Looking Out From the Garage

While doing a little bit of research for my Video Sunday post on LaneBailey.com, I ran across this video...  I have to say...   it brought a tear to my eye. 

A lot of my friends on Active Rain know that my 5 year old plays ice hockey.  He loves it.  He isn't particularly good, but he's 5...  And there is such joy on his face while he is out on the ice playing.  And as I watch the Winter Olympics, I often think about the parents... and the sacrifices THEY made in order for their kids to become these incredible athletes. 

In order for Garrett to play ice hockey, in addition to the money (racing is more expensive...) there is the time.  The nearest rink to us is 30 minutes away.  It isn't such a big deal right now, but if he were playing league hockey, he would have two practices and one or two games each week. 

But what about the families of these Olympians?  Many of them practice EVERY DAY.  And many of tham have practiced every single day since they were kids.  The parents vacation time involved going to tournaments.  Their leisure weekends involved more tournaments and practices.  They became experts in equipment and managing travel.  Their kids had to learn time management in order to participate in school, but the parents had to enforce it and keep everything on track... 

Coach, Manager, Psychologist, Motivator...  Mom, Dad... And I bet that there are no prouder people in the world than the ones that look on... win or lose... while their kids "play."  And I can  only imagine the disappointment if their child falls or wrecks out of competition... 

Here's to the Moms & Dads of all of the Olympians. 

To Their Moms, They'll Always Be Kids (P&G Commercial)

In 1992, Geoff Bodine was a stock car racing good ol' boy (albeit, one from New York).  He was knee deep in being one of the best NASCAR drivers of all time.  In fact, he hold a Guiness Record for the most wins by a racer in one season... 55 Modified wins.

But something else happened in 1992...  Bodine was watching the Winter Olympics and saw something he didn't like.  The American Bobsledding teams were struggling.  Their equipment was all imported from Europe and they were having a hard time with it.

In bobsledding, the technology is VERY important.  suspension, aerodynamics, even material durability and fabrication all play vital parts.  And the international elite teams aren't sharing their best technology... it is a competitive advantage.

Bodine thought there was a place for American technology for American teams... and as a racer, he thought he might know some people that could help.  The first call went to Bob Cuneo of Chassis Dynamics.  They formed Bo-Dyn...

NASCAR is known around the world as the motorsport where drivers only turn left... but the Bo-Dyn has proven that they can make sleds that turn left AND right... VERY well.

The rumor is that next year, production will be moving to Concord, NC.  Once there, they hope to pull in more support from other NASCAR competitors.

But there is something else that is interesting about the Bo-Dyn story.  They GIVE these sleds away.  And they are THE sleds to have.  A Russian team came knocking, holding $100,000 to get one of the American state of the art sleds... they left without a sled.  But for the American teams, they are free. 

That is the other thing that Bodine was able to leverage for USA Bobsledding... sponsorship.  American companies providing technical and financial support for American competitors. 

The result is the "Night Train" with which American teams are competing at this years Winter Olympics.

Related articles by Zemanta

• With a Bobsledding Medal, The USA Has NASCAR to Thank (bleacherreport.com)
• How Car Racing Can Help You Win The Olympics [Winter Olympics] (jalopnik.com)
• Geoff Bodine's still pushing bobsled (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

About 10 years ago, on one of my trips to Michigan, I drove my Jeep up with the top and doors off... Memorial Weekend was certainly not cold... but between the rain and the temps in the low 50s, it wasn't warm, either. 

My Aunt was always a bit on the worrying side...  When I decided to hit the local "Cruise" one evening, she was sure that I was taking my life in my own hands.  After all, car people were a bunch of ruffians, right?  I didn't agree... and since I was well into my adulthood, I went anyway. 

The "ruffians" were grandfathers (some grandmothers, too), Dow Chemical executives (some even knew my grandfather, a Dow Alumnus), farmers, families... kids, dogs and other assorted "dangerous people."  I made a few friends... there were even a few people that had seen articles I had done for a couple of 4WD magazines. 

The danger was in ticking off my grandmother by coming home at 1am after chatting with cool, friendly people in a parking lot... 

We were all "car people"... 

A couple of years ago, a young Amry Reservist had his Jeep vandalized by anti-war "activists".  The trashed the rig, including spray painting "Soldiers are Murdurers" on the hood. 

4Wheelers are generally a pretty patriotic bunch.  There are lots of cops, fire-fighters and military folks in the ranks.  What happened to Viktor Whitlow just wasn't something that was going to be unanswered...  And Dan Dubose of Blue Torch Fab was one of the first to answer.  He volunteered his shop, and started lining up vendors to make theep better than it had been before.  He wasn't looking for a bunch of publicity from it... but soon, other vendors started hearing about the project and they were calling Dan to be in on it. 

