Exploring the world of motorsports, this episode dives into the recent Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta, highlighting its history and significance in American racing. The hosts discuss how to break into racing, emphasizing the importance of sim racing as a starting point and the challenges of securing sponsorships. Listeners will hear about the various classes of cars, the intricacies of endurance racing, and personal anecdotes from the hosts' experiences at the track. The conversation is lively, filled with insights on racing culture and the evolving landscape of motorsports.
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So you want to get into racing. What if you didn't start out by Go Karting at the age of 2 years old and want to get into it in your late 20's? Is that even possible? Well we picked up a Formula Mazda and we're finding out those answers right now. #cars #racing #podcast
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"...we're going to be talking about Petit Le Mans that just ended last weekend at Rhode Atlanta."
Petit Le Mans is a long car race that happens every year in the U.S. It features different types of race cars and is known for being very challenging because of the track's design.
Petit Le Mans is an endurance race held annually in the United States, typically featuring sports cars and prototypes. It is part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and takes place at Road Atlanta in Georgia, known for its challenging layout and elevation changes.
"...actual racing, whether that is competitive drifting, wheel-to-wheel racing or competitive time attack or cone chasing..."
Competitive drifting is a type of car racing where drivers make their cars slide sideways around corners. It's judged on how well they control the slide and how stylish it looks.
Competitive drifting is a motorsport where drivers intentionally oversteer their cars to maintain control while navigating through a course. It emphasizes style and precision, with judges scoring drivers based on their technique and execution during events.
"So there's a bunch of different names out there in the 90s specifically and into the early 2000s that a lot of people talk about like ALMS, American Le Mans series, ELMS,"
ALMS is a racing series in the United States that included different types of sports cars. It was popular for many years and was connected to a famous race in France called the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
ALMS stands for American Le Mans Series, which was a sports car racing series in North America that ran from 1999 to 2013. It featured a variety of classes and was known for its connection to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.
"European Le Mans series. They had the Iraq chance, all these different things."
The European Le Mans Series is a type of car racing where teams race for long periods, usually several hours. It includes different classes of cars, and it's known for its exciting and competitive events.
The European Le Mans Series is a sports car racing series that features endurance races, primarily held in Europe. It serves as a platform for manufacturers and teams to compete in prototype and GT classes, showcasing high-performance vehicles.
"...he went to the ACO in the early 90s, which is an organization over in Europe and said, hey, what you guys do with Le Mans is super cool."
The ACO is a group that organizes famous car races, including the 24-hour race in Le Mans, France. They help set the rules and manage the events for endurance racing.
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) is the organization responsible for the Le Mans 24 Hours race and the regulation of endurance racing events. They play a crucial role in promoting and organizing endurance racing in Europe and beyond.
"He had his own vehicle manufacturing company called Panos. He owned road Atlanta for a time."
Panoz is a company that makes sports cars and racing cars in the United States. They are famous for their unique designs and participation in car races.
Panoz is an American manufacturer of sports cars and racing cars, founded by Don Panoz. The company is known for its innovative designs and involvement in motorsport, particularly in endurance racing.
A multi-class endurance race is a long car race where different kinds of cars race at the same time. It challenges drivers and teams to manage their speed and strategy over many hours.
A multi-class endurance race is a type of motorsport event where different classes of cars compete simultaneously over a long duration, often several hours. This format tests not only speed but also strategy, reliability, and teamwork.
"...general interest around cars, racing, Formula One. Formula One did a lot of that."
Formula One is a top-level car racing series where the fastest cars compete in various races around the world. It's famous for its exciting races and advanced car technology.
Formula One is a premier international auto racing sport, known for its high-speed cars and prestigious races. It features advanced technology and attracts a global audience, significantly influencing car culture and interest in motorsports.
"But they, I remember I walked in and the first thing I saw was a Camaro vintage style graphic team."
The Camaro is a sports car made by Chevrolet. It's known for being fast and stylish, and it's a favorite among car enthusiasts.
The Chevrolet Camaro is a popular American muscle car known for its performance and aggressive styling. It has been in production since 1966 and is often compared to the Ford Mustang.
"I was out there with Brembo, which was really fun and sick. That was a really fun event."
Brembo is a company that makes brakes for cars, especially high-performance ones. They are well-known for their reliable and effective braking systems.
Brembo is a leading manufacturer of high-performance braking systems, known for their quality and innovation in brake technology.
"I got to hold a GTD carbon ceramic. It's like this big insane story."
Carbon ceramic brakes are a special kind of brakes made from strong materials that help cars stop better and handle heat well, especially during fast driving.
Carbon ceramic brakes are a type of high-performance brake system that uses carbon fiber and ceramic materials. They offer superior heat resistance and performance, making them popular in sports cars and racing.
"the number one question I asked them right off the gate was, does slotted or drilled rotors matter more?"
Slotted and drilled rotors are special designs for brake discs that help them cool down better and work more effectively, especially during hard braking.
Slotted and drilled rotors are types of brake rotors designed to improve performance by enhancing heat dissipation and reducing brake fade. Slotted rotors have grooves, while drilled rotors have holes.
"If you go out there and you want the most functional version, you would want a slotted rotor because what it does do."
Slotted rotors are brake parts with grooves on them. These grooves help the brakes work better by letting heat and dust escape, making them good for performance driving.
Slotted rotors have grooves cut into their surface, which helps with heat dissipation and improves braking performance by allowing gases and debris to escape. They are often preferred for performance applications.
"...as the rotors going in a circle, essentially those slots help with getting rid of debris and then the heat gases that the rotor and the brake will give off..."
Brake rotors are round metal discs that help your car stop when you press the brake pedal. They work with brake pads to create friction, which slows down the wheels. Some rotors have special designs to help keep them cool and clean.
Brake rotors are crucial components in a vehicle's braking system, providing a surface for the brake pads to clamp down on and create friction to slow or stop the vehicle. They can be designed with various features, such as slots and veins, to improve performance by enhancing cooling and debris evacuation.
