re calling it graphing.

We’ve done some interesting cars. We’ve got a blue three 56 that we use the graphing product on that is staggering. Absolutely staggering. The same owner has a anthracite 9 11 target that we used it on. We’ve used a graphene product on our Ford F 350 Super Duty 99 Dualty that we used to haul around our horse trailer.

The truck looks brand new, literally looks

Executive Producer Tania: brand

Chuck Bennett: new. We’ve got a bunch of people across the country that have used our graphene product. There’s a fella that runs a magazine. It’s called garage style magazine. Have you ever seen it? Don out there runs it. Donna’s moved from California to Texas now, and he’s got an old Mustang that he decided to clean up real well and try a graphene product on, and he’s still [01:21:00] talking to himself, understand how this stuff works, the finish you get.

on the graphene is pretty scary. Look, that happens to the surface, especially if you’ve done the right paint prep, you’ve really cleaned up the bank. And by the way, we’ve got an odd name for the graphing product. It’s our atomic graphing shield. Okay. It sounds

Crew Chief Eric: futuristic.

Chuck Bennett: Well, it’s not so much future.

We’ve gotten some complaints about the name. Some people have said, Atomic graphene shield. I mean, did you guys watch back to the future a few times? It’s

Crew Chief Eric: very German. If you think about it, it describes what it does. I mean, that’s how like a lot of German vocabulary is, right? It’s just a description.

Chuck Bennett: Atomic, atomic graphene shield. It is, it is an atomic product. It’s graphene. And it does shield the car. There you go. So that’s a product that’s new. We’ve got two new products that we’re working on with Martin guitar. And we have one more product in our factory. We’ve got a bunch of [01:22:00] panels from this company that’s in Santa Clara, California that builds EVs.

We’re going to be letting this product out on Amazon on an exclusive basis. We’ve got a product that is for electric vehicles. It’s a positive ion product. The mix is positive ion. And the reason why we chose to go positive ion is because the bodies of true electric cars, not so much hybrids, but true EVs are forced negative charge.

They have a negative charge on the body of the car that is a forced negative charge. It’s not just grounding. It’s a forced negative charge. It’s an old british car and it’s as an example. That’s a Lucas car.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s a story for another day.

Chuck Bennett: That’s the story of another day. Lucas, Lucas light switch on, off and flicker.

The interesting thing about our product for electric cars, if you were to take a look at any of the electric cars, whether it’s a new new Audi’s, Mercedes. No, the teslas, [01:23:00] the batteries that run the motors are not the same batteries that run the rest of the car. They don’t use those batteries to run the rest of the car.

The voltage is too high. The amperage is too high. If you were able to actually touch the connectors on the battery that runs that car. You’re going to die. No question about it. That’s serious stuff. There’s another separate battery in there that’s designed to negatively charge the body. That’s so in case there’s any leak of any current from any of the batteries that run the car, it’s going to ground out.

We noticed that our standard waxes didn’t do very well on EVs, so we decided to come up with a new product. I think it’s on our website now. The product is called ION. It comes with a container that has a bag in it, and the product is sitting in the bag in the container, and you pump the container up, which pressurizes the outside of the bag, which lets you spray it, and it’s a metered spray, and it comes out in a mist.

And there’s some videos on YouTube of our product ION that you should be able to find interesting. So, [01:24:00] in January, we’re going to let that product go to Amazon and let Amazon sell it exclusively.

Crew Chief Eric: So Chuck, looking back over the incredible history of Zymol, 40 plus years now, and the love and passion that you’ve put into developing these products that take care of cars for all sorts of applications, but also for airplanes, boats, horses, musical instruments, and such down the line.

I mean, it’s absolutely fascinating. And for the folks out there that are maybe still non believers, it’s time to give Zymol a try, put it up against the products that you have And remember to read the directions first and, and, and see how it stacks up and see how you like it, keep up with the developments that they’ve got going.

All these new products are fascinating. I mean, they’re at the front end of some really, really cool things. So if you want to learn more about Zymol, be sure to check out www. Zymol. com for more information or follow them on Instagram and Facebook. At Zymol underscore official. [01:25:00] So Chuck, I can’t thank you enough for coming on break, fix, sharing these stories, telling us about the history of Zymol and, you know, sharing your passion with all of our listeners.

This has been absolutely fantastic.

Chuck Bennett: I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was, it’s lots of fun. And I’m happy to talk to anyone who contacts the company and says, Hey, I’m going to talk to that Bennett character because I’ve got a problem with my car. And, uh, we want to hear about the problems. We want to, we want to solve problems.

