Automotive

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 12: A Slight Return: An Epilogue

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 12: A Slight Return: An Epilogue Tony Borroz attended the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.
Chapter 8: Barrel Roll here.
Chapter 9: A Wide Face here.
Chapter 10: Among The Fans here.
Chapter 11: After The Storm here.

It is Tuesday and the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 is now two days gone. Healey and I return to our car after taking in The Speedway’s museum and a quick, impromptu chat with Donald Davidson, the “professor emeritus” of Speedway history. We get in and amble slowly through the infield roads. The vast track complex is largely empty. All cars gone. All huge shiny team transporters long on the road to Detroit for the next race. Track vehicles neatly parked. Motorhomes, the private sanctuaries of drivers, mostly gone except for a half dozen or so.
Chance Encounter
We wander back toward Gasoline Alley, Bill’s car idling along at a slightly-better-than-walking pace. A weary, strung out security guard half-heartedly waves us through a check point. The complex of garages are all shuttered behind steel roll-up doors . . . except for one. By who knows what reasoning, the remnants of Dale Coyne’s team are still there, doing a final load-out and catching up with spares for the race. We park and get out to say hello, and there, to my absolute and honest wonder is Sebastien Bourdais. He’s sitting/leaning on the back of a golf cart, talking with various team members as they walk by carrying the bits and pieces that make up a modern day racing team.
Sebastien seems none the worse for wear, despite sitting at an odd angle and orientation – no doubt due to the fact that ten days ago, he slammed into a wall in excess of 225 mph at an impact of 100 Gs, breaking his hip and fracturing his pelvis in seven places.
He’s actually rather chatty, although he seems slightly restless and agitated. When asked how he’s feeling he answers in a bit of a world-weary way, partially due to this being the 2,459th time he’s answered these same questions, but such questions are reminders he will not be racing for quite some time; weeks, months, who knows. Although talkative as is his usual self, he’s also a bit slow to answer. He is no doubt on enough painkillers to knock even Keith Richards on his ass.
Sebastien Bourdais looks on during qualifying at the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Joe Skibinski.
Quiet Reflection
We chat a bit more then take off, winding our way out through the track. We leave via the north entrance, slowly tooling by the lined up jet-driers and safety cars, and the garages and storage sheds necessary for putting on The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
We return home, to the leafy, tree-lined street of suburban middle America and I pause and look down the street as Bill goes inside. I think of Sebastien Bourdais, a man who shouldn’t even be here. A man of uncommon talent and bravery and skill. I think of concepts like “luck” and “risk” and “mortality.” But mainly I think of the racers. I think of Sebastien Bourdais.
I think of Sebastien Bourdais. I think of Sebastien Bourdais. I think of my friend/acquaintance/guy I met. I think of a man who should be dead. I think of a man who, but for the grace of God or Fate or Luck is still alive. I think of Sebastien Bourdais.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
This series, Bricks And Bones, in its entirety can be found here.
Cover Photo: David Yowe.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-12-a-slight-return-an-epilogue/

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 11: After The Storm

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 11: After The Storm Tony Borroz attended the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.
Chapter 8: Barrel Roll here.
Chapter 9: A Wide Face here.
Chapter 10: Among The Fans here.