"But what's not terrible is listening to an Aston Martin Valkyrie fly by every like a minute and five seconds."
The Aston Martin Valkyrie is a super-fast car made by Aston Martin. It's designed for high performance and combines a powerful engine with electric technology to go really fast.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie is a limited-production hypercar known for its extreme performance and advanced aerodynamics. It features a hybrid powertrain that combines a naturally aspirated V12 engine with an electric motor, delivering exceptional power and speed.
"When we went to M.Taylor Race at Laguna Seiko, the winner."
Laguna Seca is a well-known racetrack in California where cars and motorcycles race. It's famous for its tricky turns, especially one called the Corkscrew.
Laguna Seca is a famous racetrack located in California, known for its challenging layout and the iconic Corkscrew turn. It hosts various motorsport events, including car races and motorcycle competitions.
"Was it like? Yes, you get you get your GTD and GTD Pro. So those are essentially like your race spec street style cars, right?"
GTD Pro is a more advanced version of the GTD race car. It has better technology and is often driven by professional racers in competitions.
GTD Pro is a higher-performance category within the GTD class, featuring more advanced technology and modifications. These cars are typically driven by professional drivers and are built to compete at the highest levels of endurance racing.
"And then you obviously have GTP class or a hyper car class is what I think it would be overseas. And GTP has like the Porsche 963..."
GTP class is a type of racing category where very fast and advanced cars compete. They are built for speed and handling on race tracks.
The GTP class refers to a category of sports car racing that features high-performance prototypes. These cars are designed for endurance racing and often incorporate advanced technology and aerodynamics.
"GTP has like the Porsche 963 and the Aston Martin Valkyrie..."
The Porsche 963 is a special racing car made by Porsche for competing in endurance races. It is built to be very fast and handle well on the track.
The Porsche 963 is a prototype race car developed for endurance racing, specifically in the GTP class. It showcases Porsche's engineering prowess and is designed for high performance on the track.
"cross crank naturally aspirated electric hybrid powertrain V8, which sounds insane."
A naturally aspirated engine gets air for combustion from the atmosphere, without any extra help from devices like turbochargers. This can make the engine feel more responsive when you press the gas pedal.
Naturally aspirated refers to an engine that relies solely on atmospheric pressure to draw air into the combustion chamber, without the use of a turbocharger or supercharger. This type of engine typically provides a linear power delivery and is often favored for its simplicity and responsiveness.
"So the GTPs have essentially a hybrid system. It helps with getting out of pit lane, power,"
A hybrid system uses both a regular engine and an electric motor to make the car more efficient and powerful. It can save fuel and help the car go faster when needed.
A hybrid system combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor to improve efficiency and performance. This setup allows for better fuel economy and can provide additional power during acceleration or when needed.
"you know, slow corners, things like that. Like the torque vectoring stuff too."
Torque vectoring helps a car control how much power goes to each wheel, which can make it handle better, especially when turning. It helps the car grip the road more effectively.
Torque vectoring is a technology that allows for the distribution of power to individual wheels, enhancing traction and handling. This system can improve cornering performance by sending more power to the wheel that needs it most.
"...you can adjust that with a brake bias. But the brake bias in the rear is all electronically controlled..."
Brake bias is how much stopping power is sent to the front versus the back wheels when you press the brake pedal. Changing it can help the car stop better in different situations.
Brake bias refers to the distribution of braking force between the front and rear wheels of a vehicle. Adjusting the brake bias can affect handling and stability during braking, allowing for better control in different driving conditions.
"...the brake bias in the rear is all electronically controlled, so there's nothing actually connecting the two physically to do it."
An electronically controlled brake system uses computers and sensors to help the brakes work better. It can adjust how the brakes act based on how you're driving, which can make stopping safer and more effective.
An electronically controlled brake system uses electronic sensors and actuators to manage braking forces, allowing for more precise control compared to traditional mechanical systems. This can enhance performance and safety by adapting to driving conditions in real-time.
"...what was really cool is Lamborghini had a really tough run this year and they actually canceled their program entirely."
Lamborghini is a famous car brand from Italy that makes very fast and expensive sports cars. They are known for their unique and flashy designs.
Lamborghini is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer known for its high-performance vehicles and distinctive designs. The brand is synonymous with supercars and has a strong presence in motorsport.
"...thing a little bit more advanced, you can get the 510s. But one of the things that makes them really spe..."
The Datsun 510 is a small car from the 1970s that people love for how fun it is to drive. It's considered a classic and is often modified to make it even better.
The Datsun 510 is a compact car that gained popularity in the 1970s for its sporty handling and affordability. It has become a classic among car enthusiasts, often praised for its potential in motorsports and tuning.
Car
Mazda Miatas
"He started his life on the sim, though, racing spec Miata's and things like that on iRacing. And he's doing incredible."
"which is pretty crazy to think about but Daytona's in January. The roar of Daytona's in January as well."
The Chrysler Daytona is a sporty car from the 1980s that many people remember for its cool looks and speed. It was popular in racing and has a special place in car history.
The Chrysler Daytona is a classic car that gained fame in the 1980s, known for its sporty design and performance. It was a significant model for Chrysler, especially in the context of motorsports and racing.
"...going to say that. When I went there and I got my Supra and then I drove back, I had to drive through a g..."
The Toyota Supra is a fast sports car that many people admire for its speed and style. It has a strong history and is often modified to make it even more powerful, which is why it's popular among car enthusiasts.
The Toyota Supra is a high-performance sports car that has become an icon since its introduction in the 1970s, particularly known for its powerful engines and tuning potential. The fifth-generation Supra, relaunched in 2019, has rekindled interest in the model, blending modern technology with classic Supra performance.
"...ough a good portion of Texas. It was chargers and challengers going fucking a buck 80 on the highway the whole ..."
The Dodge Challenger is a big, powerful car that looks like the classic muscle cars from the past. It's popular because it can go really fast and has a cool, retro design that many people love.
