Garage Heroes (In Training) - Learning as we go. Come along with us and Enjoy the Ride!

GHIT 0092: Dion von Moltke from Racers360 and Professional Racing Driver is our Special Guest

Winner of the Rolex at Daytona 24 and multiple Sebring 12 Hours

Dion von Moltke is our special guest for this week’s podcast. He is a professional racing driver who has won several major races including the Rolex at Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hour among many others. Dion is currently focused on an excellent online coaching website with several other professional drivers/coaches at Racers360. Racers360 provides many types of coaching to improve any level driver including track guides, technique improvement, webinars, as well as personalized driving reviews of your individual video or data. The costs are very reasonable at $100 per year for a Drivers Lounge membership that has access to all the universal videos and webinars and the individual data and video reviews are $99 per lap. If our results are typical, the improvements can be quite substantial and the value cannot be beaten.

For this episode, we cover a variety of topics including:
1) Dion’s racing history
2) An overview of Racers360 and its various offerings
3) Coaching is available in many areas of racing including wheel to wheel, autocross, karting, and motorcycle racing
4) How the coaches are curated and how they tailor their coaching to each individual driver
5) The tiers of the Racers360 personalized coaching: One Lap analysis for an +/- 15 minute review of your lap for $99 thru the full race analysis to review your skills and race craft
6) Many, many race craft tips and techniques to improve your driving and several common areas where you can improve
7) Comparison of professional vs amateur racing strategy and techniques
8) The best modifications to improve your lap times: HINT IT IS NOT ON YOUR CAR
9) What is BOP
10) When is the best time to start looking for assistance from the Racers360 coaches
11) Potential car set up opportunities available at Racers360
12) Dion recommends we get more cars. Bill agrees very quickly.
13) What lap video should you submit
14) The importance of hitting the apex, as well as car angle at the apex
15) We bond over our shared GTI history
16) What is his favorite shape steering wheel
17) Alan refers to El Jeffe as a trophy truck

Winning — **You too may eventually be able to waste good champagne!!!**

In addition, we begin our weekly series with Ben Dawson where we go into various topics related to racing and help you to understand and improve your driving skill and knowledge. This week’s topic is “Smooth is Fast” Part 1. If you have any questions or topics for us to discuss, please let us know at [email protected].

You can find Dion and his team at: www.racers360.com or using his email at [email protected] or [email protected]. We really love the team and the help that they have offered.

Best regards,
Bill, Vicki, and Alan
Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast
and team members in the GHiT
Immature Endurance Racing Team

GHIT 0092: Dion von Moltke from Racers360 and Professional Racing Driver is our Special Guest

GHIT Podcast Episode 0091: Speedy Cop Jeff Bloch is our Special Guest Driver

Jeff Bloch aka “Speedy Cop” was our guest for this week’s podcast. We discussed Jeff and his team’s history within racing and building some of the most memorable cars to race on a track of any type. Jeff and the Gang of Outlaws have been racing for more than a decade and have won 9 IOE’s and almost every other award in the 24 Hours of Lemons racing series, as well as success in most other series including Lucky Dog and AER. While most known for the design of the cars, some are also quite fast and we can remember fondly getting passed many times at our last NJMP race by an Aquarium car. His knowledge and detailed memory of each car is really astonishing. One day we would hope we could get to 10% of his team’s level.

Speedy Cop and The Gang of Outlaws episode highlights include:

How many of these cars come to be and eventually get built and raced
Racing and Car History
How did you choose your cars (Gallery Below)
Bill has a design suggestion, which should likely be ignored for something even better
How his team has changed over the years and how each member has continued to important even after they may have reduced their activity within the team and how Jaime, the amazing the team CFO is
How to Rent and then Build a Lemons car for a weekend, from scratch and some of the other craziest things experienced since joining Lemon’s
How does it feel to be a memorial award and still be alive?
Structural options for adding features to cars
Any Cars that got away?
Dream car for road? For a race to start from?
What car would you love to switch with that you have raced against?
Thoughts on how you have done so far and tips for relatively new teams, mechanics, and/or drivers
Our Traditional Good, Bad, and the Ugly

A Gallery of Many of The SpeedyCop creations

Upside Down Camaro Racing — **The Upside Down Camaro**

SpeedyCop and the Upside Down Camaro — **The Upside Down Camaro**

**Griswold Family Truckster Station Wagon**

Who needs Christie — **Griswold Family Truckster Station Wagon**

The Accordian Car — **The Accordion car**

The SpeedyCopter's Last Ride — **The SpeedyCopter’s Last Ride**

Speedy Weenies Race Car — **Speedy Weenies Hot Dog Stand**

SpeedyCopter

SpeedyCop's Pop Up Camper — **WAY faster than it looks**

The Trippy Tippy Hippy Van

SpeedyCop Rally Vehicle — **Reliant Regal Rally Car**

three wheel excitement — **Reliant Regal Rally Car**

AMC Pacer Fishbowl/Aquarium

The best way to keep up with Jeff and the team is:

GHIT Podcast Episode 0091: Speedy Cop Jeff Bloch

Instagram at: SpeedyCop
Facebook: OfficialSpeedyCop
YouTube channel: SpeedyCopVideos
Website: www.speedycop.com

Link to the Episode is:

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast
and team members in the GHiT
Immature Endurance Racing Team

GHIT 0089: Top 10 List of Things We Learned From Racing

Our First Two Years In Racing

Alan in Repair Mode — **Two Years and Still In Training**

For this shorter episode of our podcast we thought it would be helpful and fun to go over our individual lists of the top ten things we have learned in our first two years of low budget endurance racing. We also had a few items added in from Kate as well as several thoughts from our Facebook and Instagram accounts.