It’s mid-morning in Speedway, Indiana and I walk outside into the bright Memorial Day sunshine. It is as perfect and sunny as a small town Midwest spring day can get. Leafy green trees line the block. White clapboard houses. White picket fences. Carefully maintained yards and house-proud dwellings line the block, stretching out as far as one can see. Birds tweeting and chirping. All that’s missing is a toe-headed paperboy with a crewcut.
This would be postcard middle America to a tee. Pleasantville in 3D Technicolor.
Nothing that would make it remarkable in the least, but if I were to walk ten yards to my left, there it would be. A half-mile to the east is Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A low, glowering eminence grise whose presence can be felt, night and day. It glows through your consciousness, like a power source just into the infrared. But here, right now, there is nothing but a quiet holiday morning. Yesterday, and I mean less than 24 hours ago, the scene was utterly different.
Cordiality & Chow
The streets, even these residential streets nominally on the periphery of The Scene, were swarmed with people. Walking ten yards to my left, which is north, would have given a better picture. A mass of humanity all moving in one direction: towards the Speedway. And 98 percent of them are dragging coolers, hauling backpacks, carrying this and that, and all of them, all 100 percent, are jabbering and jibbering and talking and screaming and chatting and debating and conferring. And the closer you got to the track, the more intense it was. The place was awash in soda and beer and hotdogs and corndogs and deep fried turkey legs the size of a Cro-Magnon’s club.
Burgers, fries, nachos, greasy pizza slices the size of a snow shovel blade, chow-mien(?!), more burgers, more corndogs; food enough to feed an army. And everywhere you looked, the mass of humanity was dressed in shorts and t-shirts and tank tops, blaring nationalist slogans or team allegiances or declarations of wanton consumption of drink and substances. And all of them talking and burping and babbling and farting and guffawing and snorting and prattling and sweet Buddha there’s a lot of them.
Normally the attendance of the Indy 500 is around three to five hundred thousand. That is roughly the number of kids that showed up at friggin’ Woodstock and this happens every year, year in, year out. And these people, these bright, perennially cheerful, down home Midwest salt of the Earth folk welcome them in. It is a stunning display of hospitality right out of some old testament parable. “Need to park your car? Why, here’s a spot on our lawn. That’ll be $20.00.” The streets are lined with cars, the yards are packed with them too. The front yards and delightful screened in porches are full of people talking and eating and drinking. And the roads, always the roads are packed with a moving mass of humanity, going onward, ever onward toward The Track.
Fans gather in droves inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo: Walter Kuhn.
Picturesque Arrays
But that was yesterday. Short hours ago. Not even a full day. And now, not a speck of lawn is taken up by a vehicle. There is no trash to be seen anywhere, and I mean that: no trash. Later Healey and I do a bit of a driving tour, and the scene can only be described as stunning, and only in the context of what it was like the day before.
There was a huge parking lot the size of a shopping mall. Now it is a green, grassy field. Scores of port-a-potties are now neatly stacked on trailers, all patiently idling in line, waiting to merge with traffic. All souvenir booths are shuttered. Food stands of the most common and mass-produced eats imaginable are locked down and boarded up. The garbage cans, packed to overflowing yesterday are gone, completely gone. All refuse vanished as if on the whim of an invisible wind-god.
And the track, good Lord the track itself: a scattering of people here and there on the outside, but no signs of the throng of humanity that once was. The inside is eerie in its striking lack of people and its neatness. Here and there, maybe a total of 150 people where there were once hundreds of thousands. They walk and sweep and pick up the bits of leftover trash that has so far gone unaccounted for.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway the morning of the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Chris Owens.

Tranquil Territory
And the trash! It has all been collected up, piece by piece, and stuffed into rust-colored garbage bags, and the bags, tens of thousands of them, all neatly lined up at the end of each row of seats. The aluminum white horizontal stands against the strong rust of the vertically arranged garbage bags is like a Christo installation piece.
The contrast between what The Speedway brings, invites; desires even, with what the town is now shocks in the extreme.
Yes, this is Speedway, both in name and deed, but the vast majority of the year it is just a simple, small Midwestern town almost drowning in its own unpretentious charm. And now, not even a day after such noise and speed and riotous behavior, Speedway, Indiana is nothing but silence and slowness and subdued conduct. It is back to as it was. Again it is Pleasantville. It is deepest, whitest American. The heart of paleness close by the banks of the Wabash.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Shawn Gritzmacher.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-11-after-the-storm/

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 10: Among The Fans

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 10: Among The Fans Tony Borroz attended the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.
Chapter 8: Barrel Roll here.
Chapter 9: A Wide Face here.

Journalists are, as a group, pretty jaded and jaundiced about the world around them. Whatever their specialty, whatever little slice of the world they cover, it’s usually done so with barely concealed condescension and detachment. This is actually something you are more or less taught in college newswriting classes. Maintaining a sense of detachment is how a journalist stays objective.
American journalists have this fetish about being objective. But this fetishized objectiveness is the beginning of being jaded in progressively darker shades of green; jaundiced in ever-yellowing hues.
By The Book
Sportswriters, although they can and are encouraged to be fans of the sports they cover, are particularly focused on being objective. Just the facts ma’am. Hits. Runs. Strikes. Passes. Touchdowns. Scores. Statistics. Always tons and tons and tons of statistics. Especially for American sportswriters.
So there we all were, some 150 or so journalists in various shades of jaded experience about two-thirds of the way through the 2017 Indy 500. Assiduously watching, taking notes, scribbling passages, hammering on keys. We were covering the event. Get it all down, stitch it together, write a lead-in graph or two, a nice summation and, bada-boom, bada-bing, you’ve met your deadline, kept your Managing Editor happy, and lived to write another day.
Sixpence Suspense
A few times during the race this professional detachment fell away. Most notably during Dixon’s colossal accident, but most of the time the press area was quiet mumbles and typing, with the occasional four sentence conversations. It was in this setting, on a late race restart, all professionalism fell away from every one of us in that room in an instant. A pack of cars, indeed the second pack of cars behind the lead group, were all blasting down the back straight on the first green flag lap after a protracted caution period. All of a sudden, for reasons that were never clear, this pack of cars, the entire pack, all saw a passing opportunity. Someone checked up, or slowed or something, then the pack, and I mean the entire pack fanned out two – no three – no four – no SIX-wide.
Everyone, and I mean literally every one of us in the top level of the pressroom switched in that instant from being jaded, jaundiced reporters, and reverted back to what got us into this business in the first place: Race fans. Collectively we had been around racing long enough to know what was up, what was down, and what happens when things go sideways. And what we were now looking at was directly on the edge of going very, very sideways.
From the outside wall to the infield grass, six cars were now running side by side at 230 miles an hour. The biggest gap between any two cars was maybe the width of your palm. The slightest was the thickness of your hand. As the cars fanned out, we, the assembled press, all started screaming, and I mean screaming the exact same thing: “NO! No, no, NO, no, no, no, nononoNONONOOOOO!!!!”
Race fans watch the action at the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Chris Owens.

