The Motor Law

Automotive journalism means nothing. Not anymore. The same way a life or death case has been made of every fad diet under the sun, so has the love and hate for every automobile imaginable. What’s left? The most neglected aspects of human existence; NUANCE & CONTEXT. 

It’s become trite to say we are both connected to each other digitally more than ever imaginable but also as disconnected as humanly possible from purity, raw emotion and human spirit. 

But that’s where the good stuff is. That’s where we relate to each other.

Not another overly edited video of some rich slug driving an overpriced hunk of metal up some country road. Been there, done that. It was cool when imagined through cheap ink and paper in 30 year old issues of Road & Track. Now, it’s exploitative, boring, and an uncreative cop out. 

That’s not what you fall in love with. 

You fall in love with the drive itself, or perhaps the sound the fuel pump makes when you turn the key. You fall in love with the way your son smiles every time the cup holder folds out of the dashboard. The glamour shots are for the internet, where passion likes to migrate to before it dies and no longer brings the same smiles.

Everything is temporary if you desensitize yourself enough. 

“I really like depriving myself of things, it’s fun” -Cosmo Kramer

Understand, it can all be a dream if you avoid the ebb. Do not over consume anything, especially the shit you love. Instead, get to the point where the tiniest functions, gestures and gleams fill your cup. 

Your old man had it right. He drove a woodgrain estate to work and a 911 for coffee on the weekends. He wore crewnecks and tight jeans. He lifted weights & jogged. He ate steak and eggs for breakfast and read road and track & Newsday. He listened to Casiopea, George Benson and Earl Klugh on tape and practiced guitar on Friday nights. He went fishing in the summer and brought your mother flowers every week. He wore Sambas and looked a bit like Frank Zane when he sucked it in at the beach. He watched boxing, motor racing and hockey cos all other sports were shite. He put you on his shoulders at Watkins Glen and let you have two ice creams cos it was hot that day. Deep down he knew Senna took too many chances but he loved him anyway. He drank canned beer and only smoked a cigarette or two when he was really on one. He did hard things routinely. Coffee black, ribeye rare.

Some of the best moments of my life have been spent in the Daytona Garages, the Friday night before the 24 hour race. The typically crisp, windy air blowing through the bays, chilling our bones while air guns chatter and cars get pushed around the grounds in preparation for one of America’s greatest racing events. 

We talk as friends and family. We bond deeply while the war horses await their fate, their purpose. These are the moments I’ll take with me. These are the moments I think about when I need peace or meaning. These are the moments I gaze upon throughout the rest of the year, in good times and bad. I hope to pass these onto my son and daughters. I hope they can understand the meaning of things like this. It’s not just about racing or the motorcar, it’s something deeper. I think of the scene at the end of Traffic. We are passengers here. This is how we are meant to feel so that we can suffer elsewhere knowing this is possible. This is why I love this passion, sometimes to a fault. 

I am lucky enough to get this moment in good company every year. I want to thank those whom I have shared it with and I hope this humble, tiny speck of dust within the infinite world of the internet lives on long after I am gone so that the spirit of these beautiful moments can be remembered by those who will come after me. 

Thank you.

-Nick Petakas

…I see my favorite racing driver of days gone by prefers a specific shoe, I hunt them down so I can pretend I am them; every morning on my commute to work. In reality I am less than an hour removed from a workout, slightly bloated from ingesting a good deal of supplements with water and a scoop or two of whey protein. In my mind I am Walter Rohlrl being asked to test BMW’s latest effort to compete within the Group A Rally Championship. They combined their previous world beating touring car champion E30 with the styling of their newly available 3 series E36 in a tight, compact, short wheelbase package and called it the 318ti. Here I come, showing up like Senna in at Suzuka to get his first ride in the new NSX. Everything in it’s right place. Not a hair running astray.

The car, though low on power is a dream to drive. Responsive as all heck. Buzzy in all the right ways. 

I get back to the support tent where the crew awaits my feedback. I’ve got to run because I have wedding anniversary plans I cannot miss. I offer my praises and criticisms and look forward to meeting them again in Monte Carlo, where we should have more time to get acquainted and talk more specifically about the car.

The soundtrack for this daydreaming adventure would be Private World’s “A Private World”

Today’s bit of YouTube serenity comes from the great VHS Rallies channel and their unearthing of this great in period factory Ford promotional video re: the Focus WRC.

Winter is such a great time for videos like these showcasing the build process with in house footage of them developing the car etc. There will be a very familiar face a couple minutes in but I will let that Easter Egg speak for itself. Not only has Ford done everything and anything in Motorsport successfully but they also low key have such a great alumni.

As an avid, racing fan, it is easy to become desensitized to modern GT racing. Over the course of the last 10 years GT3 has become over saturated to say the least. It is a shame that both GT3 and GT4 have taken the place of street tuner and touring car classes. However, that is the world we live in, and if that is what it takes to get manufacturers to stay involved in motorsport then, so be it.

I believe we are in the middle of a sports car Renaissance from top to bottom. It’s already happening in prototypes, and I believe the consolidation of the WEC and IMSA to one, GT3 class is going to lead to some of the most diverse grids we’ve ever seen paired with incredible racing.

The presence of Ford and Chevrolet cannot be overlooked, but it is important to not take for granted the many manufactures who have been competing within these formulas for quite some time. Porsche, as usual being the prime example with how their customer motorsport program is structured. We also get incredible efforts from former touring car giants such as BMW, Mercedes and Audi, many of which I do not believe we’d have seen on racing grids if not for the modern GT class structure.

Therefore, I think it is important that we recognize how diverse and fan friendly GT racing actually is, despite the over saturation. It was not long ago, that we witnessed hardly any participation from the top endurance, racing classes, only to be saved by the well subscribed to GT3 presence.

And now, going into 2024 all of that is improving rapidly with the two major American manufacturers adding to the melting pot.

So, while it may be a chore to watch a modern DTM or World Challenge sprint race, it is important that we value the GT product as a whole. I am old enough to realize that I have taken certain eras of motorsport for granted in the past, and I want to be careful to not do that again.

Driving tune this week is another from the Who. Old Top Gear vibes. Will make any drive in any car feel like a film shoot.

Passats De Canto has done it again just in time for the holiday season.

File under: YouTube Serenity, and if anyone has a line on a to scale model of the Peugeot/Talbot support van featured a couple of minutes in, please send a link!

Videos like this are why the internet always wins. As toxic as it can be, it is equally capable of offering pure bliss, education and a true sanctuary for niche interest in basically anything.

Something that could easily be taken for granted but up to just a few years ago, no one could dream this type of thing could be available within seconds at the touch of your fingertips. I am equal parts grateful and hateful of you, dear internet.