That’s what we’re here for. That’s what the company was built on. Was built on solving what kind of problems people had with their, with their finishes on their cars.

Executive Producer Tania: Your passion and authenticity has been refreshing to see. So it’s been a delight listening to all your stories. Thank you, Chuck. Thank you.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s right, listeners. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our Patreon for a follow on pit stop, mini sowed. So check that out on www. patreon. com forward slash GT [01:26:00] motor sports, and get access to all sorts of behind the scenes content from this episode. And more,

Crew Chief Brad: if you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about GTM, be sure to check us out on www.

gtmotorsports. org. You can also find us on Instagram at grandtorymotorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, you can call or text us at 202 630 1770 or send us an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports. org. We’d love to hear from you.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey, everybody. Crew Chief Eric here.

We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies, and GTM swag.

For as little as 2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers, writers, [01:27:00] editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of fig Newtons, gummy bears, and monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www. patreon. com forward slash GT motorsports, and remember without fans, supporters, and members like you.

None of this would be possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 The Zymol Story Begins
  • 01:51 Chuck Bennett’s Journey to Germany
  • 05:14 Discovering the Secret of Carnauba Wax
  • 08:30 The Birth of Zymol Products
  • 28:22 Expanding Beyond Car Care
  • 32:49 Zymol in the Motorsport World
  • 42:09 BMW’s Call to Rhode Island
  • 43:23 Ski Team’s Fast Technology Mishap
  • 44:52 Horse Care Innovations
  • 47:57 Car Wash Techniques
  • 01:02:32 The Truth About Ceramic Coatings
  • 01:17:22 Graphene Wax and New Products
  • 01:24:05 Conclusion and Future Directions

Bonus Content

There’s more to this story…

Some stories are just too good for the main episode… Check out this Behind the Scenes Pit Stop Minisode! Available exclusively on our Patreon.

Learn More

Check out www.zymol.com for more information as well as follow them on IG/FB @zymolofficial – and don’t forget to check out the newly reformulated “Zymöl Cleaner Wax”

Zymöl’s waxes aren’t just waxes – they’re enzymatic emollients, alive with culture and crafted from exotic plant oils like burro banana, coconut, and carnauba. Chuck’s commitment to natural chemistry led to innovations like HD Cleanse (a paint exfoliant) and Field Glaze (used daily at Aston Martin’s factory).

He even built a carnauba orchard in Florida, treating the trees like maple sap producers rather than harvesting fronds soaked in ether. The result? Nano-fine carnauba that’s safe, effective, and deeply respectful of the finish it protects.

Beyond Cars: Guitars, Horses, and Harley-Davidsons

Zymöl’s reach extends far beyond the autosphere. Martin Guitar uses Zymöl on every instrument that leaves its factory. Harley-Davidson once ordered 10,000 kits of Zymöl Talon, a wax that repels gasoline. And the equestrian world embraced Zymöl’s Equine Skies line, featuring chrysanthemum-based shampoos that naturally deter flies.

Zymöl’s FAST (Friction Augmenting Surface Technology) was born from a challenge: help Brumos Racing go faster. By applying wax that reacts with oxygen and CO₂, Chuck reduced drag so dramatically that Hans Stuck lifted him off the ground in celebration. The technology later made its way to America’s Cup boats, powerboats, and even the U.S. Olympic luge team.

Photo courtesy Chuck Bennett, Zymol

Because the Wash Is as Important as the Wax

Chuck’s detailing philosophy is part science, part ritual. Wash top-down. Use your bare hand to feel for debris. Rinse the entire car after each section. And never – ever – use dish soap. Zymöl waxes are made from fats and oils, and dish soap is designed to strip them away.

For textured black trim? Chuck swears by warm crunchy peanut butter and a toothbrush. For deep finishes? Ice the surface between coats. And always — always — read the directions.

Photo courtesy Chuck Bennett, Zymol

The Future: Graphene and EVs

Zymöl’s latest innovation is the Atomic Graphene Shield, a colloid that bonds with the car’s surface at the atomic level. It’s not a coating – it becomes part of the paint, metal, and plastic. For EVs, Zymöl developed ION, a positively charged spray designed to work with the forced negative charge of electric car bodies.

Photo courtesy Chuck Bennett, Zymol

Final Thoughts from Chuck

Zymöl was built to solve problems – not just polish cars. Chuck’s passion, authenticity, and relentless curiosity have made Zymöl a beloved brand across industries. Whether you’re waxing a Ferrari Dino, a Ford Super Duty, or a fretboard, Zymöl invites you to slow down, connect, and care deeply.


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