Toby and Kenny upgraded to Toyo RA1 tires after they trashed the set of Conti’s that came with the car. RA1s were “DOT-R” tires, meaning they are road legal even though designed primarily for track use.  They had treads when new so they can be driven in the rain (on the street on on track) which makes them an especially convenient choice for a dual-use … Continue reading Race Tires, Truck and Trailer(s)

After dipping their toes in track days late 2005, Toby and Kenny couldn’t wait for the next season to start. Toby and Kenny logged a total of 22 days in 2006 (so 44 days for Dirty Molly.)  They had their first outing on their “home track” Summit Point’s “Main” track as well as the twistier Shenandoah Circuit. They also tried out “Pro” tracks farther away … Continue reading 2006 Track Days Recap

Team Shum has been Gran Turismo fanatics since the series first release. As serious car guys, there is no such thing as a driving “game”. This is Toby and Kenny setup circa 2006:  Playseat; Logitech Driving Force Wheel; Sony SXRD HDTV; No surround sound, but with hi-end audio system complete with a tube amp! Jon started off with a Playseat Challenge setup in Toronto, and … Continue reading Playseat for Playstation / Gran Turismo

What is Togue / Tōge? Toby and Kenny got a rare chance to chase each other at a Mazda Club autocross. Autocross events are also known as “Solo” events, since competitors race against the clock one at a time. Toby and Kenny got a rare chance though to chase each other around the course at a Mazda Club autocross. Although it was a demonstration run … Continue reading Togue Battle

One downside of living in a condo…since Toby bought a Boxster he did not have space to park his Civic anymore. Jon came to the rescue!  He was looking for a sporty car with a manual transmission so it was a perfect fit!  He flew down to visit Toby and Kenny over Christmas and New Year with his family, and brought their “new addition” back … Continue reading Keeping It in the Family

Kenny and Toby were at the third annual Mazda Rev It Up / Zoom-Zoom Live. The highlight of the event was the national autocross competition.  The giant FedEx field parking lot was converted into a sea of cones with thousands of competitors.  Instead of the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 in previous years (no slouch but still…) this year’s competition featured the brand spanking new … Continue reading Mazda Zoom Zoom Live

Toby was bitten by the track bug and found the Civic’s 100mph “top speed” a little limiting, so the search began… The decision criteria was short: 1) A Convertible; 2) Good for Autocross; 3) Good for Track Days and 4) Not another Miata 🙂 Comfort and practicality didn’t make it on the list. So the search was narrowed down to four car: BMW Z3, Honda … Continue reading New Boxster; First Autocross and Track Day

After a few years of autocrossing, it didn’t take much urging for Kenny and Toby to want to try out track day. Their first event was with the Delaware Valley Mazda Club at Pocono Raceway.  Pocono was a big track that featured the longest straight among NASCAR ovals.  The Miata and the Civic were severely under-powered but that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm! Kenny and Toby … Continue reading Toby and Kenny Slid off the Slippery Slope

Kenny decided to spent his summer vacation visiting his parents in Montreal. For a thrifty student who owned a fun car, what better way to travel than to drive? As always, summer in Montreal was perfect for a roadster.  Even Dad took the wheel for a nice drive.  He had not driven a stick shift for a over 10 years, but immediately picked back up … Continue reading Miata road trip to Montreal

Kenny and Toby joined with their friends from Autocross Charles, Kyle, David, Pete and Barrie on spirited run through Virginia’s Horse Country. It was a brisk and sunny spring day.  Perfect for top-down driving Toby didn’t even bother to bring his Civic. They zig-zagged along beautiful back country road between horse farms and country estates, before returning to downtown Middleburg for a late lunch at … Continue reading Middleburg Fun Run