The Racing Gene: Pro Porsche Driver Sabré Cook & Hall of Fame Dad Stacey Cook

The DeLorean DMC-12 is a distinctive sports car best known for its stainless-steel body and its strong pop-culture association. It’s frequently discussed in automotive history because it represents a unique, high-visibility attempt to build a different kind of sports car. The podcast mention ties it to “Back to the Future” style imagery and merchandise, highlighting its cultural footprint as well as the car itself.

Sabré Cook is a professional racing driver and mechanical engineer competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, the first woman to race in it. She holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Colorado School of Mines and worked as an engineer for the Renault F1 team and Nissan/Infiniti Global before returning full-time to racing.

JDX Racing is a professional motorsport team competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series. Sabré Cook races for JDX as car #37, making her the first woman to compete in the series.

The Porsche Carrera Cup North America is the premier single-make racing championship on the continent, run exclusively with 911 GT3 Cup cars. Sabré Cook made history as the first woman to compete in it, breaking into the series in 2023 after cutting her teeth in W Series, USF2000, and Porsche Sprint Challenge. She's now in her third season, racing the #37 JDX Racing entry.

Suspension components are the parts that connect the wheels to the car's body and control ride and handling. In racing, they're tuned to manage grip, steering response, and how the car behaves under braking, acceleration, and cornering. The host mentions this to show Sabré Cook's engineering work is directly tied to performance.

The Renault F1 team is one of the storied entries in Formula 1, competing as Renault and later as Alpine. Sabré Cook worked there in an engineering capacity — one of several elite motorsport engineering roles she held alongside her racing career, including positions at Nissan/Infiniti Global and Ed Carpenter Racing. Her F1 engineering experience directly informs how she sets up and debriefs her GT3 Cup car.

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is a purpose-built racing version of the 911 produced exclusively for one-make cup competition. It produces around 510 hp from a naturally aspirated flat-six in current 992 form. Sabré Cook is the first woman to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, now in her third season with JDX Racing (#37). She holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Colorado School of Mines (cum laude) and worked as an engineer for the Renault F1 team and Nissan/Infiniti Global. She can build the car, break it down, and race it.

Stacey Cook is a professional motocross and supercross rider inducted into the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2023. He got Sabré started in karting at age eight, transitioning from racing himself to wrenching and coaching his daughter through every championship and podium since.

In early racing, a “riding mechanic” sat alongside the driver to watch the race and communicate where competitors were. It was essentially a human spotter because cars didn’t have modern radios or driver information systems.

A lap belt is a seatbelt that restrains the driver across the hips only. In the 1950s and 1960s, many race cars relied on lap belts, which offered less protection in crashes than later multi-point harnesses.

The HANS device (“Head and Neck Support”) is a head restraint system used in motorsport to reduce the risk of neck injuries. It works by connecting the helmet to the car’s harness so the head is supported during high-force impacts.

A roll cage is a reinforced metal frame inside a race car designed to protect the driver during rollovers and severe impacts. It helps maintain a survival space around the driver when the body structure is compromised.

A five-point harness is a racing seatbelt system with straps over the shoulders, across the hips, and between the legs. Compared with a lap belt, it better controls the driver’s body in a crash and reduces the chance of submarining or excessive movement.

The Datsun 620 was a compact pickup produced from 1972–1979 — so Stacey Cook's "1972 Datsun pickup" is almost certainly a 620. Known for bulletproof reliability, he bought his for $800 with 200,000 miles already on it and drove it to motorcycle races across Colorado.

“Stick shift” refers to a manual transmission, where the driver selects gears using a gear lever and a clutch. In older pickups like the one being discussed, manual gearboxes were common and helped keep the drivetrain straightforward.

The Chevrolet Corvette is a long-running American sports car known for its performance and iconic styling. In a podcast about car history and restoration, it often comes up as a “dream” or benchmark vehicle—especially when someone is deciding what they want to own or build. The mention suggests the Corvette was on the table but not chosen in that moment.

The Chevrolet Equinox is a compact SUV known for being practical and easy to live with. In this story, the key point is that the speaker chose it for dependability, good fuel economy, and predictable winter traction. It’s also the car they named “Pudge,” tying the vehicle to their personal history.

Aerodynamics is how air flows around a vehicle and how that affects drag and stability. In car design, better aerodynamics can improve efficiency and high-speed behavior, which is why it comes up alongside safety in performance discussions. The host is teeing up a comparison between mechanical engineering and real-world driving concerns.

Drag is the aerodynamic force that resists a vehicle’s motion through air. The speaker connects drag to vehicle shape and size, suggesting the smaller pickup would have less drag than a small SUV like the Equinox.

The Ford F-100 is a classic pickup truck from Ford’s long-running F-Series lineup, and the 1975 single-cab example mentioned is part of that era’s styling and mechanical simplicity. In a restoration or automotive-history podcast, trucks like this often represent everyday durability and a straightforward platform for ownership or customization. The orange 1975 F-100 detail signals a personal connection to that specific generation.

The Toyota RAV4 is a compact SUV known for being practical and easy to live with, which is why it’s a common college-to-commuter choice. In this segment, it’s notable because the host talks about real-world ownership details like mileage and paint peeling from a recall-related issue.

Spec Miata (SM) is one of the most popular club racing classes in North America, sanctioned by SCCA and NASA. It uses lightly modified Mazda Miatas from the NA (1990–1997) and NB (1999–2005) generations under strict rules designed to equalize the cars and make it a driver-skill competition. Low entry cost and plentiful used parts make it a common starting point for amateur road racers.

