Garage Heroes (In Training)

Learning as we go. Come along with us and Enjoy the Ride!

Bill Fischer

GHIT 0144: B Squad Hotrod Podcast Hosts Train and Woodchuck

Our latest podcast is number 144 with the B Squad Hotrod Podcast Hosts Train and Woodchuck

Colton (aka Train) and Steve (aka Woodchuck) are two of the four host of the “B Squad Hotrod” Podcast on to discuss how they have learned and continue to learn to work on their hotrod projects, cars and other related projects, like building a huge garage from scratch.  We also get into some of the current and upcoming projects and goals for the coming few months.  A great podcast hosted by two sets of brothers, in 4 states, and three time zones, they work together towards finishing the project and learning a ton along the way.  Since they are B Squad, they came on our podcast, because A Squad would be a guest on a big time TV show.

Ben joins us on our Dominating With Dawson segment to talk about how to buy a car for a project or to become a race car.  It is the first of a many part discussion and we will be having at least one returning guest to go over this area more fully in the future.  Usually, it I said that you make your money when you buy a stock, or a house, or a car, but in our case it is more like you are only starting to lose your money once you buy the car, lol.

As you would expect, we try to bring them over to the dark side and build a car for a race.  We will see how successful we are.  We offered to help and race with them.  That may not have increased the likelihood of their racing, lol. 

Please send in your projects so we can share with the B Squad to help show them what we are doing and drag them into racing.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  What are the projects of B Squad and some of their background and learnings along the way.  With their guidance, we may work our way up to the B squad at some point.

2)  The logistics of being located in 4 states and 3 different time zones between the four hosts and their individual projects.

3)  Everyone is jealous of Woodchuck’s projects:  huge garage with a lift, a Humvee, 1967 fastback Mustang for the family CFO.  Progress continues despite working full time in the public health arena of Wyoming.  

4)  Train’s projects are equally distracted by his (over) full time firefighting/paramedic and when time allows him to work on his 1941-46 Chevy Pickup with an S10 frame swap and full engine swap resto mod. 

5)  The way that B Squad works out the mechanics of working together with each other remotely.  It involves a lot of calls, photos, video calls, and infrequent in person trips when possible.

6)  It seems that all of their interests can be traced back to one of their father’s Corvette.

7)  Train being in south Texas battles the heat most of the year and Woodchuck in Wyoming battles the cold winters.

8)  Suggested first projects to begin learning to work on your own car or project and what to grow into eventually and then where you may want to bring in some professional help.

9)  Why you may not want to let Train work on your electrical issue, especially if it is perhaps a 200 dollar 1974 Impala.  Take home:  shot gun shells are not functional fuse replacements.

10)  Vicki somehow make an analogy between learning to work on a car and learning a new video game that actually works pretty well even though it initially sounded a bit weird.  If only there was a cheat code with the joystick.

11)  The El Jeffe tire story comes back to life to help Train feel a bit better about his Impala.

12)  Ever wonder how Woodchuck got his nick name, its covered here.  And we finally get to ask the question that has pondered the world forever.

13)  Some discussion on how to deal with your tool storage when you need portability and mobility to work outside the home garage.  Also, a discussion of several alternatives for how to layout a home garage.

14)  Train is not a big fan on body work.  He would probably be very open to help if you happen to enjoy it. 

15)  Train is introduced to cars-parts.com.  We are sure it will help, especially with some of the later model car projects.   B Squad was the source where we learned of the project Farm YouTube channel which has been helpful.   

16)  Woodchuck makes a great suggestion of trying to find a mentor to learn from/with. 

17)  If you notice, there seems to be a truck them with most of Train’s answers and interests.  Perhaps we could get him into our race truck one day.

GHIT 0144: B Squad Hotrod Podcast Hosts Train and Woodchuck

GHIT 0143: Using Video Coaching with Dion von Moltke from Racers360

  • Dion von Moltke
  • Autobahn Country Club
  • Bill in the 2017 Toyota 86
Dion reviews Bill’s driving at the Autobahn Country Club in the 2017 Toyota 86

Our latest Podcast, episode GHIT 0143:  Using Video Coaching with Dion von Moltke from Racers360 is out on all podcast services

