#77
TOURING TWO
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#77 TOURING TWO |
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Team Members | |
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| Michael Hedlund (Manhattan Beach, CA) | Derek Garnier (Berkeley, CA) |
| Driver | Co-Driver, Navigator, Mechanic, Vespa gang leader |
| Mike was
hooked on the go-fast crack pipe at the ripe old age of 10, racing BMX at
the national level. At the age of 16 he moved up to Motocross.
"Chicks dig scars!", he says.
A few years later, he realized what he was missing out on and purchased a 300ZX Twin Turbo - then proceeded to destroy it and nearly himself in the process. After brain surgery and listening to everyone tell him to put down the pipe, he bought an Acura NSX and decided it was time to learn to drive the rite way. Many NASA HPDE Schools later, he was no longer a menace to society and was beginning to lap fast. Life then took an unexpected turn, Mike sold the NSX, along with all his worldly possessions and moved to New York City to take over the world.. or at least a spot inside L'Angolo. One New York winter later Mike was off the wagon and back on the pipe, making preparations for a return to California and car racing. The Winged Wonder Supra was purchased and the rest, as they say, is history. Future plans are to complete the modifications necessary to compete with NASA and other club racing organizations on the west coast in the Supra starting in 2002. "The gloves are coming off!", says Mike. The teams goal is to have fun, not kill themselves, and possibly have the fastest REAL street car in the event, regardless of class. Rumor has it some weight savings and top secret modifications are being planned to bump the supra into the 500-600rwhp range... they also could move into the unlimited class near event start time.... "No car, in any class, is safe from us.", warns Mike. |
Derek has
been addicted to speed for a number of years. He also likes to go fast.
One of his Vespa scooters can top 50 MPH! The downgrade from a 4bhp Vepsa
to the Supra TT will be difficult, but Derek is up to the challenge.
Derek's true passion is the Datsun 510. Says Derek, "I'll be damned if that late 60's technology doesn't seem a bit out of date." "Our team has been training rigorously", says Derek. "I know most of the feature sets on Mapquest.com and have read the Supra owners manual twice." When asked to speculate on the teams chances, Derek responded, "we'll be unstoppable. Especially after I work on the brakes." |
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Contact Information |
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Michael |
Derek |
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| Car Information | |
| Year/Make/Model | 1993.5 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo |
| Engine Displacement: | 3.0 Liter |
| Weight | 3450 lbs |
| Horsepower: | 300RWHP |
| Modifications: | TCS Removed, CCW Wheels |
| A Sunday Conversation with Mike and Derek by BP |
| 1. We'll start out
with a pretty generic first question. Why did your team decide to do OTC?
We were looking for a way to support our country, besides giving blood. We decided what better way than to dump countless thousands of dollars in the economy? Car racers get all the chicks too! 2. Tell us a little bit about your Supra. Where do you think it will excel? Where will it struggle? Why is that wing so big? Our supra, otherwise known as The Beast, is a little long in the tooth with nearly 100k miles on the clock. Although we feel the reliability of the Toyota is still far better then any other vehicle that will be entered in the Open Track Challenge. The Beast will excel on the more wide-open courses with long sweepers and high-speed straights. We feel these areas will be an advantage due to our over sized cajones, and maybe a little because The Supra is such an easy car to drive. Courses like The Streets Of Willow Springs may not allow us to use the full advantage of our cajones or The Beast, but we may surprise some people. The wing is our secret weapon to attract people who would otherwise attempt to hijack unsuspecting airliners. By luring in these wackos, we can then proceed to kick their asses all over the place, take all their money, and stop by the local self-employed female-dancing establishments on the way to the next event. As I think you’ll agree, it’s a win-win situation. 3. What Touring 2 car do you fear will give you the most trouble as a competitor and why? We fear the all-blowing RX-7. Our only recourse is to get our hot-laps in before they take to the track. This will minimize the lost track time as a result of the RX-7’s blowing up and coating the track with oil. We figure by the trip up to northern California, most of the RX-7’s will be out of the event. 4. West Coast or East Coast? Mike: West coast. Unless you’re talking about fembots… then id have to give the nod to the east coast. NYC has the highest fembot count per-capita of any American city. Derek: Don’t listen to Mike. West Coast girlies are super fly and they don’t smell like cigarette smoke. He’s just been watching too many reruns of Janet Jackson on Good Times. 5. As you know, I think many of your competitors are going to be rudely awakened to the discipline, preparation, and strategy it is going to take to win OTC. What is your team doing or planning on doing to prepare and what is the overall strategic outlook (without going into too much detail, of course)? Mike: I’m planning weekly sessions at Dromo1 to refine my blocking and passing skills. I know its not real karting, but the supra is draining my wallet so I have to make do the best I can. I’m also rigorously training in the ancient art of jujitsu to defend myself against those who try to hijack our Beast or our self-employed-dancers in Vegas. Finally, I have cut back to a maximum of 6 pints per night out at the local pub. Don’t ever say I wasn’t a team player! Derek: So far, I’ve stopped by three Unocal stations and picked up maps of Northern Cal. I also picked up Anthony Robbin’s latest self-help CD, “Unleash the Power Within”. Anthony says he believes in us, and that’s good enough for me. 6. Ok, let's say I get a call at the end of the event from Las Vegas Police Department informing me that they've arrested some of our competitors in the #77 Supra. What crime should I suppose you just committed? Mike: Well, I’m a nice guy. I tend to stay out of trouble. But having said that, and knowing the reputation my partner in crime Derek has; once we hit Vegas the mixture of exhaustion, alcohol, strippers, and money could pose a problem… or an opportunity depending on your perspective. Derek: You know Mike’s the ladies’ man. He will have so many hoochies and sloots around him LVPD will probably think he’s a pimp. 7. What professional driver to you think you emulate the most? Mike: Cru Jones, while he isn’t technically a driver, he is a rider. He was the star of the movie Rad. Come on, you remember it... the movie from the mid 80’s about the local BMX dude who lays the wood to the professionals, and gets the hot chick at the end (Lori Loughlin, who was also in the TV show Full House). I wish they would release that on DVD. Derek: Herman Munster. More to the point, Herman in Grandpa Munsters Coffin Drag-u-la, but I can see a bit of Herman in the Munster Koach in my straights. 8. What's the deal with NASCAR? Mike: NASCAR is the WWF of motor sports. Derek: I love to watch a bunch of rednecks hanging a left… 9. Let's try to get past NASCAR. What on Earth is going on with the WNBA? That sure doesn't look like professional basketball to me. Mike: Agreed. While I’m sure the players put all their effort into it, it just doesn’t do it for me. It’s just another sport that was marketing driven before the first tip-off. I’ve played against some ladies on West 4th and at the Houston St courts in NYC who got more game than some of the girls they show in the WNBA. I wonder how they decide who gets on those teams… Derek: Some girl sports are cool. Watching Stanford or Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball can be nice. 10. Here's the part where you thank everyone who is supporting your OTC effort or supplying bail money. We would like to thank: MFN - The leader in metropolitan fiber services, Internet server collocation, and managed services. The Las Vegas Police Department – We have purchased 4 tickets to the annual policemen’s ball. Please be gentle.
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