MJDrive on the News Stands

Since I started racing I have been involved with karts. It is something I have been incredibly passionate about and is the foundation of all of my racing success which has propelled me into the career path I am now on. I recently had the chance to share the benefit of kart racing to the membership of the Sports Car Club of American through the May issue of their publication Sports Car.

The article illustrates the benefits to road racers of spending time in a kart. The article also talks about autocross racing a kart, which allows participants to race against the clock on temporary courses in shifter karts.

I hope you enjoy the article. To see a larger version please click on the particular image.



This articles is re-published with the permission of the Sports Car Club of America Sports Car Magazine, which is a Haymarket Publication.

You Meet the Most Interesting People

I love driving racecars. There is a feeling of taking a corner at the absolute limit of the tyres, engine, and track which is simply undescribable. It is a feeling where all of the senses are alive and nothing else can create this same feeling.

Along with my passion for driving, another thing I love about motorsport is the incredible people it brings together. Motorsport has allowed me to meet leaders of government, business, and sport. Sometimes the sport bridges gaps to some of the most interesting people I might have never met otherwise.

I recently received a message from one of my friends who is in California who bumped into someone through motorsport that he would have never expected.


A MESSAGE FROM JOEL BEWLEY OF BEWLEY DESIGN LAB

It has been ages since Steve Mcqueen crested San Francisco's greeting card hills, clearing all four tires from the pavement. As the car bottoms out the ninth hubcab, of the sixteen lost, bounces into the front yard of neighborhood surrounding the hills where the filming of the infamous pursuit tookplace.

Today the tire marks from Mcqueen's green mustang are long gone but motorsport and speed is still alive on the hills. Instead of a fastback mustang the pace is set by a large cable car racing the streets conducted by a gentleman named Frank. As I picked up the ride midway up 'nob hill' Frank was quick to notice my Sparco gear bag. I soon discovered Frank wasn't your typical American smitten with Nascar or Football. Frank is a true road racing fan and very aware of the difficulty of breaking into formula one.

I enjoyed the conversation but before I knew it Frank slid the cable car to a halt at my destination. So next time you are in San Francisco and looking for a chat on motorsport, look for the cable conductor who grabs the cable fast and brakes late, he will get you to your destination quicker than the rest.

So Michael, Frank the cable car driver sends his support and wishes you success on your journey to f1.

Joel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIwtPwXrTVU

An Incredible Response

Dear Friends,

After my last post I have received some of the most incredible and enthusiastic responses from around the world.

There is without any question having the guidance, even if it is just for a few minutes, from someone like Rob Wilson is fantastic. However I feel like he is going to be someone who is a guide to show me the road and isn't necessarily going to 'do the work,' for me.

It is however, the incredible enthusaism I have received is something which I must appreciate because it gives me strength of spirit and motivation to work hard and push everyday. As Mr. Wilson put it so bluntly the road ahead is brutal, but with so many people urging me on, it gives me nothing but excitement and enthusaism when I wake up in the morning. For all of you that have written me, thank you.

This week has been very busy doing work for my sponsor ABD USA and today I turned up for my first day at Palmer. I arrived at 745 this morning after a 45 minute drive! Twelve hours later I left the track. It was a great day, but I am absolutely whipped! This weekend I will write more but for now I am going to sleep because I will be at it again tomorrow!

Wishing you a fantastic Friday and a great weekend.

Your friend

Michael

Champions Consultant

Out of the 9,000 or so registered racing drivers from New Zealand he figures he's somewhere around 9,000 when it comes to talent. He is the first to crack a joke at his own expense and carries himself in a light hearted way. Very upfront and quick to poke fun at himself, I have found this type of person to be one to look out for.

These individuals always seem to fall into one of two categories. They are either A) truly awful and being ranked 9,000th in New Zealand Motorsport would be a gross overvaluation of their ability, or B) They are supremely on top of their game, with a level of confidence, and aptitude where frankly it just doesn't matter what you think.

After sitting at the dinner table with this man for only a few minutes I had formed my conclusion as to which rung he stands on. There was no sense of bragging, or trying to impress with his years in the business but he put it quite simply, "I have been racing in Europe for longer than you have been alive. The reason McLaren, Renault, and Honda call me is because I have been in the trenches with the team directors and they know I have the road dirt to help their team reach their potential."

