Jay Haire Interview.

Have you ever planned a birthday party? Did you find the task stressful? Now, try to imagine planning an annual event, like a birthday, but you're inviting all of your friends, plus friends of friends while trying to get some big name attractions to party at someone else's place. Enter Jay Haire, he has had the task of Mr. Party Planner for ITR Expo the last couple years. Whether it be CMP or Mid Ohio, he has picked some nice party spots. He's brought in big attractions like HPD and their Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Civic, plus an Ariel Atom with an HPD motor pushing 275hp at 1,300lbs!! This year Jay has one-upped himself. He has scheduled the party at Road America and invited RealTime Racing along!! Not to mention, long time Expo sponsor, King Motorsports might show up to party! Take a selfie of yourself and yell "Cheezthis" because who wouldn't cheese with this much excitement!! Well, enough of what Jay has done, lets talk about Jay before we move on to the interview. Jay has a ITR sedan that he tracks, he also wears a sombrero while at the track, and Jay is married on and off of the track. Jay's wife Lauren might get more excited about Expo than Jay! Alright, lets get to know more about Jay!


BA: What was your first car and what ever happened to it?

JH: I learned on my dad's '83 Chevy S-10, which was a 4 spd V6. Learning to drive manual on that challenged me at times but also made every following car seem easy. I have a stronger appreciation for that truck now than I did then. I have heard that it still runs!


BA: What got you into racing or into cars in general?

JH: Many things, including mutual interests from friends and reading car magazines growing up. My grandfather worked as a mechanic, and I think some of those genetics found their way to me.

Where I grew up, I enjoyed driving out of town on rural roads during summer nights. I found it very therapeutic.

It all went downhill from there, ha! 

BA: What has been your favorite car to drive on track?

JH: I have the best memories in my old 95 Integra GS-R. I experienced the most in that car and had a healthy confidence with it. I learned how to handle kinks, rainy surfaces, stay on the throttle, and how to repair things before heading home.

However, the current Integra Type-R sedan is a real blast! The sedan chassis is incredibly stable. Although some corner workers (and fellow drivers both on and off track) look at me funny, it’s a better car than the GS-R. Plus, with right-hand drive, I’ll never mis-shift into 2nd on 3-4 shift! That’s a huge money saver right there.

Someday, I would like to own an S2000.

BA: What is your favorite track that you have driven?

JH: I have not driven places out west such as Laguna Seca, yet. Mid-Ohio, VIR, and Grattan are a lot of fun, but Road America intrigues me lately.  I like them all! One thing to note, when at Road America, do not get "Plymouth'd" at night. You can ask Lance about that one, ha.

BA: What do you enjoy most about racing or the car community in general?

JH: You know Brad, so many things come to mind. We all have made some great friendships, attended weddings, and helped each other out when needed. That goes for both at the track and outside of it.

I can say that we have all made some genuine friendships out of it that extend over 10 years, and yet, we’re all making new ones each year too.

As far as being on a track, it never gets old to me. It also keeps my driving skills sharp off the track, which I need to survive the other drivers during my daily commute.

BA: First off, thanks for all that you do for ITR Expo!! How many Expos have you been to now?

JH: I'm happy to do it if people enjoy it. It's a nice reward to see the event succeed and genuinely appreciated each year! It means a lot to me when people say thank you. I never take it for granted.

This year will be my 12th! That’s scary to think about.

BA: Can you give the readers a small glimpse into what you do for ITR Expo?

JH: That question kind of scares me. It forces me to think about everything I do, ha.

In short, it’s a part-time job for most of the year and kicks into a full-time role when the event is near. Behind the scenes, there are a lot of extra things we all work on that make the event better. I could ramble on about all of those, but it will make heads spin, including my own.

It’s easy to rent a track, the rest of it is not if you want to make it an annual event. We owe a lot to the community who continue to support it.

BA: What are some of your favorite memories from Expo?

JH: The first moment was Expo 10 at Autobahn when Gary Robinson, who was the Manager of PR for Acura, flew in for the event. He was the nicest guy, but the best part occurred at the banquet. He gave a fantastic presentation including the Type-R’s history and future. For some of us long-term Expo planners and attendees, it was a huge accomplishment to us.

During the last two events at Mid-Ohio, I’m grateful for being able to thank everyone at the banquet. It’s a great moment because it goes both ways. I cannot put that into words.

