A Budget Built Miata Earns A Fast 15 Spot in the Race to the Sky!
In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show
A Budget Built Miata Earns A Fast 15 Spot in the Race to the Sky!
In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show · Jun 23, 2026
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30:37
Concept
Fast 15
“Fast 15” is like a leaderboard cutoff. If you qualify for it, you’re in the top group of cars based on how fast you can run up the hill.
Term
carburetor tuning issues
A carburetor is the fuel-mixing system on some older or modified engines. If it’s not tuned right, the engine can run too rich or too lean, which can cause power loss or rough running—especially when conditions change with altitude.
Term
carburetormotor
This means the engine uses a carburetor to mix fuel and air. The challenge is that as you climb higher, the air changes, and a carburetor often needs more careful tuning to keep the engine running well.
Term
8,000
That number is about how fast the engine is spinning. Running at high revs for a long climb makes it harder for the fuel/air system to stay perfectly tuned.
Term
feet of elevation
“Feet of elevation” refers to how high above sea level the car is operating. Higher elevation means thinner air, which changes how much oxygen is available for combustion and can strongly affect carbureted engines and their tuning.
Place
Pike'sPeak
Pike’s Peak is a well-known mountain race in Colorado where cars try to drive up as fast as possible. It’s tough on the car because it’s a long, steep climb.
Term
NASCAR engine
NASCAR engines are race engines designed for stock-car racing. Here, they’re talking about swapping in a NASCAR-style racing engine into the car for the mountain race.
Term
chassis
The chassis is the main frame/structure of the car. It’s what everything else mounts to, so changing it usually means a big build.
Term
classifications
In motorsports, classifications are the official categories/entries used to group cars for results and eligibility. The host is asking about qualifying and classifications, implying the event assigns cars to specific classes before the race.
Term
land speed record
A land speed record is when a car (or vehicle) sets the fastest speed ever measured on land. People chase these records because they push engineers to improve engines and aerodynamics quickly.
Person
Malcolm Campbell
Malcolm Campbell was a famous British race driver known for setting speed records. Here, the host credits him with driving a car to a new land speed record in 1925.
Car
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T was one of the first cars that many regular people could afford. The host is talking about when the last one was built, and how huge the total production was.
Car
Model A
The Model A came after the Model T. The host is saying it was basically an improved version of the Model T, with some changes like being a bit larger.
Term
two-cylindertwo-strokeengine
A two-stroke engine makes power with a simpler cycle than most engines you’re used to. In this segment, the host says Saab used this kind of engine in the early Saab 92 and that it helped the car last reliably.
Term
grand touring
“Grand touring” is a category of car meant for long trips. They’re usually built to be comfortable while still being quick.
Car
Lamborghini 350GT
The Lamborghini 350GT was one of Lamborghini’s early “grand touring” cars. It matters because it helped make Lamborghini famous and set up the brand’s rivalry with Ferrari.
Term
self-driving car
A self-driving car is one that can drive itself using cameras, sensors, and computer software. The story is about a crime happening in one of those cars.
Place
San Francisco
San Francisco is a big city in California. The episode mentions police there investigating problems involving self-driving cars.
Car
Waymo robotaxi
A Waymo robotaxi is a self-driving ride-hailing car. In this story, someone stole items and put them in the trunk of one of those self-driving cars.
LIVE
It'sthein-wheeltimecartalkshowjustahead.
WeheadtothatscaryplaceoutsideofDenver,ColoradocalledPike'sPeak.
IIguesstherewasamannamedPike.
We'renotgoingtogetintothehistoryofthat,butwearegoingtotalktoRichardTomlinaboutthescaryhillclimb.
Evenifyou'reinaregularcar.
Nottoolongago,Iwhite-knuckleditallthewayup.
Whydidtheycallitahillclimb?
Friends,thisisamountainclimbanywayyoulookatit.
Anyway,we'regoingtotalktoRichard.
Mountainclimbershasalreadytakenthat.
Howaboutautomountainclimbers?
Jeffhastheracingcalendar,Mr.
Marshasthisweekinautohistory,andI'llhavethestoriesmakingautomotivenewsthisweek.
Howdy,alongwithMikeoutofthisworld,Mars,inourotherstudio.
WealwaysneedmoreJeffZekeninthisstudio.
MynameisDonArmstrong.
Gladyoucouldjoinus.
AndDavidAinsley,ourchiefengineerandbottlewasher,hetoouhislisteningandwatchingtodayandcomplainingabouttheaudiolevels.
