Tag: washington dc

I Joined the Sports Car Club of America

I joined the Sports Car Club of America today.  I had never realized that SCCA actually does racing.  I always assumed it was for a bunch of guys in MG's or Miatas to have car shows and events.  If I had known they do racing… I would have joined a long time ago!  Apparently the nickname some members have is, “Secret Car Club of America!” which is true.  I mean, I am a car guy I didn't know this!  I have wanted to learn to Rally race for awhile and I will get the opportunity with the SCCA.  I am part of the Washington DC region which covers a lot of people in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington DC.  If anyone else is part of the SCCA please leave a comment and let me know.

R&H Car Show raises $2,100 for Children’s Guild

The 1st Annual R&H Car Show that took place on July 16th, 2011 to benefit The Children's Guild was a great success.  The staff and coordinators raised $2,100 for the worthy organization.

Over 100 vehicles of all types came out to R&H Toyota's brand new service center in support of the Children's Guild.  Including motorcycles, hot-rods, muscle cars, and imports.  There were 87 participants in the judging portion.  I am sure was quite difficult to judge since they were some amazing vehicles there.  Such as Trevor Boone's '01 Honda Accord with a polk audio system, lambo doors, and playstation.  A beautiful purple Kawasaki ZX1400 owned by Markus with every imaginable upgrade possible.  Some of my personal favorites at the show were a beautiful red Jaguar E-Type, Ford GT, and even a Ferrari.  A certain writer would love to own these!

There were also some great activities at the show.  Both Mobil1 and Shell had racing simulators setup for attendees to try out.  Trying out the simulators was quite fun and more difficult than I thought… just like real racing!  When I exited the Mobil1 simulator the guy exclaimed “Harder then it looks, huh?”  Sure was.  Shell and Mobil1 also had their race cars on display at the show along with the simulators.  It was great to see the vehicles up close.

“This was entirely a employee concept and they worked very hard to put this together.” said David Russell, General Manager for R&H Toyota.  “Everyone knew different people to bring to the show.  Vendors really stepped up to support this as well.”

The Children's guild is definitely an organization that needs people to step up to support it.  It serves the needs of children with trauma disorders, autism, or disabilities in the Maryland and Washington DC area.  Currently they are working on opening up several new schools in the area.  Any added support is much appreciated.

For more information about The Children's Guild please visit:  http://www.childrensguild.org/

Next year should be even better with more cars, meaning a higher fund raising goal.  Mark your calendars!

*Special Thanks to Jan Braverman, coordinator for the R&H Car Show

 

 

John Dillinger’s car at BWI

Saturday morning I was at BWI in the Southwest terminal.  While I was checking in, I noticed an interesting old red car on display. Naturally I walked up to see what the car was.  To my surprise, it was one of John Dillinger's getaway cars!  To be more precise it was a 1933 Essex Terraplane.   Dillinger was a famous bank robber during the depression.  He was considered a hero for robbing banks, since the majority of Americans were so poor in those days.  The car on display was used in several bank robberies by Dillinger and his posse.  Fairly recently there was a feature film, Public Enemies, about his life and crime spree.  Johnny Deep played Dillinger and it was an interesting movie.

Next time you are flying out of BWI and flying Southwest, definitely take a minute to check out the car.  It was very cool.  Take a look at some of my pictures below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driver’s Edge: Registration full, Sign-up for the Waiting list

Unfortunately registration is full for the Driver's Edge courses that are happening at FedEx Field on June 18th, and 19th that I reported on.  However, if you or your teenager are still interested you can sign-up to be put on the waiting list if any spots do become available.  You can also request to be put on the Notification List, for upcoming tour dates in different cities.  Two other cities currently are available (you can sign-up for the waiting list) in Nashville and Boston.  Additional dates become available during the summer, so it's good to check back on their website once in awhile.

Driver's Edge is a great program which gives teens the chance to work with professional race car drivers to gain experience controlling cars in difficult situations.  The programs are provided Free, so that anyone interested can attend a course.  You might be happy one day your teen got the chance to attend a Driver's Edge course, if it helps them avoid a car accident!

Driver’s Edge: Real driving Education for Teens

Driver's Edge is a great organization with a very important mission. To save the lives of young drivers! The aim of Driver's Edge is to bring European driver education (which is more stringent and advanced) to US teenagers. The biggest killer of teenagers is not guns, drugs, or alcohol….. but car accidents. Bringing better driving education to this age group, Driver's Edge is trying to get those car accident deaths of young drivers down.

When you go out for the day to one of the Driver's Edge programs, it's a lot of fun. They will run a you through several different emergency maneuvering techniques. (In a BMW!) You'll get to experience what is like to take a car to it's limit in a controlled situation. You also get some Free goodies. I got a T-Shirt and emergency roadside kit, that I still have in my car.

I had a great time doing it and I highly recommend any teenagers sign-up or parents with teenagers sign-up and go. Best part about Driver's Edge? It's completely Free!

Driver's Edge will be conducting a program in Washington D.C. The program will be the weekend of June 18 & 19, 2011 at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. You must register for the program, if you are interested. It's done on a first come, first serve basis! Registration will open Thursday, May 12 AT 6:00pm (Eastern Daylight Time). Spots are expected to fill quickly, so please sign-up asap if you want a spot or a spot for your teenager. Driver's Edge is open to anyone age 21, or younger, with a valid learner's permit or driver's license.

4 Time Slots are Available, See below for instructions. Only register for one class. Students must stay for the full duration of the class.

  • Saturday, June 18, 8:00am – 12:30pm
  • Saturday, June 18, 1:00pm – 5:30pm
  • Sunday, June 19, 8:00am – 12:30pm
  • Sunday, June 19, 1:00pm – 5:30pm

On Thursday, May 12 at 6:00pm (Eastern Time), you will see that WASHINGTON D.C. will become available for registration on our Tour Schedule & Registration page (link below). Click on “register now” to sign up. **IMPORTANT NOTE** Submitting Registration – When completing your registration, there will be a submit button after you fill out the student's information: “Sign Me Up”. PLEASE CLICK THE “SIGN ME UP” BUTTON ONLY ONCE. After clicking “sign me up”, the next page will take SEVERAL MINUTES TO LOAD. Every time “sign me up” is pushed, a registration is submitted. Please be patient. Thank you. *We are working on resolving this technical issue and appreciate your patience in the process. PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER FOR MORE THAN ONE SESSION. All registrants will receive an e-mail with class details approximately 7 days PRIOR to the program date. THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 AT 6:00P.M. (Eastern Time)

To register visit: www.driversedge.org/events/currentevents.aspx

For more info visit: http://www.driversedge.org/