Plus, you proposed to your future wife at one of those, Brad! How awesome is that? (I'm such the romantic!-BA)

BA: You've driven at Road America, what do you like most about the track?

JH: Road America is very different from most tracks. I challenge people to try other tracks instead of sticking to the same few they always attend, and most of our group has not been there yet.

The place itself is huge, and the track is fast! It contains a good mix of elevation, speed, heavy braking, a carousel, blind uphill crests, and amazing scenery. I find it enjoyable both at full-speed and touring lap pace.

I’m really excited to bring ITR Expo there and believe it’s a true bucket list track.

BA: You always get some cool cars to Expo. This year is no different and I'm not trying to sound like a 13 year old girl going to see One Direction. But, "RealTime, like, OMG, are you serious??!!" (Laughs)

JH: Haha, we have had some great cars over the years including the Ariel Atom Special Honda Racing Edition last year, the HART cars in 2012, and both King Motorsports RSX Challenge and World Challenge Mugen RSX. This year, King is working on something new but still in the works!

To step it up even further, we’re working with HPD and RealTime Racing to make this year very unique, and Peter Cunningham has been awesome to work with so far. Stay tuned for that announcement! This is new for ITR Expo and will make this year’s event a true cannot miss!

Joe Farrell Interview.

Joe Farrell is commonly know as Doespike around the ITR Expo paddock. Doespike is a nice, quiet gentleman that is known for using his flashers around VIR! Nike used to have an ad campaign called "Bo Knows", but now these import kids are using the term "Kanjo". The question is what can't Joe do?! Joe was pretty much the mastermind behind the Mansfield Reformatory banquet. Joe might be quiet, but his track resume is not. Can Joe pick between which Type R to take to the track, yes! Well, I think it is time to get to know one of our #IntegraFriends a little bit better..


BA: What was your first car and what ever happened to it?

JF: 2001 Acura Integra GS sedan. I still have it, mostly winter DD duties.
I wish I had Leno monies for a full subframe-off restoration. haha

BA: What got you into racing or into cars in general?

JF: I Loved the look and feel of my first car. I began to explore the Acura world and found they made a no-BS trim level called the Type-R. I began to learn all I could about them which led me to ITRCA and the old Honda-Tech ITR forum.


BA: What has been your favorite car to drive on track?

JF: ITR, it was bred for track duty right out of the box.


BA: What is your favorite track that you have driven?

JF: Watkins Glen International. It is an absolutely amazing and historic track with an incredible town that is into the racing heritage as well. Glen trips are just a blast start to finish, on and off track. 

BA: What do you enjoy most about racing or the car community in general?

JF: The friends that I've made and places that I've been able to visit. And it is all because of these little cars.


BA: How many Expos have you been to now?

JF: Seven! I still feel like a n00b.

BA: What keeps bringing you back to Expo?

JF: Friends, old ones and new. We also run a very unique event compared to other car clubs. You definitely get much more bang for the buck at ITR Expo.

BA: Is it easier to log the miles that you do every summer since you have two Type Rs to pick from?

JF: Haha, yeah. I now use my '98 with full interior and A/C for my WMHM trek each year. I nearly cooked to death the previous years in the '97.

BA: This will be your first time to Road America. Do you plan on using your flashers/hazard lights?

JF: LOL! Flashers will not be accepted at Expo.

FLASHERS ON!

BA: You are apart of Team Lazy, but there was nothing lazy about the preparation for last year's banquet. Do you think that Expo13's banquet will ever be topped?

JF: It was easier than you may think. Most coordination was done while sitting down at my desk at work(very Lazy approved). Caterer did most of the heavy work. I just wish I could have taken the tour!! :) I was actually surprised that most people did take it. I love how we are making Expo a well-rounded good time and not just another HPDE.  

Ryan Conley Interview.

When deciding to do a set of ITR Expo based interviews, I was pretty pumped about getting to know more about Conley. I think our first interaction was at Expo11 regarding karting, but I think that was the extent of it. I believe our first real interaction was at WMHM11. We spoke during the weekend, but we also caravaned back towards Indy together with a stop for dinner. He was very easy to talk to and super nice guy. He actually flew up for WMHM12, I was around him for a lot of the weekend and we watched the XGames together at Black River Tavern. haha. I then got in contact with him before Expo12 to let him know of my plans and to see if he could be of assistance. Of course, he was down and he was one of the very few that knew the surprise that Brandy was going to be presented with. Since then, I try to grab a chat with Ryan any chance that I get. Enough of my interaction with him, it is your turn. Ryan is a guy who is willing to help anyone and as I mentioned before, if not the nicest, he is one of the nicest people that you will ever meet. I have seen the "other side" once and it was awesome, but beware, I wouldn't want to be on that side!! Well, besides cookies, online dating, and BMX tricks, lets see what makes Ryan tick!


