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- Television Star and Avid Automotive Enthusiast Adam Carolla Bringing ex-Bob Sharp Racing Datsun 610 to The Mitty - Datsun 240Z that Brad Frisselle Raced to the 1976 IMSA Camel GTU Championship Headed to The Mitty with New Owner/Driver David Martin - Updated Entry List Now Available for 41st Edition of The HSR Classic Motorsports Mitty presented by Hagerty at Road Atlanta, April 26 - 29 story by Adam Saul  BRASELTON, Georgia (April 5, 2018) - Stars and legendary cars that will join in the celebration honoring featured marque Nissan are part of the entry list that has been expanded and updated this week by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) for the 41st HSR Classic Motorsports Mitty presented by Hagerty at Road Atlanta, April 26 - 29. Stars from motorsports and Hollywood are headed to the HSR Classic Motorsports Mitty at Road Atlanta later this month, including recently added comedian, radio personality, television host, podcaster and avid automotive enthusiast Adam Carolla, who will be racing his ex-Bob Sharp Racing 1973 No. 33 Datsun 610. Carolla is a longtime fan of anything fast and with four wheels, and classic and iconic Datsuns are among his favorites. He has several significant Datsuns in his collection and has chosen this particular 610 that will both compete in and be part of the weekend's celebration honoring all things Nissan/Datsun. Carolla's 610 is the back-up car to the Datsun HSR and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America member Elliott Forbes-Robinson drove to the 1976 SCCA B Sedan Championship. Fully race-prepped by Bob Sharp Racing in period, the quick 610 has a L20B engine fed by twin Mikuni carburetors. Another highlight Datsun set for the Classic Motorsports Mitty is the 1976 IMSA Camel GTU Championship winning 1970 No. 47 Datsun 240Z that is now owned and campaigned by David Martin.  Driven in period by Brad Frisselle, who was also supported the design and construction of the car, the familiar orange Z won three races in 1975 and carried Frisselle to IMSA's Most Improved Driver Award. Frisselle went on to win the IMSA Camel GTU championship the following year in his team's 240Z, scoring eight victories out of 11 entered races - the first coming at Road Atlanta - and soundly defeating as a privateer the factory Datsun team. Another notable part of the history of the No. 47 Datsun is that the chassis was the very first 240Z imported to the U.S. in 1970. Mac Tilton designed the suspension and built some specialized parts while the chassis, roll cage and body were all constructed by Dave Kent, who was assisted by Yoshi Suzuka. Suzuka was also responsible for the design of the aerodynamics on the car while John Knepp of Electramotive built the engine. Upon completion, engineering expert Trevor Harris added his touch in the development of the chassis and suspension. In its prime, Frisselle's 240Z was generally regarded as the most advanced and fastest in IMSA in a standout era for the competitive GTU class. Classic Motorsports Mitty Grand Marshal John Morton will also get in on the racing action at Road Atlanta. Morton, who wheeled Datsuns to multiple Trans-Am and SCCA C Production title in the early 1970s, will compete in an equally legendary 1970 No. 46 BRE Datsun 240Z later this month.  Morton also has a connection to Martin's 240Z, which he co-drove with Frisselle to victory later in the 1976 season in the Road Atlanta 500, giving the orange Z a sweep of both IMSA rounds held that year on the Georgia road course. Off the track at the Classic Motorsports Mitty, Morton and Corolla will be featured in a commentary and Q&A session during a special Saturday night movie showing of Against All Odds, a period documentary about the Datsun 510's battle to topple the dominating Alfa-Romeos in Trans-Am. The movie event is open to all under the Classic Motorsportsbig-top tent in the Road Atlanta infield and also features free popcorn and a special autograph session with Morton. More information on the Classic Motorsports Mitty, entry forms and up-to-the-minute event updates can be found at www.TheMitty.com and spectator tickets are available at www.HSRTickets.com. For the current Classic Motorsports Mitty entry list, please click here. About HSR: Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race cars from the past. As a "time machine" of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world's most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR's website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and you can also follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter at @HSR_race.   