The SCCA is joining the rolling roadshow game with targa: A three-day odyssey of sports careful and excitement that will visit tracks, autocross venues and public roads around the Southeast. We get the full scoop from hayward Wagner, SCA's director of experimental programs.
How did your favorite car get its name? We talk about the secrets of naming cars—and almost every other product in the world—with David Placek of Lexicon Branding. Lexicon is the agency behind such iconic names as the Subaru WRX and Outback, the Honda Ridgeline, the Scion brand and even items like the Swiffer and Febreeze. It's a fascinating look at how words and sounds affect our thoughts of products.
Al Unser Jr. has seen every side of fame in his storied motorsports career. Most recently he served as a guest judge at our $2015 Challenge. We ask him where that sits in his pantheon of achievements, and talk about what it's like to be part of one of the greatest motorsports families ever.
On this episode, we talk to Adam and Austin from the Slipangle Podcast while they talk to us. It's very meta. Check them out on popular podcast outlets.
If you've followed road racing for any length of time, you probably know Randy Pobst. He's driven for several factory and independent teams in some of the most high-profile series in the world. Now he's turned his talents to the world of journalism, as a correspondent for Motor Trend magazine. We've known Randy of the better part of three decades, and we hopped in a car at a recent media event for a candid chat.
Ride along on a 1200-mile journey with editor David S. Wallens and Mazda's Dean Case as they explore the performance and usability of the all-new Mazda MX5.
Andy Weyenberg may have a desk-job sounding job title, but his real mission at Miller Electric is to keep some of the biggest names in motorsports welding at the highest levels possible. He's a complete bead-nerd, and on this podcast he goes over a LOT of direct, hands-on tips for MIG, TIG and Stick welding. NOTE: Due to remote recording, show lacks a bit of, um... flair. Yeah, flair.
GRM's first tire test of the season is in the books, and ace tire testers David Whitener and Andy Hollis run us down on the inside scoop of this year's crop of hot rubber.
Bell Racing is one of the world's most recognized names in head protection, and for good reason. Over the decades, they've built a reputation of quality, safety, and industry leadership. Kyle Kietzmann walks us through the helmet development process, and takes us behind the scenes at Bell, where they probably spend more time thinking about your head than you do.
The Sports Car Club of America has a long and storied history among road racers, autocrossers, realists and car enthusiasts all over the world. President Lisa Noble and Director of Experiental Programs Hayward Wagner are leading the club into the future with lots of exciting plans and options for members to continue to enjoy the cars they love with the club that's evolving to meet the needs of modern enthusiasts.
Ever thought of abandoning those street-based tires and going to a true racing slick? Well, turns out it's not so intimidating after all. We talk to Bob Woodman, of Bob Wodman Tire who brings with him decades of experience with race tires from vintage to autocross to cutting edge road racing, from DOT to slick as a baby's bottom. He lays down some knowledge on what you'll need to know to make the transition to a true race tire.
On this episode, we take a look at the new 2015 Volkswagen Golf R. It's a 292hp hyper sedan with capabilities that go far beyond what we've come to associate with the VW Golf nameplate. We brought back some audio from the media intorduction, including a brief chat with none other than Mr. Hans Stuck.
Jacques Dallaire is the performance coach to the stars. His clients run the gamut from pro racers, to pro golfers, football players, as well as fighter pilots, surgeons, salespeople, and anyone that performs in a high-stress, zero-tolerance environment. On this episode, he shares some of his techniques and provides some insight into getting the most from your mental game.
The annual SEMA trade show in Las Vegas is basically the epicenter of automotive performance technology and trends each fall. Not everything sticks, but a whole lot is thrown up on the walls. In this episode, JG and David talk about SEMA 2014, trade shows in general, and relate a few stories from shows past.
Although he's a low-key guy, Charles Espenlaub lives his life in one of the most exciting environments imaginable—behind the wheel of a race car. We talked to Charles during the first Daytona IMSA test session of the 2014 season, held in November 2013. We discuss his path to the pro ranks, the future of sports car racing in the U.S., and what it's like to be on fire.
In the space of a few weeks, Andy Weir went from being and underground sensation for his self-published sci-fi survival story "The Martian" to a legitimate best-selling author with his book currently being made into an A-list motion picture. His tale of a stranded astronaut who must kludge, bodge and fabricate his way to survival immediately brought to mind our $20XX Challenge event, although with used spaceship parts instead of discarded Camaros. Weir's story will strike a chord with anyone who...