As dinner carries on I learn that not only does he work with these teams, but he is firstly responsible for developing many past and present grand prix drivers, the ones considered to be the most naturally gifted drivers in the world. Pupils names like Kovalainen and Raikkonen pop up nonchalantly during the meal.

Although I was quite keen to learn more about him, Mr. Rob Wilson was quite astute on keeping the conversation based around where I have been, where I am now, and where I intend on going. It was in fact for thirty minutes he scrutinized my CV, quizzing me line by line on each matter of accomplishment. I could tell he was feeling me out to decide the nature of the individual sitting with him.

While he was quite critical during the entire process the thing which changed his tone was when we were talking about the SCCA racing I did and how I came about the drives. When he found out that I had gotten the rides on merit and my family hadn't paid for the rides or that my father had not arranged them through a colleague or business friend he started to take a real interest.

After drawing his conclusion, Mr. Wilson's tone and demeanor shifted to that of a close advisor, the kind of person you want to learn forward and listen to every word they have to say. The first point he made is that this business is absolutely brutal. In the end to reach Formula 1 it is about talent but at the beginning it is about supreme commitment and money, without both you will get passed by. He said if my case were different, say my father was the King of Bahrain or a former world champion, it would be no problem for him to arrange a seat for me with a Formula Ford or F3 team, work with me everyday and get me to a level which would qualify me for a tryout with a Formula 1 team. However moving beyond that point to attaining my career goal on winning the Formula 1 driving world championship would require absolute commitment and focused natural ability which money cannot buy.

Given my position he said it would be much tougher. He said most American's fail on this road, because the life is too hard and it is easier to return home. He applauded the fact I had attained a position with Dr. Jonathan Palmer's, Palmer Sport racing school and said that it is a fantastic place for me. Furthermore he said I should ALWAYS be at race circuits meeting people, and actively helping them to reach their own racing goals whether that be through driver coaching, marketing work, journalism or simply pushing a broom. In the end he said the idea is to impress the right person who has the ability to support my development and be a patron on my road to F1.

At the end of dinner along with some brutally honest advice, I feel was the best sign so far in my thirteen year racing career. The driving coach for the current world champion and consultant to nearly half of the Formula 1 team grid had found that the two hours he spent having dinner with me were not been a waste of his time and suggested we meet again in a few weeks to see how things are going.

To me this is a unbelievable sign because for someone with his experience and connections to see a reason to continue speaking with me and mentoring me tells me that given enough work, dedication, commitment and the right break, this Texan might in the end have a real crack at F1.
Now it's time for me to get to work.

Michael

A Perfect Fit

Dear friends, family and racing fans,

This past weekend, on the advice of my new mentor (who I promise to write about tomorrow), I turned up at the FIA GT championship race at Silverstone to see who I might meet and continue to immerse myself in the European motorsport scene. So with no official responsibilities, I set off to see what I could learn. On account of my relationship with Ferrarichat.com I felt I should take a bit of time from the day to keep an eye on the red machines and see how they go.

While there were Ferrari's entered into every major class from the headline GT series through the GT3 category, there was in fact one class which was ALL Ferrari's, the European Ferrari Challenge.

In their own literature the Ferrari Challenge is a self-confessed place for 'gentleman' racers. These drivers are the ones who have no aspirations to compete in Le Mans or Formula 1 but want to enjoy some of the worlds finest circuits in some, lets be honest, ridiculously expensive and incredible machinery. That hardware is in fact none other than the Ferrari F430 Challenge cars which has brakes that are bigger than the wheels on my road car, utulize an ultra effecient paddle shifting system which my grandmother could master, and exudes a noise which is one of the finest in modern day motorsport.

To house all of the competitors' cars and keep the F430's dry while the mechanics are working the series has set up a football field length tent which housed Ferrari's as far as you can see. As I walked over to the Ferrari Challenge complex, I recognized the racing series sponsor right away, the Black and Decker Company. All of the cars in the entire series were adorned with their logo on the top part of the windshields. As an educated 'strategic marketer' I was a bit surprised by this in all fairness, I would have expected to see an investment firm, bank, or yacht manufacture.

