Wrench Nation
Frank Leutz
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Episodes (306)
#191 Tool Box Economy of the Modern Day Mechanic
The Overwhelm of Tool Box Purchases How are automotive technicians preparing for their career? Are we overwhelmed with technology? What is the requirement of a modern day toolbox? Auto mechanics are consistently buying specialized tools that they don’t use often and not giving them a good return on investment. As a business owner, what is the immediate priority over the next few years for an investment in software\hardware that will enable repairing vehicles properly and bring a good return on investment? So many questions and a serious conversation about how we can arm our service operations for success. Industry Leaders Share Expertise Diagnostic Network is an online community of industry professionals and leading industry stakeholders coming together to create the resource to support technicians of today and tomorrow. Founder, Scott Brown, is an ASE Master Certified L1 Technician with over 35 years of professional service industry experience. As an independent shop owner in Southern California, he understands the challenges that exist in the automotive service segment and is here to help move our industry forward. Buckley's Auto Care is one of the oldest, family-owned and operated automotive repair service centers in the state of Delaware serving the communities of Wilmington, Hockessin, Newport, Elsmere, Newark, and New Castle, for over 50 years. Buckley's is AAA approved and owner, Greg Buckley, is a champion for the industry, a voice of reason, and has helped many garage owners navigate through the business challenges of today's modern day garage. We are honored to bring in Scott Brown of Diagnostic Network, https://bit.ly/DiagnosticNetwork and Greg Buckley of Buckley's Auto Care, https://bit.ly/BuckleysAutoCare as this weeks guests to help navigate through technology and give us clarity.
#190 Ford v Ferrari: Stunt Drivers Share Behind the Scenes
Ford v Ferrari Ranking as one of the most vicious rivalries, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari battled it out with grit and brawn representing their perspective race teams on the track at the legendary 1966 LeMans. Carroll Shelby was a maverick and driver Ken Miles was a force to be reckoned with and the storied Ford GT40 Mark II raced to battle Ferrari straight for the win! A HUGE 1 - 2 - 3 finish upset! Stunt Drivers As some of the best movies stem from the thrills of all things automotive. The award winning movie Ford v Ferrari lives up to that tradition and lays out the heroic efforts and racing duels of history. The movie stars Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale, and we are excited to interview the racing talents who play their stuntman behind the scenes and behind the race wheel. Tony Hunt is a third generation of a famous racing family. He began his USAC career in rear-engine formula cars and since then has amassed 75 USAC sanctioned career victories and 65 pole positions in USAC Sprints, Midgets and rear-engine open wheel cars. Hunt currently ranks as the driver with the most wins in the USAC Western Sprint Series. This 10-Time USAC Champion found his way into the Hollywood film business in the late 90's. His stunt driving career has afforded him several high-profile feature films including Talladega Nights, Herbie, Venom and the Fast and Furious Series. Highlighting his career is his most recent work doubling Christian Bale as Ken Miles in feature film Ford v Ferrari. Darren Law has been involved in the automotive industry for over 25 years. He established himself with his success as a racing driver having spent more than a decade driving for several top tier teams. Achieving many successes including two driver championships, three trips to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and clinching the overall win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2009 driving the Brumos Porsche Daytona Prototype. In 2014 pursued an opportunity in team ownership of Flying Lizard Motorsports. Darren currently manages all racing programs as well as runs the business operations for the team including working with manufacturers, sponsors, and media. Ford v Ferrari now on DVD and Blu-ray https://bit.ly/FordvFerrariDVD and available on Digital HD from Amazon Video and iTunes!