BA: What was your first car and what ever happened to it?

RC: My first vehicle was a 1987 Mazda B2200 SE-5 cab plus. My dad bought it for $500. It over heated and needed a brake job. At 15 it took me two weeks in my driveway to fix it, but it was a great learning experience. I have been a big DIY’er ever since. It blew up my freshmen year and that is when I bought my first car, a 99’ GS-R.


BA: What got you into racing or into cars in general?

RC: The experience above is what got me wrenching on cars. I have a twin brother and my family didn’t have the means to always pay a shop. My dad was by no means mechanically inclined, but we got a Haynes manual and fixed items like the brakes, clutch MC, drive belts, shocks, etc. Swapping the timing belt was a miserable experience. A good life lesson there; “If it is too difficult you are either doing wrong or don’t have the right tool.”

After the purchase of the GS-R I was able to start modding, rather than just fixing items. Through sites like Team-Integra.net, OG H-T, and ITRCA I was fortunately taught to avoid "Lego" mods. My first real time spent on Honda-Tech was the week of ITR Expo5 and I got very track-focused early on. The GS-R was purchased with 78k, so mechanically it was sound. I only did suspension and safety mods throughout the five years I owned it. After backing out of events like ITR Expo6 and a few we-todd-did-racing track days, I finally did my first event at ITR Expo7 at Virginia International Raceway. Despite some serious nerve issues I was hooked.

I must note that I have yet to participate in any form of actual racing. I do see myself throwing my hat in on a LeMons or ChumpCar type event in the future, but the past ~6-7 years I have focused solely on HPDE’s. Now that I am on the west coast, I’m thrilled there is a series like the HFF Challenge.  I plan to spend time participating and supporting the HFF series, I think it is great for many like myself.


BA: What has been your favorite car to drive on track?

RC: I’m a total nut when it comes to DC2s, so I am biased. I’m on my fourth ITR and sixth DC2(BA: Can't hide money). I tracked all except my second GS-R which would have been a blast due to the motor Jay Haire/King Motorsports built. Other than driving a few friend’s EGs, my track experience is limited to DC2s, so I’m uneducated. Currently my near stock '97 ITR has been a lot of fun. I’m still refreshing the worn 140k bushings, but it has been a blast in stock form at the five track events I have taken it to since its purchase. It has been a good reminder of how fun these cars are out of the box.

BA: What is your favorite track that you have driven?

RC: Until recently it was Virginia International Raceway. Laguna Seca might be a contender now though.

BA: What do you enjoy most about racing or the car community in general?

RC: The community of people that I have met through the years is what I enjoy the most. I first got on team-integra.net and OG H-T in '04, many of my first friends from those sites are now close friends ten years later. My best story is showing up at ITR Expo7 at dusk after driving 10.5+ hours alone. I didn’t know anyone, but as I was unloading my car and swapping wheels, five guys approached me. They ended up helping me swap wheels, unload, and then drove me to dinner. It was a great introduction to the ITR community, ITR Expo, and track days in general. My favorite part about ITR Expo and other track days now is driving in a caravan with friends to the event, plus hanging out. The driving part is just icing on the cake.

BA: So, ITR Expo7 was your first DE. What got you to sign up for Expo?

RC: After seeing all the fun at ITR Expo5. I was set to go, but I chickened out of signing up for ITR Expo6 and the first we-todd-did-racing event. There was another we-todd-did-racing event the following spring, but I had to cancel due to a mechanical issue. When registration for ITR Expo7 opened up, I just registered and paid despite not knowing anyone. I spent the winter making sure the car was solid, getting brake pads, a helmet, etc., and just went for it.


BA: You've been to almost half of the Expos, what keeps bringing you back?

