I am over joyed that Gymkhana is back, but even more that Subaru is BACK!!!! I loved everything about this video and stoked about the product placement for the new BRZ. Drifting with Pastrana…the G.O.A.T. He has taken over this edition of Gymkhana and destroys it! So much energy and the stunts are on another level. Ooooh and the jumps!!! I’m sure they have set some sort of a record for distance and speed launching at ~145mph. Sweet lawd give the Gymkhana team a plaque and a standing ovation as this is a great way to close out 2020.
Hi everyone. Over the past few weeks we have been awestruck at the senseless death of another black person at the hands of law enforcement. We believe in justice and want to see those four officers convicted for their part in the death of George Floyd. Let us also not forget the others that fell victim to police brutality before him.
Below is a post that was written by my son on his Current State of Mind blog regarding the events that’s have transpired following the death of George Floyd. These protest happening all over the world are a cry for our desperate need for change. Here at Perks Garage we too stand for justice, and for those brothers and sisters that have been affected by police violence…we stand beside you. We ask that you too take a stand against racism, hate, discrimination, and social injustice. Please vote, please speak, please love. Thank you.
Current State of Mind stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protestors and the families of those victimized by instances of police brutality. The entirety of Current State of Mind was built from the mind of an African American man just as this country was built from African American slaves.
We need to realize that change isn’t really change if things go back to the way that they used to be in the future. What we need now more than ever, is genuine change and progression so that African Americans can have a better future where we don’t have to walk the streets in fear for our lives whenever we see a cop. This is NOT a war of Whites vs Blacks. This is not a war of Democrats vs Republicans. It is a war against racism, specifically institutionalized racism that has been embedded within the police force tracing back to its establishment in 1838. We’re all humans that are exposing and challenging the injustices in our society. We do this so that our future generations can experience a life that is better than our current situation. What we need, is to unite against racism and abolish it completely from our society. It’s evident that clearly some people think abolishing slavery was enough. And sadly, some think that we shouldn’t have even gone that far. Do not be ignorant and keep that antiquated mindset because then YOU become the issue that we’re fighting to resolve.
Now I want to speak about the “ACAB” controversy because there are various strong opinions on the matter. To clarify, this acronym means All Cops Are Bad/Bastards which people give their own interpretation on the meaning. Based on the information that I’ve seen, ACAB can be interpreted as all cops are bad not because of who they are as a person but because they forfeit their morality and empathy for a system that values order and “justice”. Not all cops are morally bad because I believe there are some who join the force because they genuinely want to help change the system for the better and do their job without stirring up trouble. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who are drawn to the position strictly because of the power and authority it holds. This explains why there are numerous instances of cops who are explicitly racist and decide that their job duty entails being judge, jury, and executioner. But do not judge the many by the actions of the few. Instead judge the system for failing to “protect and serve” like it has claimed to do for the public. The system was never created with minorities, especially African Americans in mind, therefore it has been operating in almost the same fashion ever since the 1800s.
The course of action I believe we should take begins with a major police reform so that we can enact the necessary laws to hold officers accountable who abuse the position and protect those whistleblowers who risk their lives and their job by speaking up about the corruption in the system. We need to retrain these officers so they know how to act in instances where a child has a toy gun, police enter the wrong house, someone uses a counterfeit $20, someone is walking by a convenience store, and most of all, when they encounter a person with a minority background who is clearly unarmed. The police shouldn’t be allowed to run freely, killing whoever they deem “looks suspicious” only to get a slap on their wrist and a paid vacation while the families are stuck grieving for the rest of their lives. A life can’t be brought back. This proves the need for the police to be policed. Just like how we have a checks and balance system for our government we need one for the police so instances like George Zimmerman and other officers don’t get to walk away unpunished. In order to promote general welfare, the police force should be defunded and have those funds be redistributed to black communities so we can build them up. As a country, we spend so much money on national security that all other sectors face budget cuts which is why we have struggling communities, lack of opportunities, and lack of education.
But this is only the beginning of a complex solution to an outdated problem. The goal of the Black Lives Matter is equal treatment and true justice through nonviolent protests. We do not associate with the rioters, anarchists, or looters. They are only taking advantage of the protests and using them as cover for their own secret agenda. The issue with rioting and looting is that it tarnishes not only the Black Lives Matter movement, but it reinforces the negative African American stereotypes that were imposed on us in the beginning. We should continue to distance ourselves from that and prove our doubters wrong so that we may move forward together and no longer be chained to the past.