#189 Turbocharged Direct Injection Engines
Modern Day Engine With millions of direct injection turbocharged engines on the road today, we examine some of the critical and costly failures that may arise due to service neglect. We also will investigate why this combination of power has been widely successful for both MPG and the environment by way of lower emissions, while providing case examples of repairs directly from the service bays that many automotive technicians are experiencing. Industry Ambassador Diagnostic Network https://bit.ly/DiagnosticNetwork is a modern network for technicians and professionals in the automotive, collision, and heavy-duty service markets. A community where auto service industry professionals can learn to use scan tools, scopes, and other diagnostic instruments to their full potential. A place to engage with your peers and industry partners, move your career to the next level, and stay on top of industry trends and technology advancements, by continuously improving your situational awareness and diagnostic proficiency. We are thrilled to have back to the show our special guest Scott Brown, the industry ambassador of Diagnostic Network as well as a master technician and owner of Connie and Dicks Auto Service Center in Claremont, CA. He joins Frank to investigate the dynamic duo of direct injection turbocharged engines.
#188 Hybrid Vehicle Service & Diagnostics
Hybrid Vehicle Hybrid vehicle technology has been a mainstay for years with consumers support of a cleaner environment. Some of you technicians may have serviced these vehicles in your garage cautiously, yet generally speaking, with relative ease. With advancements in technology, the difficulty has increased and thus comes the need for additional training and tools. Maintenance & DiagnosticsMore hybrid and electric vehicles will be turning up for service at your repair shop. The sophistication of the diagnostics, special maintenance requirements, dangerous voltage situations, proper safety knowledge, and the future of hybrid vehicles. We take a closer look at these issues with the help of our guest today, Dave Hobbs, Senior Field Technical Trainer and ASE Master Technician, L1, L3 specialist with Delphi Technologies https://bit.ly/DelphiTechnologies Dave’s 40-years’ experience in the industry started as a technician and service manager in his family’s auto electric business in Kokomo, Indiana. He is an instructor in over 50 training videos and a contributor to Motor Age Magazine.
Formula Drift Judge Ryan Lanteigne PREVIEW
Excited to bring to you an announcement of an episode with an incredible interview of Formula Drift judge Ryan Lanteigne coming soon ! We spent time discussing all things drift racing and his amazing connection to the sport and fans alike at recent Future Collector Car Show in Scottsdale, Arizona .
#187 Solar Electric Vehicle Chargers Are Here!
Electric Vehicle Sales Boom With an economy that is booming and electric vehicle sales on the rise, the one major shortcoming is the inadequate availability of electric vehicle charging stations across cities and suburbia alike. Los Angeles has one of the largest populations of electric vehicles and the growing concern of charging inconvenience could hinder future growth and practicality of these vehicles. Welcome Solar Charging Stations Envision Solar International, Inc., (Nasdaq: EVSI, EVSIW) https://bit.ly/EnvisionSolar is a leading producer of unique and sustainable infrastructure products for electric vehicle charging, energy security and outdoor media. Based in San Diego, the company is experiencing incredible growth with their EV Solar recharging stations. We talk with our special guest, Desmond Wheaton, CEO and Chairman of Envision Solar, about their solar EV charging products like the the patented EV ARC™ (Electric Vehicle Autonomous Renewable Charger), the world's only transportable but permanent EV charging infrastructure solution.
#186 Mitch Schneider: Industry Icon & Author!
Industry Veteran with Heart & Soul Mitch Schneider is a 52-year veteran of the automotive service industry. A fourth-generation auto repair professional, certified master technician, and for more than 37 years, operated Schneider’s Automotive, a successful six-bay, family-owned and operated service facility in Simi Valley, CA, PLUS accomplished trade journalist. As a result of his knowledge and experience, he presents his first acclaimed novel, Misfire: What To Do When Things Aren’t Running On All Cylinders. https://bit.ly/MitchSchneiderMisfire What Makes Mitch Smile Through it All We discuss the early years of Mitch's career, his insightful and lighthearted approach of stories written in many industry publications over the years, and what kept him going through it all. Mitch has an incredible talent for making us smile and causing us to pause and reflect. With stories of life lessons learned from his career, martial arts practice and health crisis, he sought deeper ways to center his spirit while balancing a small automotive business environment. We are privileged to have industry legend and author Mitch Schneider join us on the show!
#185 Life After Racing with Derek Daly!