A go-kart track is a small racing facility where drivers typically use karts rather than full-size cars. In this context, it’s used to illustrate how the host’s acquaintance brought a very fast car (the Ariel Atom) to a simpler racing environment.

A supercharged engine uses a compressor (a supercharger) to force more air into the cylinders than atmospheric pressure alone would provide. That typically increases power and changes how the engine feels, especially under acceleration, which is why the speaker is trying to remember whether the car had that “feeling.”

A turbocharger (often shortened to “turbo”) uses exhaust gases to spin a turbine that compresses intake air. The speaker is contrasting turbocharging with supercharging while trying to recall how the car felt, which matters because each forced-induction system can deliver power differently.

A kit car is a vehicle sold as a set of parts that the buyer assembles (often with some level of customization). The speaker is wondering whether the Ariel Adam they’re discussing was available as a kit, which would affect how common it is and how it’s built.

An open-wheel car is a race car where the wheels are exposed rather than covered by body panels. That design reduces aerodynamic drag and is common in formula-style racing.

VIR is referenced as the location tied to TMI Auto Tech’s North American licensing. In racing talk, VIR typically points to Virginia International Raceway, a well-known track used for testing and events.

Ariel Motor Company is the British manufacturer behind the Ariel Atom, based in Crewkerne, Somerset, England. In North America, the Atom is produced under license by TMI Autotech at Virginia International Raceway. The host reads this directly from Wikipedia while discussing the car's specs.

Lotus is a British sports-car brand known for lightweight engineering and handling-focused design. Here, the speaker credits Lotus with a “do more with less” philosophy, connecting it to the idea that “the lighter the better” improves how the car feels and performs.

IMSA is the International Motor Sports Association, which runs major North American sports-car racing series. It’s especially known for endurance racing classes and factory-backed teams competing at tracks like Daytona.

WEC stands for the FIA World Endurance Championship, a global endurance racing series. It features multi-hour races and is one of the top platforms for prototypes and GT cars.

The 24 Hours of Daytona is an endurance sports car race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. It's the opening round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and one of the most prestigious endurance races in North America. Sabré Cook names it as one of her career goals.

The Nordschleife is the original “North Loop” section of the Nürburgring in Germany, known for extreme length, elevation changes, and difficulty. It’s a benchmark for driver skill and car balance, especially in endurance-style preparation.

Tesla is known for electric powertrains and software-driven driving features. In this segment, the host calls it a “daily driver” and contrasts its speed and ease with how it can feel less engaging than a human-driven car.

Subaru STI refers to Subaru’s performance trim from the STI (Subaru Tecnica International) program, typically built for rally-bred handling and driver engagement. Here it’s mentioned alongside WRX STIs as a benchmark for “worth bothering” when racing or comparing performance.

Autocross is a motorsport where drivers complete timed laps on a closed course marked out with cones. It’s usually done at parking lots or airfields and focuses on car control—turn-in, braking, and traction—at relatively low speeds compared with road racing.

Karting is a youth and entry-level form of racing using small, lightweight go-karts. It’s often considered a foundational pathway because it teaches racing fundamentals like steering precision, braking points, and racecraft at an affordable scale.

A racing simulator is software (often with a steering wheel/pedals setup) that lets drivers practice tracks and car setups virtually. In sim racing, you can get lots of “seat time” cheaply, which helps build consistency and technique even before you spend money on real track time.

iRacing is a sim racing platform that provides online racing with licensed cars and tracks, plus structured matchmaking and competition. It’s widely used because it supports consistent practice and competitive racing against other drivers.

The 1990 Mazda Miata (NA generation, 1989–1997) was the car that revived the lightweight two-seat roadster. With a 1.6L engine, rear-wheel drive, and a sub-2,300 lb curb weight, it became an instant classic and the foundation of the Spec Miata racing class.

Track days are organized events where drivers take their own cars to a racetrack for timed driving practice. They’re a common low-barrier way to learn car control, braking, and cornering limits in a safer, controlled environment than public roads.

A “spec Miata” usually means a Mazda Miata prepared to a rules-based configuration for a particular racing class. The goal is to keep competition more about driver skill and setup within limits, rather than unlimited expensive modifications.

Sim racing is competitive driving using racing video games with steering wheels, pedals, and motion/force-feedback setups. It can build familiarity with racing lines, braking points, and car behavior before (or alongside) real-world track driving.

Gran Turismo is Sony's long-running racing simulation video game franchise, known for its obsessive attention to car detail and physics. It's widely credited with introducing a generation of enthusiasts to serious car culture and has been used as a driver development tool by real-world racing programs.

“DLS” in the podcast context appears to refer to a 9-11 DLS Stinger, which is a specific car model/variant associated with the “Stinger” name. Because the episode text frames it as a “dream car” and mentions a color theme (peppermint), the discussion is likely about a particular, recognizable build rather than a general vehicle category. The key point is that it’s being referenced as a highly desired, distinctive car.

Singer is a specialist automotive brand known for “restomod” builds based on classic Porsche 911s, especially the 964 generation. Their approach typically combines period-correct styling with modern engineering and performance upgrades.

The Ariel Atom 3 is a British open-wheel, open-cockpit track car known for extreme performance in a featherweight package. At around 1,000 lbs with up to 300 hp, it's famously described as a road-legal go-kart — the kind of car enthusiasts aspire to but rarely get to drive.

The Indianapolis 500, first run in 1911, is one of the oldest and most prestigious motorsport events in the world. Run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it's part of the "Triple Crown of Motorsport" alongside Le Mans and Monaco.