The Ferrari challenge is mostly non-professional racing drivers and as a result, the racing fans pay more attention to the cars and the famous marquee moreso than the actual racing. So the question naturally arose, how does Black and Decker fit with a bunch of gentleman racers?

Now at first I had to think about it, Black and Decker produces some of the world finest power, garden, automotive, and home tools. Their products are sold through hardware retail chains to the masses around the world. What could sponsoring a bunch of rich guys driving around in their Ferrari's mean to the brand?

After the first Ferrari Challenge race went off, which was an interesting affair, I had a second chance to walk back through the Ferrari Super Dome. It was at that point I realized exactly why, it is a brilliant strategy for Black and Decker to be involved with the series.

While on the track the racing might not be particularly professional and the drivers times might be a bit off the ultimate performance, there was no question that the mind-bending carnage these "gentleman" churned out was real, and it was going to take some "real" tools to get these cars back into action (along with a minor miracle in some instances).

My eyes were amazed as I witnessed spanner men using their Black and Decker tools to smash, bend, and re-straighten every conceivable angle of what seemed to be about half of the cars that were in the first race. For my own sake I have seen a Ferrari parts price list and I wasn't sure if I should laugh, or cry, about the cost of repairing and replacing such bits. The mechanics were clearly feeling good about 'job security' at this particular moment! The Black and Decker tools were being put through the ringer of the 'worst possible scenario' and by the time to push off for the second race all but the most disasterous cases were making their way back to the track.

In the end it appears Black and Decker found themselves a great way to showcase their tools. I would certainly talk to them about backing me, but unless they were to create a special tool for polishing trophies, I don't know if I could showcase their tools as well as the ferrari challenge!

I hope you are all doing very well and thank you to those of you who wrote me over the weekend with your fantastic support and encouragement.

Sincerely,

Michael

Good Luck Francisco!!

Hello Friends,


On a completely, unrelated to motorsport side note, I just wanted to write and wish my friend, training partner, and marketing professor from UNT Francisco Guzman the best of luck, stamina, and fortitude. Tomorrow he will be participating in one of the most famous non-motorsport races in America, the Boston Marathon.


Francisco has really helped push me forward in my personal training. A month before I moved to the UK he entered me in my first running race a 5k through Dallas. Although I have always felt I am in excellent condition, he ran along side me the whole race pushing me to the limits of exhaustion. In the end the results were good, we finished the final mile in 6:30 seconds, but it also showed me the room I have to improve which I have been working on here in the UK. The training has certainly showed benefits in the racecar.


Although Francisco has done many before, marathon's are very tough races. So if you have any spare energy on Monday think of focusing it towards him as he does the 26 mile course!


GOOD LUCK FRANCISCO!!!!


Michael

Home Away From Home: Silverstone!

Yesterday I turned up at my new (extended) home. Only ten miles down the road from me is the world famous home of British Motorsport, the Silverstone Grand Prix racing circuit. Having never been I had no idea what to expect, but kept an open mind as I drove up knowing the sky was literally the limit.

For those of you who don't know much about the Silverstone Circuit it has a storied history. Its initial purpose in fact was not be a racing course at all. During the second World War Silverstone was actually an RAF airfield base. After the end of the war, the airbase trasitioned into a racing course when the three run-ways were connected with hairpin corners. Since then Silverstone has become one of the most fabled racing courses in the world and hosting the British roudn of the Formula 1 World Championship every year since 1987.

As I drove up, before I had even arrived at the circuit I was greeted by a commercial business park. Surrounding the circuit must have been a dozen different building with various businesses with what appeared to be motorsport marketing, public relations, racing organizers (including the Historic Sports Car Club I went to last week as well as the A1GP) and many, many racing outfits.

Yesterday was not a quiet day at Silverstone as racing teams from around Europe were descending on the circuit for the first round of the FIA GT Championship. Once I had passed the commercial buildings I was greated by a guard station on the pathway to the infield of the circuit. I can only imagine the greeting I would have received during Silverstone's previous life as a military airbase. After introducing myself to the guard he accepted my story that I was on my way to meet one of the teams and directed me through to the paddock.