Racing Career Lays the Foundation We are excited about our first guest of the new year whose racing career at race circuits across the globe during the 80's and 90's are legendary. We are honored to have Formula 1 and Indianapolis 500 driver Derek Daly https://bit.ly/DerekDaly share his incredible experiences, including surviving one of the most dangerous Formula 1 crashes in 1984. Derek shares his passion for racing and takes us back to that harrowing time of the crash and his incredible road to recovery. After retiring from racing, Derek became a long-time respected racing commentator for ESPN, NBC, CBS and Fox Motorsports. Now as an author and public speaker, Derek shares the tactics and strategic cultures adopted by world-class racing teams and delivers a roadmap for businesses seeking to shift their teams from great to extraordinary. Largest Car Show on Grass We also welcome Peter Volny of Scuderia Southwest to share the upcoming 7th Annual Concours in the Hills https://bit.ly/ConcoursintheHills2020 and the how and why he created one of the most renowned car shows in the country with over 900 classic cars, muscle cars, exotics and hot rods raising $540,000 for local Phoenix Children Hospital in the past six years. This year he welcomes race talents Derek Daly, Arie Luyendyk, Didier Theys, Lyn St. James, Harley Cluxton and Paul Tracy in attendance to declare the show open on February 8, 2020 in beautiful Fountain Hills, Arizona.
#184 2019 Year in Review – Your Top Shows!
It's a Wrap! It has been an incredible year for us spending time with you while bringing an awesome array of talented automotive topics and guests. For our final LIVE show of 2019, we review some of YOUR favorite episodes based on podcast download popularity. All of these shows and our complete catalog, are on our website to hear in full at https://bit.ly/WrenchNationListen #148 Discovery Channel Street Outlaws with talent, BoostedGT #154 Robert Redding, The Redding Group, Lobbyist for Automotive Service Association, talks cybersecurity #155 Palestinian Drift Racing Star, Noor Daoud #158 Nick Sutton, Author of The DeLorean Story #160 The Spectacular Automotive Art of Princess Vidita Singh #161 The Soaring Growth of Electric Vehicles in China with Hong Kong journalist, Echo Huang #167 Steve Saleen, Bringing Race-Proven Performance to the Street Happy New Year and Thank You! With 2020 approaching, we also discuss plans for next year, beginning with an exciting show on January 8 featuring guests Derek Daly, former Formula 1 Racer and ESPN broadcaster, and Peter Volny, founder of Concours in the Hills, the largest car show on grass! We extend sincere gratitude to all of you that have made the show super fun for us this past year. Wishing you a Happy Holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
#183 The Last Open Road Motorsports Experience
Reflection Propels the Journey We sometimes reflect about how we arrived as automotive technicians, service advisors or owners of our operations. It is the sort of reflection that we lean on regarding those difficult days or hardcore challenges. We all have our stories and life experiences that make us who we are today. Many of you race on the weekend or are carving out the ability to someday hit the race circuit professionally, of which we can all agree, is no easy task. Hard days and long nights while we continually reflect on how far we have come so we can continue the courage to keep moving forward. The Racing Roller Coaster Mechanic, shop owner, race car driver, journalist and novelist, Burt Levy https://bit.ly/TheLastOpenRoad is no stranger to the highs and lows of racing, or wrenching on his vehicles, while always keeping his spirit tucked tight to the automotive industry. Whether humble race beginnings behind a somewhat ragtag Triumph TR-3, to ultimately competitively hitting it hard on the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) circuit or slinging used vehicles at a dealership, Burt has always maintained a light spirited approach to the industry. This journey would become an incredible account illustrated through one of the top motorsports book series, The Last Open Road. From renowned automotive enthusiasts like Jay Leno to celebrities of race car racing, Burt has carved out a fan base that can truly relate to his unique ability to tell that story.