After a recent HPDE event with NASA Great Lakes at the Autobahn Country Club near Chicago, Bill sent in some video of a representative lap to Racers360 to try their video coaching and see what he could work on to improve.  Dion von Moltke, from Racers360 and a podcast guest from episode #92, evaluated one of Bill’s laps and who knew, it wasn’t all that bad.  We thought it would be a great discussion of the use of video and the added benefit of having a professional driver and coach review the video for you.  Bill learned a great deal and every driver will.  This is especially valuable to the two ends of the learning curve.  The newer drivers will start off breaking any bad habits and the higher level drivers will finally have someone qualified, capable, and available who could help them refine the last few items to help shave the final few tenths to get closer to their potential.  The cost (~$100) makes this an exceptional value to all drivers looking to improve.  Ben and friends discuss the concept of weight transfer during the Dominating with Dawson segment.  Whether conscious or subconscious, it is an underlying fundamental to high performance driving and managing this is key to getting the most you can out of a car and reducing lap times.

You can email Dion directly at [email protected]

And follow him on Instagram at or twitter @Dionvmr

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

The raw lap video a bit after 11:30 in:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Am-epQIjT4&t=758s

A 5-minute snippet of Dion’s review of Bill’s lap can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT2-NzD3o4Y

Eric Meyer from NASA Great Lakes also discussed this lap from a data analysis perspective here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMtlsfwbSso

1)  We review some of Dion’s racing accomplishments including his time as an IMSA driver, winning the 24 hours of Daytona and the 24 hours of Sebring twice and his current work with Racers360 that is aimed at all levels of amateur racing of cars, motorcycles, go karts, etc.

2)  A discussion of NJMP’s Lightning track and its (obvious) nickname.  Just look at the track map.

3)  The advantages of personalized coaching and the feedback opportunities it opens up the coach and the driver.

4)  Dion asks Bill to self-asses his driving strengths and weaknesses.  This discussion was very short and very long, respectively.

5)  The coaching consisted of not only the “what”, but the “why” as well as an estimate of the potential impact on lap times and safety that area involved.  

6)  A big discussion of Turn 9 and Turn 10 at Autobahn that applies to several other turn complexes that lead onto long straights where sometimes you sacrifice a turn and sometimes it is not the best choice.  It appears that as in life, nothing is 100% all the time. 

7)  Turn 1 at Autobahn is a high speed right hand turn that Dion went into in general and also used as an example of how best to break down a turn (backwards) to determine what to do for a specific turn, especially if you are unfamiliar with the track or turn.

8)  To the surprise of absolutely no one, we also discussed vision and the need to relax and look very “long” and “wide” with good scanning practices. 

9)  Dion is a fan of trying to work on one or two things at a time and not overwhelming the driver while learning.

10)  Bill gives a brief description of the Garmin Catalyst and how it worked for him at Autobahn during his first weekend with the unit. 

11)  Dion gets (unfairly) put on the spot with looking at Jennifer’s crash at the Charlotte Roval.  He agreed that is looks like a catch done well and a recovery not quite quick enough.  Dion also recalls a time where he was able to catch a similar incident and save the car (with a bit of luck).  It can be found at about 40-45 seconds into the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPq5K1giAC8

12)  Racers in training weight loss challenge is entered.  Please let us know if you want to participate.  Dion may even help despite not needing to lose any weight personally. 

13)  Bill looks to scoop up a few brownie points when the opportunity arises.

14)  Some of the takeaways and how they apply to all laps and all tracks.  Many are going to be incorporated into his practice session at the track and on the sim.

15)  Bill vents his standard color matching issues.  Still no traction received.

16)  Track Addict may be worth some investigation and if your budget allows perhaps an AIM SmartyCam.

17)  Bill drags Dion into his current level of overthinking the geometry of a turn.

18)  Another vote for the Senna documentary.  Maybe Vicki will finally watch it.  It is really fantastic, even if you aren’t a race driver. 

19)  Post credits discussion of Mid-Ohio, with and without the chicane before the keyhole, and some volleyball discussion. 

GHIT 0143: Using Video Coaching with Dion von Moltke from Racers360

GHIT Podcast Episode 0142: Alex Levinson Orchestrates a Coup D’état with Some Friends

  • Coup d'etat

We never had control to lose, but we somehow lost it anyway.  You have been warned

It all started innocently enough, Alex Levinson was coming onto the podcast and we had a plan to talk about racing and go karting.  Little did we know there was a devious plot afoot.  It began to dawn on us as he was signing in and the Zoom window label came through as Amanda.  All was good, he was pretending to be Amanda, we would love to be half the driver and have half the mechanical knowledge and skills she has.  Then the video came through and there was Amanda and Alex, but there was more.  Off to the side, there was Donnie Petrunak, another well-known racer and a man who adds vowels to the pronunciation of his name without actually taking the time to write them into his name.  Inauspicious start, but no worries, yet.  Then we asked one question and I’m not sure we spoke again, lol.  Strap in for this one, it’s quite a ride.