Andwe'retryingtogetthere,David.
Justbepatient.
Ornot.
So,anyway,that'sbesidethepoint.
Allright.
Let'sgouptothehill,ifyouwanttocallitthat.
Thereheis,ladiesandgentlemen.
It'sRichardTomlin,ApexAutoWorks.
Richard,isthatatanoristhataburnonyourface?
Thisisburns.
Thisisuhwe'reclosertothesunhere.
Anduhverywhite.
Yeah,itlisten,listen,buddy,itit'snotclosertothesun,it'sclosertotheoutsideuniverse.
Yeah,it'saroughuhbeenheresevendaysnowandeverydayinthesunforyouknowfive,sixhoursatatime.
Youknow,theytheydomakesomeuhsunblock,anduhyeah,Iwouldsuggestmaybehavesendsomebodydownthemountainandgetyousomesunblock.
Toolateforallthat.
Yeah,allright.
Solet'stalkaboutautomobilesthatyou'vegotupthereonthepeak.
Wheredoyouwanttostart?
Umbeenahellofayear.
UhwegottheApexOset,whichyouallknowwell,theMiatathatyouclaimisnotaMiata,butitis.
UmqualifiedintheFast15,whichbasicallytellsyouyou'reinthetop20%offcarsfromrunningupthemountain.
Wegot74partsthisyear.
Umneverthoughtwewouldgetthere.
Umwe'dhopedit'sbeendreamed,butwemadeit.
Andthenuhwe'vealsogotBigBirduphere,whichisqualifiedatthebackofthepack,havingsomecarburetortuningissuesontopofthemountain.
Surprise.
Um,thisisthechallengeofrunningacarburetormotorat8,000allthewayupto14,000feetofelevation.
Anduhwe'relearningeveryday.
Sobothcarsarereadytoraceupthehill.
We'llgostagebothtoday.
Umthey'llbeparkedupthere.
We'llcampoutovernight,getupinthemorning,anduhallthefestivitiesstartabout730inthemorning,andfollowalongonRacerTTV,whichiswhereeverythingcomestolife.
Uhwell,asusual,uh,Ithinkthatcellphoneserviceupthereissketchy.
Uhatwhatelevationareyoucurrently?
Westartabout8,000feet.
Soyou'reareyoudownat8,000?
No,thisyearIwillbeatthetop.
I'moverprotestthisyear,soI'llbeatthesummithouseforthefullday.
Takecareofprotests.
Richard,youknow,uh,weallweallofuslookatyouandgo,isthisarealhumanbeing?
Heclimbsmountains,hefixescars,heracescars,andandnotjustregularcars.
Hegoesalloutaboutanythingtodowithacar.
Youknow,youhavethisreputationnow,yougottoliveuptoiteveryday.
Iwillsay,yesterdaywasveryhumblingsettinginwhatwecalltheFast15,andknowingthatwehavethelowestdollarcaroftheentiregroup.
Andbeingabletoruntoe-to-toewiththeseguysorinclasswiththeseguysisamazing.
Iruninfrontofthem,Imeanwe'reinfrontof,youknow,literallyacoupleofthings.
Well,Richard,yeah,Iwanttotellyouthatyoursignalissobad.
Yeah,you'rebreakingout.
Wecan'tevenunderstandwhatyou'resaying.
Socanyoumaybeleanclosertoyourmicrophone?
OreitherthatormaybeperhapsreconnectwithMr.
Mars.
We'regonnawe'regonnaexitawayfromyouforjustasecondhere.
Nowthatmadenodifference.
Ifyouifyou'llreconnectwithMr.
Mars,that'dbegreat.
Youknow,thisiswhathappenswhenyougetclosetothesun.
We'llwe'regonnacallitsolarinterference.
That'swhatitthat'swhatwe'regonnacallit.
Duck,itmightbeasatellitecomingthrough.
Sure.
Yeah,exactly.
SoMr.
Mars,ifyou'dbesokindastoreconnectwithhim,thatwouldbegreatlyappreciated.
Youknow,umlikeIsaid,acoupleyearsagomydaughterlivesinDenversuburbofDenver.
Andheydad,whydon'twhydon'tyougouptoPike'sPeak?
Iwentuptherewithmyparentsbackinthedaywhentheroadwasstilldirt,soyoucouldn'tgorealfast.
Andwewereinapassengercar,IthinkitwastheBuickSkylarkorsomething.
