An Illuminating Interview on Queer Car Culture
The founder of Pride at the Dragon talks representation and reflection.
HAPPY RACE DAY! especially to everyone who spotted a McLaren F1 racecar parked on someone’s lawn during a Newport Beach holiday lights show.
How did that even happen? McLaren posted a teaser video but it’s still not completely clear. Let’s just chalk it up to a Christmas miracle!
You all responded to last week’s post, Special Report: Florida Couple Gets Probation in Massive JDM Fraud Case, in a huge way. It’s now one of my most-read pieces in more than four years and 100 posts. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look above.
Reporting this story took time and sweat. For over a year I requested files, tuned into 6:00 AM online hearings and strained to understand the terms and the gravity of the case. It’s a pivotal point in my book and this era of car culture, and Race Day is the only place producing original reporting on it.
I plan to follow up on this story and more from Cult of GT-R that deserve ongoing attention. If you enjoyed the piece, trust that I’ll strive to create more like it, and please consider subscribing, sharing or donating to help.
Speaking of book news, a few days ago Newsweek posted a review of Cult of GT-R that I’m honored to share. Particularly enjoyed this part of the article:
ZumMallen goes impossibly deep on the legend of the GT-R, rooting out the stories surrounding one of the most sought after vehicles in the world.
I’m not going to lie — “impossibly deep” is pretty much exactly how I hoped the book would strike people while I was writing it. If any of you feel the same, then in my eyes, mission accomplished. You can read the full review here.
This weekend I brought Cult of GT-R and more Carrara Media titles to a holiday toy drive and debuted a new pop-up concept — the mid-century library. Thanks to @carsinthewildusa for giving me the space and inspiration to try it out. Hope to do something similar at more shows next year!
Speaking of holiday toy drives, there are plenty of cars shows / toy drives going on all over the country this coming weekend. In L.A. alone you could hit up:
the Leen Customs show near the Arts District;
the Brekkie and Westside Collector Car Storage show in Gardena;
the Hot Rod Power Tour show in Irwindale/Vegas/Pomona;
the Rodeo x Rigs show in Garden Grove;
or the Motoring Club show on the westside.
Get out and enjoy some cars this weekend while giving back. And if you get to one in your town, send me a pic and I’ll post it next week.
Q&A: Tatiana Noel — Founder, Pride at the Dragon
Yesterday I was writing, by which I mean I was scrolling Instagram mindlessly, when my friend Will (shoutout Will!) reposted an Instagram story claiming to promote “The Car Event of the Year.” I had to know more. Will put me in touch with Tatiana, the founder of Pride at the Dragon. It’s held each year at The Tail of the Dragon, an iconic road with 318 turns over 11 miles through the Smoky Mountains. The dangerous road is famous for tricking drivers and riders into making costly mistakes. But it can also be an enthusiast’s dream, and Tatiana is working to give LGBTQIA+ enthusiasts a way to enjoy that dream together. I’m honored to include her thoughts below. Portions of this interview have been edited for clarity.
How would you describe the current state of representation in the car world?
When I think about representation, I think about famous figures who openly represent a minority demographic. If we're talking Black representation in car culture, I say we up! When I see people like Hert Eugene doing big things with T-Pain, himself a superstar in the automotive world, it's beautiful. Plus, he's Haitian like me! What up, Zoe?!
If we're talking LGBTQIA+ representation, the picture is more grim. It's not that we're not part of the automotive landscape (obviously we are). It's that not too many of us are out. Hurley Haywood came out a few years ago, which was awesome. But I personally know of at least three automotive YouTube stars who aren't out professionally but are known in queer circles. I have to commend my friend Jake Thiewes of Out Motorsports for going the opposite direction and creating events that cater to queer enthusiasts. Better representation is bubbling just under the surface. I have nothing but optimism for the future in this space.
What do you think Pride at the Dragon adds to car culture at this moment?
PATD is a true blending of car people. Being in the mountains, you would assume it's mostly tuner "touge" types, but when you show up, the cars run the gamut. Last year, we had an imported Lancer Evo wagon, your typical smattering of Miatas, and several Porsches, of course. But we also had two lifted Broncos on knobby tires, a Buick Roadmaster wagon that's made it three years in a row, and a 1932 Dodge Brothers. Sure, you could go to a Cars and Coffee and see all types of rides, but the most action you'll get out of them is a neutered burnout on the way out of the parking lot, IF there are no cops around. There aren't too many events focused on actually using the cars that also bring together such a diverse crowd. I actually didn't know how to answer this question, so that answer came from my good friend, Paul Marquardt—himself, an out and proud professional who does PR for Radio LeMans and race car driver Ricky Taylor. See? Representation. 😜
How does it feel to look back on five years of this event?
First, I can't believe it's been five years (really six, but we don't claim 2020—we don't know her). It started in 2018 with an event called The Gaythering, which became PATD. That first event was so small and intimate, as were the first 2 PATDs. Fast forward and this year there were people I didn't even realize were there until they were tagging me after the event! Now I have major brands like Lucid Motors and Mazda participating, and hundreds of complete strangers trusting me to curate a great vacation for them. It's insane. What means the most is seeing repeat guests. Some people have been to every Pride at the Dragon, and even The Gaythering. That gives me the confidence to know I'm doing something that has value. It's probably what keeps me doing it.
And Finally…
At the Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis last week, there was one company making big noise in the Japanese performance market. And it’s not a Japanese company.
Platinum Racing Products, or PRP, is from Australia. At the PRI its cast cylinder heads for RB26 engines were a big deal. The RB26 came in Nissan Skyline GT-Rs from 1989-2002, and there’s still huge demand for innovation from around the globe.
What matters here isn’t so much the part itself. It’s that an Aussie brand is leading the way for JDM enthusiasts. So many Japanese shops created the feverish culture we all enjoy today. But many of those same shops move at a slower pace while Artec, PRP and other modernized Australian companies are blasting full speed ahead.
Often it’s with help from Japanese companies with strong U.S. roots, like GReddy in the video above, which has smartly positioned itself on the cutting edge of two leading markets. Something I’m excited to watch closely.
Drive hard and be safe. Black Lives Matter.
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