Instant Fans
We knew what we were going to see next. This was bad. This was toddler wandering into a running machine shop bad. This was bad to the point of taking us out of journalism entirely. There were too many cars, too much speed, and a quickly diminishing amount of space . . . and then, cooler heads prevailed. It was as if all six drivers realized what they were doing and, in a snap, sorted it out.
Marco backed out of the throttle. Another car dropped left and back. Alonso (you knew Alonso was going to be in the middle of this) somehow found more speed, gained a car length, and moved right. It was over in a second, maybe a second and a half, maybe two. But in that brief span of time, we journalists were reduced to being just fans at the track, watching the race, having a blast.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Chris Owens.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-10-among-the-fans/

Toyota Research Institute Joins Study On How Autonomous Cars Will Impact Workforce

Toyota Research Institute Joins Study On How Autonomous Cars Will Impact Workforce The Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is contributing $75,000 to the American Center for Mobility (ACM) for an analysis on how autonomous cars will impact driving-related jobs. ACM’s study, Preparing the Workforce for Automated Vehicles, is being conducted by Michigan State University in collaboration with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
“TRI is committed to advancing automated vehicle technology in ways that improve society and individual well-being, and we need to better understand the impact this may have on future jobs and employment,” said Dr. Gill Pratt, TRI CEO and Toyota Motor Corporation Fellow. “Our participation in this study can help address the societal effects in a meaningful way.”
Careful Examination
Officials say the research will provide key insight into the types of jobs that will be affected and to what degree. The study will also identify the skills and education needed for a more automated future. One of the study’s main objectives is to consider a “training template” for commercial drivers, especially in the areas of freight and package delivery, and taxi and ride-hailing.
“If autonomous vehicles become the norm, then truck drivers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, and Uber or Lyft drivers certainly will be impacted – and not in a good way,” Cliff Banks, President of The Banks Report, an automotive retail publication, told us in a special feature on autonomous cars in May. “I’ve watched Uber or Lyft drivers walk up to a house and help an elderly person down the stairs. Can an autonomous vehicle do that?”
Forward Looking
Toyota Motor North America was recently announced as a founding member of the Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity, a collaboration committed to exploring how autonomous vehicles will impact American workers as well as identifying opportunities to address future challenges. TRI is also in the process of constructing an autonomous vehicle test track in Michigan.
Preparing the Workforce for Automated Vehicles is expected to be published later this year.
“Industry involvement is paramount as we undergo this study, especially when we consider the implications on talent and how the potential needs of employers will shift,” said Soraya Kim, ACM’s Chief Innovation Officer and the study’s leader. “We thank TRI for their continued commitment and for being a partner to get this important work done.”
The Automoblog Staff contributed to this report and can be reached anytime.
Source: Toyota Research Institute, American Center for Mobility.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/toyota-research-institute-joins-study-on-how-autonomous-cars-will-impact-workforce/