The Dodge Challenger is a muscle car that pays homage to the classic American muscle car era of the 1970s. Known for its retro styling and powerful engine options, it has become a favorite among those who appreciate performance and nostalgia.
"Oh, for Texas? I was going to say Toyota Tundra. Tundra?"
The Toyota Tundra is a large truck that is built to last and can handle tough jobs. It's great for people who need a strong vehicle for work or who enjoy outdoor activities.
The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck known for its durability and reliability, making it a strong contender in the competitive truck market. It offers a range of powerful engines and a spacious interior, appealing to both work and leisure users.
"...ause I just, I don't know. Oh, you went on Toyota excursion. Well, they told you that."
The Ford Excursion is a really big SUV that can carry a lot of people and stuff. It's great for families or anyone who needs a lot of space.
The Ford Excursion is a large SUV that was produced from 2000 to 2005, known for its massive size and towing capacity. It was designed for families and those needing significant cargo space, making it one of the largest SUVs on the market at the time.
"New York. Ford Crown Victoria. That's what I was going to say for the ..."
The Ford Crown Victoria is a big car that many police departments and taxi companies used because it's tough and roomy. It's a classic American car that people often associate with city driving.
The Ford Crown Victoria is a full-size sedan that was widely used by law enforcement and taxi services due to its durability and spacious interior. It has become a symbol of American automotive culture, particularly in urban settings.
"...ittle mixed while we're there. I would say Nissan Altima. To say Altima, what's like the Maxima?"
The Nissan Altima is a comfortable car that is good for everyday driving. It's known for being reliable and getting good gas mileage, making it a popular choice for families.
The Nissan Altima is a midsize sedan that has been a staple in the automotive market since the 1990s, known for its comfortable ride and fuel efficiency. It competes with other popular sedans and offers a blend of practicality and modern features.
"...say Nissan Altima. To say Altima, what's like the Maxima? I swear, yeah."
The Nissan Maxima is a larger car that feels sporty and comfortable, often seen as a more luxurious option. It's known for being reliable and good for long drives.
The Nissan Maxima is a full-size sedan that combines performance with luxury features, often marketed as a 'four-door sports car.' It has a strong reputation for reliability and comfort, making it a popular choice for those seeking a more upscale driving experience.
"I'm sorry. I was going to say an ACR Dodge Viper, because that's all I see. You go outside."
The Dodge Viper is a super-fast sports car that looks really cool and has a big engine. It's known for being thrilling to drive, but it's also quite rare and special.
The Dodge Viper is a high-performance sports car known for its striking design and powerful V10 engine. It has a reputation for being raw and exhilarating to drive, making it a favorite among car enthusiasts and collectors.
"... take. That's kind of how I feel about the Nissan Leaf that Nissan sent me."
The Nissan Leaf is a car that runs on electricity instead of gas, which makes it better for the environment. It's a practical choice for everyday driving and helps save on fuel costs.
The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric hatchback that has played a significant role in popularizing electric vehicles since its launch in 2010. Known for its practicality and efficiency, it offers a sustainable alternative to traditional gasoline-powered cars.
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Good morning. Welcome back to the MartiniWorks podcast.
Ladies and gentlemen, we're so happy to have you back.
And if you're just checking in, let us know where you're listening to the podcast from.
Yeah, it'd be cool.
That's today's task.
I want to know where you are.
Give me your location right now.
And also, just so you guys know, if you're not watching, Dakota and I matched today.
It's very, very exciting stuff.
Ben.
We're twins.
The pair is so good.
We just all are wearing it except for Jelsie Hates.
I don't know what I thought.
I walked out of the house this morning.
I was like, I don't need a hoodie.
I love hoodies and I love hoody weather and it's hoody weather and I just like completely
disregarded it today.
And that was stupid.
Yeah, I love my, I'm a big hoody guy, falls my favorite season, but welcome back to the
podcast today.
We're going to be talking a little bit about the motorsports side of things.
We're going to be talking about Petit Le Mans that just ended last weekend at
Rhode Atlanta.
And then we're going to spend the rest of the podcast really jumping into how
do you get into racing if you really wanted to?
Not just your HPDE, but actual, actual racing, whether that is competitive
drifting, wheel-to-wheel racing or competitive time attack or cone chasing, also known as
Autocross, which is a ton of fun too.
So that's exactly what we're going to do today.
Dakota, you want to start it off?
I don't.
I do.
Never mind.
Coffee.
Okay.
Get your coffee at martiniworks.com.
If you guys love it, let us know.
We've gotten a lot of awesome feedback on it so far, which has been absolutely
terrific.
We only have a few bags left.
Yeah.
A ton of people are taking us in their stories, like when they wake up, make it
in the morning.
I think that's so cool.
Love it.
So if you did get the coffee or the merch or whatever, take us.
I try to reshare all of them if I can.
It's really cool to see.
And honestly, we've gotten awesome feedback.
Everyone so far, Naka Wood, that strida has loved it.
I haven't seen one bad thing.
Yeah.
And if you guys could help out, the one big thing I would say is if you
do like it, we appreciate the shares, but head on over to the website and
actually go to where you snagged this from.
And leave a review if you could because it is something that you digest.
I really want to make sure other people can kind of hear from people that
aren't us.
And if you liked it and if you're big coffee connoisseur, you can talk about
what you liked or maybe what you changed.
But of course, we appreciate all the love and all the support on the
Martini works coffee.
A part of me feels like we are going to do something like this again
in the very.
I hope so.
Because I love it.
It was super fun.
We got everyone hooked on it.
Now we're going to take it away from them.
Yeah.
That's messed up.
All right.
Let's talk about petite.
I don't even know what petite lemons is.
I need an explanation on what that is.
What's going on there?
Okay.
So petite lemons is something you dream of.
But petite Le Mans is an event that happens at road Atlanta, which is a
beautiful two and a half mile race track.
And it actually took place ever since in the early 1990s.
Essentially a racing series was canceled or scrapped.
And so America was essentially left without any sort of like global or
national connection to the global motorsport series.
Damn it.