The 21st Annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend is here and GEARHEAD will once again be vending at this cooler than hell event. Stop by our booth, #H10 (right next to our pals Cock Grease!) and meet legendary tattoo artist and pinstriper Mike Adair. He will be signing his limited edition numbered posters exclusively for GEARHEAD customers. Grab one of the 25 limited edition 18" x 24" prints at the show for $25 and if there are any left over, we'll put 'em up for sale in our web store when we get back!  18: x 24" painting one-shot on metal by Mike Adair (MFMA) www.gearheadhq.comThis issue of the Gearhead Newsletter is really long, but I had alot to get off my chest! Plus it's the first full newsletter of the year... they won't all be this long, promise! kiss kiss! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight shlemiel, schlemazel, hasenpfeffer incorporated We're gonna do it Give us any chance, we'll take it Read us any rule, we'll break it We're gonna make our dreams come true Doin' it our way Nothin's gonna turn us back now Straight ahead and on the track now We're gonna make our dreams come true Doin' it our way There is nothing we won't try Never heard the word impossible This time there's no stopping us We're gonna do it –Theme song to TV Sitcom Laverne and Shirley–Lyrics by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox This spring marks my eighteenth year running Gearhead. I think to run a small business this long, you have to have tunnel vision. You have to be dedicated and driven. I would also add a little nutty, focused, obsessed and filled to the top with perseverance. You have to obliterate the word “impossible”. The lyrics to the Laverne and Shirley theme song always gets stuck in my head when I ponder on this and all the ups and downs I’ve experienced along the way. I never say quit. I always think there’s a way to make something happen and I keep banging away at it until it happens or it crumbles before my eyes. Eighteen years later, I am still trying to make Gearhead the household brand name of cool that I know it can be. All last month, newscasts were commemorating the beginning of the financial melt down which led to the Great Recession. As a small business owner, I did some really dumb things to keep Gearhead going during the tough times, like taking out a second mortgage on my house, getting loans from the bank, maxing out credit cards…. These are the things that many small business owners do who are trying to make it on their own: I’m no exception. But spend any time on social media and you’ll notice the talk centers around “venture capital”, “start ups” and investors as the only way to fund a small business. Honestly, while the thought crossed my mind, I never had time to pursue outside funding. I was too busy running the company to spend time chasing some fantasy angel investor who probably wouldn’t get my vision anyway. So I kept at it, bootstrapping it as it is called: Everything coming into the coffers goes right back into the business to grow it gradually. When my world came crashing down around me as I filed for bankruptcy, I thought that was the end of all my dreams and goals. All my hard work and passion for this company was down the toilet. After coming out of the bankruptcy, and after doing some pretty intensive soul searching, I gradually put my toes back in the water and started the company back up again. Now, ten years later, Gearhead is finally regaining a foothold in the underground market. Two new issues of the magazine have come out, a bunch of new t-shirts are now available, and five new records have hit the streets since starting the brand back up again in 2013. I’m pretty pleased with how things are starting to grow again, and by the feedback I’m hearing, you folks are too. It has been mightly tough though. There are days when I’m so exhausted and run down, I don’t think I can do this one more minute. I wish I had someone to share the burdens with, someone to help find the dough to pay the bills. They call this the “trough of sorrow” in the business world. Apparently, this is a common place for entrepreneurs to get to, and many call it quits when they hit this emotional barrier. The feelings of isolation, worry, survival and struggle are daily reminders that running a small business by one’s self is not an easy path.  