2019 Honda Insight: The 55 MPG Beast

2019 Honda Insight: The 55 MPG Beast The 2019 Honda Insight hybrid is here, and it offers a whole lot of practicality and reliability with a familiar Honda face – none of that goofy, “look at me driving my car from Mars styling” (cough, Prius, cough) – and it gets you 55 MPG in the city.
Fifty-Five? Holy Sh-
Features & Trim Levels
It is, indeed, a relatively normal looking car. I’m not sure why the first gen hybrids, Priuseseseses and such, had to go with such goofy styling, but all I can assume is that now the car buying public is used to what a hybrid is, and Honda figures they’ll be more comfortable buying them regardless of the wrapper.
Honda says the 2019 Insight has an EPA rating of up to 55 mpg in the city, lots of premium features, and starts at $22,830. Which strikes me as very inexpensive for what you get in the three different trim levels: LX, EX, and Touring. All trim levels come standard with multi-element LED headlights, push-button start (racy!), and the Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety and driver-assist technologies.
Other Insight EX goodies include the eight-inch display/audio system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Insight Touring adds leather seating surfaces, an eight-way power driver’s seat, Honda’s Satellite-Linked Navigation System, and dual-zone automatic climate control.
But let’s face it, Honda figured out how to make near-perfect automotive interiors back in the 80s. All the cool, discussion worthy stuff here lies under the hood, or unseen altogether.
2019 Honda Insight: Photo: Honda North America.
Power & Performance
The 2019 Insight is motivated by a third-gen Honda two-motor hybrid drivetrain. A 1.5-liter DOHC i-VTEC Atkinson-cycle inline-4 engine does the heavy lifting, and features a 40.5-percent thermal efficiency rating. That ICE is mated to an electric propulsion motor, cranking out 197 lb-ft. of torque. The whole shootin’ match adds up to a total system output of 151 horsepower.
Honda points out how this two-motor design allows the Insight to run without the need for a conventional automatic transmission. Hmmm, I bet tearing the drivetrain apart on one of these guys would be interesting and fun.
Honda further tweaks the energy regeneration system through the use of steering wheel-mounted Deceleration Selectors. These work similar to transmission paddle shifters, and allow you to toggle between three different levels of regenerative braking performance. Grab the left selector to increase regenerative braking, and the right to reduce it. Honda says the system not only increases battery charging via regeneration, but also helps reduce strain on the brakes themselves, letting the driver tailor their regenerative braking level for different conditions.
And yeah, that’s cool and all that, but why don’t you people make an Si variant where the paddles allow you to tailor performance? Just a thought.
Photo: Honda North America.
Drive Modes & Battery Placement
The full hybrid powertrain on the Insight uses power from all systems – the gasoline engine and electric motors – to accommodate the driving conditions you might find yourself in, moment to moment, and can seamlessly shift through three distinct drive schemes.
In EV Drive, the Insight is powered completely by its electric drive motor, drawing power from the battery. In Hybrid Drive, the gasoline engine drives a generator that supplies electrical power to the drive motor and, in certain circumstances, Engine Drive operation connects the gasoline engine directly to the drive wheels, the way Gottlieb Daimler intended.
The battery for the 2019 Insight lives under the rear seats, housed in something called a “compact intelligent power unit.” The clever packaging solution allows the Insight to offer an impressive 15.1 cubic feet of trunk space. You can fold the rear seatback for long loads (with a 60/40 split in EX and Touring trims), and there’s a grand total of up to 97.6 cubic feet of interior space.

Manufacturing & Pricing
The 2019 Insight will join Honda’s lineup of electrified vehicles, alongside the Clarity series – Clarity Fuel Cell, Clarity Electric, and Clarity Plug-In Hybrid – and the new Accord Hybrid. The 2019 Insight is manufactured at Honda’s Greensburg, Indiana plant, while the 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle two-motor system, intelligent power unit, and hybrid battery pack is produced in Ohio.
Below is a handy chart that shows you the breakdown for the 2019 Honda Insight.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz
Trim
MSRP
MSRP Including $895 Destination
EPA Fuel Economy Ratings(city / highway / combined)
Insight LX
$22,830
$23,725
55/49/52
Insight EX
$24,060
$24,995
55/49/52
Insight Touring
$28,090
$28,985
51/45/48
Photos & Source: Honda North America.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2019-honda-insight-the-55-mpg-beast/

Letter From The UK: Brexit & Car Industry Repercussions

Letter From The UK: Brexit & Car Industry Repercussions The Saturday just past, June 23rd, was a significant milestone for the United Kingdom. It was on that very date two years ago that the British public – or at least those who could be bothered to get up off the couch and go vote – elected to leave the bloated political arena that is the European Union.
Since then we have endured 24 months of increasingly nasty and often false promises and threats and the automotive industry is at the heart of it. The appalling division this nightmare has engendered can be compared to that which has taken place in the USA since President Trump was sworn in.
The difference is that, in America’s case, the divisive issue is a person, in the case of the UK it is an ideal.
Brave New World
In the shining light of a new dawn in American politics, the election of Donald Trump could be seen as a stunning repudiation of the establishment. How successful he has been will depend upon who you ask; there is no middle ground it seems.
Similarly, over 40 years ago the British people were sold a new economic deal that made total sense, although there was no mention of political union. Depending upon who you ask, the EU is either a great success or it is an ideological empty bucket with a hole in it through which tax payer money pours. The envisioned brave new world of mutual respect has, since that fateful day two years ago, crumbled into the sort of bickering you expect in a school playground.
On the one side a weak and vacillating British government, on the other a bunch of un-elected arrogant stuffed shirts. It’s a disaster and one of the biggest headaches is what to do about the car industry.