FabStock 2008 was born.  Volunteers from all over the country gathered at BTF for a weekend of hardcore wrenching. 

They were all "Jeep people"...

This evening I ran across this video on Cars & Coffee.  Tyler Shipman had an incurable form of cancer... and at just 18 years old.  But he had an unfinished piece of business... a 1986 Pontiac Fiero.  But when the call went out that Tyler wanted to see his Fiero done before he died, it was answered by Fiero enthusiasts from all over the country.  The guy that put it together, did it from Iraq... 

In 24 hours, they built a Fiero...  Tyler got to drive it... 

Tyler passed away last night, but his Fiero will live on with his younger brother.

Ok, it's hard to call them Buschwackers now, since NASCAR has had Nationwide Insurance as a sponsor for its penultimate national series... but it used to be sponsored by Busch Beer.  And the term for Cup drivers (Winston Cup, Nextel Cup and now Sprint Cup) that that were moonlighting from the top series became Buschwackers... 

As I write this, during the Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona, the front 11 drivers are Sprint Cup regulars... and the next 3 drivers aren't strangers to Sprint Cup.  In effect, they are the class of the field... 

It would kind of be like having Major League Baseball players warm up by playing on AAA farm teams. 

I know WHY drivers do it.  There are some great reasons for drivers to seek the extra seat time.  Seat time is VERY valuable.  There is no better way to be a better racer than to spend time racing.  And honestly, these guys LOVE their sport.  Most professional drivers spend their own money to do it more.  As a former (and perhaps future) racer... on a completely different level (spelled l-o-w-b-u-c-k) I can say that it is the one of the coolest things I've ever done. 

I know WHY teams do it.  Teams can get great information about the track dynamics and car dynamics by spending more time racing.  Even though there are significant differences between Sprint Cup cars and Nationwide cars, there are a lot of similarities.  And the teams that run both series have data that allows them to translate what they learn from one car to another type of car. 

So... what is the problem?

The problem is that Sprint Cup racing is the top level of the most competitive series in the US.  And the Nationwide series is designed to groom drivers for Sprint Cup...  While Nationwide racers are FAR from rookies, I still don't see it as a great way to showcase newer drivers.  I've seen it in the stands... the fans aren't cheering for the "up and coming"... they are cheering for the same guy they will cheer for during the Sprint Cup race. 

I know WHY NASCAR hasn't put a stop to it though...  Money.  Established drivers bring in big sponsors.  Big sponsors raise the profile of the events.  More fans and more TV time flow in with the big name drivers. 

The NASCAR Camping World Truck series doesn't have the same participation from Sprint Cup drivers.  The data doesn't translate as well...  And that might explain why the trucks don't get the TV time and why the stands are not nearly as full as they are for the Nationwide races or the Sprint Cup races. 

Solution?

Switch the Nationwide series cars to fuel injection...  Or switch the Spring Cup cars to fuel injection...  This would kill a lot of the data that teams get in one series being applicable in the other.  The bodies of the Sprint Cup cars and the Nationwide series cars are currently almost identical.  What would be cool would be to change the Nationwide cars to the pony group...  This would KILL data aquisition as a reason for teams to field both levels...  And think of how much fun the fans would have with a Dodge Challenger v Chevy Camaro v Ford Mustang matchup on the track every week... 

I think that the change to "Muscle Cars" would be enough to pull in some fans.  Adding to the technology would bring in other fans.  It would add to the cost considerably for the Sprint Cup teams that field both types of cars, but it wouldn't add that much to the dedicated Nationwide series teams.  While they might not be able to piggy-back off of the Sprint Cup technology, I think in the great scheme of things it would be an obstacle they could overcome. 

All this just to try to keep the top level drivers from stepping down to the lower levels to beat up on the less experienced drivers...

Eddie Alterman at Car & Driver Magazine is the one that inspired the title...  In one of his columns he refered to the new Lexus LF-A as the WTF.  And I think there is good reason. 

This car has been in development with Toyota for 10 years.  The problem is that in the 10 years it has been in development, the targets have all moved.  A LOT.  Let's look at some specs...

• Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap in 7:24 (Toyota claimed)
  
• Top Speed is 202mph
• Curb Weight is 3263 pounds and power to weight is 5.9lb/hp
• 0-60 is 3.6 seconds
• Sticker Price will be between $350,000 and $375,000

Those seem to be impressive numbers, except for one thing... that price is out of line with the rest of the performance. There is also the matter of the styling, which has been compared to the Nissan GT-R... or a Supra that spent too much time in the plastic wing aisle at Pep Boys.  It isn't that it is terribly ugly, but it just isn't unique. 

