LIVE Reading of Slow Car Fast 07/28 (RSVP Now)
Event info plus the Goodwood Festival of Speed proves it's king of car culture festivals.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
Happy Race Day, especially to the Millennial-aged enthusiasts keeping a BMW dream from the ‘80s alive. Hmm… if only there were an upcoming book on this very topic.
Today! You can listen to my interview with automotive taste-maker Matt Farah on his Smoking Tire podcast, live at around 5:00pm PST. I’ll post the link on our Twitter page when it’s available. We’ll discuss the book, that time we hung out at Lüftgekuhlt and who knows what else. My wild off-roading experience in Germany will come up, I’d imagine. Tune in!
One of the topics we’ll discuss is this:
That’s right: The first live reading of Slow Car Fast will be held on July 28. I’m so excited to partner with my friends at Liberation Brewing. We’re working hard to create an event that will be fun for everyone—expect great music, cars, people and beer!
Do come! You can RSVP on the Carrara Media Facebook page, right here.
Don’t forget: Preorders for Slow Car Fast are still open right here. Use the code RACEDAY at checkout for a 20% discount.
Culture
The premier car culture event in the world took place in the UK this weekend. The Goodwood Festival of Speed, a four-day automotive extravaganza, combines the old with the new and throws in a dash of real racing competition to boot.
This year paid special tribute to Aston Martin. The central garden sculpture was pretty extraordinary:
The central event is the hillclimb, a spirited one-mile romp that gives fans the chance to see a huge variety of cars pushed hard in the flesh.
The hillclimb is also timed, encouraging some drivers to shoot for a place on the all-time leaderboard. The overall record had stood since 1999. But that changed this year:
The speed is unreal. Volkswagen’s all-electric ID.R now holds course records at Goodwood, Pikes Peak and the Nürburgring.
Goodwood held a beautiful tribute to Michael Schumacher, the seven-time F1 world champion who remains in a coma stemming from a 2013 skiing accident.
Porsche debuted its brand new 911 RSR racecar at Goodwood. It looks… like a Porsche 911! Still cool though.
Ahem: Car design fight!
Video Reel
Other hillclimb clips I recommend are this rally Lancia Stratos, this three-ton Rolls-Royce Cullinan and this 92-year-old Bugatti Type 35B, all being absolutely thrashed. Seriously. Car nerd overload.
There were also drifting Russian trucks (which did surprisingly well) and drifting Lexuses (which caught on fire).
There is honestly too much good stuff to name here. My suggestion is scroll Goodwood’s official Instagram page and find whatever makes your neck hairs stand straight up. I promise you will.
Race Results
Photo credit: Mazda
IMSA: It took Mazda seven years to win an IMSA race, and seven days to do it again. This time teammates Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nuñez crossed the line first. The 23-year-old Nuñez is featured in Slow Car Fast so look for him in your eBook soon.
DTM: Points leader René Rast took his first win in two years in a thrilling Race 1 for Audi. The second race started with a daring move for the lead and didn’t let up from there. Man, when DTM is good it’s up there with the best of the best.
Supercars: Both races in the Watpac Townsville 400 this weekend brought the action, with lots of bumping in the first race and even more in the rain-soaked second—plus a fire, (don’t say it, don’t say it) mate! [Highlights: Race 1 and Race 2]
W Series: It’s time to talk about Marta Garcia.
The 18-year-old Spanish driver took her first W Series victory at the Norisring, moving her into third place with two races to go. To my eye she’s looked as talented as any in the field. After a rocky start, her career is primed for a rebirth. [Highlights here]
Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia: Throw a gaggle of jaw-dropping sports cars on Fuji, one of the world’s greatest tracks, and you have a recipe for success. [Highlights: Race 1 and Race 2]
NASCAR: Is the newest team to enter America’s most American racing series… Hyundai?
Ask A Millennial! John Passannante, 18
John Passannante with his muscle car at Period Correct. Photo by Ryan ZumMallen
When a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 pulled into the Pit Stop meet at Period Correct on Saturday, no one expected a towering 18-year-old with a ponytail to step out. But John Passannante is passionate about his muscle car in an era where most teenagers are into imports. “When I saw it I just knew I had to have it,” he told me. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation.
I like all different styles. Just look at this slammed Lexus LS. There’s no similarities between it and my car. The diversity, the people—that’s why I like coming here. Also this company makes great clothes. I can’t afford them. But they’re beautiful.
It’s a cruiser. There’s another show I went to before daybreak today. Driving down with the windows fogged as the sun comes up—I just love it. And I honestly enjoy the feeling of taking it through a corner. There’s a certain amount of fear to it.
Car culture used to be about performance mods on 20-30 year-old cars. Now people do mostly aesthetic mods. There’s nothing wrong with that. It gives you more ways to have fun at an affordable price with grandma’s sedan.
I’ve met a lot of people who have introduced me to a lot of car shows through word of mouth. I do find events through Instagram—it’s how I found out about Period Correct. But even then it was also combined with what I was hearing from people. Word of mouth is still important.
This Weekend
For the Oregon crowd, the Sports Car Market 1000 rally kicks off this Sunday at the Portland Art Museum. From 1:00-4:00pm the participants will be on display to the public. Good chance to see classic Porsches before the group heads off.
British Grand Prix: The recent win for Red Bull got everyone all excited that Mercedes can be beaten. But Lewis Hamilton is a stud on his home track. At the very least, as one of the last remaining old school circuits, Silverstone should deliver strong racing.
Formula E: The final two races of the season will be held in New York City this weekend. Jean-Éric Verge looks ready to grab the championship trophy, but stranger things, etc. This video is a great way to recap an awesome season so far.
And Finally…
Enjoy this clip of former champion Emerson Fittipaldi at Goodwood, overwhelmed with emotion in the cockpit of his title-winning Lotus racecar:
Drive hard and be safe.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.