RC: Now that’s a funny thought. I consider myself to be the second class Expo compared to many of the OGs that were around in the early OG H-T/Expo1 days. Up until recently, I think there were two guys that had been to every ITR Expo. Now I’m doing the math and its funny to think this will be my eighth ITR Expo. As we discussed earlier, the people at this event are what keep me coming back. My first year I met maybe ~15 people because I was shy and went to bed early since I was exhausted from my first two days on track. The next year at Expo8 I made a point to meet people, and it was well worth the effort. Each year that you attend Expo, you meet more new faces, build better friendships, and all of a sudden you are hanging out with ~150 friends each year. Between the evening hangouts, beer exchanges, banquet fun, it is tough not to have a good time. Everyone is super open and friendly, whether you need to borrow a random bolt, need a wrench, or just want a cold beverage at the end of the day.

BA: Obviously driving on track near the limit is fun, but do you think that the time spent off the track is more fun? If so, why?

RC: I have a very non-competitive personality. Tracking has always been one of the most stressful, yet exhilarating things that I have ever done, so it’s a mixed bag. A bad day on track is still a good day though, especially when spent with good friends. Off track is generally full on relax mode and have fun with friends over dinner, beverages, and hanging out at the track. I view driving on track as a catalyst for initially bring us all together, but hanging out with friends is the biggest proponent on why I continue to track.


BA: You're kind of like the resident banquet speaker for Expo. You do a really good job, do you rehearse at all? (Laughs)

RC: Ha! It’s a funny story on how I became the MC at the Expo 11. I found out about 30 minutes before the event. Jay, Dave, and some of the other committee members elected me on the spot and I just laughed, then immediately had a cold beverage. For Expo12 and 13, I obviously had notice, but I don’t feel I have done a good job, so thank you. Other than writing out a layout of the evening on paper nothing has been rehearsed.  Well, other than your proposal at Expo12. Sadly, there were no Expo proposals last year, so I’m hoping someone steps up to the plate this year.

BA: Alright, here is the kicker and you might lose some friends over this. You now live in San Francisco, so which coast do you prefer most, East or West? Just kidding, don't answer that. A lot of people complain about travel, distance, etc. For one, you've been to a lot of tracks and logged tons of miles. But, last year, you had a pretty extensive itinerary for getting to Expo13 at Mid-Ohio. Can you share your story with the readers?

RC: I’m officially in the middle of two camps now, the old East vs. West coast battle. Ha. I miss my garage space, but I’m happy to have the privilege to track with great communities of people at awesome tracks all over.

Expo13 was a fun trip and proves how much of a nut I am. I sold my daily driver ITR(01-0187) when I moved from South Carolina to SF due to theft concerns. I daily drove a 02’ Civic Si for over a year out here and did one track event at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. This was an Eibach Springs charity fundraiser event, so there was a big group of the HFF Challenge regulars. A friend let me borrow his 98’ ITR for a session and it just ruined me. Even with old tires, I knew I had to find a way. So, I found a garage spot to park a car and put a plan in motion to buy another ITR.

A good friend on the Expo committee was considering selling his '97. We began talking and eventually worked out plan around my schedule. Dave went above and beyond making sure the car was solid for both the track and the road trip. He even threw in spare tools/parts for the drive home.  At this point, I will mention that Dave lives in Florida, which is a bit of a drive back to San Francisco. Another good friend, Ali, also lives in Florida.  He offered fly to Tampa, pick up the car, and drive it ~9hrs to my old house in South Carolina. I flew from SF to South Carolina and we continued to the journey to Expo13 in Ohio, joining the southeast Expo caravan along the way. 

I tracked the car both days and then left to visit my family in Nashville. After a day we hit I-40 West. We weren’t road warriors, but with Ali’s help we made good time. Ali found an iPhone app that allowed you to map stops around beer breweries, so we tried to make every stop worthwhile. This was during the big storm in Colorado, so we detoured off I-40 near the Arizona border and headed south. I had met several people from Phoenix through both Expo8 and Expo10, and later SEMA in '12. With Nolan Whitenack’s help we had an awesome back roads route from 40 to Phoenix and spent a good evening with Nolan, Phil Robles, Simon Pavlick, Matt from ICB, Carlos Espinosa, and Paul Green from Project One-Thirty. It was a great night and Nolan was generous enough to offer us a place to crash. After one more long day Ali and I finished the drive to SF.

It is pretty cool how awesome the track community is. Almost everyone that was involved with purchasing the '97 and the subsequent roadtrip I have met at track events like ITR Expo. It really sums up why I continue to invest my time into tracking my cars with community run events like HFF Challenge, ITR Expo, etc.

This picture made people think that Conley's internet dating skills were paying off! 