2019 City of Chandler Arizona Autonomous Vehicle Symposium
City of Chandler, Arizona Leads in Electric Vehicles On this special edition, we discuss the key details of how the City of Chandler is leading the country with autonomous vehicle platforms by way of shaping legislation for safety, and formulating ethics centered around the companies that are currently blazing away with autonomous technology such as WAYMO and Local Motors. With innovative collaborations and partnerships throughout the AV technology community, these panel discussions highlighted the future and current initiatives that are underway. The Critical Need to Maintain Roadways & Infrastructure Former City of Chandler Councilman and current Maricopa County supervisor for District 1, Arizona Transportation Board Member, Jack Sellers discusses the importance of maintaining roadways and infrastructure for the future as autonomous platforms that are slowly coming in to play , while laying out the need to go beyond the current fuel tax. Join Frank Leutz of Wrench Nation Car Talk for unique insight of AV strategies and implementation with special guest Jack Sellers.
#182 Education & Training for Collision Repair Technicians
My Car Crashed. Now What? How many of us actually think about the details of a repair after a collision? Do we realize the intense process of skilled craftsmanship and technology challenges that technicians overcome while quietly nursing back to health your ride after a fender bender? You notice the airbags where horrific, the body damage was pretty nasty and it seems that every instrument cluster light is on. For the most part we don't and quite frankly that is understandable, after all, you have better things to worry about. We tow the vehicle into our chosen collision repair shop, receive a rental and wait patiently until our prized vehicular possession is all doctored up and ready to hit the road again. A Behind the Scenes Look at Collision Repairs We offer an exclusive look at the incredibly sophisticated world of collision repair, welding, paint and all things fender bender service that you may be taking for granted. The amazing amount of training involved to get this perfect, and the amount of advanced tools\software\hardware technology combined with world class technicians to get that crashed up accordion like disaster whole and new again. You may be surprised with the amount of skill set it takes to make it all happen. Join us as John Van Alstyne, CEO & President for I-CAR https://bit.ly/ICARCollisionEducation and Brandon Eckenrode, Director of Development for Collision Repair Education Foundation https://bit.ly/CollisionEdFoundation join us to take us inside the industry. They shed light on the action in the collision service bays, revealing the training and technology at hand to make your vehicle pretty again after a wreck.
#181 Tariff Wars & Trade Battles: Auto Industry Expert Shares the Future.
The Journey of Automotive Parts The trade wars that are currently going on are historic, especially as it relates to the automotive industry and manufacturing. GM’s Romulus Powertrain plant makes about 400,000 V-6 engines a year for high-margin Cadillac SUVs, light pickup trucks and other GM vehicles, while the process of manufacturing the critical pistons can lead to a cross border journey that most are not aware of. The Romulus built V-6 uses 235 parts from 100 primary suppliers. Sixty-seven ship from factories in the United States, 13 from Mexico, eight from Canada and 12 from elsewhere in the world. Most of the electronics come from Asia, which is a big deal. Trade Wars & Tariff Battles As the fight continues to position the United States in a leading role for manufacturing, we will discuss how the current tariff climate truly affects the end retail user from automotive consumers to the automotive technician, reliant on auto parts and tooling required to produce in a timely and cost effective manner. Our guest, CEO Laurie Harbour of Harbour Results Inc. https://bit.ly/HarbourResultsInc a manufacturing expert and automotive industry consultant, provides us with an inside track to the current state of affairs within the tariff and trade concerns between China and the United States.
#180 Legends of Speed Historic Race Exhibit
A Historic Race Exhibit Picture some of the most prized racing vehicles assembled all under one roof. The kind of collection that would have you taking steps back in time during race history, an era of phenomenal race proven vehicles, along with fantastic journey of the drivers who mastered those legendary winning championships. Phoenix Art Museum Hosts Legends of Speed Featuring more than 20 legendary cars by Maserati, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Ford and more. An extraordinary collection of cars driven by some of the greatest drivers in the history of racing including Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt and Stirling Moss. Now through March 15, 2020, these cars are on loan to the Phoenix Art Museum by some of the world's renowned car collectors. Legends of Speed offers up an experience for car enthusiasts of all ages. https://bit.ly/LegendsofSpeedPhxArtMuseum We are thrilled and honored to have car enthusiast, car collector and the man behind bringing this exhibit together, Phoenix Art Museum Board of Director Co-Chair Carter Emerson, joined by seven time contender of the Indy 500 with six consecutive starts and the first woman to win the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Award, Lyn St. James.
