DopeGarage: June 2010

Worst thing about the car scene is when you can't approach people because they think their shit's golden. A very clever quote i picked up while reading this blog: http://www.downshiftezine.blogspot.com/ props to matyi for this sad truism. It made me realize the lessons i've learned SO FAR over the past few years i've been exposed to motorsports and car tuning. Btw I'm just 21 for those of you who don't know. Anyway before you scrutineers go through the hassle of criticizing my blog, i'd like to spit some words about my "little" history in motorsports.

During the 90's, an era where motorsports and car tuning here were at the top of their game, my dad worked as the events manager for Marlboro Adventure Team.(sidenote; back then advertising cigarettes was allowed) Marlboro had everything; from wheel to wheel events, Formula3, Karting, Offroad events, motocross and the list goes on. So if you haven't already guessed, I was at the tracks kickin' it at an early age. Back then i was so scared of the loud throaty idle noise the racecars produced, that even taking pictures beside them was a pain. Staying in the pits was a nightmare to me. But by just being there sparked something in me. The smell of the avgas and the loud exhaust notes from honda civic eg's and nissan super saloons eventually grew on me. I remember when dad and tito johnny(BRC) would bring my brother and I up to the room on the second floor of the paddock to get a bird's eyeview of the track; or maybe just to get us out of their way. lol. Regardless, for me, it was utopia.

Years later I would eventually find myself in the cockpit of my own racecar in the form of a Zakspeed Ford Escort rs2000 competing in the national autocross series. I was fortunate enough to bring home a 1st runner up trophy which was good enough for me, considering the level of competition that ranged from pro-circuit to pro-rally drivers. During that period of time, my dad and i were also working on another project car(a 4g63 transplanted lancer boxtype) which supposedly was for autocross and hillclimb rally. But it never made it there due to constant malfunction of the fuel pump. Eventually we ran out of time and funds for the car so we had to let it go.(old school cars are hard to maintain and the economic slowdown made it impossible to freakin race!) I've learned a lot from that experience nonetheless; from sourcing out parts, making nifty ways to squeeze the engine to that tight bay, spending loads of time on tuning the engine(we had a good number of boxes until we finally got one from an evo3 to work) but from all the things I've learned here, the greatest life lesson I could take from that, was the amount of time I spent with my old man. It was definitely worthwhile. I would never trade it for anything in the world(not even for j's racing's fd2r unless someone who has divine power can hear me. kidding.) Seriously though, it was fun and meaningful working with my dad. I thank him for getting me in the sport and teaching me how to build a car the right way. And to the fathers and sons out there who want to spend some quality time, try working on a project car together. I promise you you'll have a blast but dads make sure your pockets run deep. lol. Anyway back to the topic.

I guess from all those "little" experiences I saw what actual motorsports competition was like. It wasn't at all about bashing each other to get the podium spot, scrutinizing each other's setup, club vs club or big teams picking on the privateers. Amidst the tough competition and the shit-talking if there was any, there was camaraderie.(Yes i know its cliche goofballs!) Camaraderie is goodwill and lighthearted rapport between friends or competitors. I know I still have a long way to go for someone writing blogs about cars. And some of you are probably hatin' already. I mean it's true, you can't please everyone. But i know what this blog is for. It's to promote a sense of openness among car enthusiasts all over our community. Yes it's a long shot from making all the haters shut the hell up. But it's better than doing nothing. Oh and contrary to popular belief that respect is earned, here it should be given. No matter what club, team or shop you're reppin for. We all have one common goal. It's to produce the dopest cars the world has ever seen. Let's all appreciate! peace!-greasemonkey