Category: CARS

Cash for Clunkers

On the one hand, I like this idea because it will make finding a decent car eligible to compete in the 24 Hours of Lemons less challenging.  On the other, I think I’d be correct in opposing (for similar reasons) government sponsorship of Burning Man, for example.

Personally, my business would likely see a short term bump from something like this – any business can be temporarily propped up by dumping a bunch of other people’s cash in.  Long term, however, this would probably hurt business – maybe a lot.  And, there are reasons it wouldn’t help the environment much, if at all (and why is that always an excuse for crap like this?).  I hope this isn’t a tell-tale of how the government plans to run it’s new car company…

So, on the same day that the President starts pushing for PAYGO (I didn’t see that one coming), and with the support of Democrat leadership in The House and too many Republicans, the “Cash for Clunkers” (no prejudice in a title like that…) program is passed. STORY

That’s some pretty schizophrenic shit.

She’s a Runner

Finally, I’ve collected enough parts to make the car run – thanks Sean!!!

I was at the shop yesterday until 8 with breaks only for food and trips to the

Finally - Burning Race Gas
Finally - Burning Race Gas

hardware and auto parts stores for various bits.  With luck, I may manage a couple of hours on the bike today – wishful thinking…

Now its down to detail stuff, an alignment and a thorough nut and bolt check.  We may make it to Rose Cup, after all.

P.J. O’Rourke’s New Book

I first read P.J. O’Rourke when I was a dorky teenager that simply couldn’t absorb too much information about cars.  O’Rourke was kind of like a brother er uncle to me – the uncle that would buy me a 12 pack of Miller High Life to drink with my buddies or a 4 pack of wine coolers to get a girl drunk…

Anyway, for those that don’t know him, he is one of the greats and this book includes the stories that were my first exposure to him.  When I reminisce about how I got this way, I see that some of the blame can be placed firmly on the shoulders of P.J. O’Rourke – thank you uncle.

Review

24 Hours of Lemons now mainstream?

but will it last?
but will it last?

I must say that I had expected this would happen – LeMons is  just a great idea and way too much fun.  The reason LeMons works is that there is a Benevolent Dictator that makes the rules – one of the most important rules is “Don’t be a Dick” (I’m paraphrasing).

 This is fun racing – it’s the way you imagined it would be when you were young and naive and your wallet hadn’t been emptied by your relentless efforts to drive your buddies (arch nemesiseseses) into the ground.  

But, while it was one thing when the big car magazines were fielding teams, it’s gone to a whole new level when Edmunds does a road test.

The validation I am feeling right now brings a tear to my eye…

Lemons Miata Road Test

Racing and Safety

I’ve always thought that bicycle racing is way sketchier than automobile racing (with the possible exception of the time I spent as a Pro Rally co-driver).  I don’t mean to beat up on organizers of bicycle races, but the typical logistical (Risk Management) work I see wouldn’t fly at an automobile road race (or Soapbox Derby, for that matter).  And no, I’m not volunteering for the job – just an observation.  I wrote something related to safety here.

Enough of PIR

I came across this  today as I was doing my morning reading.  If you weren’t aware, the riders in the Giro d’Italia staged a protest last week regarding safety.  This reminds me of Jackie Stewart’s (and later Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux) work toward making Formula One “safer” – they eventually succeeded.  Motor racing is safer for everybody because them – cycling will eventually benefit in the same way.  VeloNews Story

He’s Back…..

I don’t know how Ralph Nader ended up being considered an expert about anything – oh yeah, he wrote a book that made it more expensive to buy economical cars… Well, here he is again. If anybody could figure out what he’s trying to say, it just could be possible he’s right this time.

Anybody who thought (for even a second) that the Chrysler Dealers which the Obama Administration announced were “going overboard” wouldn’t hang onto the side of the boat is diluted. The Presidential Task Force on Automobiles is trying to dictate new law that arbitrarily confiscates the livelihood, and in some cases, life work of American business people.  Great idea… Nobody will mind… There won’t be lawsuits… Smooth as silk… Hope… Change…

Every child learns that you don’t get to change the rules once the game has started – everyone will suffer for this.  To extend the boat metaphor – the boat will sink with everybody left on it.

Story

Bicycle Law – Getting Along with Cars

A couple of weeks ago I was nearly run off the road by a motorist.  It is a common occurrence to be crowded by fast moving vehicles, and while it sometimes really pisses me off, I understand the frustration of some drivers when they approach riders that haven’t a clue that anybody else might be using the road.  In this case, however, I was a single bike traveling very close (6-12 inches) from the curb on a narrow road.  There was no oncoming traffic and I could have easily been passed safely with lots of room to spare.  But, it turned out, as I learned when we had the opportunity to discuss it 5 miles up the road, this guy simply hates cyclists – I mean, really hates cyclists, in a bulging vein, eyes popping out the head kind of way.