On our Dominating with Dawson, we cover one of Ben’s favorite racing games, playing with the flags and how the simple act of paying attention can help you during a race.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  Comparison of the NASCAR approach to our Lucky Dog approach at the Charlotte Roval

2)  An update on Alex’s 2000 NB Miata daily driver that was crashed into at Charlotte while parked in the lot.  It doesn’t even make a good story. 

3)  A tremendous story about Alex’s encounter with Paul Blart Jr.

4)  Donnie “the Fist of God” Petrunak gives an update of his latest car battles and it sounds just like a normal day in the life of the Fail Inc Motorsports racing team and Florida Man Racing.  Remember, no “i” in Petrunak, but being high maintenance, he wants one pronounced anyway, lol.

5)  Apparently running cheaty BMW’s runs in Amanda’s family, so its really not her fault since its hereditary.

6)  Stories and introductions to their three racing teams and cars. Alex takes 10 minutes, Donnie about 3, and Amanda about a minute, just like their lap times.  Lol.

7)  Donnie has his doctorate but apparently cannot count past 6, since that is the number of cars he “claims” to have. 

8)  Hospital, hospitable, same, same.  Words are hard, maybe as hard as numbers.

9)  Alex impersonates one of those old toys where you pull a string and it just keeps talking and talking. 

10)  Amanda answers the question as to what happened to her E36 BMW at Thompson.  That car is usually an anvil and a monster.

11)  Donnie has an issue with a certain wall at Daytona.  But the walls always seem to win.

12)  Alex offers Donnie’s services to all the front running cars at NHMS and we warn others about allowing Mental nearby.

13)  Several opinions about running a true 24 race from our guests.  Still sounds like work to us though.

14)  Alex gets a new nickname.  Say hi to his new nickname “Grandpa”.

15)  Jen gets to ask a question.  Bet you forgot she was there.  I’m pretty sure she did too.

16)  We received an update that we are the #4 automotive podcast in all of Indonesia.  Thank you to the fans there and please ignore our guests.  They were like an alcohol fueled dragster, just without the dragster.  They even laughed at a one or two of Bill’s jokes.

17)  How Donnie learned to drive.  This explains a lot.

18)  Alex realizes that he is actually a race winning Porsche driver (as is Amanda), but he still can’t pronounce Porsche. 

19)  Donnie has one of the best “car that got away” stories we may ever hear.

20)  Alex has an amazing car ultimate road trip path. 

GHIT Podcast Episode 0142: Alex Levinson Orchestrates a Coup D’état with Some Friends

GHIT 0141: Rachel Baker and Gina Ma from Driving Forward Together

Driving Forward Together

Rachel Baker and Gina Ma from Driving Forward Together joined us for this episode where we discuss the goals and ambitions for Driving Forward Together and where they would like to be in the coming years.  We also get to know Rachel and Gina’s driving and racing history as well as getting to know them a bit better.  We hope to see them out at a race next year.  On Dominating with Dawson, we cover more vision, as in looking through the turn and trying to see as far down the track as possible.  Information is power in racing too.

You can follow Driving Forward Together at:

Instagram and Facebook at Driving Forward Together or on their website.

Also, they have some great merch through their Facebook page, some is even free.

If you want to follow Gina, her Instagram is amazingly titled @GinaIsCuterThanAnyPanda

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  What is the history of Driving Forward Together and how the group hopes to improve our racing culture and more. 

2)  How Gina and Rachel started out with cars and initially started racing

3)  Gina and Jennifer bond over the 2 Soul Red ND2 MX5 Miatas.

4)  What Driving Forward together is doing to assist ladies in autocross and motorsports

5)  How autocross and track days can appeal to different personalities and we all agree that you should try as many forms of driving and racing to find the best fit for you.

6)  How to find out about autocross and how easy your first event will be.

7)  A great discussion of the various women only events and series.

8)  We also go over the Faster Together incentive program that has partnered with EVO School and Beyond Seat Time, we have done both separately and found each to very helpful towards our driving progression.

9)  How COVID 19 has affected their season so far and any accommodations that are being institute, as always it seems to be a fluid situation and vary from location to location.

10)  They also offer several great interviews of fellow drivers in their Driving Forward Series that can be found on their website.