Just because you are against rioting and looting doesn’t mean you can’t be against racism. Join in the nonviolent protests and prove the media wrong. The media claims to shed light on all the violence and looting and defend it by saying that’s the more important thing to cover. But we need to show them otherwise. The media needs to be more unbiased and showcase the good parts such as the actual nonviolent protests occurring and highlight the different races coming together to end this persistent issue that prevents America from being truly great.
While I don’t condone violence and retaliation against the police, can you really blame them? This has been going on for far too long and yet when football star, Colin Kapernick started the peaceful protest of kneeling during the national anthem, it became a widespread controversy that was chastised for “disrespecting the patriots who fought for our freedom”. But what about the patriots who fought solely for our freedom? I believe it is within our right to freely protest how we choose. The oppressor shouldn’t be the one to tell the oppressed how we should/shouldn’t protest. Our voices need to be heard now more than ever. It’s evident that the President of the United States isn’t on our side (or ever was to begin with) so the power is bestowed to the true American citizens that join together and fight for a better future. We can no longer let this system kneel on our necks just as they kneeled on George Floyd’s and countless others.
I appreciate all my White and non-black POC friends who have reached out to me and asked for ways that they can help out. The first step is by educating yourself so you can spread the word and make your voices heard. Acknowledge your white privilege and use it to protect those who don’t have it. And please, if you are ever in the presence of racism whether it be friends or family, do not be afraid to call them out on it and help them shed that mindset. You are not born a racist, it is something that is taught. Most importantly don’t stop there. Don’t call out racism in public just to keep your reputation. How you act in private shows your true character. When you’re in the comfort of your friends, it’s easy to say what you know you can get away with. But in order to truly change we must call out racism even in those private moments to prove that you are anti-racist. Understand that you’ll never fully understand what we go through, but don’t let that discourage you from helping us fight for our human rights. Learn from us, to be exposed to different perspectives and allow that to open your mind to the bigger world out there and stand in solidarity with us.
So I ask that the main takeaway, is to fight not for change today but for change tomorrow as well so we’re guaranteed a just future. The offenders being arrested for the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery are only short term solutions for a long term issue. Don’t let the flame die out there but keep protesting because we still have a long way to go.
RIP to my fellow African American brothers and sisters. You are gone but never forgotten. #SayTheirName #BlackLivesMatter #BLM #GEORGEFLOYD #NOJUSTICENOPEACE
The future is on the horizon and hate it or love it, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is cresting with the next sunrise. I am a fan of Ford vehicles having once owned a Ford Expedition XLT and currently a tuned Focus ST. I have driven the 2015 Mustang GT with its sometimes flawed manual transmission and love the power and sound…very visceral sensation.
Coming to a Ford dealership near you will be Fords first entrance into the full EV game. There is a lot of hype surrounding this vehicle along with its fare share of hate from Mustang die-hards because “it is not a Mustang!!!” “Mustangs are muscle cars! Not electric SUVs” Well those people are not wrong, but they are not 100% right either. Ford slapped a pony on the grill and on the rear. Also took mustang styling cues and incorporated them into the Mach-E. Just look at those taillights.
Only driving impressions and sales volume will speak to whether or not if people will accept the Mach-E as a Mustang. Or just a mis-badged Ford SUV. I personally like the outward styling, and tech, along the promise of a long range performance coming from an EV SUV with an affordable window sticker. Take that Tesla!
So check out the first ride video from across the pond of the All-New Ford Mustang Mach-E. Enjoy.
It’s been a while since my last blog post. I have not been attending any automotive events or taking cool pictures…truth is I haven’t really found anything to really write about. Yesterday I was watching an episode of “The Last Dance” docuseries about Michael Jordan and my wife says that she always gets choked up when hearing or watching a story about a person that knows what they want to do with their life at an early age and fulfill that dream. Over the years I have, like so many others, struggled with what it is that I am passionate about, or meant to do as a career.
When I was a kid I remember having a book that documented each year of my educational life. The book had a pocket for each year to hold my report cards and sections to write in accomplishments, dreams and even the infamous “What I want to be when I grow up…” section. I vividly remember writing a “Policeman”, “Actor”, and “Stuntman” for a few years. I may have even written in “Astronaut” and “Fireman” a few times, and there was this one time I put “Racecar Driver”. What I don’t recall ever putting down was “Writer”, “Journalist”, or “Blogger”. All similar with an emphasis in writing. Putting words down for others to read? Putting words down to paint a picture for others to visualize a story? Hmmm?