#179 First Woman World Champion NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster
Top Fuel Alcohol Dragster Racing The rumble and raw speed of a Top Fuel Alcohol Dragster is an incredible thing to witness and quite frankly, the in-between rounds back in the pits is a true mechanical wonder to experience as a fan, no matter how old or what background you have. That visceral acquaintance with horsepower leaves us all in a wonderment longing for more. In a world of constant change, the NHRA has never ceased to deliver that consistent attraction for fans, while inspiring future generations to get behind both the wheel and picking up a few wrenches behind the flywheel. First Woman Champion As the award winning 2019 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion, Megan Meyer https://bit.ly/MeganMeyerRacing since the age of 10, has competitively raced with the grit and zeal of a seasoned veteran. She grew up around the sport of drag racing as the oldest daughter of renowned championship winning driver and team owner, Randy Meyer. She has stepped up time after time setting up at the starting line while offering a burnout to track down a competitive run. Megan has alcohol running through her veins as a fierce racing spirit. Coming off the heels of a big win running side-by-side with points rival Troy Coughlin Jr. to command the championship, we are honored to have Megan Meyer on the show!
#178 Corvette Enthusiast, Parts Supplier & Hall of Fame Inductee, Mike Yager!
Corvette Enthusiast Mike Yager bought his first Corvette in 1970 when he was just 20 years old. When he saw there was no Corvette Club in his area, he started one. As the club grew he made the observation that there wasn’t a place where a Corvette fan could purchase Corvette merchandise. To remedy that, he bought whatever he could find that related to Corvette and started making it available at Corvette club events and car shows. When that worked out, he got a $500 loan to start a company that has now grown to become one of the world’s largest suppliers of parts and accessories for Corvettes… Mid America Motorworks. https://bit.ly/MidAmericaMotorworks Corvette Fun Fest In 1994 Mike Yager and the team at Mid America Motorworks staged a relaxed Corvette show to thank their customers and share the Corvette hobby. An enthusiastic crowd of 1,200 people brought 350 assorted Corvettes to Mid America Motorworks' corporate campus to celebrate. By 2006, thousands of Corvettes filled every available space on the grounds at Mid America Motorworks. This casual show has become the Largest Corvette Party in the World, welcoming enthusiasts from across the country and across the globe. Corvette Hall of Fame Mike has been a part of numerous clubs and organizations, including the National Corvette Museum where he served as its Chairman of the Board in 2002. He was also behind “Drive Your Corvette to Work Day” and organized an effort to have a commemorative stamp created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Corvette. While he was at it, he got behind a campaign to honor Corvette’s birthday with a National Day of Recognition and in 2018 was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame. Mike has created a life long journey of helping many generations of car lovers enjoy their love affair for all things Vette! Join us this week for a special edition of Wrench Nation as we are honored to have Corvette Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Yager!
#177 Military Veterans Gain Traction with Automotive Skills & Careers
Military Vets Struggle for Employment We are a country that is proud of our military heroes regardless of party lines or affiliations.. What about those veterans that are returning from overseas and their prospect of a career to support their families and future and find it to be a struggle? According to many statistics and reporting, this is not always an easy transition for them and arguments that could be made on both sides that would suggest there are serious problems that need to be addressed for both the veterans and potential employer. The Shortage of Mechanics The shortage of automotive service technicians is indisputable, even as the industry debates its numerous causes. That gap threatens the financial health of all areas of transportation, including new car dealerships and the independent automotive marketplace. With a shortage currently top dead center in the industry and what is often a tough segue to civilian life for veterans and military families, are we as an industry seeking out the talent of our veterans? Are you as a veteran able to take advantage of programs that currently exist? We are honored to discuss these issues with Luigi Scola, a decorated U.S. Navy veteran and 32-year owner of CARSTAR Scola's Collision Center from Illinois https://bit.ly/CARSTARScolaCollsionCntr and John Decoteau III, Vice President Campus and Military Admissions at Universal Technical Institute https://bit.ly/UTIMilitaryVetsServices regarding solutions for both the industry and military vets on this week's Wrench Nation Car Talk!
