I read about SCCA’s Track Night on social media. It looked like a great opportunity to get my feet wet in the world of racing. It also was happening at GingerMan Raceway, a great road course not too far away. I signed up and got me a helmet!

When Caroline and I got to GingerMan, we pulled right into a spot on the paddock. We parked next to a stock-powered 240SX that proved to be very quick.

This was taken before the second session, but you get the idea. I was still excited!

Here was our lineup. My wife rode along for a few pace laps before the first serious run. Because of the tendency of new drivers toward showing off to their passengers, riders aren’t allowed for the normal sessions unless they’re instructing (and qualified to instruct).

Here we go! Driving on the track was a great freedom. I could never (or would rather not/should not) push the car like this on the street. It was great to find that the modifications made to the Mazda were not made in vain.

That EF hatch was quick.

Caroline was laughing, joking about how the roof and wing were just barely visible coming up the front straight.

The sun came out a bit at the end of the track night.

I still had difficulty placing myself for the turn 2 at the end of the night. I sometimes caught myself just hugging the inside of the turn.

My wife was kind enough to play the photographer on this night. She took some great shots despite minimal fancy camera experience.

I’m glad I had the experience to drive on this road course. I’ve been up to GingerMan with my Dad for a few events. We’ve been up to watch my uncle race in his Mustang GT a couple times. On another occasion with a few of my friends in high school, we went up for a Viper Days event. I almost forgot… My first time showing the car was at Gridlife Midwest which took place here. The event coverage is a few posts back.

I wondered if I would see this guy. He has a Facebook page with car-related whatnot and was at the last Track Night up here.

This was the fastest car on the track that night, as far as I know. Though, there was a car that looked like it was straight out of Nascar.

I like the color combination here.

This guy was not far from us in the paddock. I love this car. It’s such an unusual sight.

Our instructor for the Novice group took us on a field trip to turn 1 to watch the Advanced guys go through it. It’s a fairly quick turn at the end of the front straight. We were being advised on what line to follow through it and into turn 2. It was a great photo opportunity.

All the details of this car seemed just right.

The owner is a friendly guy who competes in some hill climb events up near the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

I hope I see this car at some other events.

Datsun Z! Here’s a fairly lightly modded 280Z.

Here are two chassis I own. My Merc doesn’t look half as good as this one. And my Z will take some time to complete.

This fuel got someone through the evening.

My wheels were looking pretty dirty at the end of the night. Dead bugs, tire rubber, dirt, and brake dust.

She made it! I had to tighten up a few things under the hood in the days after the event, but overall, great shape.

It was a lot of fun. I’ve shown the car a few times this year and that’s been fun. However, car shows aren’t nearly as fun as being out on the track. You can push the car to its limits and still talk cars with the people you meet.

My wife had a great time, as well. I’m glad that she could come, help out, and have some fun. It’s my hobby, but I’m glad we could share the experience together and have a great time. We’re ready for September 11th when we go back for more!

When you’re into cars, the summer is guaranteed to be the busiest time of the year for you. There are car shows, meets, races to watch, track days, days spent in the garage… It depends on what you’re into, but regardless, when the weather is warm and the sky is sunny you will be busy.

We had a weekend back in July that involved three different events in one weekend. The first event was something I look forward to every third Saturday of the month, the Tire Rack Cars and Coffee meet. It’s a relaxed environment and car people of all types mingle and talk about what they love.

The mid-sixties, a great time in automotive history.

From a distance this car looks pretty normal.

What’s this?! It’s a turbocharged LS V8 powering a Subaru.

I didn’t get a chance to look closely at this truck. All manner of cars and trucks show up for the meet.

BMW performance

The classic whale tail Porsche.

Here’s a one-owner Mustang. It had some work done to make it a little more suitable on the track.

The factory gauges weren’t working right, so the owner installed some digital ones to monitor vehicle and engine speed.

There was a driving program at the small track to help teens learn the limits of the cars they’re learning to drive.

After the meet at the Tire Rack warehouse, it was time to drive home and pick up my wife. A coworker’s son-in-law works at US12 Speed and Custom in New Buffalo, Michigan. The shop was having their annual car show. I’ve been invited the past few years, but have always been busy. I figured we could check it out this year. So after a delicious lunch at the Stray Dog in New Buffalo, we went.

I love the look of the customs being built these days.

There was a Lincoln truck in the shop with a crazy amount of detailed metalwork.

It kind of has a steampunk vibe.

We took this photo because I like the switch box up near the ceiling. I’ve been frustrated with the electronics in the Miata lately and like the idea of a simple box like this to control all the essential functions.

Yes! This jet-powered dragster was fired up. The police were kind enough to block traffic for a minute while the fog of smoke that was created rolled away.

I’m glad we went. It was cool to see the cars, especially the dragster. I’ve seen jet-powered cars at air shows before, but never up close. We headed home after stopping at Oink’s for some ice cream.

Sunday was left unplanned, but it didn’t stay that way. My parents were going to the Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo and invited my wife and me to join. Knowing that we won’t live in this area forever, we decided to go along.

Here’s a 1929 Duesenberg.

I found this somewhat luxurious Studebaker truck pretty cool. Definitely a rarity.

The helicopter-engined Tucker.

Someone was telling me the other day how much they didn’t like old style flames. They prefer the photorealistic vinyl printed stuff. To each their own, I guess.

When it comes to muscle cars, I’m a Mopar guy. I was really happy to see this Charger Daytona on display.

Here’s the Little Deuce Coupe, the one on the cover of the Beach Boys album. This was built some in Michigan and more details were finished at George Barris’s shop in California. It’s a piece of custom automotive history.

There wasa turbocharged F1 or Indy car that looked like it was from the 80’s.

We had lunch at this diner on the grounds.

This is my kind of Bentley.

One of the new buildings on the grounds, a faux Cadillac dealership on the outside.

So much detail. I wonder if cars will ever have this level of detail in their design again.

Inside the Ford Model A building there was a display with all sorts of license plate ornamentation.

The garage/gas station on the grounds is iconic, but here’s a shot of the stocked interior.

I’m interested to know how the museum came to own this bus and how it was transported to the US. It looks to be about the same age as my father-in-law’s London taxi.

It’s a great museum. I’ve been there before, but it had been a while. The new buildings are a good addition. It’s funny to think that it’s such a large, quality auto museum and it’s not far away.

I didn’t get to work on the Miata that weekend, but it was fun. As I said, when cars are your hobby the summer is a busy time.