Behind the wheel: A new type of feature

Something is missing these days. That something is honesty. Something that I don't think there is really enough of in the VW and Audi world today, is an accurate portrayal of what it's really like to get behind the wheel of the cars so often featured in magazines and on websites. This is not all that surprising really since so many are merely supposed to look good, and whether or not they actually go, stop and turn is immaterial. Sit super low, have 400 horsepower to the wheels (that can't be used) and a set of scene-approved wheels and you're the king of the world. Never mind the fact these cars (usually) can't drive themselves out of a wet paper bag. I don't know what that means either, but just bear with me...

To continue: I feel it's done all of us in the 'scene,' and those interested in the VW and Audi cars a disservice. We've lost the plot. Many people no longer modify cars for better performance, even though they spend quite a bit on performance parts.The basic fact remains; Volkswagens and Audis are genuinely good performing cars. In terms of the overall driving experience, they were and still are heads and shoulders above many others at a similar price point. Now don't think I'm a slide-rule, pocket-protector policeman of suspension geometry, or indeed any other aspect of a car. After all, I do like a well-executed look, but people are so afraid of going against the 'lower it' grain they just slam it down and don't consider what else the car might be good at, and that a lowered car doesn't have to ride like a box of rocks. After all, if you don't think being on the ground is the way to go, you're just a hater, and who wants to be that?

The looking-good / good-performing thing is not mutually exclusive. You just need the right set up, the right (decent quality) parts, and to perhaps make a small concession to the fact that you're not going to be able to run your car on the bump-stops all the time, and still have a car that handles. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses just because they have the biggest house (or lowest car) on the block. The Joneses are show-offs anyway, and probably should have bought a mini-truck so they can 'lay frame' and all that fun stuff. I've also heard the Joneses rarely drive their cars with anything close to full throttle.

Part of the plague is the ever-shrinking tire size, where basically every time you go down a tire size for a bit more stretch, you have to lower it more to keep it looking 'right.' For a while this was fine...215/40 on a 9" wide wheel, no problem. But the natural tendency to keep pushing the limit leads to some extreme fitments and goofy looking cars if they are anything other than on the ground, literally. We've all seen the parking lot kings raise up on air ride to get out of the parking lot, looking less than graceful, to say nothing of the alignment.

Pushing a car to its (and sometimes your) limit is way more fun than sitting it in a parking lot. Too many times the 'top' cars won't actually run much at all. Nothing like those VR3 show cars...

But I digress. I'll have my first one up shortly. My drive in this particularly car happened a while ago, but thanks to some soon-to-be-reveled awesomeness, it's been on my mind a lot lately.

Stay tuned,

_WRS

Between a rock and an oil well

Motorsport is a tough business. It's expensive, has high risk and low monetary rewards, and is increasingly ignored by more and more of the populace. The waning popularity of even the 'mainstream' series like Indycar and NASCAR are proof enough. Small series have their die-hard fans, but the reach is not what it once was.



Even if you have the desire, maybe 50% of the cash and some connections to get a team started or perhaps even drive in a series, chances are you aren't going anywhere, or at least not very far without a huge influx of cash. In today's world there are so many possible outlets for marketing dollars and advertising budgets that convincing a company to spend a significant portion of that on motor racing is increasingly difficult.



Return on investment, public perception of the brand and what it stands for are all weighed very carefully and if the numbers don't add up, they don't get involved. Let's face it, with global climate change on everyone's lips, regardless of what you believe, it may not be best to be perceived as being in support of burning through our finite oil supplies like $1 per gallon gas is just around the corner again. (it won't be)



Before the start of the 2010 American Le Mans season for example, there were a number of rumors about which cars and teams would be making their return to the series and which would not. The worldwide recession hit motor racing as hard, if not more so, than many industries and even the entry of teams as great and constant as Dyson Racing were in doubt. Surely Dyson Racing, a team synonymous with North American sports car racing, would not let a thing like a few dollars of sponsor money keep them from returning to the ALMS? It's like the old saying goes, death, taxes and Dyson Racing, or something like that...



At any rate, Dyson's two main sponsors of Mazda and BP did sign back on, if not with enough to field a 2-car team, enough to do a full season with one. BP, with their biobutanol 'green' fuel was particularly important. Not only were they a crucial supplier of funds for Dyson (*one would assume) they also went hand-in-hand with the 'green' image that the ALMS has been promoting. After all, renewable biobutanol, which can run in a regular gasoline engine without any modifications, is made from fermented biomass and is pretty handy when it comes down to it.



So, how about this Deepwater Horizon oil spill problem then? Yeah...kind of a big issue for BP, and more importantly the world in general. The effects of this whole thing, which if you read up on could be far beyond the scope of any current guesstimates currently bouncing around the talking heads of the networks, are going to be huge and far-reaching. Lives have been lost, livelihoods will continue to be lost, and we could end up with entire species gone for good, mainly thanks to the simple fact that 'to er is human.'

So Dyson, whom up to now have probably been counting their lucky stars that they picked up enough sponsorship to run the season without dipping into too much of Team Principle Rob Dyson's pocket, are likely in a bit of a conundrum. What do you do when the name stuck on the side of your car is now in headlines across the globe (although not enough of them to be honest) in the worst possible way?



If you're the man with the money, like a Tiger Woods type situation, you can drop the bad news and pick up a little positive PR on the flipside. When you're Dyson Racing, simply thankful for some dollars towards the budget and trying to win races, what do you do? It's not so simple to say 'thanks a lot, but we're going to dissolve our relationship because well, we don't need any bad PR.'



I'm sure it has been discussed by the guys at Dyson, and thus far I have seen no word from them on any official stance on the matter. Probably a smart move since after all they're no dummies, but eventually something will need to be said. If and when members of the BP executive staff are taken down in various scandals and resignations, and the world has been forever altered thanks to the massive amount of oil and carcinogenic treatment being used by BP, a decision will have to be made: End the relationship or go down with the ship. It's not an easy decision to make but it's one which will have to be made at some point. Like going to the dentist when you know you have a cavity. There will be some pain and hardship, but in the end you'll be better off.

_WRS

You can keep your parking lot queens

I like the rock and rollers. Sure, I can appreciate just about any car, but the simple ones with some real life experiences are the ones that do it for me the most. I guess after years and years of seeing beautiful cars with thousands of dollars dumped into them do nothing more than pull in and out of parking lots, I just like to see cars that get some use. Sure it looks good preserved like a museum piece, but what's the point? I'm not a stamp collector, and I don't see the point of having a car just to not drive it because it might get a few dings, or get dirty, or get rained on, or whatever. The world would be pretty boring if everyone spent all their time being concerned about the little things. I'd rather have a story to tell.

_WRS