Cars, Security and a Peek into my Life
A preparation list for a one-night car camping awesome experience.
Food, shelter and entertainment are covered, then add a little “just wing it,” because when was the last time you did?
Read it online at Autonet.
Bring a tarp to wrap around the open rear hatch of a crossover, now you have a veranda. When you grow tired of the view, change it by turning the key.
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Can’t concentrate? Can’t race.
Because really, all the tech, tires and money are for not if the driver drops their focus for one fast moment. Because that moment turns into seconds lost.
I’m speaking with Honda IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe. He’d just coached me around the DDT at Mosport (watch here)
We talk about his mind while racing, how he stays hyper-focused for 2 straight hours. It’s an almost-meditative state, he says.
Read it online at Autonet.
If winning comes down to a driver’s level of concentration, how about putting a monk behind the wheel? Trophies ahoy!
Thanks for taking the time James! Best of luck this season.
Watch James coach me around my first track time here.
How he fared in this years Toronto Indy here.
Blog tag = the Mind (13)
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I drive a different car every week, and been keeping a list of features I’d like to see in more vehicles.
This is that list.
Read it online at Autonet.
Not all features need to be high tech. How about a proper dead pedal, and a handle on the inside of the trunk lid?
That’s my big items, what did I miss? Add yours to the list at Autonet.
Had help composing this list… Dan, Michael and Brian, thanks guys!
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From inside the factory – how Ford tests its F150 pickup truck before putting it into final production.
Read it online at Autonet.
One of the toughest tests Ford has created doesn’t involve robots, or any tech at all. Instead they used 6’7″ 300 lbs men they hired from Craigslist, and called it the “Big Man Test”.
Fun fact: Ford’s PR team said this is the first time the ‘Big Man Test’ story has ever been published in Canada.
YES to my story finding skills.
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From when I travelled with Ford to their proving grounds and factory last week.
Torque test.
Seat test for rattles.
That’s Mark, a 165 lb fake-human.
There are robots everywhere.
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Read it online at Autonet.
Sometimes a rally isn’t just speed-based, it’s a thinking race, where teams compete for points.
A trick I learned that you can use too: the word “right” has two meanings, “do I turn left here?” Instead of responding with “right”, say “check.”
Above is Keith Townsend, the gentleman in the article, and co-owner of Vehicle Dynamics Group, the company behind the Mazda Adventure Rally. He won the modern division of Targa’s Modern Division in 2006, and in 1996 placed 3rd in the Canada CRC Canadian Rally Championship.
Below is the co-owner, Jud Buchanan, who has 6 podium Targa finishes, and is the former lead instructor at the Porsche Advanced Driving School.
Both are great guys with big brains, and who you should hire to design your rally.
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