In the mid-90s, I used to write raps, produce beats, and perform on stage with dreams of being a star rapper travelling the world. Going from stage to stage entertaining thousands of people with them rapping my lyrics along with me. I did some local performances with my group M.A.D Styles. I later moved to Vegas, where along with Mello (one of the other rappers in my group), we hosted a late night hip-hop radio show, where we broke new songs. We’d travel back and forth to CA picking up new music from a music rep at Capital Records or music conventions that we attended. In Vegas we set our sights on organizing a talent show. During that time we also helped some people open a nightclub. It was an exciting time in my life and I had so much energy flowing through me. Working a graveyard shift, editing commercial drops and filling in at the radio station during the day. We promoted the club in the afternoon and hosted the radio show on Friday nights. I saw big things on the horizon, but those dreams and goals were extinguished when Mello began throwing the ship off course. So, I did the best thing for myself and packed up and moved back home.
Back in CA, I found that I was occasionally writing raps but eventually started to focus more of writing scenes and castng myself into sitcoms I’d watch on T.V. Creating those roles and writing scenes was probably brought on from my many encounters with celebrities during my stint as a lobby security officer in the building that housed 3 Arts Entertainment. I was bit and bit hard by the entertainment bug. I wanted to be in the Hollywood game of creating, directing and acting (going back to my childhood dream). I did eventually do some background work on movies, game shows and music videos, but I wanted to do more. I eventually began writing short film treatments and scripts. I shot a short film with thr help of my friend Dave using my HI-8 video recorder in the late 90s. Which reminds me that I still need to finish up the editing on that. So, I guess you can put director and videographer on my list of things I’ve done over the years. That short film experience morphed into me writing a script after getting a story idea while at work one day… “The Ticket” was born. A script I wrote, took to the Writers Guild trying to secure a copywrite. From there I began networking all over the greater Los Angeles area. Also at that time, my friend Dave had me video recording his on-air DJ’ing for his radio show…can you say full circle?
I say all this to say that, when I reflect on my past and what I was passionate about, it always goes back to some form of entertainment. And as I sit here writing this entry, I have realized that I like to tell stories. Regarding my writing over the years I have received positive responses and some criticisms, but overall people tell me that they appreciate how I painted the picture within my story and they were able to visualize what I was writing. To me that is the best compliment. I created a picture, a setting, a landscape…created sight and sound from words. I know that my talents are not necessarily on par with a seasoned automotive journalist, or a nominated screenwriter, but I believe that I have found my passion. I enjoy writing and creating as much as some guys love playing b-ball with the fellas at the park. Just like they may not be in the NBA or the next Kobe or Jordan, they play with passion and are energized with the thought of getting on the court for a pick-up game or street league. I feel that way when I hit my first keystroke for a blog or story.
I think of automotive journalist and use my love of automobiles to navigate me through a blog post. At times writing as if to impress them, but I really write for myself. After all its my story to tell. But if I want to excel, then I need to focus on the greats yet hone my own style. There is a road ahead, curvy and full of dips and hills, that I need to travel down. Only thing is when it starts going uphill, I need to drop a gear and hit the throttle rather than coast over to the shoulder and park with the emergency brake applied as I often do. Get out of my head and accept the challenge. Write and share more. Take a class or two, test drive more cars, read up on the history of cars, talk to more people, and start vlogging. If this is indeed my passion…calling…then I should treat it as such (ala Kobe and Jordan). Write when no one is reading, stay grinding…stay hungry!
Work harder to become a better writer so that I can deliver better content!
Get out and experience more so that I can deliver more content!
Check it out everyone, a video has been posted from #imgonein60 YouTube channel. It is an interview featuring Antrel & his 1000hp MK4 Toyota Supra following his 205mph run at #thetexasmile in October. This is only part 1 of a multipart segment.
If you know Antrel and his passion for cars, you know he has a lot to say, so trust that this story is well worth a listen. The video also captures a lot of the raw sound of the Supra motor and that massive turbo spooling. Check it out, like, subscribe and support.
This just in… I have recieved footage of Antrel of Pride Motor Sports hitting 205 Miles Per Hour in his MKIV Supra. The run was achieved at The Texas Mile race held at the Victoria Texas Airport. It is hard to imagine going 200mph, but to achieve that goal was a site to see.
I am so very proud of what Antrel has accomplished, and I was extremely honored to report on it as well as memorialize this momentous feet with pictures and video.
Take a look at the YouTube video put together by his brother Derick and lets give this man his props.
What a weekend! If you are a fan of insane speeds…adrenaline filled…heart-pounding…high horsepower…car and motorcycle racing, keep reading. But if you are just meh about it, well…keep reading anyway.
