So, with the Peter Cunningham interview going so well, I decided to keep my talents in Indy and interview someone else. I want to keep "grassroots" in this series, so here we go, I introduce Adam Jabaay. He was an easy choice for me because he is one of those people who has been in the "scene" for awhile. My first event was West Michigan Honda Meet in 2009 which is an event that Adam helps with, as I do now. Back then, I knew who he was because of his car. His car is one that stands out, it stands out because I screams "I think outside the box." That car, "Night Ripper", was in Super Street, etc. But, our first interaction came towards the end of 2010. I had a newleaf. meet down in Brown County, apparently he and his family were down there as well. He sent me a message on Honda-Tech and then we caravaned down to ITR Expo '11 at CMP. From then on, we have stayed in contact, almost constant contact. Earlier this year, he asked me to do the LeMons race with them, we won the B class and finished sixth overall. Then later in the year, we made the trek to VIR for NSXpo. Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time around Adam at the track in the past couple years. To me, he is like the Dos Equis man, but the Honda version, the most interesting man in the world. haha. He likes to tinker with everything. He has a Ford with a Cummins in it, he helped a few buddies put a K series motor into a Miata, plus the "Night Ripper" has a lot going on, yet it only cost like $47.84 to build! He's been with his wife forever and he used to ride BMX. So, we have a lot in common, yet he is tall, I am not. He is normally pretty mellow, I get pissed real easy. Needless to say, we drove all the way out to VIR, which was over 20 hours round trip without the radio ever being turned on. In that time, I got to hear a few of his stories, now it is your turn.
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| Drew Davis photo. |
Brap: What was your first car and what ever happened to it?
AJ: My first car wasn't a car, it was a '91 Ford Aerostar with a 4.0 v6 and extra long rear (towing package meant you got the big v6!). My dad had driven it 170,000 miles in 8 years and handed it to me when I got my license. He let me skip school on my birthday and go get the precious license. I'll never forget that day. The Aerostar was suffering from severe rust when I got it. The trans started slipping and eventually died (sold it at auction for scrap prices basically). We hauled lots of BMX bikes all over the Midwest in it though, and i'll never ever forget that van. I bought my 5 speed 1991 Nissan Maxima shortly after that and my brother still owns that car. It now has somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 WHP plus gets tracked hard, driven cross country, and regularly tows our LeMons CRX when my trailer is full of 2 other cars(we bring lots of crap to track days and the LeMons CRX is one of our most fun pieces of crap).
Brap: What got you into racing or into cars in general?
AJ: My good buddy Dave Boender got me into "modding" cars in high school. I've read car magazines all my life basically though. My Grandpa drove stock cars in the 50's and I went to the circle track growing up. My dad taught me how to drive stick when I was very young. I "helped" him work on his work trucks a lot and was doing all the regular maintenance on his small fleet when I was 14 or 15 I think. In high school, Dave's father's dealership had my Nissan Maxima for sale and Dave said "You gotta drive this car. It's so fun and you can fit bikes in the trunk. I think it'll look cool with different wheels and lowering springs". Dave had a pretty rad Honda Prelude back then, plus he and I rode BMX together forever. Hes still one of my closest buddies and he has done several track days with me over the years, although hes only casually into cars now.
Brap: What has been your favorite car to drive on track?
AJ: My favorite car to drive on track is a toss up between my "fast" 350 whp civic (it's terrifying in braking zones though and goes 140+ mph easily) and my ITA CRX. I've been using the CRX primarily now because its low maintenance and it's FUN. B series powered Hondas are usually passable, it's easy on wear items, and you have to WORK to get it going fast. I'm still a few seconds off ITA "record" pace with it at big tracks, but its been a lot of fun. Plus, it's so cheap and disposable.
Brap: What is you favorite track that you have driven?
AJ: My favorite track is VIR, but Mid Ohio is a VERY CLOSE second. VIR has the long straights that are kind of snoozy in my ITA CRX. But, there is NOTHING in the world like going through the uphill Esses in that thing. Wide open throttle in 4th gear, running over the gators because the car is so short it's tough to not hit them. It's the most thrilling section of track I know of. Then immediately after the Esses, there is South Bend, which I constantly over brake for and look like a complete weenie. And, Oak Tree turn which is suck at without the oak tree which I likely sucked at when the oak tree was there. BUT HOLY CRAP I LOVE THE ESSES. The whole atmosphere of that place just MAKES it. And the drive is so long, but sort of awesome.
