I appreciate the irony of naming the annual summer pilgrimage to Barber Motorsports Park, ‘Winter in July.’ And just like in previous years, the weather did not disappoint. The heat index was 101 degrees, with clear and brutally intense skies. But with a racetrack as iconic as Barber...
Exo Car ‘Ghettocet’ Build Guide Part 8: Roll Cage Mount Plates
It is finally here: the fabrication portion of the exo car build. Getting to this point has been quite the process: digging up all of my old equipment and piecing together a functional fabrication space. But with all of the prep work behind me, it is time to build the roll cage. The first step is...
What is Driftopia?
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...
Making a Tube Bender Stand (Out of an Old Engine Stand)
Converting the JD2 Mechanical Tube Bender to Hydraulic … on a Budget
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...
Driver Cooling and How to Stay Cool in the Racecar
NOCO NLP30: The Budget, Lightweight Lithium-ion Racecar Battery
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...
Exo Car “Ghettocet” Build Guide Part 7 – Roll Cage Considerations
An Unusual Weekend at Nashville Superspeedway – May 2024
NA Miata MX-5 Front Wheel Bearing / Hub Assembly Replacement
Failure Points: NA Miata Front Wheel Bearing
Exo Car “Ghettocet” Build Guide Part 6 – Addressing the Surface Rust
The 1991 Mazda Miata from which I am building the exo car has led a rough life. This was especially evident when I finished the chassis cleaning in part 5; quite a bit of surface rust was exposed. Usually, I would wait to address the rust during the fabrication process while fitting the roll cage...