Keith Meilink Interview.

Many of you have seen his work, so lets get to know the man behind the camera. With the ITR Expo themed interviews, I had to get a hold of Keith. He is the one behind the Expo coverage that you see in the Honda Tuning magazine. While at Expo, it is hard to find Keith during the day, he is everywhere while the track is hot. Either driving on track or around the track to shoot, he is busy all day. From my time around Keith, he is super laid back and mellow. He's easy to chat with, yet kind of the quiet type. But, he is very passionate about his craft, photography. Check his site out at www.meilinkvision.com, but for now lets ask Keith a few questions.


BA: What was your first car and what ever happened to it?

KM: Well the first car I ever drove was a ’92 Ford Taurus. After having it for two months everything started to go wrong on it, including problems with the transmission shifting. Apparently, it was a common problem with those models.

As for the first car I purchased myself, it was a ’99 Integra LS that I picked up about nine months later. I had it for four years and everything I did was mostly cosmetic; OEM lip kit, coilovers, Rota Slipstreams in white, JDM ITR SRS steering wheel, TSX retrofit, intake, and exhaust. I had plans to K-swap it back in 2007, but used the money to go on vacation instead. After that, I happened to stumble upon the ITR community, which swayed my decision to sell the LS and get an ITR instead. From there I sold it to my brother who had it for a few years, then he traded it for a turbo RSX. Just a couple of months ago my brother actually saw it parked in East New York, Brooklyn. Apparently, it is a shit box now.


BA: What got you into racing or into cars in general?

KM: I was born out of The Fast and the Furious generation. A friend of mine took me to see it on opening night back in ’01. We were freshmen in high school at the time. I knew of the "muscle world" and fixing up old Chevys and stuff. But, this showed me the possibilities of the import world and modern day cars. The two of us went and saw the movie another two times that week.

BA: What has been your favorite car to drive on track?

KM: Well, I have only really tracked my ITR. I did take my S2000 out at Mid-Ohio, but I really didn’t get on it too hard. I was still running shitty brakes and hadn’t expected to go out in it. I know S2000s are supposed to be great track cars too, but at the moment I have so much more experience and confidence with the ITR.


BA: What is your favorite track that you have driven?

KM: VIR. It just has a great mix of everything and the weekend I went it was a blast. The only thing with that compared to other tracks I’ve been to is the long back straight. So many cars would pull away from me, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem anymore.  


BA: What do you enjoy most about racing or the car community in general?

KM: The people and all of the friends that I’ve made. There’s a totally different atmosphere between drag and HPDE/track days. Being in NY, drag racing is still the more popular sport and it’s like die hard competition all the time. Everyone is shady as shit and forget getting a helping hand. Look at someone the wrong way and don’t be surprised if words get tossed around.

Now compare that to the HPDE world and wow, what a difference. Everyone is willing to help you out, talk, and become friends. Just look when I bent a shit load of valves at CMP. Each person was ready to throw down and pull the head off that instant. #RyanConley even offered to take like a three hour round trip just to pick up the parts from his house that I needed. I was too depressed to work on the car because of what happened and had the car towed to Hondaworks. And, again, just help everywhere. Patrick met me on a Sunday, his day off, at the shop to open up and roll the car in. He then took me to Andy’s house. Andy was gracious enough to hang out with me that night and then drive me to the airport to fly home. When one person goes down, all the others are there to lift you back up.

BA: ITR Expo9 was your first event. That is kind of a hike for you, so what got you to sign up for Expo in the first place?

KM: Fourteen plus hours of driving, yup, I’d say a hike. Lol. But, you’re also talking to someone who has been to CMP more than any other track and that’s about an eleven hour drive for me. So what’s another three?

Anyways, I had just bought my ITR ten months prior and knew ITR Expo was the "IT" event to go to. I remember watching the old videos from Expo 3 and 4 and just being in awe at the amount of ITRs. Once I bought my own, there was no doubt if I’d go or not, no matter where it was.


BA: The NorthEast caravan rolls in deep. How many cars do you guys normally get together?

KM: Well they used to be big, then died down, but are back up again. Hell for Expo 11, I rolled down from NY by myself and on the way home it was just Edwin and I. Expo 12 saw a pick up in cars and 13 even topped that. I think we had about fifteen cars.