Now we all remember the scene from Fast and Furious “You owe me a 10-sec car!” That scene added to the already iconic status of the MK4 Toyota Supra and its glorious turbocharged 2JZ motor. To this day the pure mention of either has all the JDM fanboys and fangirls swooning. And the sight of a Supra always breaks necks.
In 2017 I got a call from my cousin Antrel in Texas. He usually text, so you know this must have been important. He called to tell me a friend of his just wrecked a MK4 Supra. The guy wasn’t hurt, only his pride. As luck may have it, the car was not covered for collision and the repairs were more than his friend could handle. He made the decision to sell the car and reached out to Antrel…SCORE! After telling me this story my cousin sent me a few photos and wanted to know if he should buy it. Before he could even utter the price the guy was asking, I shouted “Buy it! Why are you calling and asking me dumb questions? Buy the damn car now!”
The car was purchased and after examining the damages he immediately jumped into doing the repairs. The car wasn’t stuck as there were some modifications done by the previous owner. Running down the list of parts and the kind of power it was making prior to the accident, the Supra was a powerful, yet streetable car. But now in Antrel’s hands, this car was going to be a beast. This JDM legend was now in the hands of someone very familiar with building and racing award winning motorcycles. With the a major runway race already in his radar, the journey to 200mph began.
Fast forward to Oct 2019 and I find myself on a flight from Cali to Texas to witness my cousin race his freshly built Supra in what is known as The Texas Mile. A one mile balls-to-the-wall race down an airport runway with the goal of hitting your top MPH. Victoria Airport is the location for this twice a year event that brings out the best of the best in search of their maximum speed. For 3 days there are ametuers, seasoned vets, performance shops and full blown race teams out there chasing trap speeds at the half and full mile marks. Impressive is an understatement. I witnessed the fastest land speeds I’d ever seen this weekend by both a car and bike being piloted in excess of 240mph.
With trailers in tow, Antrel and his brother (Derrick) brought both of their JDM cars to the final Texas Mile race of the year. The MK4 Supra, now pushing over 1000whp and a home built turbo Z31 Nissan 300ZX capable of over 300whp. The Z was built and tuned solely by Derrick, who by the way is not a mechanic by trade. He cut his teeth learning how to build and tune his car from the ground up and completed the build just in time for the event. Their passion stems from their father Derrick Pride Sr. who had built many race cars before his untimely passing a few years ago. As you can see the apples didn’t fall from the tree. Pride Motor Sports (PMS) was created some years ago to encompass all of the motor-sports activities of both brothers and that of their late father. This was to be their first team showing.
Now the Texas Mile is an extremely well organized event and is the place to be for anyone that loves the rumble of a big ole American V8 and high speed driving. With one car at a time making runs down the runway, it is just man/woman and machine. No time clocks or staging trees to focus on…just you, the accelerator and a license to run your vehicle as fast as it can possibly go within a mile. Seeing the vehicles speeding by is like watching planes take off. An illusion enhanced by the audible sound coming from some of the cars that sounded light fighter jets.
Mopar seemed to be the theme at this event…not officially, but there was a good showing of Hemi powered cars. Hellcats-a-plenty, but as the weekend went on, Mustang GT350s and Camaro ZL1s emerged to give the Dodge Brothers some competition. But standing out from the crowd were the Supra and the Z. First by being imports, but the nostalgia factor was heavy. While collecting many looks, the 2 cars evoked emotion and many conversations. There were numerous people that either had a Z, or Supra in their younger years or the typical Supra fandom took over. “I used to have a Z and regret selling mine.” came out of a lot of mouths. “Look a Supra!” “Whats your top speed?” “How much power are you making?” “What did you do to the motor?” “What turbo are you running?” were the common questions being asked and seeing Antrel and Derrick light up to talk about their cars is a memory that won’t be forgotten. They worked hard to get here and this was Derrick’s first event…ever. This was to be the fastest he’s ever driven and to be competing on this stage for his first ever race was intimidating in the hours leading up to his first run.
This event was special for a number of reasons. Derrick’s first race…the PMS brothers racing together for the first time…and both of them hitting the highest mph in a car they’ve ever done. Both cars performed very well and it was really cool watching Derrick tweaking his tune after each run. I am still amazed that he taught himself how to do this in preparation for this race. Added to the fact that the car ran without issue is a testament that this is God’s gift to him from his dad. What they don’t know is that I saw when Derrick pulled out one of their dad’s old helmets to show to Antrel…a symbol that he was with them. Such a surreal moment.
