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About Me


I have been writing on here for several years now and I figured I owe you all a proper introduction; a bio of sorts and a bit of background about how I got where I am now. A proper introduction starts at the beginning, of course, so that's exactly where I'll start.

The first birthday gift I can remember was a black 1:18 scale Lamborghini Countach. I was 4 at the time. While other kids collected cool bedroom wall posters, I collected model cars and raced them on the floor. The word "video game" for me was nearly synonymous with Need For Speed while I was growing up, until it turned into some sort of Fast & Furious franchise. I shifted my focus to Gran Turismo and then Forza after that. Trips to amusement parks always frustrated my friends. Everyone wanted to go and ride at least once on every fun ride. I just wanted to wait in line for go-karts all day.

By the time I was 11, I was taking my dad's 1.0 litre, 3 cylinder Opel Corsa for drives around a private industrial park... off-road, so it was technically legal. I used to find puddles of standing water so I could do burnouts. Dad wasn't happy when he found that out, in case you're curious. For as long as I can remember, I have been crazy about cars (well, the ones that matter anyway). Naturally, that meant I decided I wanted to make a living working on cars at a young age.

With a great interest in suspension and powertrain systems, I knew I wanted to become a mechanical engineer before high school. I didn't know much else at the time but that plan never changed until I graduated high school. As a result, I did end up going to university and studied mechanical engineering. I graduated in 2011 with my degree, but life called with a local job offer that I had to take. I called back, however, and said: Hey life, I'm not done with cars. I will drive, race, and write about them. I dipped my toes in high performance driving once in 2011. I was hooked. I came back a couple more times in 2012. It was nowhere near enough.



I came back every chance I got every year after that. By 2016, I was racing with a local VW race team - Vantage Motorsports; a humble but very exciting 95 GTI SCCA IT-B spec car. I shared the car with team mates who had been instructing and racing longer than I have been driving so I learned far more in a couple seasons of racing than I could have done on my own in years. By 2017, I was instructing high-performance driving. But living in Canada means there is no track for nearly 7 months out of the year during the track off-season so I’ve just picked up a car to get into Rallycross this season. Enough is just never enough if you catch the track bug and I am severely inflicted.

My personal track car is currently a 2012 Mustang Boss 302 and has been since I bought it in the summer of 2012. I’ve done a few thoughtful mods (you know the ones; camber, control arms, Watt's link, wheels & tires, etc.). This made me somewhat of a "Mustang guy," it seems, because I have had four different High Performance Driving Education (HPDE) students with Mustangs since, one with a 525 hp Saleen. None of them crashed. Everyone in the paddock was accounted for - and standing up - as those Mustangs left the track (sorry, YouTube). But actually, that last little bit speaks a lot more for those drivers’ lack of stupidity rather than my teaching or driving skills, but hey, I have a blog and they don’t, so I’ll take the credit.


I enjoy writing reviews/tests (ideally, on track), performance tech features/articles, and a bit of interesting car news. I don’t have access to manufacturers’ press fleets, so I’m at the mercy of good opportunities for test drives. Thankfully, I have good friends that let me drive interesting cars and write about them from time to time. I write about my HPDE students cars as well, if I learn enough about them in the few laps I take in each. One day, I hope to test a lot more - especially on track - with access to press fleets. I’ll also share cars and stories I come across. If you like what you find, make sure to subscribe (top of the page) and follow me on Facebook or Instagram (below). There’s always something coming!

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Comments







Does An Aftermarket Grille Really Increase Airflow?
I put a Saleen S281 grille to the test to answer that question.

Stock Suspension S197 Mustang With Square 305/30/19's
What you need to fit a proper size square tire setup.

How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track
What you need to know about how they put power down and pros and cons.

Can Telemetry Explain Schumacher's Talent?
A comparison between Schumacher's and then team mate Herbert's data.






Cayman GT4 Track Review
The first Cayman with proper (911-challenging) power.

Is an EcoBoost Mustang any good on Track?
Two days at the track in a Mustang short 4 cylinders.

2016 BMW M4 DCT Track Review
It's quick (properly quick). But is it fun?

Can a stock Golf Diesel handle a Track Day?
Not your every day track beater.




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Falken Azenis RT615k+ Street and Track Review

Last year, I picked up a 2009 Lancer Ralliart to do a long term test with it as a dual duty track/daily. One of the first things I knew I was going to do was put a decent set of tires on it. The car came without OEM wheels which was actually good because I didn't have to hesitate about getting a good set of aftermarket wheels to support going wider. Thankfully, my friends at YST Auto Halifax  set me up with a great set of Superspeed RF03RR wheels. The Wheels I had never even heard of Superspeed but I trusted the good folk at YST Auto who mentioned some customer cars running on track with them. These wheels are rotary forged which is basically a prerequisite to be taken seriously in this market populated by companies like TSW and Fast Wheels. The wheels looked like a high quality, well finished wheel and each had a "QC" check sticker on. Just for appearances? Maybe, but I found no defects. The wheels seemed easy to balance (didn't need many weights) and at 18.1 lb. f...

Limited Slip Differentials - The Basics

I'm finishing up a comparison post (link to introduction: Intro: Focus RS vs Golf R vs WRX STI vs Evo X ) and, throughout the post, I realized that I have to go off topic a lot to talk about how each type of differential changes the way the car drives. As a result, I thought I'd write a separate post to go into more detail before I post the comparison to keep it more focused on the cars and avoid veering off topic too much. By saying "Limited Slip Differentials" in the title, I am including torque vectoring diffs because, although current conventional terminology treats them differently, a torque vectoring differential is, in essence, a very sophisticated limited slip diff (LSD) that can be manipulated to actively help the car handle better. And while none of the cars in the comparison use open (without help from the brakes) or non-gear mechanical LSD’s, I’ll briefly discuss them so that the post is more inclusive. I’ll only focus on using power to help the...

2014 BMW 335i xDrive M Sport Review

Post-refresh 2015 F30 3-series pictured.  Which is better, an F30 3-series or an E46? The F30 has certainly taken its fair share of heat. But if you thought I was going to say the E46, you'd be dead wrong. The F30 3-series is better. Far better. It is quicker, faster, safer, more practical, more efficient, more refined, quieter.. the list goes on. A lot of reviews and people I talk to consider the F30 to be an abomination. Frankly, I don't see it. You'd have to be mad to think the E46 is better. Completely out to lunch. I don't know who in their right mind would prefer the E46..  Trouble is, since when were people buying sports cars in their right minds? Here, lies the real problem. " Raw rather than refined in its noises, pounding ride, heavy clutch, 50 grand and cloth seats? " "..  and not at all shy about its performance compromises. It always acts like the automotive jock it is, every mile of every day. " " Raw and quite loud.. An...

2016 Mustang EcoBoost Track Review

Photography by: Graham MacNeil Ford really wants to sell you a Mustang with a turbo four cylinder. They started by derating the V6 engine in the 2015 S550 compared to the 2011-2014 S197 V6 to make the EcoBoost 2.3 litre more differentiated. Then, they offered a performance pack on the EcoBoost but not on the V6. Now, they killed the V6 all together for 2018 and will only sell you a V8 or this EcoBoost. I love a good V8, everyone who knows me knows that. This is a Mustang, which means it needs a V8. If those aren't enough reasons, I always prefer natural aspiration over forced induction. That's three strikes against the EcoBoost-powered Mustang. But I'd be lying if I said the idea never intrigued me. It's the lightest (if you account for features). It has the best weight distribution. It has the same great chassis as the GT. It's very affordable and it has a lot of potential to make more power. Aftermarket? Endless support. There's plenty of good about it....