Car Culture is Coming Back Stronger
The pandemic is only making enthusiasts lean harder into car meets for the masses.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
Happy Race Day, especially to the people who will never stop Photoshopping absolutely giant BMWs onto racetracks.
Thanks for joining today. I needed some time away at the end of 2020 to figure out how to make Race Day better in 2021. I thought hard about why I started this in the first place. About how to get back to basics. That helped a lot. I feel inspired.
There are some changes. I want to focus less on cramming as much content into the newsletter as possible. Previously, what ended up taking the most time was filtering through the sheer number of posts to share as much as I could. To appear as if I knew everyone and everything. I’ll still share lots. When I come across it organically.
That means shorter newsletters in general, and certainly less video. YouTube accounts and racing channels are not hard to find. I thought a lot about what I can bring to the table best. To me, that’s on-the-ground coverage and reporting. It’s what I like to do, anyway, and in my experience, online value is built not by aggregating but by producing original content. I’d like to get back to creating.
Here’s what to expect. I think Ask A Millennial! is one of our greatest strengths, so I’ll work on getting to that more quickly each week. I’m stoked for this week’s example and think you’ll enjoy it too. I also want to share things when I have something to say about them — not just because. And a big part of that is more book news that I’ve been working hard on. I can’t wait to tell you more. Please stay tuned.
Things I’m noticing. Readers of Slow Car Fast will recognize the names Iliya and Nikita Bridan, the twin brothers who bring mad creations to life in the form of off-roading Alfa Romeos and seriously mental Porsches. A few weeks ago I got to witness their latest magic trick: turning a 911 into a custom-designed and -built prototype(ish) racer. It would be period correct if the period ever existed.
Its debut. The project, called “Half11,” rolled out for the first time in its current state at Willow Springs Raceway at an event called Racecar Party — essentially a high-powered track day with additional elements to keep people entertained during downtime. The Bridans showed off Half11 and had another 911 painted on the spot. Meanwhile there were supercars screaming down the front straight and sending whiff after whiff of rubber and race fuel into my sinuses.
The takeaway. Racecar Party echoed to me that the car world is becoming less singular and more comprehensive. That same week I’d seen car meets launched in tandem with coffee shops and open-air food markets that attracted eye-popping cars and collectors. Now we had a track day featuring public debuts and live art displays. It’s the Gridlife and Radwood ethos narrowed down to a smaller scale for more to enjoy. It gives people more things to have in common besides only cars. It gives people a safe event to get excited about in pandemic times. And it gives people like the Bridans, or those who maintain and preserve incredible cars with a loving eye, an opportunity to be properly celebrated. I’m grateful for the opportunity to make lasting connections as I’ve crawled out of my shell the last few weeks and look forward to more on the way.
Culture
The team behind Radwood, a legitimate cultural phenomenon, is launching an auction site for this era of vehicles called Rad For Sale. Launching March 1.
Did the car scene jump on the inauguration meme trend? You better believe it.
Race Results
The Daytona 24 Hours had its share of hair-raising moments. I liked this compilation video that put a bunch of them together in a nice little package.
Race of Champions is coming back next year and will be held — hilariously — on ice.
SRO Motorsports got a new title sponsor in the sim racing company Fanatec and wasted no time in incorporating a gaming competition that will count for real points in the actual championship standings. Esports news has slowed since the pandemic began, but it’s clear it’s part of serious motorsports from here on out.
Ask A Millennial! Ethan Gaines, 28
A talented writer and captivating tweeter, Gaines has a long list of columns and blogs for Hagerty and elsewhere that sometimes feel like a breath of fresh air, and other times feel like a punch in the gut. Regardless, he knows his stuff and doesn’t waste words. The first two words in his Twitter bio are “Black. Queer.” and I invited him on to try and get to know the man behind the stories a little better.
Who I am as a person has a lot to do with those two things. I’ve always felt like being upfront about my blackness was necessary because it is the absolute core of who I am and my experiences. I’m very proud of that. My sexuality also has a lot to do with who I am but until I was out in recent years, I really didn’t understand how much. Me being putting these things out front is just me showing pride in myself.
I do feel like auto journalism has a few blind spots. In my opinion, it’s not even just specifically black voices, but also voices of people who have a lot of direct industry experience. But I do slowly see this specific sphere of journalism opening up to a lot of new voices right now, so I‘m hopeful.
Most young people I encountered selling cars had some level of enthusiasm for them. Any one of them could rattle off an oddly specific dream car. Sadly, a lot of them weren’t buying their dream cars or anything like them.
The stories I most like to read have just as much to do with the experience as they do the automobile. I love reading long-format stories about the obscurities that not only bring us great automobiles, but bring us as enthusiasts together also. But also I have a huge appreciation for behind the scenes learning about the manufacturing side of the industry. I hope to continue not only telling my own stories in the future, but create new avenues for others to tell their stories too.
And Finally…
Some amazing responses to this question posed by Donut host Nolan Sykes. Just warmed my heart to see so many people lovingly cling to their little cars that could.
Drive hard and be safe. Black Lives Matter.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.
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