My history with cars...
My history with cars...
| Age | Event |
| 38 | My cam tweaks (now 253/259 @ .050" & 110 deg LSA) added 20 HP & 25 ft lbs of torque to the '69 Z/28 (556 HP / 525 ft lbs @ crank). Proof? Check the video of 11.78 sec @120.4 MPH in the quarter mile on street tires (and limited traction). The fun didn't stop there though (grin)...
got boost? Well, my S2000 does now. Nifty torque infusion with a T3/T04e Garrett turbo, intercooler and wideband datalogging setup. With the Volk CE28ns and Tein RS coil-overs, this thing is a carnival ride. Oh, and the "daily driver" got Bilstein PSS9 coil-overs (adjustable height & damping), Kosei K1 Racing wheels (8.5" F&R with 245/40/17s, shaved 40 pounds of weight) to make the commute more fun. |
| 35-37 | Undertook a two-year, ground-up restification of the 1969 Z/28 that dad bought new. Met Ro McGonegal at the 2004 Power Tour and wrote an article that turned into a 6 page feature in the November, 2004 issue and subsequently won Chevy High Performance's 2004 Chevy of the Year Award.
Also won two regional racing championships (North Texas S2000 Owner's Group, Sports Car Club of America - Texas Region) with the S2000. Bone stock, by the way. |
| 33-35 | Took a break from racing from '97 to '01. Autocrossed the MR2 in 2001 and won 1st place in Equip Rapide's Super Street Mod class (precursor to SCCA's Street Mod 2 class). Did some track events with the BMW club, Factory Five Racing, etc. Worked like a fiend to save up money to buy my dream car portfolio -- a 1997 BMW M3 4 Door and a 2002 Honda S2000 roadster. Sold the '90 Integra, '93 MR2 Turbo, and '91 Isuzu Stylus XS, thus trimming my portfolio down to just the '97 M3, '02 S2000 and '69 Z/28. |
| 32 | Took my 1993 MR2 Turbo,out of Solo II racing in A Stock after the '97 SCCA season and boosted power from 160 HP up to 222 HP and from 180 Ft. Lbs to 249 Ft. Lbs (both measures done at the wheels.) I was hoping to catch up to the 14.0 M3s that I chased in A Stock, and got 13.2 seconds at 103 MPH with no loss in reliability. Ran fabulously from '97 until I sold it in 8/02. Built to be as robust as a stock MR2 Turbo, and added the right parts. Greddy Intercooler & Pipes, Spal Fan, 4" Cold Air Induction, HKS Fuel Cut Defencer, Alamo Autosports 3" Mandrel-Bent Exhaust w/Magnaflow 3" ID Muffler, MSD Blaster Coil, Upgraded Plug Wires |
| 31 | Discovered Shifter Karts, and became spoiled by their sensory overload. 0-60 in under 5 sec, 1.5 lateral "g"s, and unreal brakes. A video game for all the senses. |
| 30 | Won 1st place for the 1997 North California SCCA Solo II racing series. Truly quality people in my class. Lloyd Feaver and AJ Rystad - great competitors ...and truly exceptional friends who diagnosed a bad throttle position sensor which was limiting my Turbo boost (and thus horsepower). Lesser people would have shrugged and played dumb. |
| 29 | Back into racing after grad school - moved to San Francisco with my MR2 and got the NorCal Series 2nd place in our 1st year out. At work, I became the subject matter expert for the Automotive vertical market for FedEx and drove several initiatives that brought the company closer to becoming the "no brainer" decision for companies looking to outsource E-Com and supply chain management. |
| 27 | Worked as the IT consultant on cross-functional team with UT MBA Marketing Dept. & MSIS Dept., presenting IT aspects of business process improvement opportunities associated with VSAT communications platform to major auto manufacturer VP & staff. |
| 26 | Won Ford’s “Ride&Drive” driving challenge. My first (and only) run actually made Bob Bondurant take several laps before he could beat it. (I read his book & many others when I started SCCA driving). Began preparation of my CRX Si for C Street Prepared Solo II. |
| 23 | Campaigned 1990 Honda CRX in SCCA Solo II D Stock. Just a bit different from the '69 Z -- had to learn to conserve speed on the course. I was lucky and won the class. Became our car club's treasurer & office “car-guy”/racer at IBM. |
| 21 | Prepared ‘69
Camaro for Solo II B Street Modified, nominated Rookie of Year --
raced 1/2 yr. but won enough points for third place overall.
Same car ran 12.80@109 MPH 1/4 mile through mufflers with parts I selected (355ci/M21/3.73 rear, 9.9:1 compression “186” heads, 244(I)/252(E)@.050”cam, 700cfm/Victor Jr.) & autocross suspension. Gorilla motor made up for my limited experience. |
| 19 | Saw my first Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Solo II Autocross, borrowed friend’s ‘84 Z28 to learn how to drive smoothly. |
| 18 | Began restoration (while in college - spare time) on father’s 1969 Z/28. We're the original owners. Car has the original DZ block, matching #s, 44 K miles. |
| 16 | Started modifications on my 1977 Camaro with a cam, headers, dual-plane intake, etc. This took a long time because of low funds, but it kept me off the streets... |
| 15 | Began drag racing (“bracket racing”), still reading C/D, R&T, Automobile, M/T, Hot Rod, Car Craft, PHR... |
| 12 | Worked in a “Mom & Pop” home stereo repair & car audio installation shop doing electronics/diagnostics. |
| 11 | Worked with father on engine & tranny rebuild of 1955 Chevy pickup (“stovebolt six”). |
| 10 | First issue of Car & Driver (Sept. 1977 -- Still have that issue). |
| 5 | First minibike (if it has wheels, I'll take it) |
| 4 | Tore apart our lawn mower with a pair of pliers & screwdriver. |