BA: You've made the switch from B series to K series. Was that in preparation for the long straights at Road America? (Laughs)

KM: Well if my Forza times are any indication of the K vs everyone else in B, I should be about ten seconds faster, so yeah I guess so. Lol.

But, for those that don’t know, the switch was due to the B blowing up. After doing a cost comparison of going bigger with the B and building it to a 2.0 or selling all of my B stuff and going bolt on K. It came out to be just a little more for the K. I figured the extra couple of bucks would be worth the reliability and longevity of a stock motor. That’s assuming I don’t start building it like I did the B. Lol.


BA: You normally shoot the event and drive, is that hard to juggle both tasks?

KM: Extremely difficult. I have to give up track time to make sure I get the best pictures. I’m also walking miles upon miles around the track all day in the hot sun. Then trying to get back to the paddock in time for the sessions that I’ve chosen to drive. Add in the rigors of tracking too and I’m exhausted by the last session. I really don’t get much social time at the event so once we’re back to the hotel or at the banquet, you really won’t see me with a camera. I know people like getting the after scene photos and viewing the social aspect of the event, but every one needs some down time and that’s when I take it.

BA: Have you ever thought about driving and shooting at the same time? Or does that have #RyanConley written all over it? 

KM: Lol. Well actually this year I’m thinking about trying some stuff out with GoPros and using them for stills instead of video to get shots like that. We’ll see what happens.

Lyda Heng Interview.

I knew Lyda's car before I knew Lyda. I was my first ITR Expo, second DE in the hatch, and I am having my way with the beginner group at Autobahn. I pull up to grid and here is this Type R in front of me. It has a big ol' wing on the back of it, canards, just all the "cool" stuff, and I thought to myself "Nice wing, but you're about to get rolled.." They send him out and HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL!! I brought a knife to a war apparently. He went screaming out, but I thought that I could catch him in the back section, but I never did. I walked by his car later and yep, sure enough, there's that K series that I expected. I didn't see anyone around the car and I don't remember Lyda and I's first interaction. But, with our similar interests, especially sports, he is one of the easiest people for me to talk to in the Expo paddock. We even got the chance to shoot around together last year at the hotel, in the pitch black. haha. I don't know how anyone got out of there without any broken fingers. I think the one thing that gravitates me to Lyda is the respect that I have for him. I hear it all the time about "Oh, there's not a track close" or "I don't want to wreck my car.." Here is Lyda and his buddies driving 4,000 miles plus per Expo trip just to track with friends. And, to top that off the first three Expos that he did, he drove the car to and from the track! I remember my drive back from Expo11, some wanted to get a hotel, and some(I) just wanted to get home. My drive was roughly 10 hours and a bit over 650 miles to get home. We ended up stopping about 40 minutes from my house because I was physically and mentally done. I don't remember how long I had been up at that point, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. Yet, Lyda makes the trip to track his car, plus hang out with the ITRCA community every year. I could go on and on about him, but I'll stop now and let you read what I threw at him, car and sports related!

BA: What was your first car and what ever happened to it?

      

LH: 1992 Acura Integra GS. I sold the car for a down payment on a 2000 PY ITR.

BA: What got you into racing or into cars in general?

LH: Family and friends got me into the car scene. I started to want to track on my own because I originally built my car for show. After all the money and time spent on the car, I decide to put the car to use. Why spend all that money and not use it for its real purpose! 

BA: What has been your favorite car to drive on track?

LH: My ITR is the only car I've ever driven on the track. Maybe we can swap cars for a few sessions next time we meet? 

BA: What is your favorite track that you have driven?

LH: Mid-Ohio, baby, but I would have to say Buttonwillow came close. 

BA: What do you enjoy most about racing or the car community in general?

LH: Freedom of releasing your car and yourself with no speed limit or law to bring you down. Of course the cool people you meet at the event and making new friends while doing it. 

BA: Let's cut straight to the chase. A lot of people complain about the drive, cost involved, and time away, etc. You're the answer to all of those excuses. What keeps bringing you back to Expo? Is it my good looks?

LH: It's an awesome event of course the people are friendly and have a great attitude. If you have any issues everyone is willing to do whatever to help.  I figure once a year won't kill my time or money. You have plenty of time to plan and save ahead of time.  

Yes, Brad, your good looks bring me back every year =).

BA: What made you decide to drive all the way out to Joilet for Expo10?