#176 Odd & Eclectic Vehicles with Jason Torchinsky
Popular Rides We are all familiar with the major brands of vehicles being displayed on everything from bus billboards to the wildly expensive listings during the Super Bowl. The in your face branding of some of the most popular vehicle brands is at times annoying, yet let's face it, highly effective. Not So Popular What about the more obscure vehicles that you may not have heard of. Those oddball vehicles over time that did not quite make the list of "must be seen in" latest cruiser? In fact, some of the most weird and mechanically odd vehicles that were as serious to a vehicle designer and engineer, but not so much with the motoring public. Imagine searching the globe for these unusual vehicular oddities and sharing with the world these unique wheels of weirdness. Senior editor for Jalopnik, https://bit.ly/JalopnikJasonTorchinsky author of Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving https://bit.ly/JasonTorchinskyBook and producer of Jay Leno's garage, Jason Torchinsky lives out his fantasy by way of the odd and freaky on four wheels.
#175 Critical Shortage of Auto Technicians and Solutions
Critical Shortage There is a critical shortage of automotive technicians and the U.S. Labor Bureau estimates about 46,000 automotive technicians will be needed by 2026. Today’s cars have more computing power than the system that guided Apollo astronauts to the moon. The Apollo 11 spaceship had 150,000 lines of code. Google’s mobile Android operating system has 12 million and the modern car can have 100 million lines of code. Modern technicians spend as much time in front of a computer as they do under a hood. These jobs require people with tactile intelligence, education and interest in S.T.E.M. related training. They need strong technology expertise and diagnostic and problem-solving skills. It’s no longer simply about wrenches and oil. It’s a world filled with advanced equipment and technology, and it requires technicians with sophisticated, high-tech training. Resources to help TechForce Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that champions students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. They are a resource for students, their parents, influencers helping them find technical training, internships, scholarships and jobs. Many teens are looking to work with their hands and aren't interested in going to a four year college. These careers are New Collar, Not Blue Collar, positions and are lucrative financially. Welcome This Week's Guests! We were honored to have CEO of TechForce Foundation https://bit.ly/2LUh2wW Jennifer Maher and A.S.E. Master Technician and Automotive Instructor Cody Metcalf of one of the premier High School Trade schools in the country East Valley Institute of Technology!
#174 1938 Phantom Corsair! From National Auto Museum to Inaugural Las Vegas Concours!
Ahead of It's Time Cast as the "Flying Wombat" in the 1938 movie Young in Heart, the 38' Phantom Corsair was way ahead of it's time as an incredibly sophisticated rolling work of art and style. Match that spectacular vehicle with 200 other gorgeous time pieces of vehicle variety at the very first Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance bit.ly/LasVegasConcours and you have a recipe for one of the premiere car shows in the country. The Harrah Collection On loan from the National Automobile Museum, based out of Reno Nevada, https://bit.ly/NationalCarMuseumReno the 1938 Phantom Corsair, along with over 200 eye popping cars, most from the collection of the late casino owner William F. Harrah, and why the museum is sometimes referred to as The Harrah Collection. The museum has authentic street scenes and sounds truly takes you back in time to a special era of automobile manufacturing and styling. Named in the 'Top Ten Museums' by Car Collector magazine. We are honored to have both Jay Hubbard, the museum's collection manager, and Stuart Sobek, involved in the car collector world for more than 31 years and now chairman of the Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance. on the show!