Once again, our $20XX Challenge event brought together some of the most creative car builders you're ever likely to see in one place at one time. After the auto crossing, drag racing and car showing was done, Ed Malle and his insane Mustang took home the trophy for $2014, but everyone that enters has a story to tell. We captured a few via digital recorder, and here they are.
How many guys do you know that started their own car company? There's not many, but luckily Warren Mosler has been a good friend of our magazine since he first began Consulier Motors. Although the Consulier GTP and later Mosler MT900 are no longer in production, the legacy of what Warren and his associates created is still significant even three decades later.
On this episode of the Grassroots Motorsport podcast, JG and David wrap up the recent Monterey auctions and discuss some of the monster sales—as well as some of the bargains. They also speculate a bit on what cars we may see fetching big money in the auctions of the future. Will yours be one of them?
Calling Ralph Gilles an iconoclast may be a dangerous understatement. Rising out of the design studios to take the reins of Dodge's SRT halo brand, Gilles is a rare hardcore enthusiast in charge of a major chunk of a major American car company.
Even though it's America's oldest and most storied Sports Car Club, the SCCA can't move into the future by just resting on its laurels. That's why guys like Heyward Wagner are around. Tasked with bringing the SCCA experience to a wider audience, and bringing a wider field of experience to existing members, Heyward has some exciting ideas about what the club should and will do to continue to succeed.
Back from the long road to Lincoln, Neb., we chat with a few folks who we met on the vast concrete expanse at the world's greatest motorsports party.
As we approach the time of year when the best autocrossers in the country gather in Lincoln, Neb. for the Solo National Championships, we wanted to get some insight from someone who's mastered the art of performing on Solo's biggest stage. Multi-time national champ Andy Hollis shares some of his pre-Nationals prep tips for both car and mind.
Some of our favorite movies have cars anthem. And some of our favorite cars are in movies and TV shows. This week, JG and David talk about some of their favorite hero cars, car-centric TV shows and movies, and share a little bit of trivia. It's like an editorial meeting, but fun!
The SCCA's Trans Am series has seen some turmoil over the past few years, but 2014 is shaping up to be one of the most well-subscribed seasons in history, and the racing is as exciting as ever. Leading Trans Am into the future are drivers like Amy Ruman—herself a second-generation competitor in the series—who provide exciting and accessible personalities for the series. Amy talks about growing up in the series, her roots in racing, being the first female to win in the Trans Am series, and her qu...
Did you know we do a whole lot more than just publish magazines? That's right, we ale put on some of the most popular events in the sports car scene, including the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge, the Classic Motorsports Mitty, our world Famous $2000 Challenge and more. The guy who makes that al happen is Rick Goolsby, and we chat with him on this episode. There's a complete recap of the action at the UTCC, a look at upcoming events, and some intriguing discussion of just why we put in th...
Officially an international athlete, Robb Holland spends most of his time these days on the far side of the Atlantic, competing in the British Touring Car series and the VLN series at the legendary Nurburgring. Prior to that, Robb was active in all sorts of US series including the Pirelli World Challenge series and IMSA's Continental Tire series. We chat about his start in the sport, and what it takes to run competitively on an international level.
You can't race without rules, and the men and women who make those rules have the occasionally thankless job of trying to balance the competitiveness of hundreds of cars across dozens of classes. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. This week's someone is David Whitener: Chairman of the SCCA's Street Touring Advisory Board. We chat with David about the state of Street Touring—one of the SCCA's most popular autocross divisions—and his predictions for the future of the ruleset. We also di...
The science of aerodynamics is understood by few, but has a huge impact on our competitive enjoyment of cars. We all know that air affects our cars somehow, but we're rarely aware of the magnitude or ultimate impact of those forces. Steve Stafford is, though. Steve is an Aero engineer and longtime friend of GRM who currently works in Toyota's NASCAR program. He's spent time in wind tunnels tuning everything from classic Alfas to F1 cars in his career, though, and our chat reveals a surprising le...
Shea Holbrook pays us a return visit, this time thick in the chase for the Pirelli World Challenge TC-A championship. Shea won the opening round of the series at Barber Motorsports Park, and currently sits second in the points standings. She talks about the pressures of running for a championship, and discusses her unique perspective on the predominantly male world of sports car racing.