Since we brought up the Nissan GT-R (I have trouble not refering to it as the skyline):

• Nissan claims a Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap of 7:26.7 (video confirmed)
  
• Top Speed is 193 (Nissan, but Motor Trend said 195)
• Curb Weight is about 3800lbs and power to weight is 7.9lb/hp
• 0-60 is 3.5 seconds (after March 2009)
• Sticker Price is between $80,000 and $90,000

Wow.  A slight performance increase and a MASSIVE price increase. 

Now, let's toss a third into the mix...  Let's try a car more tuned for performance and a little less towards touring.  The Corvette ZR-1:

• GM did a video confirmed Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap of 7:26.4
• Top Speed is 210mph
• Curb Weight is about 3352lbs and power to weight is 5.3lb/hp
• 0-60 is 3.3 seconds
• Sticker price is under $114,000

Now we have race... 

But the big question for me is why did it take 10 years to develop this car?  It would be one thing if is was amazing, but the only amazing thing about the car is the price.  The lap time at The 'Ring is respectable, certainly.  But it is barely beating cars that cost a fraction as much. 

Some industry insiders say that part of the reason is that Toyota hasn't ever really tried to break ground.  They take the ideas of others and tweak them...  Even with the LF-A, the car that is to be their image car, it looks like another makers design. 

I don't have a beef with Toyota.  they are the number 1 carmaker in the world, they obviously can do some things right (current acceleration issues notwithstanding).  But without a personality and a soul, why would someone spend $350,000 for a car that underperforms its peers while costing SEVERAL times as much.

GarageGuys don't always do things the way everyone else does...  We're a little twisted compared to the average... ok, compared to average. 

So, as I am getting myself in the mood for the season, with family coming in town next week, I thought it might be nice to share a little Christmas Music with my friends.  And of course I can't kick in the same music everyone else listens to...  How many times can you hear Deck the Halls before wanting to find someone named Hall to deck?  (the answer is 7...)

Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses - Lightorama 16 channels

Brian Setzer - Run Rudolph Run

Stray Cat Strut/You're A Mean, One Mr. Grinch - Live!

Twisted Metal 3 Soundtrack - Rob Zombie Christmas Theme

Sure, you could listen to "normal" Christmas Carols, but what fun would that be?  Imagine waking the kids up on Christmas morning with a little Rob Zombie Christmas mix.  Think that would shock a little cheer into them? 

Yes, my children have a good sense of humor.  And my wife is a Saint... 

;^ )

Merry Christmas

For many years about this time I have a conversation with my mother... and it revolves around "Coming Home for Christmas".  Up until the passing of my grandmother a few years ago, "Coming Home for Christmas" meant going up to Midland, MI... where I never lived.  After that, my mom would talk about me going up to her home in Hampton, VA.  I loved my grandmother, and enjoyed spending Christmas there... but it wasn't my home...  And since I turned 18 and moved to Minneapolis, MN (and later here to Atlanta, GA), my mother's house hasn't been MY home, either... 

Home for me is in Georgia.  I didn't leave home in a huff...  My mother and I get along quite well and talk on the phone once or twice a week.  We visit each other a couple times each year... in fact, I was able to spend a little time with her after Thanksgiving during a "road trip" with a friend up to the Washington, DC area.  I didn't leave home because I didn't like being there...  I left because it was time for me to make MY way in the world. 

That was more than 25 years ago...  And in that 25+ years, I have lived in Minnesota and here in Georgia.  I have a lovely wife and two beautiful little boys.  I have a house in Gwinnett County, and have built my life right here for most of the last 20 years. 

Home is more than a house...  Home is a community.  Home is family, even when the "family" is a group of friends.  Home is many things to many people.  Home is a place of love.  Home isn't just a building where you keep your stuff... that is a house. 

Obviously, I am a real estate agent.  I sell houses... so people will have a place to keep their stuff.  Sometimes it can even be an investment.  Most often, in addition to buying houses, people are buying homes.  Their kids may run through the doors after getting off the school bus... wanting a snack.  It could be the place they will open presents with their grandkids.  Perhaps one day in the past of the futre it was the scene of someone proposing to their soulmate.  Or maybe where they dropped their bags after the honeymoon. 

This year, my mother is coming home for the Holidays... to my home.  It isn't the first time, and I hope it won't be the last.  Along with my step-father, she'll be able to enjoy time with her grandkids... and her grand-dog.  Later, we'll all go over to my in-laws and enjoy family time there.  My mother and step-father have begun to think of this as "coming home"...  So much so that they are thinking of moving here to Gwinnett County.  Aside from family, they have friends here... roots, so to speak.

It is probably too late to buy a house for the holidays this year...

But there are a LOT of holidays next year.  And maybe next year you can be the one to ask if your family wants to "come home for the holidays".

