Category: personal

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motorsport personal photos thoughts videos

Circuit of the Americas Facility Review

Michael locks a wheel at T12
I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Formula 1 US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas last week and want to write up my thoughts after the event. This is not a review of the race itself but rather a review of the venue from a fans point of view and how it compares to other race events I have been to such as IndyCar (Infineon), NASCAR (Infineon) and the 2002 F1 USGP at Indianapolis.

Getting to and from the track
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Having read nightmare predictions about parking at the race I decided to use the free park and ride shuttle from the Travis Expo center instead of shelling out $200 for a parking pass.… Read the rest

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cars personal photos road trip videos

The road from LOG 31 (Video)

Timelapse video of 3 Elises driving back from Lotus Owners Gathering 31 (LOG 31) in Vegas back to the Bay Area through Death Valley and Sonora Pass. Route chosen by Steve M and video by John Z, I just tagged along to make up the numbers 🙂

It was a spectacular drive with Sonora Pass (skip to the 3:10 mark in the video to see footage) with almost no traffic and excellent asphalt quality. The pass is closed for significant portions of the year due to snow so you should call ahead before you make the journey. Full route info below:


View Larger Map… Read the rest

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personal technology

FamousFood.us updated

Just a quick note that I have recently updated the FamousFood.us databases to include the 2012 Michelin Guide, Best Thing I Ever Ate (Season 6), Diners Drive-Ins & Dives (upto season 13) and Throwdown with Bobby Flay (Season 9). This update has added over 300 new restaurants to the database.

So head on over to FamousFood.us and find the restaurants featured on the Michelin Guide and TV shows like Best Thing I Ever Ate, Food Wars, Man V Food, Throwdown with Bobby Flay and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Happy Eating 🙂… Read the rest

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motorsport personal thoughts

Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

I recently attended the 2011 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway and was immediately struck by how different the experience was to the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis that I attended in 2002. This post is a quick recap of what I saw at Sonoma and why F1 needs to change and become more fan accessible.

I am a massive F1 fan and have missed watching only a handful of races since I started watching it in 1995. When I moved to the US in 2002 and got funding for my Masters degree the very first thing I did was start planning a trip to the 2002 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.… Read the rest

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motorsport personal review thoughts

Circus before Dawn

I recently ran into David Miller, a longtime GGLC member and the newly published author of Circus before Dawn, a novel set in a fictional version of the 1999 Formula 1 season about an start-up F1 team based in the Bay Area. As soon as he told me the basic premise of the novel I knew I had to read it and now here is dust jacket description followed by my own review.

Shortly before the dawn of the new millennium, a video arrives at the postbox of internationally acclaimed motorsport journalist, Trevor Banks. The startling images depict the elite driving talents of an intriguing racecar driver.

… Read the rest