#173 IMSA 1969-1989: How John Bishop Built Worlds Greatest Sports Car Racing Series
IMSA Was Born Fifty years ago, a new sanctioning body emerged at a pivotal moment in motorsports history. Racing was on the upswing and new tracks were being built all across the U.S. Imported cars from Europe and Japan were flooding the market, designers were pushing limits and drivers were looking for an opportunity to race for more than just a trophy. Into this void stepped John Bishop with a fledgling organization called IMSA that offered competitive, professional racing in a friendly atmosphere and carried a new message: Racing with a Difference. The Inside Story Now Told In this behind the scenes book, Mitch Bishop and Mark Raffauf tell the inside story of how IMSA became a global powerhouse in just a few short years. It covers John Bishops early life, his years at the SCCA and tells the story of how IMSA grew from humble beginnings in 1969 into the Camel GT Series, a circuit that became the most popular form of professional sports car racing in the world. Interviews with many of the top drivers, team owners, car builders and others from the era helped shape this book, which also includes hundreds of never-before-published photos. The first twenty years of IMSAs history deliver fascinating stories of vision, innovation, common sense leadership and overcoming personal tragedy. Bishop and IMSA left an enormous imprint on the racing world and changed thousands of lives. This book is a must-read, for those interested in how it all happened and in learning critical management lessons still applicable in todays motor racing world. This beautiful hardcover book can be found at bookstores and Amazon https://bit.ly/IMSABook Mitch Bishop Mitch Bishop is the son of IMSA founder John Bishop. Over the last 40+ years, Mitch has built a successful career as a marketing, sales and software engineering leader in the Silicon Valley. He is an active racer and sits on the leadership council for the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, NY. Mark Raffauf Mark Raffauf has spent most of his adult life as part of the IMSA family. Dating back to his teens in the 1970's where he became an integral part of the organization during its GT glory days, he went on to become the key person behind IMSA’s GTP era before shifting his attention to Grand-Am, and today, the relationship continues with his leadership role in the new IMSA championship
#172 Driving lllegal?! Transportation Expert “Gridlock Sam” Shares Future of Traffic
Our Time at the Wheel is Done?! Driving will become illegal, as human drivers will be demonstrably more dangerous than cars that pilot themselves. Is this an impossible future, or a revolution just around the corner? Sam Schwartz, "Gridlock Sam," America's most celebrated transportation expert, describes in his book about the revolution in self-driving cars. The ramifications will be dramatic, and the transition will be far from seamless. It will overturn the job market for the one in seven Americans who work in the trucking industry. It will cause us to grapple with new ethical dilemmas, if a car will hit a person or a building, endangering the lives of its passengers, who will decide what it does? It will further erode our privacy, since the vehicle can relay our location at any moment. And, like every other computer-controlled device, it can be vulnerable to hacking. Right now, every major car maker here and abroad is working on bringing autonomous vehicles to consumers. The fleets are getting ready to roll and nothing will ever be the same, and this book shows us what the future has in store. Who is "Gridlock Sam"? A well chosen name for Sam Schwartz, who has nearly 40 years of experience in the field of transportation engineering and traffic safety and is considered a worldwide authority in traffic, highway, bridge, transit and parking systems. As the former New York City traffic commissioner at the New York City Department of Transportation, he was responsible for an 8,000-person agency, $350 million expense budget and a $700 million capital budget. Mr. Schwartz is a visiting scholar at the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management at New York University and a member of the New York Transportation Journal Editorial Board. For 25 years he has also been a professor at Long Island University and Cooper Union, where he founded the Infrastructure Institute and is the author of a fascinating look at driverless vehicles NO ONE AT THE WHEEL: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future. https://bit.ly/SamSchwartzBook
#171 Tool Box Economy of the Modern Day Mechanic
The Overwhelm of Tool Box Purchases How are automotive technicians preparing for their career? Are we overwhelmed with technology? What is the requirement of a modern day toolbox? Auto mechanics are consistently buying specialized tools that they don’t use often and not giving them a good return on investment. As a business owner, what is the immediate priority over the next few years for an investment in software\hardware that will enable repairing vehicles properly and bring a good return on investment? So many questions and a serious conversation about how we can arm our service operations for success. Industry Leaders Share Expertise Diagnostic Network is an online community of industry professionals and leading industry stakeholders coming together to create the resource to support technicians of today and tomorrow. Founder, Scott Brown, is an ASE Master Certified L1 Technician with over 35 years of professional service industry experience. As an independent shop owner in Southern California, he understands the challenges that exist in the automotive service segment and is here to help move our industry forward. Buckley's Auto Care is one of the oldest, family-owned and operated automotive repair service centers in the state of Delaware serving the communities of Wilmington, Hockessin, Newport, Elsmere, Newark, and New Castle, for over 50 years. Buckley's is AAA approved and owner, Greg Buckley, is a champion for the industry, a voice of reason, and has helped many garage owners navigate through the business challenges of today's modern day garage . We are honored to bring in Scott Brown of Diagnostic Network, https://bit.ly/DiagnosticNetwork and Greg Buckley of Buckley's Auto Care, https://bit.ly/BuckleysAutoCare as this weeks guests to help navigate through technology and give us clarity.