Abandon Ship
In the halls of power it is all about who is in control and wearing the biggest hat, which is of no help whatsoever to importers and exporters. We are due to leave the Union in March 2019. With so much to decide you would think it would be in the interests of all involved nations to get it sorted out, but no. Is it any wonder that car makers and all the ancillary manufacturers and producers involved in the building of cars have not a clue about which way to jump.
It does not help when companies like BMW threaten to leave the UK entirely. Well, they are a German company so they would say that, wouldn’t they? The fact is that Great Britain is a strong market for BMW cars and their other badges, Mini and the prestigious Rolls Royce. Why is it reasonable they would do something like that?
It gets worse. Instead of looking ahead and arriving at positive decisions you get this: The very pro-Europe Dutch government have chosen to make threats. They have issued advice to all businesses in The Netherlands warning their exporters that they may lose free trade access under existing deals “if a large part of your product consists of parts from the UK.”

Rules of Engagement
You see, after Brexit, component parts made in the UK will no longer count towards the ‘rules of origin’ and ‘local content’ under international trade rules. To qualify for EU free trade deals, normally at least 55 percent of a product’s parts must come from an EU country. In the case of automobiles this could count against them. Ford, for example, makes a huge number of engines here, some of which are exported for the production of their products in Europe.
Not only does Britain make whole cars for export, we also provide car parts in huge quantities. If we are not in the EU our exported goods could attract trade tariffs of the type the American President is currently threatening.
Of course there are ways around these issues. Norway for example has a different deal with the EU that works for them; it wouldn’t work for the UK but it demonstrates that it is possible to get a deal. Reasonable people can see this but, of course, politicians are rarely reasonable.
Geoff Maxted is a motoring writer, photographer, and author of our Letter From The UK series. Follow his work on Twitter: @DriveWrite

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/letter-from-the-uk-brexit-car-industry-repercussions/

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 9: A Wide Face

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 9: A Wide Face Tony Borroz attended the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.
Chapter 8: Barrel Roll here.

Years ago, there was a movie starring David Bowie called Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. In addition to starring Bowie, Tom Conti, and a bunch of other people, the main antagonist was played by Ryuichi Sakamoto. In the reviews, Ryuichi Sakamoto was referred to as “Japan’s David Bowie,” because, like Bowie, he was a musician and composer who was just getting into acting. One of the people interviewed about the movie, a Japanese film journalist, described Sakamoto as “having a wide face.”
It would seem this is a Japanese term meaning, roughly, that the person is very famous.
As I looked down from my perch in the press building at Takuma Sato in the winner’s circle, all huge smiles and waving, my first thought was, “Takuma Sato now has a very wide face.”
Neck & Neck
It was a very enjoyable, thrilling, and fascinating race. Sato, or Taku or Taku-san as his fellow racers call him, became the first Japanese driver to ever win the Indianapolis 500. He did it with style, grace, and astonishing amounts of speed. It some ways, this was rather surprising. Sato has been a fixture on the IndyCar circuit for a while now, and before that, on the Grand Prix circuit. He had only won a single IndyCar event. He was, and how can I put this diplomatically, a bit of a nutcase. Sato was known for being brave and quick and seemingly fearless. He was also known for taking chances and trying gonzo passing maneuvers that rarely worked, usually taking out one or more competitors in the process.
Towards the end of this year’s 500, he was at the front of the field. And in the final laps, it boiled down to a two man race between Sato and Helio Castroneves – three time Indy champion and former Dancing With The Stars winner. Castroneves, a Brazilian, is outgoing, effusive, and animated to an extreme. Most Brazilians have that rep, but Castroneves is like that on top of your usual Brazilian ebullience. He is also a racer. Always fast and competitive, Castroneves races with a flair and style on top of his outright speed that makes him highly entertaining to watch. When he wins, he is known for climbing out of his car and scaling the nearest catch-fence, pumping his fists, and screaming for joy at the fans.
Takuma Sato moments after winning the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Chris Owens.
Hot Laps, Hot Mic
With just a handful of laps to go, it was either going to be Taku-san or Castroneves. Either way it was going to be history-making. If Sato could do it, he would be the first Japanese winner. Indeed the first Asian, period. If it was Castroneves, he would join an elite group of racers who have won the Indy 500 four times. In 100 Indy 500s, only three men have won four times: A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., and Rick Mears. So no matter what happened, this would be historic.
Or, Sato would go all gonzo again and crash and take both of them out. Or Castroneves would let passion drive his right foot and crash and take both of them out. Neither of those happened, thankfully. Castroneves tried a couple of moves on Sato going into one, but none of them worked. And down the straights, Sato’s Honda-powered Andretti Racing entry had more speed than Castroneves’ Chevy.
As he took the checkers, Sato, wanting to share his joy and thank the team, keyed the radio button on his steering wheel. Unfortunately, it was not the “closed channel” button to just Michael Andretti and the rest of the team. It was the “open broadcast” button and it was sent out to the entire world.
Sato was screaming like a kid at Christmas who just got every toy in the catalog. Although he is rather outgoing and known for having a huge grin continually plastered on his face, this was Sato in a full joyous explosion of sentiment. At the awards banquet later that night, Tony Kanaan, a former teammate of Sato’s, and a Brazilian only slightly less outgoing than Castroneves, announced he had already downloaded Taku-san’s on air celebrations as the Sato-specific ringtone on his phone.
Photo: David Yowe.

