Racing When the Deck Feels Stacked Against Us
I may be an average racer, but GLTC makes even "average" a steep hill to climb. This is my take on what makes it so hard, and so worth it.
Ranting18
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Can Gridlife Grow Without Losing Its 'Vibe'?
The 2025 Gridlife season introduced a slew of changes aimed at long-term stability for an organization that was gaining momentum a decade after its creation. Unprecedented growth in recent years reached a tipping point in 2024, when Gridlife hired a new CEO intent on the "...continuation of the organization&...
Five Fixable Flaws in Motorsports
There are numerous frustrating aspects of the motorsports industry. As a business owner, I frequently ponder other sectors and companies to see what I can learn from them. Similarly, they could try to learn from others. Here are some of my pain points in the motorsports industry. Do you agree...
Apex vs. BBS: Riding the Line Between Inspiration and Imitation
Apex was founded in the late 2000s but gained traction in the mid-2010s. Their first model, the ARC-8, bore an eerie resemblance to the BBS RC. Catering to the BMW street and track enthusiast crowd, the ARC-8 was pitched on competitive prices, reasonable quality control, and various widths, offsets, and...
The End of My E30 Era
For over twenty years, the E30 platform has been a part of my identity, from being my first car to founding a community that still thrives today (E30sport → R3vlimited). My first autocross, track day, and timed competition were in an E30, and most of my closest friends are from the...
Those Who Can't Race, Coach
I haven't written much here on RISING EDGE since my time-crunch engine swap and the start of my racing season earlier this year. While I'd like to say that my hiatus has been because I've been busy, the truth runs deeper than that. Thanks...
Unpredictable Turns & Automotive 'Black Swans'
This is my third draft of this post. I've written over 600 words each time before realizing that my writing wasn't supporting my intended conclusion that sometimes we don't know what we don't know. This metaphor is also known as a black...
Rolling With The Punches
I've had a few car topics on my mind lately, so I apologize if this post is scattered. This week's central theme is that things don't always go as planned. Racing License Scare I had a mild panic attack last week during Gridlife'...
NASA Time Trial Target: Who Asked For This?
Yesterday, NASA announced a new competition format for the 2024 season: Time Trial Target (TTT). In short, TTT is bracket racing within Time Trials, awarding podium positions for the most consistent drivers of the day, regardless of which class they participate in. "The three drivers with the smallest delta...
Why I Sold One of My E30s
I recently sold one of my E30s. If you want the short version, it's because building and maintaining race cars is a lot of work. If you want the slightly longer version, it's also because my love of E30s has cooled off a lot this year....
Quality Instruction: A Game of Chance
I recently read a great article by the inimitable Ross Bentley, which highlighted some of the shortcomings of HPDE instruction. As a seasoned instructor and driving coach, Ross included many excellent ideas for better ways to coach and train new drivers. Train the Trainer: Monkeys, Late Apexes & Classroom SessionsWhy...
Setup Advice Sucks
Frequently I will come across a vague setup advice question along the lines of: My E36 understeers. How much front camber should I run? A question like this is needlessly restrictive (why camber?) and hard to answer accurately. There are so many missing variables, such as: