This Clip Explains the Future of Racing
A fierce IMSA battle and more from the world of Millennial car culture.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
Happy Race Day, especially to the geniuses at Porsche and Coca-Cola, who are teaming up to revive one of motorsport’s most classic liveries. I’m getting all flustered just looking at this thing.
This week I’m really thrilled to share an excerpt from Slow Car Fast that was published in Autoweek on Tuesday. The excerpt actually appeared in the print edition of the hallowed magazine this summer, but just recently made it online.
It’s about the BMW E30 M3 phenomenon, and how a unique legacy and Millennial taste for driving engagement revived an automotive icon. Special thanks to our friends at Autoweek who made this possible. Hope you enjoy!
As always, you can pick up your own copy of Slow Car Fast — in paperback or eBook form — right here at CarraraBooks.com. New shipments are going out today!
Culture
This week I want to spend the Culture section on one issue. I knew it as soon as I saw this tweet:
This fierce battle between two racing titans, Ford and Corvette, put everything great about motorsport front and center. Gorgeous scenery. Legendary marques. Incredible skill and bravery. It’s automotive catnip.
IMSA wisely packaged that specific portion of a long race and threw it online. The clip had enthusiasts salivating and — most importantly — sharing immediately. IMSA hasn’t always been the best with adapting to online viewing. But they nailed this.
It’s clear that people want racing clips. It isn’t clear that they want to watch entire races end to end. The tweet above likely got more views than the 10-minute full race highlights on YouTube (posted below). The smart series will capitalize, use it to their advantage and package content accordingly. Like, for instance, Formula E does.
The all-electric Formula E series has invited skepticism from purists for its EV cars and gimmicky racing. But it does attract fans. The series made waves last week with a report that found Formula E is not only making money, it’s winning a demo that’s been notoriously tough for motorsports.
Young people.
How? Trying new things, pivoting to what works, and giving fans what they want. For many, that’s not sitting in scorching hot bleachers for six hours with your ear glued to a radio. It’s exciting, digestible content that’s engaging and fun to follow.
This isn’t a death knell for traditional series. But it is a wake-up call. Gone are the guaranteed big crowds. Attendance is down at many major events.
But there are more events than ever. And more ways to reach fans. If series cater to their crowd, nurture a culture that may be smaller but is also likely more passionate, and accept this new age of niche motorsports, there’s probably a bright future.
If not? Then things could turn out for them, just like they did for Corvette above.
Video Reel
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: drones will fundamentally change the way we look at racing. Here’s mind-blowing aerial footage of drifter James Deane absolutely ripping.
Another new Ford V Ferrari trailer! Damon and Bale are extra grumpy this time, you guys.
Race Results
Video game racing is now a sanctioned motorsport. So we will treat it as such (especially when the highlights capture more YouTube views than several of the series below put together). Here’s action from the first weekend of the F1 Esports Pro Series. The fun part is there’s clearly a lot of skill on display. [Race 1, Race 2, Race 3]
Australian Supercars in New Zealand! Bending the rules! Drivers getting mad! It’s awesome! I don’t have any intelligent analysis to add! [Race 1, Race 2]
DTM at the Nürburgring with the championship on the line. Always a recipe for excitement. [Race 1, Race 2]
Ten minutes of IMSA racing at Laguna Seca, as promised:
In rallying we talk a lot about “grueling” courses. But I don’t know that I’ve seen WRC cars get torn up like they did in Turkey this weekend. How any tires lasted those jagged shards is beyond me. God, what a terrifying course. [Highlights here]
Ask A Millennial! Mark Muraoka, 28
I met Mark through Instagram (where else?) when he bought a copy of Slow Car Fast at Laguna Seca. I found his feed really intriguing, and as an engineer and designer I thought he may have an interesting perspective. I was right. First, he set me straight — “Engineers aren't all as boring as parts of your book make out :)” — and then brought some real insight to the table. Here’s an edited version of our conversation:
I’m excited about electrification. You can love both engines and motors, I promise. How can you not love the Lotus Evija? Imagine more mid-engined supercars without the space constraints of an engine in front of the rear axle.
I could fit a 450-hp Tesla motor in the back of my 1968 Datsun Roadster, and batteries are only getting cheaper and more energy dense. As electric cars (and motorcycles) become more readily available, so will their powertrains as an increasingly affordable means of powering old beloved chassis or race cars.
Electrification will fundamentally change the shape of vehicles as much as the law will allow. I think geometric surfaces will continue to dominate, as well as more intricate and thin lighting with LED's.
As a stretch, if autonomous vehicles take off and car ownership decreases, it'll be exciting to see the vehicles left for personal ownership designed solely for enthusiasts and not watered down for the mainstream. Ferdinand Porsche predicted the last car ever made will be a sports car.
I don't have my 1968 Datsun Roadster anymore, but it had a swapped turbocharged engine and disc brakes. My perfect day of driving would be taking that thing to Laguna Seca. Otherwise, I'd love to go back to Barcelona and drive some of the roads I've only ridden on before through the mountains and along the coast.
And Finally…
In my appearance on the Cars Yeah! podcast, I was asked for the best auto-related advice I ever received. I said, “Know your towing limits.” This short video is a great demonstration of why.
Drive hard and be safe.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.