No,youcouldn'tgo,buttheywerestillusingracingatthetime.
Well,thatthatthat'sawholenotherstory.
Thisisregularpeople,youknow.
AndIdidn'tthinkanythingofit.
Itwasokay,okay.
No,nowthatI'molder,Iwhiteknuckleditataboutfivemilesanhourallthewayup.
IwasthinkingI'mgonnafalloff.
Iwouldn'tevenhavechancedit.
Iwouldn'tevenhavedoneit.
No,youwouldyeah,I'mtellingyou.
UmtheretherewasuhIneededtotakesomemedicinewhenIgotdownoffoftheoffofthepipe.
Herewegowithmartinisagain.
No,notthatkindofmedicine.
No,no,itwasuhitwassomethingthatyou'dbuyatuhCVS.
Butanyway.
Umisheback,Mike?
Yeah,IIthinkwegothimback.
He'she'smoved.
Souhinside.
Richard,let'shearyou,Richard.
Talktous.
Goforit.
Thereyougo.
Isthatanybetter?
Itisit'sit'sit'sgoodforit'sgoodformuchbetter.
Yeah,theaudioismuchbetter,andweandweseeyouryouryourbeautifulsunburntface.
Didn'tyoujustgolikethat?
Youturnthemicoff,turnthevideooff,it'sfine.
Well,yeah,Iguesswecoulddothat,butuhyeah,Iknowthateverybodywantstoseeyou.
Solet'stalkaboutthelet'stalkabouttheroadrunneranduhalittlebitofthehistorybecauseuhIknowthatwe'vegotpeoplewatchingustodaythatreallydon'tknowthehistory.
Thisisyourfamilycar.
Yeah,familycar.
UmparentsdroveittothehospitalwhenIwasborn.
Umstayedinthefamilyforever,itwasadragracecar.
Uhfatherwaskilledin '95.
Ididabunchofbodyworkonit,restoringitovertheyears,andthenparkedit.
Man,probablyalmost30years,anditset.
Anduhthenwehadaguylastyearthatwastalkingaboutcommissioningustohelpbuildhimacar.
Anduhwhathewantedtobuild,Ididn'tthinkwaswisefinanciallyforwhathewasdoing.
Anduhtoldmeheneedtobuildsomethingoldandsomethingcool.
Whatwouldyoubuild?
AndhethrewoutRoadrunner,andIsaid,Well,nobodywouldbuildaroadrunnertoracePike'sPeak.
That'sdumb.
Umit'smadetogoinastraightlineveryfast.
Anduhdumbtofindout,he'sgotabackgroundmuchlikemine.
Learntodrivemanualinaroadrunner,learntoraceinaroadrunner,wrenchedonaroadrunnerasakid,soitbecamealegacyprojectforthetwoofustogetthiscarupthemountain.
AndthenwehadsomefriendsatPike'sPeakthathelpedusthrowinauhR5P7NASCARenginechassissuspensionunderneath.
Um,sogreatlyviolatedmyfather'sroadrunner,cuttingoutthebellyofitandputtingaNASCARunderneath,butitisaDodgeNASCAR,um,sothatmakesitsomewhatacceptable.
Well,thatandthefactthatthere'sstillalotofuhpartsandpieces,uhespeciallyofthebodyofthecarthatcontinuestorollon,sotospeak.
Oh,it'sexactlythesameontheinside.
There'sstickersonthedashthatIputthereatsevenyearsold.
There'sstickersontheoutside.
Iremember13,14watchingdadputthemonthecar.
Soit'suhveryclosetohome.
Yeah.
Well,uhuhdidyoudidyousenditupthereinanenclosedtraileroropentrailer?
Itwasanenclosedtrailer.
Um,butman,I'lltellyouwhat,justtheuhthreeweeksthatthey'vehadituphereandtestingandonthemountain,Ithinkeverypanelhasgotdingsanddentsandchipsonitnow.
Alreadyitisnothinglikewhatitwas,soit'sgonnaneedsomeattentionandsomeTLCverysoon.
Well,butyouknow,thataftertheevent.
Sotellustellusabouttheevent,ifyouwill.
Uhhasitalreadyitobviouslyisqualifyingandstuffandyou'vegottenclassifications.
Whenistherealevent?
Eventstartstomorrowmorningabout830.
Firstcarofftheline.
Yeah.
Andwhereareyouscheduledinthat?
Umfirstcarwillstart17thoverall.