I pour everything I have into Gearhead because I love this company and believe passionately in it. I am in love with the idea of what Gearhead could become as a brand. But in reality, there are times when I stop and wonder what the heck I’m doing. Why am I continuing to grind away at this while I see other people call it quits and go get a job with steady income, health insurance and vacation benefits? I have taken free-lance jobs (check out these three articles for Team Valvoline), worked as a day laborer (seriously, $15/hour weeding and digging), taught classes about gardening (I’m a master gardener), sold my personal treasures on eBay and done whatever I could to make ends meet because any money coming into Gearhead was being put right back into the company. It is a constant struggle to keep the doors open and new products coming out, and sometimes, it is almost more than I can bear.  Around the holidays, I was promoting and selling the two new records that had just come out, The Mansfields Hollywood Babylon LPand theV/A Santa’s Got a GTO Vol. 2 LP as well as the brand new issue of Gearhead Magazine No. 20. I was so proud of each of those projects! I had worked so hard, pouring blood, sweat and tears into each one of them. I was physically so run down however, I made myself sick, suffering from bronchitis twice in a little over three months! I’m only just now feeling like myself again. At one event, I excitedly shared the new projects with a few peers and waited for their feedback. All I got was “I’m looking for the mistakes. I heard there were mistakes.” I was crushed. I felt like Charlie Brown when he goes trick or treating and gets a bag full of rocks. All my hard work, excitement and enthusiasm came crashing down around me and for a brief moment, I thought yet again, “Why do I bother?”  I listen to a lot of podcasts while I’m working and one of my favorites is How I Built This by Guy Roz. He interviews entrepreneurs about the companies they built and the challenges they faced along the way. I also listen the The Venture, another podcast run by Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson, who also interviews small business owners about their journey (one episode even featured our friends over at Kill Rock Stars!). These interviews give me a lot of inspiration to keep going because not one of the companies featured on these shows has had a straight easy path to success. Who knows? Maybe one day Gearhead will be featured on one of these shows. It helps me keep going when I feel defeated. I like thinking that maybe what I am going through could be inspiring to someone else in my shoes. Screw those people that don’t get it. There are plenty of you out there who do. The support you gave me during the recent Kickstarter campaign is proof enough. Eighty-seven of you stepped up to help fund the new issue of Gearhead! And THAT is why I continue. The Gearhead brand of products is niche at best, and that’s ok. It’s for the cool kids like you guys who are always looking for the next interesting thing and want to support those creators, inventors, artists, builders, or as they are referred to in one of my favorite books The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell “the Innovators.” When I first started, they used to called these people the “tastemakers” but now we are referred to as “influencers.” Whatever you call it, the loyal fans of Gearhead are “it”: able to identify with the vision and carry it out to the marketplace by buying the products and spreading the word about Gearhead to your social media. This community is what keeps me going and I am deeply grateful to all of you. Because of you wonderful loyal supportive Gearhead fans, I am able to keep building this company one step at a time and while the growth may seem slow, and some days I feel like I’m never gonna “make it”, it is steady and that is what counts. That is what keeps me showing up, day after day. Cue up the Laverne and Shirley theme song! I’d like to give a big shout out to all those who supported Gearhead during the Kickstarter campaign. Thank you for your support and belief in the Gearhead brand! Eighty-seven of you pitched in financially, and I know countless others shared the campaign with your social media. These kind folks pitched in something extra to bring issue #20 to life: Dean Case (formerly of Mazda Motorsports), Mel Spinella, Golly Gee Records, C. Flom / cheaprustjunkie, Gerry Cueller, Go Big! Entertainment, Chris M, Chuck Destruction, Self Destructo Records, Jason Selbert, Rene Aguirre, Rich T (Ohio Tattoo Museum), Terrence Guerin, Aaron Steinle, mike gossell, Phil Lang, Brian Miller, Royce Farrell, Nat Peplinski and Rumi.  