LH: It was after Eibach ‘10 and I drove about 20+ hours. It was a pretty awesome event and a great experience. But, after a whole day of looking at park cars (including my own) and all the money I put into the car that's when I decided that I was going to start tracking. How I chose Expo10 was through Shawn(Get Right) through Honda-Tech. We started talking on the forum and that's when I decided to make the trip. I also watched a bunch of clips on YouTube of the past ITR Expo events. 

BA: How many miles have you logged in traveling to ITR Expo? 

LH: About 19,500+ I believe. 

BA: What would be some of your favorite memories from the trips? 

LH: Hanging out, drinking beer, the banquets, and of course being on track! 

BA: Your Seahawks won the Super Bowl. Do you think your favorite team, the Heat, can take down my team, the Pacers, in the Eastern Conference?

LH: I believe it's going to be a tough series if they both make it to the Eastern Conference finals. 

ITR Expo14!

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it is getting down to crunch time for Expo this year. This seems to be the trend for the past couple years and I don't know why. Skip the fact that ITR Expo is being held at Road America, but Expo always has the best banquets!! Last year, it was at Mansfield Reformatory where they filmed The Shawshank Redemption among others. The food is always good, I'm not actually a big hush puppy fan, but I could go for some of those ones they had down at CMP. Hashtag Ryan Conley does the presenting at the banquet and the only thing better than that is the raffle prizes! Heck, even the past couple years, they got a "party bus" for the ride over to the banquet. How many of you can say that you've done that?!

So, you should head over to www.ITRExpo.com and register! If your excuse is that Road America is too far away or it is during the week, well Lyda ruins your excuses! He travels all the way out from the state of Washington to spend some time with the ITR community, so should you. If not just for the ITR community, I'm guessing that you'd like to see the RealTime guys there. I mean, an all wheel drive, twin turbo Acura TLX that swept the internet after the Chicago Auto Show. And, if that isn't enough, yet you enjoy beer, I am sure there will be copious amounts of it there this year!

To help with "setting the mood", I picked a few people from the Expo crowd to interview. So, starting tomorrow, I'll start publishing the interviews for your enjoyment. A few cool stories in them, but it is your turn head to www.ITRExpo.com and make some stories of your own!

Katman Interview.

The last interview that I planned on doing fell through, so I kind of "lost my stride". I needed to kindle the fire again so to speak. Who should I interview, the answer was quick and easy. He shouldn't need an introduction, but here we go. Most of the world knows him as Katman, some know him as Walter Mitty, and others know him as Jason Kaplan. He hails from the West Coast and has probably made an influence on most of you reading this. Whether it be from the content from his website(www.ff-squad.com) or by the "style" of his car that made you want to do something a certain way, he has probably had an impact on you. With social media, it is easier to "get to know" someone. But, lets see what else we can learn about the man they call Katman.   

BA: What was your first car and what ever happened to it?

JK: My first car was a two tone white/puke green 1974 VW bus that I bought off my BFF at the time, right near the the end of high school in 1992. Being that it was my first car and I didn't have lots of money to up-keep the pile, the engine eventually seized from lack of any kind of oil change (within a year and a half span). I would just keep feeding it oil magically hoping it was last forever.

BA: What got you into racing or into cars in general?

JK: Well it's funny you ask that Brad, because the BFF I bought the VW bus from is who I call my "Honda catalyst". If it wasn't for him I don't think I'd be into Honda's now or into cars in general. BTW, RIP Pat. Not long after I bought the bus from Pat(whom was a pro skater at the time for Powell Peralta), he purchased a brand new black 92 Prelude Si. He was ball hairs away from buying a Nissan 300ZX but couldn't afford it and settled for the Prelude. Scary huh? What actually got me interested in racing back then was stumbling upon Japanese car 'zines and videos down in Little Tokyo downtown LA. My buddy Dylan and I, would make frequent trips down to "Little Tokes" and peep the latest Japanese car mags(ie. Speed Mind, Racing On, J's Tipo, Option, VTEC Club, RevSpeed) and geek out over anything Honda. Japanese and British touring car racing is what tickled my gooch the most. Watching those videos would get me internally stoked(similar to a real good skate video), especially the on-board camera where you can hear that sequential transmission whining away while the driver is shifting up and down and doing business....God. It gets me stoked again just thinking about it now.......be right back, gonna go get nostalgic..

BA: What has been your favorite car to drive on track?

JK: I've only tracked a '92 civic hatchback and have been using this chassis since I've started tracking which was back in 1999. I honestly love the EG hatchback the best out of all the '88+ Civic family. I don't feel the need to try any other chassis honestly. 