Nice Guys Finish First
The rare thing about Sato is how all the other drivers seem to genuinely like the guy. Everybody, even Castroneves who desperately wanted win number four, seemed just as happy as Taku-san was. I heard more than once, from journalists, team owners, mechanics, and fellow racers that “it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.” And they were all sincere. And they were all right. Takuma Sato is just one of those nice people you run into a few times each day, only he happens to be a racer, and now a winner of the Indy 500.
Given the Japanese society’s predilection for popularity, fads, and expansive love of fame, everyone said Japan was going bonkers within moments of the news. And Taku-san pretty much lost it on the podium. The traditional drink of milk from an old-time glass bottle was four huge swallows, followed by dumping the remaining contents directly onto his head while grinning and laughing. It was the image of the race. It perfectly captured how Takuma Sato felt. At that moment, I had a mental image of his face on billboards in Tokyo and Nagoya and such. Huge grin. Unbridled delight.
“Taku-san now has a very wide face,” I thought.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Shawn Gritzmacher.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-9-a-wide-face/

Dallas Organization Addressing Transportation Woes For Low-Income Individuals

Dallas Organization Addressing Transportation Woes For Low-Income Individuals

I often take my personal vehicle for granted because automobiles in my line of work are so common. I think nothing of it as I jump in my vehicle to run errands, attend meetings, and go see friends. I think nothing of it when, during an auto show, I visit with consumers about trim packages and performance capabilities of a particular model.
However, this is something Josephine Castillo, a Dallas area resident, is not accustomed to. Lacking the freedom reliable transportation provides is a battle she knows all to well.
Empty Nest
Castillo is bright and bubbly, chatting with me one sunny afternoon as she clocks out from her job at a nearby call center. While she is proud of her long history in customer service, the self-described “parenting, grandparent” speaks with a particular warmth regarding the four grandchildren she is now raising; ages 10, 8, 3, and 4. Castillo derives strength from them, especially as she finishes her bachelor’s degree in Christian studies through Grand Canyon University.
“I am the first in my family to attend college, so there is a lot of new beginnings here, but I was nervous when I started,” she said. “I dropped out of school growing up, and even though my mother tried to keep things together as best she could, I still had a broken home.”
Castillo then recalls her battles with empty nest syndrome in 2013, an event sometimes experienced by parents when their children leave home for the first time. Despite her best efforts, she fell into a deep depression which later lead to the loss of her job, car, and residence.
“I don’t know, I guess it just hit me really hard,” Castillo said. “I got so sad I just couldn’t get myself out of bed.”
To make matters more pressing, by the time 2014 arrived, Castillo was now, through a series of difficult circumstances, the primary caregiver for her grandchildren. Little by little, she climbed her way out of debt.
“I was on the train, on the bus, going to work, taking the classes to become a certified adoptive parent, and taking the kids to daycare,” Castillo recalled.
On the Road Lending’s car loan program helps clients who need affordable, reliable cars – one of the most essential components for building a strong life. Photo: John B. Sutton, Jr., Sutton Photography.
Limited Access, Maximum Stress
When Castillo was volunteering with the Salvation Army, she learned about On the Road Lending, a Dallas-based organization that provides affordable loans for reliable, late-model cars. Although Dallas has a substantial mass transit system, especially in terms of light rail, less than 15 percent of the jobs in the area are reachable through it. In Dallas County alone, where On the Road Lending is located, 68 percent of households have subprime credit, about 550,000 families. Furthermore, about 10 percent of the vehicles (around 489,000 cars) in North Texas have failed emissions testing, and are predominantly registered to low-income families.
“Access is critical to everything in life. We have to get to our jobs, get our kids to school, go to the store, get to the doctor, or see friends,” said Michelle Corson, Founder and CEO, On the Road Lending. “If you are trapped without a reliable car or you are trying to make mass transit work, it creates a tremendous amount of stress.”
In 2015, The Atlantic penned a commentary about how mass transit is failing those who need it most, from mechanical problems and fare increases, to excessive wait times and limited access. Those resolved to using public transit often combat these shortcomings daily. Corson, with her finance background, created On the Road Lending to tackle social concerns like this.
“I saw transportation was an issue in Texas, and even though we have the largest mass transit system in the U.S. in Dallas in terms of linear rail miles, very few people use it,” Corson said. “I thought we could provide a way for low-income families to buy a good car if we created an impact investment loan fund where we could enable them to purchase something better at a lower cost.”
Meanwhile, Castillo struggled to get around and maintain life with the children now in her care. One thing they enjoyed most was going to church as a family, but she did not have the luxury of a leisurely Sunday drive. Getting to a morning service was near impossible.
“We might be able to get there on the bus, but maybe not back; or becasue of the particular day a church activity fell on, we could only make it halfway, then have to walk, if we even made it at all,” Castillo recalled. “When we couldn’t be there it really took a drain on us becasue we were missing out.”
On the Road Lending CEO, Michelle Corson (left) is deeply involved with clients. “We are constantly amazed at how resilient our clients are in the face of a lot of adversity,” she said. Photo: John B. Sutton, Jr., Sutton Photography.