Once passing the guard gate I immediately drove over a bridge which passed directly over the circuits many straights. As I decended to the inside of the course I began to realize the magnitutde of the circuit and headed towards the signs which said 'paddock.' After parking and pulling on a warm jacket I began to 'troll' around the paddock to inquire if any of the teams could use an extra hand during the weekend. I figured some of these crews could use an extra hand to change tyres, record data, or help wipe down the cars. In this process I had a chance to meet a few interesting people including Stewart Rodden the team principal for the Scuderia Eccose Ferrari team. The teams were busy unloading their magnificent machines which looked to be the inspiration for the Gran Tourismo video game. I could certainly see myself behind the wheel of a some of these!

After a few hours of speaking with people my luck didn't seem to be going very well. Many of the people I approached didn't even speak english! As you can imagine trying to explain to them I could help out around the pits was a tough task let alone pantomimeing pushing a broom to puzzled looks.

Although that didn't really go according to plan, I did have a bit of good, actually great news. Halfway through the day I received a phone call from the British Motorsport association to let me know the final details had gone through on my racing license. In a few days I will be the proud owner of an International racing license, so it is a step towards getting behind the wheel! This is also good news because it is tied in with my work visa so hopefully soon I can start working at the Palmer Sport racing school.

In the end I didn't have luck finding anyone who needed an extra hand, which quite honestly is amazing to me. I don't think i've ever been at the races when an extra warm body wouldn't be welcomed. I suppose these are all ultra professional outfits and have their team as they see fit.

Hope you are doing very well. Although I didn't find 'work' with any of the teams I am going to turn up at Silverstone this weekend, see who I run into, and hopefully enjoy some fantastic GT racing.

Best regards

Michael

Unthinkable

Dear Friend,

After spending some time walking around the facilitiy at Cadwell Park and taking the photos you saw in my last post, there was a clear and definitive break in my day. The second and most interesting part of my day began while I sat at the Cadwell Park circuit cafe, which I am sure has a prestigious and glamorous sounding Formula 1 name, I simply cannot bring it to mind at this moment.

While I was enjoying the bagel I brought from home and the tea I purchased as to unburden myself from the guilt of using Dr. Palmers facilities, a gentleman sat down next to me as the tables began to fill up. For the first part of our meals we didn't bother one another as we focused on the job of eating, but as he finished up I asked his involvement with the days race. Those few words were the key to an incredible afternoon which the likes of which should only take place in the movies. 'My name is Peter, I own a Formula Junior racecar, however I am not contesting todays event.'

As it turns out Peter was there to enjoy the social scene and comradarie which is prevalent at vintage motor car races. The cut throat, win at all costs attitude which I am accustomed to at the race track simply was not there and Peter was keen to walk me through the paddock, introduce me to anyone who would stop to talk, and explain to me the different makes and models of the category in which he participates, Formula Junior.

To give you the shortened readers digest version, Formula Junior was established in the 50's by the Italians in order to breed and promote young Italian racing drivers. The single-seater, front engine cars were built with cost effeciency in mind. In the begining the Formula was in fact right. However as the popularity grew the British manufactures such as Lotus, Cooper, and Brabham got involved and that would be the undoing as the cars evolved from cheap simple machines into the F2 chassis of their day. The main improvement during this time was the switch from front engine to rear engine cars creating a major disparity in performance and obsoleting the earlier front engine models.

Meeting with Peter was truly a bit of luck and having learning about the race class was a delight and I am very grateful for him for so warmly welcoming me into the paddock and showing me around.

Things were as I had expected them, incredible vintage cars, sociable atmosphere, and drivers who came from every walk of life howeve were brought together through motorsport.

This was all to change however as Peter and I made our way to the assembly grid before the start of the Formula Junior race. Some lucky connections allowed us into the commentators box where we were delighted to a fantastic view of the Cadwell Park circuit and live entertainment from the course announcer.

As the cars filed onto the track I expected to see a race start, proceeded by twenty laps or so of parading around, concluded with a chequered flag. In American vintage car racing this would have been the case, however as I was to soon find out, in British vintage car racing the edict is very different: 'these cars were built to race, so we are going to race them.'

The first unexpected moment took place before the race had even started. As the twenty-two car grid filed into position, smoke began billowing out of one of the cars engine compartment. As the last cars pulled into position the smoke got thicker and it was apparent there was a problem. On schedule the red lights went out and the cars took off, the smoking powerplant had gone lame and it popped and sputtered off the line. From the sixth position he was in last place by the first corner. The rest of the cars got away, spinning tyres searching for grip in a scene from the motion picture Grand Prix.