Um,theothercarstartsthirdfromlast,soIthinkit'slike72ndqualifieroverall.
Um,sowewillbethereallday.
Umrunning.
Hopefully,theracingisdonebytwo.
Soifyou'regonnatuneinforthewholething,considerfrom8:30mountaintime,so9:30yourtimeonRaceruntil3:30intheafternoon.
Sixhours,sevenhours.
RacerTV.
RacerTVisthenumberone,andthenmobileoneoilwilllivestreamitaswell.
ButRacerTVisthemainonethisyear.
They'vegotTVcrews,uhmediateamsdoinginterviews,uh,radioandvideocoverage.
Wow,that'sexciting.
AndIguessyouhavetohaveasubscription,right?
No,they'vegotafreeone.
It'sit'safreeoneontheirapp.
Soandit'sonTVTVtoo.
Soyeah.
Wow,thatthat'suhthatthat'sthat'sprettydarnexciting.
So,howbigisyourcrewforthesetwocars?
Um,we'vegotsevenonaPEXOset,andthey'vegotsixonBigBird,butthenwe'vegotanotherfour,fivemediateamaswell.
Thosearetheonescrankingoutthepicturesandvideosforus.
Yeah,it'slikeaNASCARteam.
Yeah,Mike'sgotaquestion.
Yeah,what'sthequestion,Mike?
Yeah,Richard.
Ummyquestionwasyou'repartoftheofficiatingcrew.
Idothat,yes.
Soyoudon'treallygettodealwiththecarsduringtherace.
Right.
SoIcomeuphereandbasicallyhandthemoffuhtoourcrew,andthenIgoawayanddomytechnicaldutiesandthenwatchmycarsoperate.
Andaswe'regoingthroughqualifyingstagesandsessionsthattheyrun,Imovetodifferentsessionssothere'snoconflictofinterestforanybodytoscreamandyellabout.
Yeah,soyougettostandatthetopofthehillwaitingonyourcartocomeupoverthatlastrise.
Absolutely.
So,whatwhatisup?
Youknow,Iknowthatthere'savisitorcenterupthereatthetopofthatmountain,whichbytheway,Iwalkedintoandthencrawledbackouttothecar.
Anduh,Iknow,laughifyouwill,butthatwasjustthatwasit.
AndIstayedinthecarwhileeverybodyelsehadanicetimeupthere,anduhIwastalkingtoGodtheentiretime.
Lackofoxygenupthere.
Yeah,well,there'sthatit'sachallengeforalotofpeople,itreallyis.
Sowell,itusedtonotbe,butnowuhitisforme.
ProbablyninetyIwouldsayninety-nine-fivepercentofdriversactuallyrunoxygenintheircars,yeah.
Um,justwithanosehoseandregulator,andum,ithelpsthemstayclearandfocused,andyou'llseethemthroughoutthedaygoingbacktothecar,puttingoxygenonfor10-15minutes,thenwalkawayfromthecar.
So,arethereanyuhuhmotorcyclesoranythinguniquegoingup,likesomehome-builtgaragevehiclethat'slikeasnowsledorsomethinggonnamakeit?
No,notthemelt,nottheMiataNamMiata,notthatone.
Theuhthisyearthey'vegottheuhUltraFours,uh,whichareacoupleofthosefromTexas,buttheybroughtfourUltraFoursupheretocompetethisyearasanexhibition.
Um,wealwaysrunthemilitaryupbeforeus,butthey'llhaveacoupleHumveesandfastresponsevehiclesthatareprettyawesome.
Butyeah,nomoremotorcycles.
UhthosegotclosedoutafewyearsagowhenuhCarlinDunnlosthislife.
Umthatwasthefinalone,andwejustdon'tdobikesanymoreonthemountain.
There'snorecoveringfromthatwhenyougooffatthispace,youknow?
Paceandaltitude.
Right.
Yeah,letmetellyousomething.
Youknow,there'ssomeroadsuptherethatIhappentopeekoutthewindowjusttoseehowmuchfrightIcouldputintomyself.
OhLord.
Anditgoeslikestraightdown.
Yeah,there'snoyouknow,ledgeorclifforsomethingyoucanfallonthatallthewaydown.
There'ssomeverysteepspotsforsure.
Veryyeah,verysteep.
SouhuhwhatistheclosestcitytoPike'sPeak?
UhtheywouldtellyouCascadeatthebottom,butit'saverysmalltown.