So there's a bunch of different names out there in the 90s specifically and into the
early 2000s that a lot of people talk about like ALMS, American Le Mans series, ELMS,
European Le Mans series.
They had the Iraq chance, all these different things.
But a guy by the name of Don Panos owned road Atlanta at the time and he said, well,
what the heck?
I'll make it myself.
And so he went to the ACO in the early 90s, which is an organization over in Europe
and said, hey, what you guys do with Le Mans is super cool.
I want to do it in America.
Can I?
And they're like, sure.
Damn.
As long as you keep our name in it forever and we'll give you a ticket to
whoever wins that one can come race at Le Mans.
And that's literally like how it started.
Shout out Don.
Pretty good deal, I feel like.
Yeah.
He was a huge automotive entrepreneur and I would almost argue, I'm probably using the
wrong term, but like he's almost like a philanthropist for the automotive community.
He did so much to keep things going.
He had his own vehicle manufacturing company called Panos.
He owned road Atlanta for a time.
He brought Petit Le Mans into the American circuit.
And actually a lot of people would argue Petit Le Mans is what kind of rebuilt a
lot of domestic North American motorsport series and kind of what we get to enjoy today.
So there's a bunch more information on it, but I can't recall it enough to be confident
to tell thousands of people on a podcast.
But ultimately that's what happened.
So it's been running since 1992-ish and it's a terrific event.
It's a multi-class endurance race.
It used to be either 10 hours of racing or I believe it was a thousand laps.
It's a thousand laps or miles.
I think it's laps.
And then eventually they just turned it into 10 hours of driving cumulative.
So this past weekend.
What made them chose 10 hours?
I'm not entirely sure.
I feel, based on what I know about this sort of stuff, it was probably more of like a city thing.
OK.
We're like, they're like, you know, you're not running it at night.
Like you ain't doing it.
And those cars, those cars are loud.
They're screamers at that track.
Atlanta is super quiet.
Yeah, Atlanta is a really calm city, you know.
You need to keep the peace, you know.
Yeah, but so that's exactly what happened.
So now it's a 10 hour endurance race, which is honestly goes by a lot faster than you think.
You would think a 10 hour race drags.
It doesn't because you go, you watch the start, you kind of catching in on that.
That'll take like 45 minutes.
Maybe you go walk around the pits because it's an IMSA race and you can do that.
And it doesn't cost you thousands of dollars to like go in there, which is insane.
It's one of my favorite parts of IMSA.
And, you know, after that, maybe you want to grab a bite.
And that's going to take another hour.
Then you go watch the racing for 45 minutes.
And then you go get a drink for like an hour.
Then you go and watch the race for 45 minutes.
There's just stuff to do, huh?
It's just like it's like, it's like, it's the equivalent of like going to the mall
when you were a middle schooler.
Like you can just kind of putz around the whole track and just do a whole bunch
of little things.
And then if you end up running into people or you interact with a random
enthusiast, a lot of time you'll spend a lot of time with those people.
Like there was multiple interviews we did with folks who attended that were like,
yeah, you know, I just met this guy like two days ago and now we're grilling out
and having beers together at his campsite.
I'm like, that is so sick, you know, and it's really fun.
This year, Rhode Atlanta actually had to shut its gates because they had
reached capacity for the total amount of people that you could have at that
track, which I believe is 150,000 human beings, 150,000 people in a single spot.
I feel like racing is on the up and up.
Like there's general interest around cars, racing, Formula One.
Formula One did a lot of that.
Yeah, it really got people into it.
I mean, well, like I went to the mall the other day and I feel like this
has been going on for at least a year, but like you go into like Paxson or
Zoomees or whatever.
And there's automotive merch, whether it's LZ selling stuff or they're
making their one-off own like in-house apparel and they're pushing car stuff.
I'm like, this is crazy.
I went to the mall with Maggie the other week and we swung through
like American Eagle and they had a bunch of like Red Bull Formula One.
Yeah.
I'm like, where am I?
Yeah, it was the same thing with America.
I want, we walked into, I think we walked into Hollister because
Becca wanted to see pants and the very first.
You can't see in Hollister.
You can now.
You can now.
They changed it.
But they, I remember I walked in and the first thing I saw was a
Camaro vintage style graphic team.
Yep.
Everyone's getting their fingies in on it.
So yeah, I mean, I must have changed.
Automotive is cool.
Automotive and anime is cool.
Let's go.
Hell yeah.
But I would say it was, it was a great event.
IMSA does a great job with it.
They've been growing like a weed this year.
I think they just hit like a million subscribers on YouTube about a month ago.
And it's cool.
We're, we're working more closely with them now.
I got to do a collaborated reel with them.
I was out there with Brembo, which was really fun and sick.
That was a really fun event.
So I got to learn big breaks, huge, massive, huge, like 440 millimeter
breaks, like huge breaks.
I got to hold a GTD carbon ceramic.
It's like this big insane story.
It's insane, but like learning about, you know, like how calipers work
and rotors and this sort of that.
And I had to ask them, like the number one question I asked them
right off the gate was, does slotted or drilled rotors matter more?
You should have asked them which fucking direction they go
because I never know.
I asked him and he goes, you want to know the truth?
I'm like, yeah, I want to know the truth.
He's like, drilled or slotted, don't matter, don't matter.
He's like, he's like drilled, drilled is nice.
It looks cool, but functionally speaking on a street car or even
like a semi-track car, you're not going to notice it.
If you go out there and you want the most functional version,
you would want a slotted rotor because what it does do.
Yeah, I mean a little bit, but he's like, it's, it's a matter
of saying, you know, as the rotors going in a circle,
essentially those slots help with getting rid of debris and then
the heat gases that the rotor and the brake will give off.
It actually evacuates it out and it does have a direction to do that.
But he goes, really what will make the biggest difference is the
cooling veins of the rotor and how those the inside and a lot of
those are actually mostly the same regardless on what type of
rotor that you get.