I must confess that I kind of enjoyed that part…

So anyway, I’ve been reading through Oregon and Washington bicycle law this week – I am searching for ways to communicate to both cyclists and motorists simple ways to improve how we get along.  I’ve started (unsuccessfully) this project before, but then during this week I’ve heard two radio talk hosts (one in Portland and one in Seattle) do segments that were pretty aggressively negative regarding bicycles on the road.  I think these incitements are potentially dangerous to, well, me, for example.  So, maybe rather than just whine about it, I could do something sort of positive – hopeless, I know…

The bicycle laws are complicated (hard to read), and this is part of the problem.  Washington State does have a pretty good “cheat sheet” on bicycle law.

Washington Bicycle Law

Oregon is a little bit tougher (but I’m still looking).  There is a document that includes all of the laws that apply to pedestrians and bicycles .  Part of the reason so few people understand these things becomes apparent – it’s long.

There is a good outline at the top that has links to different parts of the document.  Some of it is good to know.

Oregon Bicycle Law

There is a bit about “Unsafe Passing of Person Operating Bicycle” 811.065, and the term “Due Care” pops up occasionally.

Too make it simple, as cyclists, we are required to do what we would in a car.  Signalling continuously for 100 feet before stopping probably isn’t going to happen, for example, but it’s pretty clear these laws weren’t written by anybody with much time on a bike.

The same goes for rolling stop signs – in Oregon and Washington we’re supposed to stop.  Personally, I want to spend as little time as possible in intersections (I believe in most cases it is safest and many experienced cyclists quickly process the information to do it safely and without disrupting the flow of traffic), so I always slow, and then come to a complete stop (foot down) only when traffic flow and safety require it.  But, blowing through stop signs creates animosity and is not safest for anybody – so maybe we could use our heads a bit.

“Share the Road” means all of us.

Racing Bikes AND Cars

I’m lucky to have many “hobbies” of the type that just one would make me happy.  For the past 5 years, or so, there has been an ebb and flow between my bike hobby and my car hobby. 

Mt View Team
Mt View Team

I wouldn’t be able to do the car racing without help from friends and sponsors, and because of the relationships I’ve developed over time in the sport, I have an opportunity to race at the Rose Cup Races at Portland again this June.

The problem is balancing the time required to prepare for bicycle races such as the Mount Hood Cycling Classic June 4-7 and Rose Cup which begins with testing on the 11th.  The car I am to drive for Rose Cup is the same car Chuck Hall, Will Schrader, Jonny Davies and I won the 12 Hours of the Cascades with last November and that Jonny and I drove with Ken Sutherland and Bruce Wilson at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill (leading until all of the oil fell out through 4 big holes in the block).  Until last week, it was largely in the same state that it rolled (was towed) off the track in December.

12 Hours of the Cascades Winner
12 Hours of the Cascades Winner

The balancing process is hard (in a good way).  Yesterday, I rode my bicycle for a couple of hours before going to the race car shop to work on putting the car back together (new engine, transmission, differential, shocks, brakes, repair light body damage, etc).  Sean Hedrick of Miatacage.com has made the task possible by providing the big components in a mostly complete state.

Enduro / Rose Cup Spec Miata
Enduro / Rose Cup Spec Miata

This morning I will go to Silverton (near Salem) for a bicycle race with my Mt View Cycling team mates.  I’ll work for a couple of days (sneaking some cycling miles in) and collecting more of the parts needed for the enduro / Rose Cup car, with the goal of installing the drive train late next week.

If you drive, don’t…

As you may know, I’m not a huge fan of Federal Regulation.  A recent story in the Washington Times just makes me look upward and wonder again what everybody was thinking last November.

First, understand that I drive a lot for a guy that isn’t a long-haul trucker – about 30,000 miles / year.  I work, play and visit family and friends all over the west coast and I enjoy the freedom that a car provides.  And, I see all of the stupid stuff people do while they are driving .   Some of them should be relegated to mass transit, for sure, but the vast majority of American motorists kind of get it.

I was also involved with the Mothers Against Drunk Driving program early in my automobile racing career.  A team mate / car owner had a relationship with them and we would speak about their cause (the point being that I have long been familiar with traffic safety issues).  Some thought that the combination of our affiliation with MADD and being car racers made us more interesting talk show guests and speakers than aggrieved mothers – ya think?

On my last two trips to Seattle, traffic suddenly slowed from a speed 2-5 mph above the speed limit to 20 mph below it.  The reason? – signs on the side of Interstate 5 that announce that the speed limit is being “photo enforced”.  Are you kidding me?  I was told the same story by two friends who on different trips encountered the same phenomenon early in a crossing of Arizona.  In those cases traffic was travelling at 80 mph (which can be plenty safe and sane) and quickly slowed to sub 50 mph levels (not so safe).

So, I wonder – are they trying to improve public safety and prevent accidents, mayhem and death, or are they trying to trick people into breaking laws?  How about some simplified law that everybody can understand..?  I mean, until everybody figures out the easy stuff like you shouldn’t just tool along in the left lane at 55 nibbling on your dim sum, and that the law actually allows bicycles to use the road, we probably have enough rules – don’t you think..?

So finally, we get to the story and the inspiration for this post.  The fellow tagged by the Obama Administration to head the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), despite possibly good intentions, appears to be a nut, better suited to writing traffic law in Pyongyang.

Story

And just for fun – If you want to know what the Transportation Czar’s .04 Blood Alcohol Content means to you, here is a way to find out.

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