#170 Wayne Carini – Chasing Classic Cars, from Barn Yard Find to Restoration Gem
The Wayne Carini Passion Wayne's passion for cars started when he was a child, working alongside his father on such classics as Duesenbergs, Lincolns, Packards and Ford Model As. Then, at just 9 years of age, he experienced a life altering event: he went for a ride in his first Ferrari, a 1960 Rosso Chiaro 250 SWB to be exact. Wayne was instantly bitten by the Ferrari bug and hooked for life. Automobiles have been Wayne's passion ever since. Wayne learned the art of Ferrari restoration from his mentor Francois Sicard -- a former Ferrari racing mechanic and widely considered to be the foremost Ferrari expert on the East Coast -- and his good friend Luigi Chinetti Jr., whose father Luigi Chinetti Sr. won the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans race for Ferrari and opened the first Ferrari dealership in the country. Chasing Classic Cars With an emphasis and talent for Ferrari early on, Wayne has built a career of seeking out some of the worlds most rare vehicles of a by gone era, giving way to preservation and beauty for all to enjoy, and of course to buy! His lifetime of experience in automobile restoration under his belt, master car restorer Wayne Carini has a resume that includes body and paint work on rare car collections owned by the likes of David Letterman, tennis great Ivan Lendl and the DuPont family. Then comes Chasing Classic Cars, a U.S. television documentary series presented by Wayne, who owns F-40 Motorsports, who looks at classic cars from all eras, focusing on finding and getting cars running, with the option of restoration and a likely sale. The series shows the restoration and auction process, and not all projects are financially successful. It has featured cars which have not previously been shown in public for decades. Pay It Forward Wayne is also involved in and regularly attends many different car clubs and events to get young people involved in the car collector hobby. He believes that without young people's involvement, the car collector tradition will disappear. His latest passion is convincing families with special needs children to consider placing collector cars into a special needs trust with the hope that the cars will benefit the children in the future.
#169 Will Buxton, Revealing Hardships of History’s Greatest Race Car Drivers
Journalist's Passion Leads to High Profile Digital Platform A motor racing broadcaster, commentator and journalist, Will Buxton has had the rare pleasure of turning his great passion into something resembling work for the better part of 20 years. His career has taken him around the world countless times to report on everything from Formula 1 to World Rally to Indycar. While the happy mistake of falling into television as a Formula 1 pit-lane reporter in the United States for the SPEED channel and later NBC Sports, followed by his current role as the first Digital Presenter in F1 history, has made him one of the most recognized faces and voices in the sport, his first love was and remains writing. Buxton lives in Oxfordshire, England. Behind the Scenes, Race Car Driver Insights Will's new book, My Greatest Defeat: Stories of hardship and hope from motor racing's finest heroes, is a collection of honest and revealing insights into 20 of the greatest living racing drivers, legends of the worlds of Formula 1, Indycar, NASCAR, Le Mans and Rally. Interviews conducted specially for this book are with (in alphabetical order) Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Emerson Fittipaldi, Dario Franchitti, Jeff Gordon, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, Jimmie Johnson, Tom Kristensen, Niki Lauda, Sebastien Loeb, Felipe Massa, Rick Mears, Emanuele Pirro, Alain Prost, Carlos Sainz, Jackie Stewart, Bobby Unser, Ari Vatanen and Alex Zanardi. Find his book at your local bookstore or on Amazon https://bit.ly/WillBuxtonBook We are honored to have Will Buxton on the show. Follow him at @wbuxtonofficial on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.