SoColoradoSpringsisarealplacewheremostofusstay.
IIthinkit'sheaven.
That'stheclosestcity.
That'sawesome,whichIwhichIwillspendeternityin,hopefully.
Hopefully.
Well,maybenot.
I'mdoingthisshow,sothat'snotgonnagetmethere,that'sforsure.
Well,um,sowhatareyougoingtodotherestoftheday?
Umwell,todayisatriptoWalmarttograbsuppliestoliveoutofmytruckforthenext30hours.
Um,becauseyou'vegottobetherebeforeallthefans,becausethere'sonewayin,onewayout,andabout18to19,000peoplecominginthistwo-laneroad.
Sowegetthereearlyandcampout,andthenthatwaythenextmorningwecanjumpupat130andheaduptothetopofthemountain.
Obviously,thereareviewingareas.
Imean,it'snotallthewayaroundthecourse.
Tonsofthings.
Youcan'tstandincertainpartsofthecourse,theywon'tletyoudothat.
Correct.
Ithinkthere'ssixorsevenviewingareasnow.
Yeah.
Doublesplaygroundbeingthenumberone,whichhas10,000ticketsitselfforthatoneviewingarea.
Wow.
Anditispackedwithpeople.
It'sawesometowatch.
Sodevil'splayground,youcanseethestartline.
Soit'sit'sareallygoodspottowatchtherace.
Whatistheticketpriceforsomeonetogetin?
Ihonestlydon'tknow.
Iknoworiginallytheyopenedupat25bucks,butsomebodywastoldmetheotherdaythatthey're70,soIdon'tknowforsure.
Anddependingonwhichareayou'rein,itaffectspricingandhowhighupthemountain.
LikethemorepremiereviewingDevil'sPlayground,ofcourse,costsmorethansomeofthesmallerspotswhereyougettojustwatchacargoby.
Yeah,itmakessense.
Makessense.
Well,listen,man,wewewishyouthebestofluck.
Godspeed,JohnGlenn,astheysay.
Anduh,becauseyou'reblastingoutintoouterspace.
Umuhwe'regoingtofollowyou.
We'regonnauhwatchyouonTVanddoallthethingsthatweneedtodotokeepup.
Anduh,whatarethecarnumbers?
HowhowdohowdowefindyouontheTV?
Lookforwhatsupersimplethisyear.
Car6869.
68forthe68Roadrunnerand69forthelunarlander,beinga50thyearanniversaryofthelunarlander.
Okay,whichistheMiata,yeah.
Yep,maybemaybeyou'llgettoseethelunar,butuhwehopehopefullywedon'tgettobethelander.
Yep,yep.
Yeah,we'llwe'llbeintouch,we'llbebackintownnextweek,anduhwe'llpostupourresultsandstuffassoonasithappensonuhFacebookandInstagram.
Sofollowalong,it'llbegreat.
Welookforwardtoit,myfriend.
Besafeandtakecare.
Allright,seeyousoon.
Thanks,Richard.
Bye.
Wow,interestingstuff.
Iwouldneverdoit.
IIhaveIwillIwillnevereverevergobackupthere.
Youknow,he'shiswifewon'tlethimdoanyofthedrivers.
Haveyoueverbeenthere?
No,Ihavenot.
It'sit'sonthelist.
Oh,really?
Didn'tRichardusedtodrive,didn'thegouponceortwiceinthebeginning?
Ithinkthathedid.
Butwell,Imeanhehedrivesupanddown,youknow,togetoutoftheroom.
Right,right,butbuttocompete.
Hedoesn'tdrivetheracecars.
Okay.
Letmetellyousomething.
IwillIwillgladlybestandingatthebottomofthemountainandIwillwavethegrannywaveasyouasyoutakeoffandheaduptowardthefirstlittlecheck-inpoint.
Anduhthatthatthat'sallI'mgonnado.
Youknowwhentheytaketheplayeroffthefieldinthestretcherandgoeslikethis?
Thatwouldbeme.
I'dbelike,Yeah,Iwouldnot.
Iwouldn'tgoback.
AndthenexttimeIgetanywhereclosethere,IwillbeunderIwillpropofolwillbemyfriend.
Propofol.
Whatisthat?
That'sthestuffthattheyusetoputyoutosleepwhenyougointosurgery.
Ohyouwakeupthenextdayandyougo,WhereamI?
AmIonthisplanetstill?
No,you'renot.
You'reonPike'sPeak.
