I find it hard to believe, but I have been here for two decades, writing about my passion for motorsports. Am I getting old(er)? While this site has ebbed and flowed with the ups and downs of my journey, one thing remains constant: this will always be the original/OG Driftopia. I say that because...
Mechanical tube benders need to be mounted securely to the floor for operation. Typically, a hammer drill and concrete anchors are used to secure the mount to the floor. This time, though, with the JD2 bender being converted to hydraulic, I am free to mount the bender in a mobile configuration...
I have a bit more work to do before starting the roll cage on the exo car build. One of those tasks is converting my 15-plus-year-old mechanical tube bender to hydraulics. To risk sounding like a broken record, my workspace is small and not tube-bender-friendly. I can save space by converting the...
Racing doesn’t just happen on the track; much preparation goes into each event. But if you can’t stay cool in the racecar, no amount of physical or mental prep will salvage your results. Overheating in the racecar can lead to poor performance and results, unnecessary incidents, DNFs...
The old adage goes something like this: You can build your car fast, cheap, and reliable. Now, pick two. This principle seems to hold true with racecars and most things in life. But occasionally, a product comes along that seems to laugh in the face of this principle. I actually got excited when I...
The harsh environment of the racetrack pushes a car right to its limit and beyond. As such, racecar failures are bound to happen in many different ways. Failure Points is a new series that dissects these moments and what to do when things go wrong. This time it is the front wheel bearing of the...
An actual drifting event on Driftopia. Shocking I know. For a little background, I started this site based on a love for drifting and motorsport just as drifting started to emerge in the United States. Building several s13’s to compete in local competitions when I was still in college. But...
One of the things I have enjoyed about my foray into Super Touring racing with NASA is the open rule book. Building a car to a power to weight instead of the strict rules that go along with Spec racing. This has opened up many engineering possibilities and things I would like to try. One of those...
PRI inverts the racing pyramid so to speak. With drag racing being so popular in the US, the show definitely caters to those that prefer things in straight lines. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something for everyone at PRI. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of fully...
The Performance Racing Industry show held at the Indiana Convention Center did not disappoint. I walked the entire show for 2 days, stopping at every vendor along the way, looking for cool products and inspiration. Unsurprisingly, I found many. Although winners and losers may sound harsh, this is a...
If you are looking for a dry and sort of informative intro to the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show, you have come to the right place. I am attending the show with a group of racers and I realize that a lot of you may not be familiar with PRI. Hence the preview.
Apparently, I am not a ballerina. This profound realization came to me as I crawled across the living room floor while dealing with a very sharp and clarifying pain. Moments before, I was walking down my stairs, half asleep on my way to bed, and by some butterfly effect of miss position, I...