Now I don’t have a car to race, but I was there with cameras in hand ready to capture the Pride brothers make their mark in this sport. I am getting excited all over again just writing this. Antrel came into this latest event with a 195mph license from his March qualifying run. Derrick was there to earn his stripes and make his first licensing runs.
There are guidelines to racing in this event. One being that each driver needs to level up through 3 license brackets…165, 200, and up. So this means that no one can just come out the gate swinging 200 on their first ever run. You would be escorted off the grounds immediately. Your first license run has to be under 165 and second is under 200. Once a driver ticks 200 they fall into that elite 200mph club and its balls to the wall from there on out. An elusive speed that even after years and thousands of dollars people are still striving to reach.
Over the 3 days of racing, the goal for PMS was to find out what the Z was capable of running and try to hit the 200mph mark in the Supra. With the amount of cars running there was a lot of down time so this gave us a chance to hang out, talk cars, and reminisce. We checked out cars, came up with strategizes, and reflected on how we got so deep into cars. Antrel and I blamed my sister for getting us behind the wheel at an early age. I think I was around 12 or 13, but that’s another story.
After unloading the trailers and setting up camp Friday morning, the Pride brothers made a couple of runs. Both cars looked and sounded very solid. Antrel put down a 186 and Derrick tripped the mile with a 111. The Friday runs were used to dial in the cars and get comfortable with the track. Both cars were run in low boost and with the rev limiters (accidentally) turned engaged. This was fine because they were just testing things out, plus no one wants to blow up their car on the first day. After a couple of runs and some minor adjustments we shut it down and planned to go all out on Saturday.
That night the 3 of us discussed their runs and how the cars felt and what to expect for Saturday. Here are the plans we came up with…
–Derrick plan: Step 1: Warm the car. Step 2: Turn up the boost. Step 3: Turn off anything that would prevent the car from reaching peak power. Step 4: Push the Z as hard as he could. And he did, he was able to hit 130 but realized more tuning is needed to extract the cars full potential.
–Trel’s plan (very similar and went something like this): Step 1: Warm the car. Step 2: Turn up the boost. Step 3: Turn off anything that would prevent the car from reaching peak power. Step 4: Roll thru the 1st and 2nd gear and then open it up in 3rd. At 9:09am Saturday October 19, 2019 on Antrel’s first run of the day, he crossed the mile marker at a blistering 205mph! Holy —-! He did it! I cheered so loud I couldn’t hear the other spectators clapping. I rushed over with his son (Aaron) to meet him after the incredible run. The 2 years of building and tuning paid off. He was now in the prestigious 200mph club. Amazing! So glad I was there to share in and capture this moment.
The definite highlight was spending time with family and watching these 2 brothers encourage, strategize, and congratulate each other over a race their father would be proud to have witnessed. Aside from being with family, meeting and talking with so many people…correction…enthusiast was definitely a highlight of the weekend. People of diverse social and economic backgrounds congratulating each other on their runs, or just admiring someones build put a huge smile on my face. This is definitely the type of community I could get used to being around.
This weekend I was beyond blessed to share in this epic accomplishment with my life long friend, someone that I’m happy to call family…my cousin Antrel Pride. I am proud of what you and Derrick have both accomplished and I am looking forward to what the upcoming years will look like for Pride Motor Sports. Thank you for letting me be a part of this journey.
I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted and I really miss sharing with all of you. Over the last couple of months I’ve been working on a partnership with The Automobile Club of Southern California. My goal is to help promote the local car scene by providing photos for their IG social media platform. I’m happy to report that a couple of my photos have made it onto their page.
Take a look below and please give the pic a like. The more likes, the more opportunities @perksgarageblog will be given to share and reach a larger audience. Thank you in advance.
“Full Self-Driving” video just released from Tesla. I personally would be extremely nervous with the merging and pulling out into traffic aspects. Especially given the way road repairs and freeway construction are suspect at best these days. Some of these on ramps just spit you out into traffic without any run-off to build up speed and merge properly.
Watching this I see that they are one step closer to…I was going to say stealing the joy from those of us you like to drive and control a vehicle, but I won’t. I do think some people need not get behind the wheel, so this will help and settle my nerves when I see some distracted driver barrelling down the road straddling lanes. So with that said, hats off to Tesla for their innovation and strides at automotive autonomy. Now please make this technology affordable to the masses and soon.
Hi everyone and happy Friday. I was scrolling thru YouTube and came across this video of an amazing rendering of the classic E30 BMW. All I can say is WOW! This needs to become a reality. This guy has some real talent and #BMW needs to build this…ASAP!
Perks Garage...No Parking 