BA: What is your favorite track that you have driven?

JK: I guess Buttonwillow Raceway since I'm a Southern Californian. Chuckwalla Raceway is a semi-new track and is fun as well, I'd say second best track in SoCal. I have yet to travel up north and try out Thunderhill, Laguna Seca, and Sears Point which I hear are all awesome tracks that kick BW to the curb. BW is fun though.

BA: What do you enjoy most about racing or the car community in general?

JK: I like the excitement of legally driving fast, but also the technicalities that road racing offers. It's all a memory game, like any other sport, but basically learning how to drive and "feel" my car is what I enjoy about racing over the years. It took a good long while until I learned that 'feel' and I'm glad I stuck with it. Learning the line, late braking/trail braking, shifting points, throttle modulation due to LSD type to control under and oversteer, tire compounds and pressures, suspension damping and spring rates.....testing setups...doing all of that is fun stuff to me. I like to share what I've learned with others who want to get into road racing(via forums) as far as community goes.


BA: You and the FF Squad guys have been around for awhile. You all still seem close, with growing families and getting older, how have you guys remained so close?

JK: You know, I don't know, we just do. I mean, we don't all hang out closely like we use to since most of us have families; life agenda's have changed that. But, we still get together, if the timing is right, and head to track events. We hang out once in a while if some kind of party plans come up. Of course, communication is lot better these days so its easy to just group text each other and make plans or see whats up. Not sure if that's the answer you were looking for. ha ha.


BA: Speaking of you and your friends, what is the deal with the Megaphone? (Laughs)

JK: Ah yesh, the Megaffone. It's some silly sh*t some old friends of mine(Steve Taylor and Max Ha) and myself came up with that sort of culminated into what it's been known as. Though I think I have to give credit to Steve mostly on this. By the way, it has absolutely nothing to do with the Illuminati! lol. Basically, it came from the gesture of hollering "oh daaaaaamb!" while simultaneously holding a "fisted" hand to your mouth when you see something that shocks or stokes you. But, instead of going "oh daaamb!" we'd say "tiiite!" and eventually, the fist turned into flared fingers, creating a megaphone-like gesture as its known as.

BA: For the FF Battle 5, you brought out your secret weapon, your '90 Civic Si. Where had you been hiding the car?! No one on the internet had seen it! (Ha!)

JK: You like dat son? You can thank JDM Wong for that.


BA: Besides your secret weapon, your "EG hatches" are well known by anyone in the Honda scene. What made you choose that platform, especially for the track?

JK: So yeah, the EG civic is my track inspired vehicle of choice as I mentioned back in question #3. It's a sexy little hatchback with nice curves, slick dash and instrument cluster, allows easy engine swaps, decent weight, easy to work on, and it is fun as hell to drive! Besides seeing them in JDM mags and videos, the EG civic left a big impression with me back when Pat was around. I use to be his co-pilot when we'd head to the local street races on Friday and Saturday nights circa 1992-94. I remember seeing this one stock black 92 Civic Si just dumped in the weeds on the stock "blade" hubcaps wheels. It looked so f*cking good, I couldn't get over it. Made a mental note that I will be an EG owner some day. We'd see that same Civic often at the same races and other EGs as well which reinforced my liking for them even more. It didn't help that during that time, it was the EG era anyways('92-95). Another reason for going EG Civic was because of Dylan's personal build 'Goldy'. Back then, Dylan, his brother(Erik), and I were hanging out a lot. So, seeing Goldy's long term build-up first hand, left an impression. I think the '92-95 chassis is one of the best all-round designed civics out of the '88-00 "legacy" chassis's...as I like to call 'em. 

BA: You should know it by now, but through the FF Squad site or interwebs interaction with you, you've save a lot people during their "builds". Between that and the "style" of the FF Squad cars, do you realize the impact that you've had on the Honda scene in general?

JK: Yeah it's crazy, cool, and weird. While the 'internet fame' is an interesting fun side effect. For the record, I didn't coin the term "JDM" as I get nailed with that for some silly reason. lol. I learned that acronym from the Temple of VTEC website! But yeah, I enjoy helping others who are DIYers like myself when it comes to the technical aspects of engine swapping or just about anything else that pertains to the Civic/Integra chassis. I dig that sh*t son!

Thanks for tuning in, but that's all folks!