11)  Some solid tops to the new and soon to be new autocross drivers.

12)  A tremendous story that illustrates the importance of driving vs the importance of the car.  Great driving will usually make up for a great deal of horsepower and dollars spent on the vehicle.

13)  The barrier to entry is really very mall to start at your first autocross event.  For reference, entry will usually be less than $100 per driver, sometimes often under $50 and all you need is a helmet and shoes.  Rental helmets are often offered as well.  So, borrow a car or take yours and give it a try.

14)  Bill is working to go up to Massachusetts.  It sounds like Rachel really has a great set up.

15)  A horror story of Gina’s first time at an autocross.  This almost never happens, everyone is usually nothing but supportive and looking to share the fun.

16)  Ziggy wants to let us know his favorite car movie.

GHIT 0141: Rachel Baker and Gina Ma from Driving Forward Together

GHIT 0140: Autobahn Country Club HPDE With NASA Great Lakes

Autobahn Country Club

We cover Bill’s first HPDE 3 with NASA Great Lakes at the Autobahn Country Club South Course layout that is near Chicago.  It was our teams first HPDE 3 and it was fantastic.  NASA Great Lakes really shines with their HPDE curriculum.  In addition, we had the opportunity to try the teams new Garmin Catalyst on track for the first time and we were very impressed.  Several notable driving improvements were during the event and perhaps even a few Ahh Hah Moments.  In addition, we discuss the “perfect” race car in the Dominating with Dawson segment for this episode.

We hope you enjoy this episode half as much as Bill enjoyed the NASA Great Lakes event!

Special thanks again to the entire Great Lakes team for funning another top notch event, as always.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  A short track review of the South track at Autobahn.  In addition, it was our first time on track with electronic flags.

2)  We compare the relative costs of a track day weekend vs a divorce etc.

3)  Differences between NASA Great Lakes HPDE 1, 2, and 3.

4)  We cover some of the tremendous drills that start of most of the track sessions.  They are very valuable to improve your driving skills and racing experience in a controlled and safe manner.

5)  How NASA GL has altered the different HPDE levels and improved as they learn to account for COVID induced changes and still improve the quality of the instruction for each of their students in a very quick reaction, demonstrating their ability to respond nimbly to their students feedback.

6)  Garmin Catalyst first impressions and review after using it to review our track driving for the first time this weekend.  The in-car coaching was a very good addition to the weekend while we were in the car without an instructor.  We hope to have a full episode with a guest in the next few weeks.  We posted a few videos on our YouTube channel that has some of the Garmin instructions included if you are curious. 

7)  Bill is a big fan of the opportunities options that prioritize areas for potential improvement/low hanging fruit along with the potential quantified time improvement potential.

8)  Jen asks the question Bill never wants to discuss with Vicki in earshot:  How much is it?  Vicki, close he webpage, just close the page.

9)  Just remember, these are only $500 cars………

10)  Why does Bill always confuse Buddy Rich and Buddy Guy.  No idea, but the model/example still applies. 

11)  Mork from Ork shows up for a small guest slot, some of you will see it.

12)  Bad news on two of our GoPro’s.  They may not be useful for our in-car video due to the dynamic range of brightness or contrast from within the car vs the outside. 

13)  The anniversary that never seems to end. 

14)  A very good discussion of focus and being fresh on track, as well as a probably wise decision to use good discretion and skip the last session at the end of Saturday.

15)  Bill’s prep for a new track is getting better and almost where we would like it to be.  The process we use during an HPDE is really getting dialed in and allowing us to get the most out of each stint and maximize the benefit for each HPDE we attend.

16)  We cover some of the most significant improvements and a few Ahh Hah’s from the event.

17)  The goal of HPDE 3 to push beyond your comfort level and look for more speed was very good and appropriate after the training received in HPDE 1 and 2 with NASA GL.

18)  The go kart track looked amazing, although we did not have a chance to try.

19)  Bill makes a play at adding another HPDE/track day for NJMP.  Schedule tbd.  Details to follow.  He would really love to get Jennifer and Vicki out once more with the Catalyst.  It should help them both greatly.  Some planning details still to be resolved. 

20)  What is left to get Brad safely out the door and what is left to start the process of GHIT Colorado.  Look for us to come out to High Plains raceway and other tracks in the area as soon as Brad is set up and ready for us.  Also one last chance for Bill to pick on Brad for signing up for several HPDE’s and not

GHIT 0140: Autobahn Country Club HPDE With NASA Great Lakes