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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

Winter Car Maintenance Tips

It's this time of the year again and I thought I would share a few winter maintenance tips that can be overlooked but they can keep a vehicle running better and more safely. 1- Tires They're the only components that connect your vehicle to the road. Regardless of the capability of a vehicle's drivetrain and suspension or how strong the brakes are, they will handle only as well as the tires allow them to. Always get snow tires and not summer or all season tires if snow stays on the ground. If you only get rain but no snow where you live, all season tires are a great choice. Check tread regularly to make sure the grooves are deep enough. Tires have wear bars which indicate  when the amount of tread left is unsafe for driving. Snow tires have two wear bars; one for dry/wet driving and one for snow driving. If the tread is at the taller wear bar (the snow wear bar), the tires are not safe for snow driving but may still be used in the rain or dry. If the tread reaches the

Michelin Pilot Super Sports vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 - Street Review

I've been a huge fan of Michelin PSS tires and exclusively bought them for the Mustang over the last four years. So how did I end up here? This year, I was hugely interested in trying an "R-comp" tire. I had my eyes set on Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R's for two simple reasons: price and reputation. Although not a true "R-comp" tire on paper, it performs like one by the account of every single test and review I've read (down to wear rates...). They seem like they're easily the most affordable (from a big brand) R-comp tire and combine that with a reputation for having tons of grip, it was an easy top contender. I had my concerns, though. For one, I'm told and have read that they are an autox tire, not really designed for high speed, pressure, and temps associated with open track. For another, the Mustang is a heavy car (as far as track cars are concerned) being roughly 3,800 lb. (including driver), which will amplify the unwanted open track load

GTR vs Evo X vs STI: which has the best AWD system?

A few weeks ago, I made a post explaining  mainstream AWD system types and how they compare , pros and cons, etc. including some simple diagrams to show where the power goes and how much. As promised, this post will focus on specific cars and what AWD systems they use, especially ones that that have more or less been defined by their AWD systems, and the best place to start may be with a bombshell; the Nissan GT-R. Nissan GT-R (R35) The GT-R has built a reputation around having monster traction and very approachable performance, thanks to its AWD system - Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain (ATTESA) - and what it can do for you. But the GT-R doesn't actually use the most mechanically sophisticated type of AWD systems discussed in the previous article, namely a "true" AWD with a centre differential. Instead, it uses a clutch pack to transfer power. RWD-based clutch-type AWD schematic - Rams Eye The Track Guy © The R32, R33, and R34 Sky