When Two for the Road faces the LAW

May 19, 2009
Scottsdale Arizona

Every once in a while one gets and opportunity to meet someone that is completely thrilled with what they do in life and Cathy and I met one of those very special people today at our May Phoenix Automotive Press Association meeting. His name is Darren Law and if you’re even remotely familiar with endurance racing, you know of whom I speak. Darren is one of those rare people that knew what he wanted to do from early childhood, and then set out paying his dues to become on of the top drivers in the world. Darren began racing karts at age 11 and after winning several championships he worked his way into full-fledged racing where he continued and continues his winning ways.

It’s important for me to point out here that while doing what Darren and other professional race car drivers do is thrilling and exciting and a serious adrenalin rush, it doesn’t come without years of paying dues to learn the skills required to handle unbelievably powerful machines running at speeds over 150 miles an hour, screaming in and out of hair pin turns during 6, 8 and 24 hour endurance races; races that many times, after all those hours at top speeds, are won by mere seconds.

I’ve had the immense pleasure of spending time behind the wheel of very fast cars on the track at Bondurant and what I learned was that after 20 or 25 laps at speeds that honestly, a professional would chuckle at, I was exhausted from the stress and focus required to try and hit apexes to get in and out of turns at just the right point to maximize speed. It’s impossible to explain just how much focus and concentration it takes to hit those points at just the right moments and at just the right speed. Learning the art of heel-toeing, down-shifting, trail braking and squeezing the accelerator and up-shifting at exactly the right moment takes thousands of miles worth of racing at top speeds to master. It is simply stated an amazing feat. After winning the 2008 American Le Mans series GT2 championship, Darren and the team are off to his first 24 hours of Le Mans which needless to say he’s just a tad excited about.

We also had an opportunity to spend some time with the man that helped give Darren his start in endurance racing and that would be racing legend Bob Bondurant. Bob is recognized internationally as the go to guy on advanced driver training. For over 40 years the Bondurant school has trained over 85,000 students ranging from little old me, to race car drivers throughout the world. He’s also trained celebrities the likes of Paul Newman and Tom Cruise as well as teenagers, police officers and professional drivers. The school is world renowned and I can testify to just how important the skills I learned are. I always considered myself a very good driver until... I took the highway safety course at Bondurant. The things I learned during the course without a doubt make me a better, safer driver and oh by the way, I’d been driving for well over 40 years before I took the course. So if you have a teenager driving, check out the courses offered for teens. You'll more than likely find that you'll want to take it with your teenager.


You can find out a whole lot more about Darren at; http://www.darrenlaw.com/.
Find out more about Bob Bondurant at; http://www.bondurant.com/

Woody Car Show Benefits Vicki’s Cure

May 15, 2009
By: Cathy D and Bill Z

Retired firefighter Jerry Witt of Phoenix, Arizona has been battling fires and making our city a safe place to live for most of his life. However, his real battle was the one he shared with his beautiful wife Vicki Witt since l972.

Witt’s wife Vicki suffered from NF1, a tumor disorder that occurs in one out of every 3,000 births. Vicki’s wish was to make awareness of this disorder and raise funds for research and clinics, as well as assisting other family members whose loved ones suffer from the disorder. This was her dream, and the Witt family is making it come true through the Children’s Tumor Foundation and the Arizona chapter, Vicki’s Cure.

On May l5th, Jerry Witt and his sons along with Sanderson Ford and KOOL radio raised money to bring awareness to this disorder and show off some of the classic Woody automobiles in Arizona. Jerry is the president of the Woody’s Car Clubs of America, and his gorgeous ‘46 Mercury was a prize possession of his and his wife Vicki. They drove their Merc everywhere and had fun wherever they went.

As Jerry emerges as an advocate for the Children’s Tumor Foundation and travels all over to raise funds and speak on behalf of Vicki’s Cure, he shared his story briefly at the Sanderson Ford Woody Event. Along with David Kimmerle, the owner of Sanderson Ford and Tom Peake from KOOL radio, Wally Cahill of Motorsports Mania the KOOL oldies band and a gift from Hawaiian Airlines over one thousand dollars was raised.

For more information on Vicki’s Cure, NF1, Jerry, Vicki and their family, go to http://www.vickiscure.org/. You can also donate to this cause on the website.

Jerry Witt and Dave Kimmerle in front of Jerry's
'46 Merc Woody. Jerry will be on Interviewed
on Two for the Road USA in June.