IthoughtthatwasCuervowhentheyputthat.
Well,there'sthat.
Allright.
Well,thatwasfun.
Justahead,JeffhastheracingcalendarandMr.
Marshasthisweekinautohistory.
AndI'llbringyousomeofthestoriesmakingautomotivenewsheadlinesthisweek.
TheIn-WheelTimeCarTalkShowcontinuesrightafterthisquickbreak.
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Timenowfortheracingcalendar,sponsoredbytheTexasMuscleCarClubChallenge.
Mr.
JeffreyZekehas.
Thankyouforthat.
We'vegotLawnmowerRacing.
It'sinuhGunBarrel,Texastoday.
ItistheLawnmowerRacingAssociation.
It'stheregularseason,incaseyouarewonderingaboutthat.
Haveyoueverwatchedit?
JustonaYouTubething.
Yeah.
Yeah,Iknow,becauseit'snotonliveABCwideworldofsports.
FS1oranything.
Yeah.
ThenyougotNASCAR.
They'reatSanDiego.
They'reatanavalbasedownthere.
Isawalittlebitofthetrucksrunyesterdayevening.
Ididn'treallywatchthewholething.
It'slikearoadcourse?
Yeah.
Roadcourseontheonanavalnavalbasedownthere.
There'sseveraldownthereinSanDiegoandthey'reonaparticularislandthatthey'rerunning.
Itactuallylooksprettycool.
Ididn'tseealotofit,butit'sonCWtodayatfiveo'clock,andthentomorrowthebigboysarerunningonthePrimeUhPayNetworkorwhateverthatis.
ThenyougotanyIndyCar,IndieRacingLeague.
They'reatRoadAmerica.
Andthatwillbetomorrow.
Sothat'sgoingtobefuntowatch.
NHRAisoffthisweek.
Theywillbeinuhwherearetheygoingtobenextweek?
They'regoingtobeinNorwalknextweek.
Norwalk,Ohio.
FormulaOne'sgoingon.
They'regoingtobeinuhAustralia.
It'stheAustralianGrandPrix.
That'sgoingtogouhtoday,actually.
Ithinkitmighthavealreadyrun.
Andthenforyou,Don,IgotUSAC.
WetalkedaboutUSAC.
IloveUSAC.
USAC'sgoingtobeinPennsylvania.
You'vegotalltheseriesrunninginPennsylvania.
It'sthePortRoyalSpeedwayoutthere.
SoWingedandUnwinged,MidgetsandTall,whatevertheycallthat.
Sothereyougo.
USAC.
Andwhere'dyousaythey'regoingtobeatPennsylvania?
They'regoingtobeinRoyalPortSpeed.
No,IlookeduhtheotherdaywhenIpulledthisup.
There'ssomeinMichigan.
It'sallkindoftheMidweststuff.
Kansasisprobablygoingtobe.
Well,thistimeoftheyear,yeah.
Yougotsprints,yougotmidgets,uh,you'vegotnothing,nothing,uh,nothingclose.
AlotofCaliforniastuffgoingon.
That'sarealshame.
UhuhanduhyouknowWorldofOutlaws,that'sanotheronethatIlike.
That'skindofinthesprintcarthing.
ThisistheUSACUSACchampionship,likeNASCARisaNASCAR.
Butuhcheckoutyourlocaltracks.
There'sstuffgoingonallthetimeinyourlocalarea.
AndI'mheretotellyouuhHoustonMotorsportsPark.
That'stheuhthree-eighthsmileuhasphalttrackupuhnearLakeHouston.
Andtheyhaveadragstripassociatedwithit.
ThedaysIthinkofthattrack,alongwithauhmotorcycletracknexttoit,arenumbered.
Iflewoverittheotherday.
Andthere'ssomereallyniceneighborhoodsrealclosetoit.
Yeah,andyouknow,thatusuallyspellsdoom.
Yeah,thedemiseiscoming.
Uhbecauseuhthatareaupthere,it'seasilyaccessiblebytheuhGrandParkwayandtransit.
Well,that'skindofwhytheybuilttheGrandParkwaytodevelopallthatareaoutthere,andit'shappening.
It'shappening,yeah.
Yeah,soitwon'tbelong.
UhI'dimaginethenextcoupleofyearsit'llbegone.
Okay.
Allright,let'slookattheautohistorynotebook.
Mr.
Marshasthat.