But they have asymmetrical veined rotors and directionally
designed rotor veins for like more track, track applications and
essentially creates, I don't know what the science term is, but
essentially when they do their two piece rotor system, they have
the veins inside and then these like airports.
And what it does is it creates a vacuum of air that forces the
air up and out through a certain direction.
Sure effect.
Yeah, that's the one.
And those rotors are very expensive.
I bet I've heard the airports are no good.
Dude, I'll tell you what, when I flew back in yesterday, because
we we left Atlanta at like, I don't know, Greg and I left at
five o'clock in the morning, four o'clock in the morning.
I was scared shitless the whole time.
Yeah, I was like, I got to the airport.
You've already had just nightmare scenarios all year.
And I was like sitting at the at the terminal, just looking
at it on time, on time, just like sitting waiting the moment
she opened the door.
I'm like, yes.
And then we got in the plane and we're flying and I'm
like, this now's the time to check the connecting flight.
And I'm closer to the door.
Greg is like in the third world country, it felt like all the
way in the back of the plane, practically working for them.
And would you like sunships or crackers?
Both.
And it was 15 minutes from our first flight to our second flight.
And so I got off the plane right away.
And I just told Greg all I sent to him was run.
I've gotten that message too many times.
I'm sick of running in the airport.
I know, I don't run a lot.
I know that by looking at me, but I run the most at airports.
Yeah, the best part was in case anybody flies out of the
Detroit airport, I will have you know that the terminal
express tram from a 68 to the center area where you would
cross the concourse B and C is slower than a brisk jog
down that same way using the little running platforms.
So in case you're wondering if like, if you need to know, if
you yes, this is important.
You guys need to know this too, because if you get off a plane
and you got to you got to cook, which I've had to the most
polarizing decision you can make is whether you're taking
that tram or you're not.
I absolutely required.
I can't remember where we were one time.
I think it was LAX or something like they were doing work
on one terminal.
So they put us in like some back country terminal and they
had to like literally bus everyone to the other terminal.
Like that was the only option like you couldn't walk because
it was walking across like the active parkway.
Like other than that, like I would know I just rather book
it. So fun fact about that.
You know when they say they used to tell you like you need
to get to an airport.
I think it was three hours before you're selected
departure date.
It's because of that terminal in LAX because they did a
time estimate between the maximum amount of time required
to walk and go through TSA and this is then and so literally
to get to that terminal where you are the furthest one away
can actually take up to three hours.
It was nuts because everyone was trying to drive.
Everyone was trying to catch their connecting flight and
they're sending shuttles over, but the shuttles can only
take so many people so fighting to the front of the
line to get on a damn shuttle because everyone's like
my plane is boarding now.
Yeah, it was pretty terrible.
But what's not terrible is listening to an Aston Martin
Valkyrie fly by every like a minute and five seconds.
Do you remember the name?
When we went to M.Taylor Race at Laguna Seiko, the winner.
Hmm. What is it?
It was like Taylor Racing.
No, Jack was watching Taylor Racing.
Wayne Taylor Racing.
Who is the driver?
Is a son, wasn't it?
Well, Jordan Taylor is one of the drivers.
Oh, don't sound familiar.
I just I thought I see a photo with Alex.
It's with Jordan Taylor.
One of the drivers and I swear we interviewed him.
Probably because we interviewed the Wayne Taylor racing
guys.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, he was he was awesome.
He was really nice.
It was super nice.
Yeah, he's actually kind of a shit poster, which I really,
really like on the internet.
It's kind of I'll never forget asking.
The owner of Wayne Taylor Racing, I think Dakota asked
like something about should you cheap out on tires?
And he's like, we get tires for free.
Why would we ever do that's a dumb question?
I always run good tires like we are in different worlds.
I also asked a lot of the drivers.
It was like if they what's their favorite taco or something
like that.
And they didn't know what tacos were.
No, I never heard of it is that really it was really
groundbreaking stuff learned a lot that trip.
But so the the classes that they were racing there.
Yeah, what kind of cars were they in?
Was it like?
Yes, you get you get your GTD and GTD Pro.
So those are essentially like your race spec street style
cars, right?
So you're Mustang GTD, you're the ones I like.
911 GT3, Arar from a racing, the Ferrari 296, the Corvette.
Those are all cars that are in those classes.
And then they're broken up by if you have certain
level of driving status versus not GTD Bros.
Obviously all pro drivers, you have to have a certain class.
And then GTD, you do not need that.
You only need, I think it's one platinum rated driver.
But essentially, that's how they tear it out.
And then there's LMP to LMP twos are probably the underrated
favorite car to watch at a track like that, because they're
very compared to everything else.
They're very small, like in width, and they're very,
very quick in the corners.
So they do a ton of overtaking.
And then you obviously have GTP class or a hyper car
class is what I think it would be overseas.
And GTP has like the Porsche 963 and the Aston Martin
Valkyrie and the BMW that looks just insane.
And then the Cadillac, which is an incredibly sounding
cross crank naturally aspirated electric hybrid powertrain V8,
which sounds insane.
Yeah, what are they using the electric for?
So the the GTPs have essentially a hybrid system.
It helps with getting out of pit lane, power,
you know, slow corners, things like that.
Like the torque vectoring stuff too.
It can. Yeah.
One of the coolest things that I learned actually was the GTP
cars have very individual, they have individual front
and rear brake system.
So the fronts operate as typical.
You press the brake and there's a thing and it applies
pressure and then you can adjust that with a brake bias.
But the brake bias in the rear is all electronically
controlled, so there's nothing actually connecting the two
physically to do it.
So in every other car, if you were to adjust your
brake bias, you can essentially put the same amount
of brake pressure on the pedal and when you adjust
your brake bias, it'll it'll feel it out front rear.
In a GTP car, you actually have to change your
brake pedal position when you adjust your brake bias.
And so I got to ask like Jordan Taylor and the BMW team,
like, do you change a lot of stuff as you're running
around or do you kind of like set it and forget it?
And Jordan Taylor, like without saying, it was like kind
of a set it and forget it kind of guy, like very American,
like, I'm just going to get out there and do it.