DID YOU KNOW - By Julia Droz

To understand why Ford built woody’s in the first place, you must understand the peculiar nature of Henry Ford. He believed that his company should be completely self-sufficient, from mining ore and operating rubber plantations to growing maple, birch, gum, and basswood for Model T floorboards and body frames. In its quest for self-sufficiency, Ford Motor Company bought vast forest reserves on the rugged Upper Michigan Peninsula some 500 miles northwest of Detroit, and constructed a plant there, at Iron Mountain, in 1920. Ford grew its own trees, cut its own timber, ran its own sawmill, and cut and formed its own wooden body parts. But no matter how many Tin Lizzies the assembly lines turned out, they never seemed to exhaust the company's forests. Typically, Henry wasted nothing: even sawdust and leftover wood pieces were turned into Ford Charcoal Briquettes. It was almost inevitable that the Iron Mountain operation would be tapped for production of wood station wagon bodies.

Welcome to Julia’s Garage both inside and out!

My day in Wonderland AKA Evo Motorsports

by Rod Zervakos

You no doubt remember that upon entering the rabbit hole, Alice is transported to a magical world where the impossible is reality and the norm is nowhere to be found; A world where conventional right and wrong is tossed out the window and replaced by abstract dimensions, governed only by those with the imagination and foresight to forge their own path. I am happy to say that I have found the rabbit hole.

I recently had the pleasure of spending a few hours with the crew from Evolution Motorsports, a world leader in aftermarket exotic car modification, and I gotta tell you, I felt my inner Alice pushing her way through. I had entered a fairy tale land where a 5000 lb SUV could send shivers up your spine with its menacing scowl and sinister growl and, more importantly, its ability to leave your average prancing pony or raging bull owner rethinking their place in the automotive food chain as you leave them in the dust. A place where 1100 horse power Lamborghini’s, 231 mph Porsche’s and super exotic Gumpert Apollo’s all play together harmoniously. A place where innovation and creativity rule the land a place where conventional wisdoms, rules and regulations are tossed right out the window and replace with passion, dedication and advancement.

As my time at Evo was coming to an end and I knew my journey back up the rabbit hole was nearing, I couldn’t help but take note of one last thing, and quite possibly the most impressive. The staff. It is very easy, and sadly very common, for leaders in this industry to be self absorbed and in many cases not very pleasant to be around. If you are at the pinnacle of your game, or in this case industry, you can sometimes have a feeling of entitlement that convolutes your true purpose. I have seen it before and it always made me wonder. I have always believed that if you are truly passionate about what you are doing and you are a good person, you will reflect that to the people around you. This is not something that you can hide, and despite all of the incredible machines in the showroom or the unbelievable dyno room or the absolutely spotless installation bay’s, the thing that impressed me the most were the people behind it all.

It’s funny, we spend so much of our time these days running around in a fog just trying to make it from day to day, always needing to get something done, always running behind screaming I’m late I’m late. Every once in a while you have to live a little. Next time you see that white rabbit, with the EVOMotorsposts banner across its forehead, do your self a favor and follow it down the hole. See for yourself at http://www.evoms.com/

Another Award for Community Tire and Auto Service

Cathy and I take great pride in the people that help us put our radio show on the air and it makes us even more proud when they win awards for outstanding service to the community. Once again Howard, Patty and their staff has been named as the 2009 BBB's Business Ethics Award winner.

We know how hard they work to take care of their customers so it makes it very easy for us to recommend Community Tire to our listeners and readers.

Here's a vignette of Howard talking about Community Tire.

Congrat's guys, we're very proud of you.

Camelback Ford Lincoln Mercury hosts…2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid test drive and alternative fuel overview..

Two for the Road USA were guests at the Ford Fusion Hybrid event on April 20, 2009.

There was an Engineer, Doctor, Clean Air Specialist, Ford executive and dealer all speaking within their category of expertise with praises for Ford past, present and future.

Each professional had a few words about alternative fuels with the Ford Fusion in the spotlight. Over 100 people were in the audience and verbalized how good they felt about the direction of Ford Lincoln Mercury and then had the chance to test drive the new 2009 Ford Fusion Hybrid.

The Fusion and Milan deliver an amazing 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. The Fusion hybrid has a base price of $27,995 the well-equipped Milan Hybrid is priced at $31,300.

We understand that with the purchase of a new Fusion or Milan Hybrid by March 31, 2009 a buyer may qualify for a $3,400 federal tax credit on their 2009 Tax Return. This is a nice added incentive.