When we get out into the world, there are two main methods of getting from Place A (where you are) to Place B (the portion of the world that you are getting out to). 

• Just get it done... 
  
• Enjoy the ride...

Sometimes, you can blend the two...  But not often. 

I have done both, and absolutely prefer "enjoying the ride".  But sometimes that isn't possible...  We've all been there. 

A while back, I worked retail management.  I decided to surprise my mom in VA by showing up on Christmas.  So, after working from 6:00am to 6:00pm, I made the 500+ mile trip from Atlanta.  I did it in a touch over 8 hours.  The only stops were when the car needed fuel.  There was no joy in Mudville for the drive, despite the challenge. 

I also drove up one year for a reunion and took two days for the trip.  It involved two ferry rides, time relaxing on the beach and more than a couple of rolls of film.  I arrived more relaxed than when I started. It defined the trip. 

I woke up this morning outside of Washington, DC.  It was cold, and the start was later than planned.  Despite that, We had a drive through rolling farmland, and a ferry ride across the Potomac at White's Ferry.  It was certainly the type of road trip that is about the ride...  We justified it as "avoiding the traffic on I-95. 

After that, we flew down I-81, I-77 and I-85 back to Atlanta. 

Don't forget to enjoy the ride...

Maybe there isn't time to always catch the boat or browse the local shops, but that doesn't mean you should forget the options... and sneak them in even when you almost don't have time.  

The kids will like it, and you will find so many more cool places and hidden gems. 

And don't forget that the restuarants that are around the corner from home aren't always the best places to go when you are someplace new...  Check out some local eats, too...  You have to eat, right?

Honestly, Thanksgiving is one of my least favorite holidays.  I love the idea behind it, and can fully support being thankful for all of the wonderful things in my life... but I think that is something that we should remember daily, not just remember because there is a meal connected to it. 

And about the meal...  I'd rather have Japanese...  A little sushi and some hibachi.  Steak, shrimp, fried rice and a coupel of tuna rols with wasabi...  Or maybe a juicy steak...  Southwestern Pasta with chicken? 

Turkey, dressing, cranberry (canberry?) sauce, pecan pie, pumpkin pie...  I don't care.  In fact, one of the best Thanksgivings ever for me involved pizza. 

A few guys I worked with that were single, or single for the weekend with family out of town, all got together and ordered pizza.  We watched a few movies, played some video games and just hung out.  For that day, we were family. We cracked jokes about ourselves and our spousal equivalents...

Another of my best Thanksgivings was with my grandmother after she got to the point of not wanting to cook.  We got a big bucket from the Colonel the day before and just heated everything up.  Prep took about 20 minutes and clean-up about 5.  The rest oft he time was about the family.  We mostly just hung out and enjoyed each other's company.  My grandmother told embarrassing stories about ancestors... 

The point is...

This isn't a day about food...  That is just a distraction.  It isn't even a day about "thanks"... we should do that every day.  It is a day about being with people we care about and enjoying the time we have together. 

I walked with my boys a few miles this morning.  My wife went to a movie with her mother.  Then we all got together and played and laughed and "were here"...

Happy Thanksgiving.  Don't stress about the bird.  If it caught fire and smoked everyone out of the house, it will make a great story in a few years...

My son had a hockey mini-camp today with the Atlanta Thrashers.  He has another one coming up tomorrow, too... He hasn't had the opportunities to skate that he had over the summer, or even last year... his skills are slipping a little. 

While he was getting out of his hockey gear after the ice time, I asked him how he did... 

"I rocked.  Did you see my goals?"

I did.  I also saw him fall down more times than I could count.  I saw his shots denied repeatedly.  While moving the puck, he put it into another drill area when he lost control of it... 

None of that mattered to him...  He didn't see those as failures...  They didn't matter...  The only thing that mattered was what he accomplished. 

Many people quickly think of the genius of Thomas Edison... of the many spectacular successes he had as an inventor.  But, he had MANY more spectacular failures. 

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Thomas Edison saw failure as a step towards success...  Kids are used to falling in order to walk and run, dropping the ball in order to throw and sliding to learn to stop.  Unlike adults, they aren't so worried about making a mistake.  I think that sometime around Junior High School kids start comparing their results.  And they start to be self-conscious aboult their lack of perfection... 

Successful inventors learn to get over that.  They aren't afraid of failure... the see it as a step towards success.  Entreprenuers seem to often have the same attitude.  How many of them have a tremendous success... and then lose it all on another venture... and then do it all over and have a new wild success? 

I'm not going to tie this in to some real estate concept...  I'm just tossing it out there. 

• Try
• Fall Down
• Get Up
• Learn
• Repeat

Striving for perfection is fine... we should all try... but stop being hung up on it.