Yeah,we'vegotacoupleofthingscomingupinthisweekuhinautomotivehistory,suchasJunethe22nd,1909.
NowAliceRamseyarrivedinSanFranciscoafterleavingNewYork59daysearlier.
ShewasinaMaxwell.
Ibetthereweren'tnoMotel6snearby,werethere?
Nope,nope,nope.
ShewasinaMaxwelltouringcarwiththreefemalepassengers.
Thereyougo.
Sosheuh,ofcourse,theyhadtogoacrossprimitiveroads,1909,uh,mud,rivercrossings,andmechanicalbreakdowns.
Theyhandleditall.
AndsothismadeherthefirstwomantodriveacrosstheUnitedStatesanddemonstratedtheuhreliabilityofautomobilesandcantaketheroleofwomeninthedevelopmentofoursociety,anduhisreallyoneofthemostremarkableendurancedrivesinaautomotive.
Iwonderifsheevergotoutandchangedatire,too.
That'swhyshehadtheotherthreeladieswithher.
Inthehistory,Ithinktheyhadtochangetwoofthem.
Butanyway,movingontoJunethe23rd,thefirstVanderbiltCuponLongIsland'snewcircuithappened.
UhthiswasuhJunethe23rd.
SothousandsofspectatorsgatheredalongislandtowatchtheleadingAmericanEuropeanmanufacturerscompeteonanewlydesignedcourse.
Now,thisagain,theeventwastoshowcaseautomotivetechnology,includingmorepowerfulengines,anduhtheimprovedvehicles.
Now,thiswasbecauseatthistime,racingdirectlyinfluencedproductioncardevelopment.
Thingsthatworkedoutontheracetrack,andtheywouldgoinandbuildthem.
TheolduhsayingthatuhwinonSunday,sellonMondaykindofthing.
Thisiswhereallthatgoodstuffstarted.
NowthenmovingontoJunethe25th,MalcolmCampbellsetsanewlandspeedrecord.
Now,thisisreallyimpressivebecausetheBritishdriverpushedhissunbeam-poweredracertoalandspeedrecordat109standsinWales.
Hegotover150milesanhourin1925.
Andanditabsolutelycaughtinternationalattention.
Andhecontinuedtosetmorerecordsashewenton,butthiswasthefirstone,andthisreallyhighlightedtherapidtechnologytechnologyadvancesoccurringintheautomotiveindustryduringtheformativedays.
ThenonJunethe26th,thelastFordModelTrolledout.
Now,thiswasuhabigdeal.
Itwasthe15millionthuhModelTthatwasbuilt.
Andinreality,ofcourse,theModelAfollowedthis,buttherealityoftheModelAwasbasicallyaModelTonsteroids.
Itwasalittlebitwider,alittlebitlonger,butitlookedalmostthesameotherthanthedimensionsonit.
ThencominguponJunethe27th,1950,thefirstproductionSaab92rollsout.
Now,thiswasimportantbecausethiswasthecompany'sfirstpassengercar.
They'vebeendevelopingaircraftenginesanddevelopingairplanes,andandsotheStreamline92featureduhsomereallyinnovativeengineeringandaerodynamics.
Itwaspoweredbyatwo-cylindertwo-strokeengine,butitgotareputationforreliabilityanddurabilitybecauseoftheengineeringthathadgoneintotheaircraftexperiencethatthecompanyhad.
Sobreliable?
Well,thetwo-cylindertwo-strokeenginein1950iswhatwe'retalkingabout.
Diditsoundanythinglikethis?
Wheneveritpopped.
Yeah.
Idon'tknow.
I'llhavetoseeifwecanfindavideofromthat.
NowinJune27,1963,Lamborghiniisofficiallyestablished.
NowImissedapicture.
Thiscarhere,uh,therewereseveralpicturesofit,butIlovethewaythiscarlooks.
Now,thisisuhthatalreadyLamborghini,ofcourse,startedinthetractorbusiness.
TheysetouttobuildgrandtouringcarstochallengeFerrari.
It'skindofapersonalthingbetweenthefamilies.
Anduhsotheyintroducedthe350GT,andit'sthat'sreallywherewhatfoundedLamborghiniandcreatedoneoftheworld'smostfamousrivalriesbetweenthemandFerrari,whetherit'sinracing,ontheshowfloor,design,they'rejustthey'reaftereachotherallthetime.
ButIlovethewaythiscarlooks,anduhthat'sjustsomeofthethingswefoundinautomotivehistorythisweek.