And then the BMW driver that I talked to was like,
we adjust and we make changes as needed as we go
through the track.
And I'm like, oh, you change your shit all the time.
So it was it was super fun.
But yeah, the GTP cars are super cool.
The problem is, is the track with 53 cars on it being
two and a half miles long, there's a ton of traffic.
And the GT3 cars or the GTD cars are kind of like
always in the way, which makes for great overtaking.
So there's so many times like for FD Atlanta, you know,
they come down that straight and they whip it to the
left and then up to the right.
There are so many times where cars are passing three
or even four wide on that straight because the track
was is small enough to where you're constantly seeing
overtaking in the same exact spot.
But there's no real safe place to just get by.
You almost are always splitting.
So like towards the last two hours of the race,
you would see GTP cars split around the Mustang
or like split around the Porsche.
That's wild. It was it was really cool.
It's some great terrifying being the slower car and
just be like, oh, my God, oh, my God, just constantly.
Yeah, just like it's like it's like you get in the middle
lane sometimes and you have traffic flying by you.
I feel like it's that but just like times a hundred.
Dude, it was it was wild.
Like the amount of the craziest thing that happened
was right at the beginning, there was a yellow flag
and then there's another yellow flag and then a wheel
flew off one of the cars on like turn two, turn three.
And so it wasn't going slow.
This wheel had to have been cooking at like
90, 100 miles an hour.
And when it got disconnected from the car, it was still going.
He speed up.
And it just got bouncing and bouncing and bouncing.
The cameraman's following it.
It almost took out one of Zach Visser's videographers that was there.
He's literally like, as you see the camera pan,
it like hits this tree and you can see the whole thing
kind of like shake down.
And the one of our friends is named Zach Visser.
He shoots a ton of motorsports content.
Great guy.
One of his teammates was out there and you can see him
get spooked because there's a random man.
Literally kill you.
That's right.
Yeah, like if you ever shoot media at those events,
they have rules and where you can be, where you can't be.
And then they say, even when you are where you're supposed to be,
keep your head on a swivel.
Always.
Anything can happen at any time.
Yeah, it's wild.
Yeah, there's a lot of a lot of tough, tough, tough driving.
You know, it was the last race.
Everybody's really kind of like giving it their all.
And it's just like go kart racing where
Last race, like last race of the year.
Last race of the year for AMSO.
So yeah, so all at least for that series, I'm sorry.
But you see them, they all kind of drive really polite, really nice,
you know, fast, quick, but GT3 cars are like, I'll let you pass
because I'm not fast, you know, in comparison to a GTP car.
But the last two hours, they're like, fuck you.
I'm this is my track, too.
You know, they're finally like shoulders out like, no, I'm going to.
This is my corner.
And so you'll see people start to get
a little bit more like bullish in the corners.
But the GT3 cars are always fun
because then they start fighting like back because those other cars
are so much faster than them in the corners.
But they lose a lot of time by being polite.
So then it's like time to start picking and choosing.
Yeah, it's like they're fighting their own battle.
Then I always thought it was so interesting
that they run literally like three races in one.
Yeah, it's it's fun classes.
It's crazy. I never understood that until we went
and I was like, what the hell is going on out there?
I was like, yeah, makes it interesting to watch constantly
because there's constant overtaking.
Yeah. Excuse me.
Towards the end, we saw what was really cool
is Lamborghini had a really tough run this year
and they actually canceled their program entirely.
And so they're they're exiting the the GTP class.
But they this was their last race.
And up until the final 20 minutes,
they were on on pace to podium.
Oh, shit. It was a it was, I believe it was Porsche.
Porsche Aston Martin with the Valkyrie and the Lamborghini,
which was insane because the Aston Martin also started the year
insanely slow, like just way back of the pack,
just could not figure it out.
And so they've had this like collective
improvement over the over the races.
And we're like, oh, my God, this is going to be an insane podium.
Like Aston Martin and Lamborghini making it.
But Lamborghini ran out of fuel, so they had to repit.
And then they lost their podium.
And then it ended up being Porsche Cadillac.
How do you fucking run out of fuel?
Pushing it too hard.
Well, fill up, bud.
Well, they can learn the quicker is just going to take some time.
Use your reward card and fill up and get back out there.
Forty nine cent bananas.
We'll see you next time.
Oh, well, no, it won't be the last time.
Oh, that we saw I was there in the pits when the when the final
the second to last pit was happening with the Lamborghini.
And you can walk like all the way up and down with the right
axis, you can walk all the way up and down the pits the whole time.
And the last one, you could tell they were like,
nobody is getting in our way.
We have to make sure this car because like the headlight fell out.
So they're like, just taping the headlight of the Lamborghini,
like front clip and like people are taking pictures and videos
and all these Italians that don't know English are like starting
to get increasingly frustrated that there's like a bunch of people everywhere.
So finally, guys, like, guys, I just need like two minutes,
just please for two minutes.
And then there was another time that I thought was really interesting
because when you're shooting media at an MSA event, you can get much,
much closer, but you have to be respectful of what's going on
because people are trying to race.
And there was a guy and I was talking to them and it was
Team Miller racing, I believe it was.
And I asked if I could kind of stand in the corner and get a shot.
And she said, absolutely.
She was like, just be careful because the tires will be hot.
Like, oh, of course, yeah.
And the guy, he's like reading a book, like looks over to me.
He goes, oh, kind of hot is not the right word I would use.
Don't touch them because they'll be coming off smoking hot,
like hundreds of degrees hot.
And I'm like, oh, yeah, sounds good.
So I'm there and I get this video and here's this guy and they throw
the wheel onto the top of the almost like the barrier.
And you see the guy, the other guy grab it and like rip it off.
And he just kind of like rips it off and throws it onto the ground.
And as it's rolling, it's rolling past me.
I can see the smoke coming off of the wheel.
And then there's like a little debris and like some like wrappers and stuff,
like just things that are left as the as the day goes on.