Brap: What do you enjoy most about racing or the car community in general?
AJ: I enjoy the people in the car community and the complete focus that being on track provides. Any day that I'm at the track, I'm with at least a half dozen good buddies, and it's the ONLY place I feel completely relaxed. Even if we are swapping an engine in the rain via the headlights of two S2000s, while my drunk buddies are heckling how long it is taking. The only place I can completely forget work and stress is a racetrack. Some of my best friends are the guys I see 10-12 times a year at tracks all over the country.
Brap: You've been messing with Hondas since Lincoln was in office. Why Hondas?
AJ: HONDAS ARE CHEAP. There is nothing, except maybe a Miata, that you can have as much fun with on a racetrack minimal money as a Honda. I prefer the '88-'91 Civic and CRX, obviously, but my 1984 CRX LeMons car is lovely too, with its solid beam rear axle and complete lack of springs in the front. I only surround myself with the Honda racing crowd, so I don't see much of the "idiot" or "ricer" crowd, except for this one noob ricer named Brap.
Brap: You have been doing DEs since Monica met Bill, then you did a LeMons race. What happened after that?
AJ: I knew from running the instructor sessions with Chin Motorsports at Autobahn(open passing, race conditions) that I WOULD LOVE wheel to wheel. After doing our first LeMons race, I immediately starting figuring out how to run SCCA with my "real racer" buddies. Wheel-to-wheel racing is different that track days. I've done well over 100 track days over the past 11 years or so, and I cant remember details about most. I feel like every second of wheel to wheel is ingrained in my head. I'm sure that will pass eventually, but right now its what i'm in love with.
Brap: You guys didn't take LeMons too serious(3 or 4 previous races). You asked me to join the team and said that I was being too serious. I started my stint second in class. During my stint, we took over the lead in class. Your brother told me that I could come in whenever I wanted, then you hopped on the radio and yelled "NO!!! Stay out!" Do you think that you overreacted and took it too serious at that point?
AJ: I don't think we over reacted there. The only reason I don't think we over reacted is because we won the EVER LOVING PISS out of our class that race. Yeah, yeah, you did a good job. haha
I learned a lot that weekend, prep means EVERYTHING. Knowing what your in for helps. Staying cool under "pressure" helps, too.
I learned a lot that weekend, prep means EVERYTHING. Knowing what your in for helps. Staying cool under "pressure" helps, too.
Brap: Back when I knew Adam Penn better than you. He, yourself, and Dave Mi-Ott-a used to talk a lot of trash and battle it out. Neither of them have done an event in awhile. Do you consider yourself to have won that battle?
AJ: Man, I miss those guys on track, but they'll be back soon(and yes, won. Completely. haha). Dave now has a CRX, with a rollbar, and ready for HPDE fun. Penn is looking for a rollbar for his daily driver Miata. You can't lose the addiction. They had it bad and they'll be back soon. The three of us had a few really really good sessions. Adam and I had one session where we were nose-to-tail the entire time. I doubt 2 cars have ever been that COMPLETELY EVENLY MATCHED at a track day ever.
Brap: What is the best pizza place that you've ate? Aunt Millie's?
AJ: I have lived in Chicago my whole life. I've ate all the "best pizza" in the world here. That CRAPHOLE a mile from VIR, Aunt Millie's, is the only pizza I think about on a daily basis. Wasn't it you that contemplated going to Buffalo Wild Wings that night?(Editor's note: I said Bdubs because that's what everyone else wanted to do due to karaoke. I'm sure glad that we didn't go because, we were told, the karaoke was lame!) WHO WAS RIGHT!?
Brap: Bonus question. Most people didn't believe it, but in West Virginia, did we almost hit a black bear?
AJ: Yes. My F350 ALMOST had a black bear in the grill. My mad skills totally saved me from buying a new headlight on eBay the Monday after that event. That was the weirdest thing I've almost hit with a vehicle.
As you can see, Adam is a pretty rad dude. I heard that he even likes long walks on the beach! I've learned a lot from Adam and I've gotten flipped off a lot by Adam. If you're at the track and you see him, be sure to take a few minutes to catch a chat with him. You won't be disappointed! And, if you can't catch him in the paddock, you'll be sure to catch him on a straight away. The ITA car goes 0-60 in 6 minutes, as if I have room to talk. But, until next time, eat Aunt Millie's and watch out for black bears!