As I mentioned before I did not expect much wheel-to-wheel action, however once the race got under way battles erupted around the course. Three laps into the race a car went off coming through the woods section. although I could not see, I am told he did four barrel roles before his car came to rest in a tyre barrier. The race carried on and one of the competitors in disbelief came barreling into the pits, dismissing himself from the race to voice his opinion the event should be stopped.

As the race carried on an all out brawl was developing at the front of the field. With three cars battling for the lead a new car took the point almost every lap. By the eigth lap they were already into lapped traffic and on more than one occasion the leaders were willing to take four tyres off the course to gain an advantage. At one point I was completely astounded. Kee in mind Cadwell Park is a very narrow course and I thought there would be no more than enough room for two cars side-by-side at any point. To my disbelief the lead group would go three wide through a corner. Well two of them would atleast as the third driver drove through the grass on the infield and somehow managed to emerge in the lead.

By this point in the race, I was in complete disbelief as these irreplaceable machines viciously reinacted what appeared to be a round from the 1962 world championship. On the tenth lap tragedy struck. As a driver crested the 'mountain' his car careened out of control, sliding off the track, coming to rest beached and pointed directly at the spectator area. For an unknown reason the throttle had stuck on the car and smoke billowed away from the tyres as they tried unsuccesfully to unbeach themselves. Within moments, even before the smoke had cleared the emergency crew had reacted and was on the scene to pull the emergency kill switch and evaluate the situation. Later it was revealed the driver had suffered a heart attack causing him to loose control of the car. Immediately the crew went to work on him, but as it turns out there efforts were in vain. The driver passed away during the trip to the hospital.

The race meeting was called to an end and there was a surreal air in the paddock after the race. Moments before the race in the assembly grid the drivers and crew were talking about a post race party. At that moment there was a complete vacuum of emotion aside from atonishment and disbelief.

Driving a racecar is one of the most incredible feelings in the world, however danger is always present on the race course. It is very sad when tragedy strikes like this and it reminds me of a famous quote.

'Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.'

In his passing one can be relieved to know he was going one hundred miles per hour doing what he truly loved.

In the end what had started as a great day at the track, getting to know many interesting people, ended in the worst way possible. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the departed.

With respect

Michael Johnson

Step into a golden era

This past weekend I did not travel to a motorcycle race. This photo highlights the dramatic nature of the course which I did visit, Cadwell Park. The race meeting which I came to see was the second round of the Historic Sports Car Club meeting on the narrow Cadwell Park course which ducks and weaves its way around mountains and woods.

The Historic Sports Car Club is a racing organization which takes a big step into the 'golden era' of motorsports with racing cars from the late 1950's to late 1970's. The racers for the most part are not professional drivers, they are however people who are very passionate about motorsport and even more passionate about the special cars which they own, prepare, and race. Around the paddock you have a chance to see some incredible racing car designs which illustrate racing designers pursuit of performance and asthetics as racing technologies, analysis, and scruitinering were in their infancy. The beauty in many cases is truly burdening on the eye of the beholder.

Rather than spend any more words telling you about the cars, I would rather show them to you. These are a few of my favorite cars that I saw throughout the weekend, hopefully you will enjoy them as much as their owners do! Your friend at speed. Michael

Blast from the past

***Disclaimer: Just wanted to let you know I have been very busy the last few days and I have fallen deleriously behind on my posts. If I am correct there will be a new post everyday this week. Please bear with me as I get caught up and enjoy!***


Dear Friends,

A few days ago my good friend Peter Edalere made the journey across the pond to the United Kingdom. Peter and I worked together and became mates at the Texas Driving Experience, the corvette racing school at Texas Motor Speedway.


Peter recently became a proud daddy and traveled with his wife and baby girl to visit his brother who lives in Essex (just east of London) to show off the baby. I took the train from Northampton to london and arrived with a bit of extra time before Peter and I met up. I took advantage of the time and did a bit of exploring, absolutely lost, with no 'tourist guide' in one of the most incredible cities in the world.



London, to me, is incomprehensibile. Around every corner there is something completely new, unique, different and in no way resembles what was on the last road. My day in London barely scratched the surface of what I believe is one of the most international cities in the world. Please enjoy a few of the photos from my day in the capital.