I am getting married in a month, May 13, to be exact. The lucky guy is “Cuz’n Bill” Lorenz, tattoo artist and painter of the cover of Gearhead #20, as well as creator of a bunch of other art used for various Gearhead products. We met over ten years ago when a flaky tattoo artist messed up my half arm sleeve, and Bill offered to fix it for me. He is my rock, my support and my cheering section, all rolled into one swell guy. I couldn’t be happier! I need to pull my attention away for Gearhead for a while so I can finish planning my wedding. But rest assured, as soon as the wedding festivities are done, my attention will turn back to Gearhead full force. In the meantime, check out the newest release from Gearhead Records, the digital ep The Traveler from Tilli. She rocks and you should expect to hear more from her as the year unfolds. Dave Grhol (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and Alain Johannes (Queens Of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Eleven) both produced and contributed to these killer tracks, so check it out!  If you haven’t picked it up yet, the sophomore release from The Mansfieldshas taken a spooky turn and headed into psychobilly territory. It is Limited edition pressing of 500 on day-glow orange vinyl with a free digital download to boot. There are still a few copies left of the V/A “Santa’s Got a GTO Vol. 2” LP compiled by world famous DJ Rodney Bingenheimer exclusively for Gearhead. Even through it is a Christmas album, this one rocks hard and can be played any time of the year! This is also available as a digital download cardwith cool art by Doug Mansfield! And of course, there is the newest issue of Gearhead Magazine out now too, issue No. 20.  Finally, there is thebad-ass new Gearhead t shirt-- The Chevelle Monster t-shirt--designed and printed by Mario Vigil at Vigil Designs. Featuring a two-color back print as well as a left-chest front logo, this rad art is sure to make your day a little weirder. I’m super proud of all these projects and hope you dig ‘em too. And yes, there are mistakes, but I am human! I do my best, but shit still gets by me. It is not the end of the world, ok? Finally, if you do buy something from the webstore, please leave a review!It helps Gearhead get bumped up in the search engines and as you all know, every little bit makes a difference when you’re the underdog. Thank you every one of you for reading this, for your support and enthusiasm. You are the reason Gearhead is still around. Live Fast, Be Weird! Rev. Michelle Big slobbery wet kisses and hugs go out to the following folks for their generous support via Kickstarter to help get GEARHEAD No. 20 out! You folks rock! 87 of you came in on the Kickstarter campaign, and while we don't have room to acknowledge everyone, you each helped push Gearhead over the finish line. We couldn't have done it with out you! Special thanks to the following supporters: The Pit Pass Level: Royce Farrell Nat Peplinski Rumi In The Driver's Seat: Terrence Guerin Aaron Steinle mike gossell Phil Lang Brian Miller Top Fuel Level: Chuck Destruction, Self Destructo Records Jason Selbert Rene Aguirre Rich T., Ohio Tattoo Museum Turbocharged Level: Chris M 300 MPH Club Level: C. Flom / cheaprustjunkie Gerry Cueller, Go Big! Entertainment Checkered Flag is Waving Level: Mel Spinella, Golly Gee Records Funny Car Level: Dean Case (formerly of Mazda Motorsports) If you have tried to contact GEARHEAD via email in the last few days, we've been experiencing some techincal difficulties with our email server. In theory it should be fixed by Thursday April 12, 2018. If you are still getting bounce-backs, please call us at 916-897-2451 or resend your email on Thursday. Thank you!
GEARHEAD MAGAZINE only comes out once a year, but that doesn't mean we stop writing. Check out these three articles written by Gearhead CEO Michelle Haunold for Team Valvoline!  "Cuz'n Bill" with The Lords of Altamont hang out in Lydia the hot rod  The Dictators rock your world!  SSP Smash Up Derby, one of the hottest toys from the 60s! Hey Music Freaks! I"m working on something exciting with special sauce and sassiness. It's cool, it's hot, and I need your help.! Be a part of this highly secret project--if you have photos from 1982-2000 with me in them as well as any of the surrounding people, clubs, events, music scene, bands, equipment, records, merch or other please send them over! Thanks everyone, this is an exciting project I've wanted to do for a while.... so show me whatcha got! My email is michelleDOThaunoldATgmailDOTcom. Thank you! xo Michelle |
AuthorRock 'n' Roll/Automotive Journalist, Influencer, Editor and Publisher of Gearhead Magazine, Archives
June 2020
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