And the tire picked up all of it as it was walking.
It was like a vacuum.
It just like grabbed all this stuff and I thought that was pretty neat.
So no, it was a great event.
Imsa was was incredible.
Brembo, you know, brought me out.
So thank you guys.
They were they were insane.
They're a huge partner for Imsa.
All of their breaks are on the LMP2 cars.
And then they're on a good portion of pretty much everything else out there.
So I got to learn about how long they last and what they can operate to,
which in Rhode, Atlanta was one thousand four hundred and seventy two
degrees of heat will get put to a Brembo caliper.
Jesus. On the strongest breaking zone, which is just insane.
And then it cools down to, you know, six hundred degrees
and then back up to twelve and then back to four, then seven.
Brembo is always the biggest flex.
I remember even like when I was just getting into cars,
the fact that my cobalt SS came with Brembo's only on the front, not the rear.
Yeah, I got big breaks.
I got Brembo's.
Even today, I still think it's cool.
Like my motorcycle, I got the special edition that came with Brembo's.
I'm like, that's bad.
It's just a cool company.
Yeah, they they've done a really good job.
I got to meet the the son of the founder who brought it into the United States
back in like the seventies.
So he was his name is Brandon.
He's an incredibly passionate brand of Brevo.
Not Brandon Brembo, but his name is Brandon.
Great guy to talk to.
We nerded out over over breaks like the whole time because I do like
enjoy learning about that because it's so cool to see how those things get
applied. Yeah.
Yeah.
And how it gets applied to like the street side of things, right?
Because all of that all that data that they collect, they essentially
bring back and they say, OK, how can we put it on a GTD or a Cadillac
or a Tesla or whatever it is?
So it's pretty cool.
Want to know what else is cool?
What's that?
Fortunato coilovers.
Oh, they're super cool.
Those. Yeah, they're pretty cool.
Green and black modular build your own actually super high quality.
And they're fantastic for what the next segment is going to be about,
which is jumping into racing or if you wanted to.
They do it all.
I mean, they've had a ton of experience out on the track.
They can build them to your specifications, which is absolutely fantastic.
If you're really trying to dial in what you want.
I will say the Fortune 500s are probably the best place to start.
If you're just jumping into coilovers and you want to get a good quality set.
If you know what you're doing, you want to jump into something
a little bit more advanced, you can get the 510s.
But one of the things that makes them really special is that digressive
piston, which I personally really love on cars because that means for street use.
Yeah, because that means that slow speed, slow corners,
it's a little bit more of a sensitive feeling so that you can actually feel
the car a little bit more.
And then when you're up at the high speeds, those those same bumps
don't impact you as much.
So it kind of gives you that flexibility at low and high speeds.
It's really nice.
And if you're going to pick up a set, you can go find that over at
martiniworks.com.
So Petit Le Mans was awesome.
There was a bunch of professional race car drivers, all of which have raced.
Almost their entire life.
It seemed like we even ran into some people that didn't.
They started their life out as Call of Duty pro players
from like Rafa racing and then turned into that's crazy car drivers,
which was pretty cool.
Greg, what was his name?
Kind of like the Gran Trismo guy.
The guy from Call of Duty that races now.
Ian Porter, Crim Six.
We got to hang out with him and talk to him for a little bit.
So that was pretty cool.
But playing Gran Trismo.
He's playing cod.
Either game will get you into racing.
Goes to show that anything's possible.
I mean, it makes sense.
Your hand-eye coordination.
If you're a pro level gamer, I'm assuming you have advanced
hand-eye coordination, right?
Yeah.
Quick reaction times.
So it does make sense.
If you like cars, you want to see some of the runescape career
make it to IMSA that I can you're looking at them.
I'm looking at two.
I can guarantee that we may not be the first, but we will finish.
Wait and click.
Stare.
One of OSRS like livery on the car.
But for real, like let's say I wasn't I ain't come out of
the womb downshifted into second.
How do you get into racing if you're in your 30s or your 20s?
You know, like, how do you start getting into that sort of thing?
I know you've been dabbling.
Trying to, yeah.
I think the big thing that I've learned so far.
From everyone that I've talked to, which I've been so blessed to
meet so many incredible people is the concept of you needing to
start in the karting world is dying.
And that's a good thing because karting in 2025 is incredibly
expensive.
Essentially, everything that can be expensive now to go through
the traditional route of getting up there has been
capitalized on.
I mean, karting series can cost you $150,000, $200,000 a
year now, which is nuts.
When you play Mario Karting, that's supposed to be the entry
level.
Exactly.
You might as well just race.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So that that's kind of been the problem.
And some people have, right?
Some people have just jumped that.
There's a really good individual.
He's a Mazda driver.
His name is, I actually spoke to him, Cam.
He started his life on the sim, though, racing spec
Miata's and things like that on iRacing.
And he's doing incredible.
He's actually in the running for the Mazda shootout
sponsorship for this year, because he's been doing so well.
He's got multiple titles, multiple wins this year,
both in real life and also on iRacing.
And so I do think that if you want to get into racing, the
best place to start is, is on the sim.
I think for 99% of people that want to take it seriously, I
think a really great place is to start on the sim and not
a fancy sim, not a full set up like some of the ones that
we have.
I think you can literally start as basic as like
Logitech, some pedals that you can just like velcro to the
floor and just go.
And the reason that I say that is because I feel like the
biggest thing people miss in this process is that it's
about disciplining commitment to get there.
Yeah.
If you can't remain consistent in jumping on the sim
every day for, you know, 45 minutes or 60 minutes or
90 minutes, you're not going to get to a point where
you can compete against people who have done this for
their entire life.
And that is your competition.
It's new gen versus old gen and new gen has to be hard
enough on themselves to say, I don't care if nobody's
watching, I'm still going to go practice.
Because in the traditional sense of go karting, you
always raced against other people.
You always had people watching.
So that's what I would say.
I think it's been a really great start for a lot of
people, a lot of people younger than, than me.