Ilikethewaythatthegreensobed.
It'skindoffitting.
Itwasdifferent.
Idon'tevenknowhowwhatwouldyousayaboutthatcar?
Youknow,itkindoflookedlikealittlebabyelephant.
Uh-oh.
Yeah,youcouldsayitkindoflookedlikeababyelephant.
Itwasmoretomelikeuhuhuhlikealittlebeetleoralittleladybugtypething.
Itjustitwasgreen,youknow.
Yeah.
Well,greencarsthatno,theyjustdon'tworkforme,butwhatever.
Differentday,differenttime.
PoliceinSanFranciscohavespentfivemonthssearchingthecities,firstknownthieftofleethesceneinaself-drivingcar.
InJanuary,someonestoleclothingfromayogastudio,loadedthelootintothetrunkofaWaymorobotaxi,androdeoff,accordingtotheSanFranciscoChronicle.
EventhoughWaymocarsareoutfittedwithmorethantwodozencameras,policewereunabletoobtainanyfootagethathelpedpointtoasuspect.
Waymoalreadyhaddeletedtheinteriorfootagebythetimeasearchwarrantcamethrough,andthecompanyblursfacesofprivacyforprivacyintheexteriorviewsitcaptures.
Thewriter'saccountinformationalsodidn'tleadtoanyone.
Quote,IwouldthinkitwouldbeeasiertosolveinaWaymo,SergeantTimFay,thedetectivehandlingthecase,toldtheChronicleforastorythismonth,itwasdisappointingthattheinternalvideowasnotabletoleadtotherecognitionofasuspect.
Waymotoldthepublicationitcouldn'tcommentonthecasebecausethatingeneralitconsiderspublicsafetyandprivacywhenrespondingtorequestsfromlawenforcement.
Thecompanydoesn'tusetechnologythatcanidentifyridersthroughfacialrecognitionorotherbiometrics.
That'snottosayrobotaxisofferaguaranteedgetaway.
LApoliceinJanuaryarrestedamantheysaidrobbedasupermarketbeforegettingintoaWaymocar.
Officerswereabletopursuethecarandpersuadeittopulloverbyactivatingtheirlightsandsirens,whichWaymohasinstructeditsvehiclestorecognizeandobey.
DirectfromCalifornia,ladiesandgentlemen,youjustcan'tmakethat.
Soifyou'reinaregularcabwithadriver,becausetheyhavecameras,andyoudothesamethingbutdon'ttipoffthedriver,well,cantheygobackandlookatthatvideo?
Istheresomelawagainstthat?
Thisiscrazy.
Itis.
Hey,we'dlovetohearfromyou.
Shootusanemail.
Theaddresshereisinfoatnwheeltime.com,
andwe'rebackrightafterthis.
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About this episode
Pike’s Peak sets the stage as the hosts talk Fast 15 qualifying and what it takes to run a budget Miata up high altitude—especially with carburetor tuning from 8,000 to 14,000 feet. They also share the intensity of the climb from personal experience, plus event logistics like oxygen use, media coverage, and where to watch (including Doublesplayground). Between race talk, the conversation detours into a Road Runner history turned Pike’s Peak project, and later a Waymo robotaxi privacy/legal story.
Original notes
The road to the top of Pikes Peak looks beautiful right up until you imagine missing a corner. We call Richard Tomlin from the mountain to get a real-time look at what it takes to compete at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb when the sun is brutal, the air is thin, and even cell service feels like it’s fighting you.
Richard walks us through a huge milestone for Apex Auto Works: the ApexOSET Miata based build qualifying in the Fast 15, plus the very different challenge of keeping “Big Bird” a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner, happy with carburetor tuning across massive elevation changes. We also dig into the heart of this year’s story, a Plymouth Road Runner with deep family history that gets transformed for the mountain with NASCAR-derived hardware underneath, while still carrying the little details that make it a true legacy car.
From there we talk race day reality: staging cars, camping, beating the crowds on the one road in and out, and why so many drivers use onboard oxygen to stay sharp at 14,000 feet. We also share where to watch the live coverage on Racer TV, then shift gears into our racing calendar, quick hits from automotive history, and a can’t-believe-it story about a thief using a Waymo robotaxi as a getaway while police come up empty.
If you love hill climb racing, grassroots engineering, classic muscle cars with modern race tech, and the weird edges of self-driving car privacy, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a car friend, and leave us a review.
Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!
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In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show
In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan
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