Who is Car Culture For? Not Everybody (Yet).
A refreshing interview with the woman behind 'Road Party,' while the return of car shows and motorsports lays bare some of their systemic inequities.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
Happy Race Day, especially to the Cowborghini. (It even moos.)
Short column this week, because I really want to get to our interview with Sydney Cummings below.
This past weekend was the first time I ventured out to a car show post-outbreak. My family and I went to our local monthly show, Shoreshifters, on its one-year anniversary.
Masks on. Tons of cars. Free donuts! I started up so many conversations that were full of pure joy, free of pretense. Maybe it’s the Long Beach mindset (likely) or that everyone was just thrilled to get out of their houses (very likely). Either way, a joy.
Before long, though, we were getting antsy at the size of the crowd and it felt time to bounce. I accidentally ditched a couple of cars I really wanted to check out.
But that’s the price of attending car shows in a COVID-19 world. We have to balance how much we love the culture with how safe we feel. No one knows what’s right or wrong, so we just have to decide what we’re personally comfortable with.
Regardless, it felt good to get out and gawk at a teensy tangerine Honda coupe. An imported M3 Touring! Some of the prettiest little Datsuns you ever did see.
What a magical community we have together. It’s good to see you all again.
Culture
Here’s a hot take about all-wheel drive that has a lot of truth to it:
The famous Woodward Dream Cruise was officially canceled by the cities that host it. Dozens of enthusiasts drove it anyway, but the numbers were way down.
Some tried to rebrand the weekend as a pro-Trump rally. It’s only worth pointing out because we need to recognize that people feel the car community is a safe space to express support for hatred and intolerance. That needs to stop.
In lighter news, an Acura NSX built to camp kinda:
As we all know, nothing is real until the New York Times discovers it a few years late. Turns out the latest trend is… cars! Have you heard of these? The article pokes fun at itself but it’s still bizarre to read in 2020.
People who don’t like the new Supra — may I interest you in one dressed up to look like Brian’s in the original Fast & The Furious? (Yes.)
Video Reel
In personal news, I made my featured Edmunds video debut with this comparison of off-road trucks. You can find the full video here or a compilation of my most embarrassing moments below:
This is a super-informative video on the basics of choosing the right lens to shoot cars from our friend Kevin McCauley.
When it’s time to safely pull into the pit lane but drifting is life.
It should go without saying that it’s not okay to sexualize a woman commentator’s shoes in the middle of a race broadcast. But apparently we’re not there yet. Jalopnik writer Elizabeth Blackstock wrote an excellent piece on the matter.
Race Results
Don’t let the excitement of the Indy 500 distract you from the fact that for the first time in 20 years there was no woman driver in the field.
The article above outlines in painful detail the many ways that women are excluded from the necessary funding to run a racecar — including the bombshell revelation that sponsors view them as a potential sexual harassment risk (the implication being that men won’t be able to control themselves from committing assault of some kind, so it’s better to just not hire women).
Let that sink in for a minute.
As far as the race itself, things got off to a hot start. Just ask James Davison:
Alexander Rossi looked great early on and pulled off the pass of a lifetime.
Ultimately it was the 43-year old Takuma Sato who captured his second career Indy 500 win. A late crash robbed us of a last-lap duel with Scott Dixon, but Sato never faltered all day and took a deserved win. Full highlights here.
The first significant collision for Indycar’s new protective aeroscreen (the development of which was profiled in Slow Car Fast) was a success, and probably saved a life.
The Racing Point F1 team was busted for using an identical brake duct as their Mercedes counterparts. That’s too bad. But the memes are gold.
Indy 500 pranks are the best pranks.
Ask A Millennial! Sydney Cummings, 21
The reason I pay extra attention to what young people are doing is they bring a crackling enthusiasm to the culture that keeps us all having fun. Sydney is one of those people. Her accomplishments in photography are extensive, but it’s her recent work launching and publishing the new automotive zine Road Party that has people excited. She’s documented both the good and the bad throughout, and as a result I can’t wait to see the final product. Here is an edited version of our conversation:
Road Party was an idea I developed several years ago, as the automotive landscape seemed to be moving towards corporate- and brand-centric publications, and the fact that there wasn’t a purely artistic outlet for people who aren’t necessarily interested in engineering or car reviews. When recent behind-the-scenes drama with certain popular automotive lifestyle outlets came to light, I knew this was the right time to give a voice to those who weren’t given one otherwise. Road Party might be in its infancy, but the voices and imagery it contains are honest, talented, and genuine, and have deserved an outlet for a long time.
I was initially overwhelmed with the response from people and communities that I never expected to take an interest in Road Party. I’ve tried to take great care in crafting the first edition, and while there are so many great submissions that will have space in future Road Party zines, I’m blown away by the different backgrounds and interests shared in this first issue, and I’m grateful for all the contributions, especially those from different automotive tastes.
It’s important to recognize that not everyone expresses themselves the same way. I express myself easier through photos, so I understand that not everyone is going to fit the mold of writer-photographer-journalist. Making sure that Road Party is ad-free and community-supported is also super important. I have friends who work in somewhat restrictive, corporate environments who have told me they are so happy to have an outlet for less structured stories, and I think the result is a more honest and unique flavor that accurately reflects the car community as a whole, not just the most popular viewpoints.
Like a lot of artists, I’ve run into the issue of photo reposts often. While I’m grateful that people are enjoying my work, reposting photos—especially without permission—becomes deeply problematic when my work is used to reflect their own agenda. I’ve run into a number of instances where an account that bills themselves as a for-profit marketing agency will repost a photo to sell their own services, which is not only a copyright violation, but also devalues the pre- and post-production that goes into a unique photoset (such as the Road Party sunflower cover photo) and presents an unrealistic picture (literally) of their services to potential clients. In these cases, the “media company” gains everything, and the artist gains nothing. The first step toward improving this behavior is to ask the artist for permission—the second step would be to understand why an artist would say no.
Auction Block
As always, an exceptional piece by Bloomberg reporter Hannah Elliott about the rise of online auto auctions that are making sales in the millions.
And on the other end of the spectrum, 240SX’s are apparently worth upwards of $30k now!
This Weekend
Why, it’s the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, of course! This incredible drive past 13,000 feet of elevation has no equal when it comes to hair-raising thrills. Follow our friend Mitch Snow for on-the-ground insight and Jeff Zwart for his attempt at a record-breaking run.
And Finally…
A German racing fan spent two years building the entire grid of the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans out of Legos. Next time someone says you’re too obsessed with cars, you can reply, “Yeah? Well, I’m no Lasse Deleuran!” Everyone will laugh.
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.
Don’t forget to follow Carrara Media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and visit our store to order your copy of Slow Car Fast in paperback or eBook.Drive hard and be safe.