But I would say the way that I'm going to be
going about it or through it is, is really
traveling down the least expensive path possible,
which is speck me out of racing.
Like that's about as cheap as you can get.
And we want to get, get that journey started between
25 and 26 with Mazda Motorsports.
It's still an expensive venture for sure.
But when you start getting into that world and you
can position yourself in terms of talking, you
know, performing and getting partners and sponsors
on board, it is possible 100%.
So is it like, I mean, you've got to get sponsors
to be able to raise?
I think so.
Yeah.
I don't think you can really get anywhere without,
you know, advertising dollars or your own dollars.
Sim racing works really well because it is your
own dollars.
And then you can kind of do your own side promotion
as a part of streaming or on socials or things
like that, because that's, you know, really
valuable, but people need to learn how to
sell themselves if they want to get into even
like the grassroots motorsport racing.
In some way, shape or form.
It can be content.
It can be streaming.
It can be something.
But yeah, some sort of marketing, I feel like it's
like you look at the space now and it's like
there's so much and it's, and it could be, you
know, marketing for like the team itself.
But just like you said, marketing for yourself,
like this is who I am.
This is what I do.
This is how I do it.
And this is how I drive kind of thing.
It's such a big element of that.
And it's like the kind of an unthought
about things.
Sometimes I feel like where it's like, oh,
I'm just going to go drive the car.
It's like, OK, well, if we're going to do that,
then you need to probably like join like some sort of
team then.
Yeah.
And it's the same thing with if you remember
a racing, we have a great relationship with
those guys and gals.
But when they came on to the front with the
rexie design, it wasn't the dinosaur concept
that blew a lot of people away.
Initially, it was the concept that there was
a race car out there that was not completely
destroyed by sponsored logos on it.
And people were more blown away by the fact
that there was like a clean-ish looking car
out there rather than there was a dinosaur.
Then over time, obviously, that story developed and stuff.
But I remember seeing it for the first time thinking,
who is that?
And how do they have that much money to not need
sponsors on their car?
Because even like the biggest partners out there,
even factory teams, they have sponsors for their stuff.
Yeah, they're covered in.
So I would say that that's a big thing.
There's a lot of people that think that sponsorships
are about like just going out and asking for stuff.
And I think a lot of people do get that side of the world
wrong too.
But that's just part of it, I think.
Yeah, and I mean, getting out in your own car
with what you have, go do a track day, go drag race,
go do autocross, whatever you can, I think is a good way.
It's really eye-opening.
I remember my first autocross and my first time
going to the drag strip, it was such an eye-opening
experience and realizing, OK, this does take a lot.
And it is a skill set.
And you have to learn.
And you start from the bottom up.
And getting that seed time, I think, is really important.
Yeah, there's a big misconception, I think,
in racing where you have time to figure it out.
And I think that's the biggest probably
myth in getting into racing is you don't have a lot of time.
When you start getting everything put together
and you start figuring out what you're going to drive
and where you're going to go or what events you're
going to go to, when you get to that event,
you have to think that your second lap out there,
your third lap out there, you're at the best that you can be.
And you need to be able to perform
underneath those conditions.
And if you can't perform underneath those conditions
in the comfort of your own home on a Sim,
you're not going to be able to do that in front of 30 other
cars and a few thousand people that might be watching you.
It's kind of one of the reasons why Jake and Craig,
who you guys met that had those Corvettes,
when they went out there to run Final Bout,
they were pretty peeved because they
felt like they were going to have more time to kind of get
everything figured out and to get out there and run some laps
and get some practice before they were essentially jumped
into qualifying. And essentially they didn't.
They only had a few runs and then it was over.
And they didn't even make it past that.
And they're like, what the hell, I thought we had more time.
And it's like, you have to pretty much perform at your tens.
It's an on-off switch.
Like that. Yeah.
And it has to, you have to be able to turn it on and,
you know, essentially tell everybody else on the field,
like, I don't give a crap about you.
Like, I'm going to race, I'm going to race to win.
And then once you're done, that has to come back off.
Yeah, it's gnarly.
I feel like racing is very unforgiving in a lot of senses.
But I think it's a good thing, too,
to get to an MSA race if you haven't gone to.
They're super neat, super eye-opening.
It's so open.
Like, you get to go everywhere, like you were talking about earlier,
how you can walk in the paddocks.
You can see how these teams operate
and kind of the controlled chaos
that they have going on during the races.
And I think seeing that kind of like behind the scenes
is really valuable, too.
And it puts a perspective into racing
that I didn't have before when I went to my first one.
So, I mean, they do them all over the place.
There's MSA races going on all over.
And there's a lot of stuff that follows it, too.
Like, there's a lot of people that maybe being in big crowds,
like, that's not your thing.
Maybe you just don't like it.
And that's totally okay.
But maybe you love racing.
Go the day before.
Go watch the spec Miata race.
Go watch the Porsche race.
Go watch the, or even Hyundai has their spec race
that they do beforehand.
It's like, go watch that.
That's still a ton of fun.
And some of the craziest driving in any series
is that spec MX-5 Michelin Challenge.
Now, how does the licensing and stuff work for that?
Because you have to have a license
to actually compete legitimately, right?
Yes.
There are certain types of licenses that exist out there.
If you wanted to jump into...
Let's say I'm just like, I got a car, whatever.
I'm ready to go.
How do I get, what license do I have to go get?
So you would essentially go through,
most people would probably go through the SCCA.
And then you would go get your provisional,
novice racing license.
And that novice racing license is based off of,
what classes did you go to?
What's your experience?
Do you have referrals?
That's that and the other thing.
Then once you kind of get that put together,
then they say, okay, you have to be a member.
You become a member.
Then you have to take some tests.
You take some tests.
And then as long as you pass all of that,
you get this card and it says, hey,
if you want to progress,
pass this provisional license, rookie license,
you gotta go out and you gotta race.
And then based on those races and your performance
and if you cause any issues,
they essentially keep track of you and how you do
and your attitude on things.
Cause some people look at their license,
they'll go out there, they cause all sorts of havoc
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