In addition to our top ten list, highlights include:

1) If its worth doing, it worth overdoing, again.
2) Bill’s math side is affecting his line and apex visualization and target, still
3) Jen needs to work on her subtlety
4) Vicki is confused with what racing means, but refers to it assuming she is addressing new drivers
5) We review our top choices for low cost endurance tires and brakes at this point
6) Square tires are not desirable
7) Vicki and Bill discuss tire pressure and its potential effects on traction and grip and car handling
8) Bill pretends to be Richard Dawson
9) Black flags are not atta boys or girls
10) Jen learns about blips and has homework for the morning
11) Jen’s cat makes an appearance by rubbing on the microphone and says hi
12) Alan apparently makes an appearance via Jen
13) We talk about the video Mental said not to talk about
14) Another discussion on the difference between front wheel drive and rear wheel drive cars
15) Jim makes another drop in appearance
16) Matt F, Randy B, Roger M, Jason H, and James M were kind enough to add a few items to our lists
17) Purple mist with sparkly pop rocks

It seems like the only things we learned were from the Three Pedal Mafia. Hopefully, you can find a team willing to help mentor you early in your racing team’s growth to assist you.

Best regards,
Bill, Vicki, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast
and team members in the GHiT
Immature Endurance Racing Team

GHIT 0089: Top 10 List of Things We Learned From Racing

GHIT 0088: Jim Tramontano of No Money Motorsports

Jim Tramontano is a racing driver primarily in Spec Miata and the creative force behind the No Money Motorsports blog. He started racing and tries to balance a personal life and a racing hobby within the confines of a real-world budget and time availability. He has tried many things to save both time and money. Many have worked, but some, not so much. He shares our interest in spreading the word about how much fun can be had with our sport and how it can be accomplished by almost everyone while maintaining a low budget. We subscribed to his blog many months ago and hope you will too. He is also a fun follow on Instagram.

Jim racing in Spec Miata at Watkins Glen

Highlights from this episode include:

1) His history and growth in the sport and his blog
2) Vicki relearns to not stop on track with the brakes applied
3) The differences in Spec Miata and Spec MX-5 (and a bit Spec Mazda/MX Cup)
4) We discuss some of the Planet Miata visit we recently had and Miata’s in general
5) How he broke his Dodge/Mopar addiction, almost
6) Some of the details of the Spec Miata series vehicles
7) Scrubbed tires/Scrubs are introduced to Vicki for the first time
8) Several top tips and tricks to use when racing and being fiscally responsible or at least be able to buy even more toys a bit more easily
9) Many budget saving bookmarks and methods he uses
10) Camel Camel Camel as a source of parts etc
11) Vicki hears about ice racing for the 6th time/first time, lol
12) Vicki has her priorities straight, brake pads first, hubby a distant second
13) A no fail approach to torqueing your lug nuts, well almost
14) Vicki learns of bump drafting for the first time and isn’t quite sure about it, yet

Spec Miata is Close racing — Close Racing in Spec Miata

15) Vicki, ever so subtly, tries to get another female driver by luring his wife out to the track some day
16) We begin to make a very bad plan for his current daily driven Civic Si into a low budget endurance race car
17) Vicki denies an early drive experience and reminisces about here long lost Wrangler
18) A bit of trash talk amongst friends towards the end

You can follow Jim on his blog at: https://nomoneymotorsports.com/

Or on instagram at: @ no_money_motorsports_blog

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast
and team members in the GHiT
Immature Endurance Racing Team

GHIT 0088: Jim Tramontano of No Money Motorsports

GHIT 0087: SilverSleeves Racing Team Driver Greg Birch

On this episode, we had Greg Birch on from the SilverSleeves racing team from the west coast. We first met the team at Laguna Seca earlier this month but both of us had less than ideal racing weekends. It was great to catch up with Greg and we look forward to racing with them again.

Barbie Corvette and Team SilverSleeves — SilverSleeves Racing Team

Barbie Corvette — SilverSleeves Racing Team

Highlights for this episode include:

1) What is a Wolseley Hornet, its history, and how to get one onto the track, as well as future plans
2) Greg’s Mini fascination and history with both classic Mini’s and modern Mini’s
3) Canada is a great place to get low cost cars for racing due to insurance rules and where Bill and Alan are going soon, very soon
4) Where the Magic Bus nickname came from and its full history
5) Some of the driving rules for their team and perhaps how they should be our teams
6) a reasonable place to get driver training in the pacific northwest
7) The SilverSleeves car assortment, like the Austin 1800, and MG 1100 and the Barbie Corvette
8) Getting to hear the words competitive and Ford Probe engine in a sentence
9) What is a Hydrolastic Suspension and its “advantages” in racing
10) Racing in Lucky Dog and the 24 Hours of Lemons series
11) We come up with a way to expand upon their primarily British car themes
12) Bill’s idea to limit speed creep win low cost endurance racing and fortifying Class C cars
13) Discuss the mini as the predecessor to all transverse front wheel drive cars that are so prevalent today and its racing heritage
14) Team fastest lap punishment ideas and a discussion on speed creep in low budget endurance racing
15) Tire wear versus tire growth, lol
16) Waterford Hills Race track
17) Dialing in our new JCW Mini Cooper with as much cater as we can get
18) Too many cars and a way to possibly limit the issue with your significant other
19) One of the best team mantas we have heard
20) A very helpful the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
21) The inherent greatness of in race racing with a friend on the track, like when Greg raced with Todd of Everyday Driver that may be in their upcoming tv episode on Motor Trend
22) Best west coast tracks to add to our list