After a few hours of destination unknown site seeing, Peter arrived and we met up and went for some truly non classic british food, pizza. It was truly a delight getting to see my old friend, hopefully I will be able to meet up with some of you reading this in the UK soon!

Hope you are having a brilliant Monday and looking forward to the week.


Warmest regards


Michael

PS: The remaining posts this week will be about RACING exclusively, except of course for the ones which are not

A new place to call home: Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit

Since moving to the United Kingdom my next major mission has been to find a more permanent place to call home. After taking some time to get a feel for the country, research the landscape I have found a place in the city of Northampton.

The residence I am staying at is only ten minutes from the Silverstone race circuit, the home of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix. Technically i'm not living 'at the circuit,' but I figure this is as close as I can reasonably be in short notice. Beyond the Silverstone circuit, two hours drive makes up about 70% of the Formula 1 teams headquarters. If there is anything to be said for being at the right place, I'm pretty sure i'm there.

The place I have found is a small room in a house just a few miles from the Northampton town center. While I didn't think I had a lot of stuff, a couple of bags and my racing gear, this is redefining my ability to use space effeciently. I have a single bed, night stand, and a stand out closet where I can hang up my nice(r) clothes. It might not be a lot, but I am happy to be in the right place and have a place to stay that isn't Doug's sofa!

Now that I have made fun of Doug's sofa I must quickly and sincerely thank him and his girlfriend Ina for putting me up since I attived in the UK. As things like this naturally work I had promised Douglas I would be out of there in two or three weeks. Sure enough it has been over a month, so for being so for being gracious I really appreciate it. I must also commend Ina on her excellent cooking. She fed us almost every day and it was fantastic I don't think I ate the same thing twice, Thanks Ina! (and in all fairness the sofa was pretty comfortable)

My new housemate is a nice lady from Zimbabwe named Laura. She works at a law office in Northampton and luckily for me is keen on racing so hopefully she won't go crazy hearing about motorsport 24 hours a day 7 days per week.

Thank you for all of you who have personally written me notes and comments on this site, I read everyone of them and really appreciate the support.

I hope you are having a great week.

Michael

The Flying Chicken

All great ships have great names. Such classics as the USS Lollipop, the Flying Dutchman, and her royal navy's HMS Cockburn top the charts as some of the all time best. The naming of such a vessel is a timeless tradition whereby seamen bestow an appropriate title to the vessel which their lives will ultimately depend, or atleast their ability to tred water.

After much research, searching, and looking at vehicles I have purchased a road going vessle for myself. As the name of such a vehicle is of crucial importance I took a very fair and honest look at the vehicle which I have purchased. A 2001 Navy Blue Volkswagen Polo hatchback with 1.4 liter engine.

The name I have chosen is derived from the name which Volkswagen gave the car Polo. I feel one cannot help but notice how close the word Polo is to the spanish word 'pollo' which means 'chicken.' On account of the fact I intend to be blazing across England in this vehichle I have named my machine The Flying Chicken.

As soon as I have a chance I will put up a few photos of the flying chicken. As you can imagine I am very excited about this new addition to my program. I am no longer dependent on public transport and there is going to be no drama associated with getting to race tracks.

I have also been working on finding a permanent residence, so now that I have a car hopefully this will happen very soon and I can stop living out of a suitcase!!

Hope you have a great week.

Michael

Cornering Forces

As a racing driver you are trained to use either 100% gas or 100% brake, coasting or anything else is simply wasting precious time. However there is a point through every corner where using 100% gas or 100% brake simply does not work.

When a racing car takes a corner when done correctly the car is at the absolute limit of adhesion to the road. All the capability of the car is being expended to turn the car. At that very point if you were to apply even the slightest amount of gas or brake the tyres would be overwhelmed and the car would spin off course.

I find myself in this situation, not on the racing track, but in my life and adjustment to a new country. For the last week I have been working on some administrative issues of transportation, work visa, and finding a place to stay. Although it is not driving, I have the anxious feeling of taking a corner at a speed which is far less than the maximum speed, while doing my best to remain patient.

I hope you are doing very well. With any luck I will have some good news to report and have exciting things to write about very soon!

Sincerely yours

Michael