What’s new for 2010? Six speed transmission, 2.5 liter 1-4 engine, 3.0 liter , V-6 Durantec, Flex-Fuel engine, variety of 16 to l8 inch painted and aluminum wheels, easy fuel capless refueling, available reverse camera system, available 12-speaker Sony sound system, available voice-activated navigation system and SIRIUS, Travel Link, available SYNC with 911 assist and vehicle health report.

The interior has a more contemporary technical look with metallic finishes all the way through. The display and switches have fashionable Ice Blue Lighting which makes night driving, while checking gauges a breeze. The exterior of the Fusion is both sportier and more upscale. The new Aerodynamic enhancements and new underbody shields surely helped further boost Fusion’s fuel economy.

In talking with the crowed that generally feel in the over 40 range, we found that they indicated that the Fusion might be their next car. The other comment was what a great first car for their teens and young adults. The word out there is that the 20+ generation likes the Fusion as well. The SYNC availability is a must for the technically savvy drivers.

Bill and I will have a Ford Fusion Hybrid to test drive for a week in April so that can then give you a more detailed report at that time.

We want to thank Darrin Delfelder of Camelback Ford Lincoln Mercury for hosting this event and inviting the Phoenix Press Association.

Get Ready for Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Article By Cath and Bill
for ASA of AZ May Newsletter

Two for the Road USA was recently invited by Ford to check out the new Fusion Hybrid, and in listening to the presentation about where Ford is heading with regards to alternative fuel vehicles, we started thinking about the impact it would have on repair centers. Trying to keep up with the exponential changes in technology is challenging to begin with but here’s what’s coming down the pike as we speak with regards to drive train changes.

Most everyone is familiar with the hybrids on the road today from Toyota, Honda, Ford and GM but not many are aware that in 2009 Ford adds the Fusion and Milan hybrid iterations to the line up, Mercedes is planning to start selling an S-Class hybrid this year as BMW works on a 7-Series hybrid. Not to mention the rush to plug-in hybrids. And that’s just the beginning as electric vehicles will also be on the road in the next couple of years.

How will this impact you will depend on how ready you are for the renaissance. There’s no question that owners of these vehicles will be predisposed to taking their vehicles to the dealership after the base warranty expires because of the “technology” of hybrids. So, how do you let people know that they are not obliged to take the car to the dealership for regular maintenance and repairs like brakes, belts and hoses etc.?

First and foremost is making sure that the motoring public knows that you employ technicians today, not mechanics. Also, your customers know that your technicians are constantly being schooled on the new technologies in vehicles today? Do they know that you and your techs spend thousands of dollars on training and purchasing the technical tools necessary to maintain and repair the electronic components in vehicles today?

The landscape of automotive repair is rapidly changing and being in the forefront in your industry will guarantee sustainability. Our experience shows; that how you manage and market your business with regard to alternative fuel vehicles will determine how you will survive and thrive in this exciting new age of automotive repairs.

Bill and Cathy can be heard every Saturday from 6-8pm on KKNT 960AM and anytime on http://www.webtalkradio.us/ or visit the website at http://www.twofortheroadusa.com/.

Driving MBA and Community Tire Team Up Again

For Teen - Parents- New Car Owners and Driver

Parent Class and Car Maintenance Program Schedule
.
Parent ClassA 2 1/2 hour class that provides parents with resources and tips on how to practice driving with their teenager. When: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at DrivingMBA Scottsdale located at 9089 E. Bahia Dr., Ste. 102; Thursday, April 23 and Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at DrivingMBA Chandler located at 1760 W. Chandler Blvd, Ste. 3Time: 6:30pm to 9pm

Cost: $50/family Car Maintenance Class This 1 1/2 hour class covers the basic operation of a vehicle, the importance of checking fluids and other maintenance items, how to change a tire, and jump-starting a vehicle. The class features minimum class time and maximum hands-on training to help drivers, new and old, understand what to look for when replacing automotive parts; and to be better prepared for roadside emergencies. .

After attending this event, your family will receive a FREE lube, oil filter change, tire rotation and vehicle inspection for one vehicle courtesy of Community Tire. Details in the coupon below. When: Thursday, April 23 and Monday, May 4, 2009 at Community Tire located at 15812 N. 32nd St., Phx., 85032;

Wednesday, April 15 and Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at Dana Tire located at 725 N. Arizona Avenue in Chandler. Time: 6:30pm to 8pmCost: $40/familyTo RSVP for the above events please email judys@drivingmba.com or call 480.948.1648.