Sincere Framework
Through On the Road Lending’s character-based model, Castillo was able to obtain an affordable loan for a 2013 Nissan Quest. It’s reliable with enough room for her grandchildren, but without On the Road Lending, owning such a vehicle would have been impossible for Castillo. Through character-based lending however, she had a second chance.
“Credit scores developed and became a way that lenders could evaluate risk quickly,” Corson explained. “We had a suspicion that credit scores might not be the best predictor of a person’s ability to be a responsible borrower.”
On the Road Lending’s model examines other factors, such as how long a person has been employed or lived at their current residence. The model even covers how willing an applicant is to own their past mistakes, and includes a personal essay as one of the requirements.
“I want to be a person of integrity and a person of my word,” Castillo said. “I used to quit things in a heartbeat; I used to run from things, but I want to set a new example and have a good name.”
Photo: John B. Sutton, Jr., Sutton Photography.

Essential Relationships
Corson was close to the automotive business for 15 years, while Chief Operating Officer, Mary Burnett once owed three dealerships. Both Corson and Burnett leveraged their knowledge of the car business to build a network of dealerships across Texas. One of the most vital is Toyota of Richardson, a large Toyota store in the Dallas/Ft. Worth region which serves about 80 percent of On The Road Lending’s clients.
“They understand what our organization is all about and they are very kind to our clients, which is of the utmost importance to us,” Corson said. “They recognize that our clients don’t have a lot of time to spend at the dealership and that many are very vulnerable.”
When Burnett and Corson first visited Toyota of Richardson, they were impressed with the level of customer service. The dealership is known for its transparency and community roots going back over 30 years. The average employee has stayed there for over a decade, with many pushing the 15 to 25 year mark. After visiting dozens of dealerships in the area, Corson and Burnett took an instant liking to Toyota of Richardson.
“They explained to me their overall mission and gave me some insight into their clients and expectations for partnering dealers,” said Brian Pacheco, Sales Director, Toyota of Richardson. “The program is designed to empower individuals by providing knowledge and encouragement, along with the means of reliable transportation, to better their life and the lives’ of their family.”
On the Road Lending clients are often single parents, domestic violence survivors, immigrants, refugees, veterans, working families, and first-time buyers. Photo: John B. Sutton, Jr., Sutton Photography.
Genuine Involvement
Like Corson and Burnett, Pacheco was also concerned with the number of people who either had a high mileage, unreliable vehicle, or no vehicle at all.
“We are working to provide reliable transportation and quality financing options to individuals that would have previously resorted to “buy-here, pay-here” lots and other situations that result in predatory lending,” he said.
On the Road Lending’s character based-model is a natural pairing with Toyota of Richardson’s sales approach.
“We train our staff on being straightforward and honest, and we pride ourselves in hiring quality people to interact with our customers,” Pacheco said. “The staff here have taken a personal interest in the well-being of On the Road Lending clients, and our salespeople commonly talk about how grateful the clients are and how rewarding it is to be part of the process.”
“We have nothing but good things to say about their entire organization,” Corson added.
Photo: John B. Sutton, Jr., Sutton Photography.
Serenity & Solutions
Currently, On the Road Lending is active in Texas but is potentially expanding to 20 additional markets by 2022. Those who wish to inquire about loans may do so through the organization’s website.
“Very few people understand that transportation is a huge issue for lower-income families,” Corson said. “We are working hard to raise awareness, as well as to provide a practical solution for people that is both immediate and lasting.”
“I had to make some changes in my life but they helped me, they really helped me,” Castillo said. “Having a reliable car has eliminated so much stress, especially for little things like running to the store to get a loaf of bread.”
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/dallas-organization-addressing-transportation-woes-for-low-income-individuals/

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 8: Barrel Roll

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 8: Barrel Roll Tony Borroz attended the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.

Watching the Indy 500 from my perch in the top floor of the press center was interesting. At first, I was surprised at how professional all the drivers were. They dropped the green flag and they all snarled off into turn one with seemingly little drama.
It was sort of like standing by the barrel of an enormous shotgun that was fired every 40 seconds or so.
Quiet Sunday
For the longest time, the laps just clicked off. Nobody did anything stupid. There were no gonzo dives for the inside, no low percentage moves that were doomed to failure. The racing was just as clean as could be. The first round of pit stops were largely the same way. My spot was directly behind Simon Pagenaud’s pit box and a little off from where Hélio Castroneves was. It was amazing to watch the Penske pit crews do their jobs with flawless precision.
The press center is a four story building right next to The Panasonic Pagoda, the tall timing and scoring tower. The top is a glass box that can easily accommodate 125 members of the press. There are screens everywhere, and we got the direct audio feed from race control so we knew when they’d throw yellow flags, and when they’d go back to green.
About half the press stayed at their desks – long rows of tables with power and data hook ups – either banging away on laptops or staring at the TV feed on the screens. The rest of us were lined up along the windows, watching the cars, now broken up into packs of 8 or 10, blasting down the straight, over the yard of bricks, and into turn 1 doing 230 or so. Then as the cars zoomed out of sight, we would all turn to the screens and watch until they came back around again.
Photo: Doug Matthews.
Airborne Assault
This was our rhythm until, on lap 53, backmarker Jay Howard either drifted up into the gray exiting turn 1, or was pushed up there by Ryan Hunter Reay (it depends on who you ask). He slithered up into the outside wall, then slowly slid back down the track directly into the path of oncoming traffic. The main pack had already blown by us, so everyone in the media center was watching the screens when a minor screw up turned into a very bad day.
Howard’s car, now damaged beyond control in the initial impact, slid back down the track and nearly missed Tony Kanaan’s #10 Honda powered entry. This caused a collective exhalation from the assembled press. But now Howard’s car was pretty much in the middle of the track, grinding to a halt directly in front of the oncoming Scott Dixon who was powerless to do anything but ram Howard at around 225 mph.
Everyone in the press room let out a “ohhhh-ahhhhAAAAAHHHHH-OH!” as Dixon impacted Howard’s car and was flat out launched like a low angle mortar round. Dixon, a highly personable and perennially grinning Kiwi, arced through the air, reaching an apogee of around 25 or 30 feet. Helio Castroneves appeared on the scene doing well over 200 miles an hour, and dove for the last open space, which was directly under Dixon’s car, mid-parabola.
Scott Dixon (front left) in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Bret Kelley.

Tumble & Fall
Dixon’s car was in a corkscrewing tumble by the time he was on his way down, starting to do a neat full barrel roll as Helio scooted under. His downward arc was a perfect illustration of geometry and physics until all hell broke loose. Dixon clipped the inside catch fence, started to tumble, and came down half-sideways/half-upside down onto the inside wall, directly onto his open cockpit.
This caused the assembled press to fall into what I can only describe as inchoate screaming as Dixon’s car literally ripped itself in half. The press room seemed to explode with monosyllabic gibberish. We were all educated racing journalists. We all knew, usually first hand, what the cost of this sport could be.
Now it was very hard to know where to look. Shrapnel was flying everywhere. The entire rear end of the car – the transaxle, rear suspension, brakes, uprights, wheels, and tires – all sheered completely off and slung back towards the outside wall in a terrifying kinetic twist, narrowly missing oncoming cars. Dixon’s car continued its high speed tumble, each bit of rotation shedding more and more pieces. Finally, the car came to rest, sitting upright, rendered down to the tub, and with the left front suspension and wheel still attached. The engine, which everyone at first thought had been sheered off, had actually been compressed forward by one of the multiple impacts, tamping it fully into the fuel tank, which miraculously remained intact and did not rupture.
As the car came to rest, the safety crews were already rolling up and, astonishingly, Scott Dixon unbuckled his belts and climbed from the cockpit. What can only be described as a roaring silence filled the press room. Had the car rotated another 10 degrees at most, it would have struck the top of the retaining wall flat on, and no doubt torn Dixon apart or decapitated him or both.
Scott Dixon. Photo: Scott Dixon Official Facebook Page.
Miracle In Indy
Our stunned silence gave way to wild urgent question of those closest to you; “what did you see? what did it look like?” As the multiple replays rolled on, everyone was gasping and shaking their heads and muttering to themselves and one another. The replays showed that not only had Dixon really clobbered the inside wall, but his car had grabbed the debris fence like a giant hand, sweeping it aside like a curtain.
Dixon was checked and, somehow, released without any significant injuries minutes after the accident. Miraculous doesn’t even begin to describe this outcome. Every time I see the replay it seems like there are a dozen times Scott Dixon should have died. I looked at an older, grizzled sportswriter standing next to me and asked, “what’s the Powerball lottery up to?”
“What!?” was his incredulous response.
“If I was Dixon, I’d by a lotto ticket on the way home tonight,” was my answer.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Photo: Scott Dixon Official Facebook Page.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-8-barrel-roll/