Racer Spotlight
This Racer Spotlight is on Andy Haas. Andy is the leader of Reanimated Kustoms Car Club based out of Bismarck, North Dakota. RK is an active club on the forum and we appreciate their support!
CCU: You're the first person not in Racer's Evolution to be interviewed for Car Club Union. Tell me about your car club.
AH: Basically, Reanimated Kustoms was started in 2002 by my good friend BJ Kroh. It was started with a mini truck. The club was given to me in 2004. We are all about customizing cars and helping each other out.
CCU: How many members strong is Reanimated Kustoms and what kind of things does the club do for fun?
AH: Right now we are about 8 strong and we do everything for fun; from cruise nights to working on cars with each other. We like just kicking back and chillin with each other. Every Friday, we go out bowling too.
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CCU: Sounds like a good time. What kind of car do the members, and yourself, drive?
AH: The vice president drives a Ford Festiva that's customized. He also now owns a Mitsubishi Eclipse. The rest of the members drive a mixture of imports and domestics. I drive a 1995 Ford Probe SE.
CCU: In other words, a good mix! What sets your Probe apart from the rest? What sort of improvements have you done to it?
AH: What sets the Probe apart from the rest is that everything done to it so far, I've put together myself. From the intake to the exhaust I've purchased, I've put the parts in myself. I took my exhaust down down to a local exhaust shop and had them weld everything together for me.
CCU: You mentioned you like to drag when I talked to you earlier. Where do you generally drag at? How far are you willing to travel to get to a race?
AH: I like to go wherever they are holding races at. For instance, Minot for Motor Magic. I was going to run up there this year but I unfortunately had to work the day they had qualification runs. When it comes to traveling for drag races, if everything works out this summer, I'll be traveling all over the country for drag races put on by NOPI.
CCU: Hopefully the price of gas stays down! Where do you see your automotive hobby in 10 years? Where do you see the club at in 10 years?
AH: Automotive hobby wise, I hopefully see myself either working in a customization shop or owning my own shop. I hope to see the club even stronger in 10 years with chapters in other states accross the country.
CCU: Finding devoted members is a hard task. What do you think the best way to find dedicated members is?
AH: I used to try and find members from the street I used to hang out on. So far, the dedicated members I've found are the ones that share the same passion involving cars as I do. They work their butts off to get what they want for their car or save up to buy a new one. These are the ones that have helped me with my car when I've needed it.
CCU: Is Reanimated Kustoms looking for new members? If so, whats the best way for them to contact you?
AH: Yes, we are always looking for new members that are willing to do stuff with the club. The easiest way to contact me is on MSN or through e-mail. My e-mail address is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
CCU: Ok, I have one final question for you. What's your dream car and why?
AH: My dream car is a Saleen S302 because I've always been a fan of Mustangs and of course the Probe. I remember when I was younger, I wanted either a red Probe or a yellow Mustang. Well, I've already got one of my dream vehicles sitting in my driveway.
CCU: Good to hear. Plenty of time to get the other one. Thanks for the interview!
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Today I interviewed Aaron Wald. Where's he from? You guessed it, Racers Evolution!
CCU: I've seen you at every Racer's Evolution event and everybody talks a lot about your car. Tell me what your car is and what makes it stand out from the rest.AW: It's a 1995 Pontiac Firebird Formula. It really stands out in the club because of the motor. Most of the cars have six or four cylinder motors, and I have one of the two V8's in the club.
CCU: Cool, so you have a lot more power in comparison to a lot of cars in the club. Do you ever do autocross with it?
AW: I have only raced it once and it was GREAT! I used to have a Camaro which I raced and am looking forward to putting suspension and new tires on the car so I can get some better traction out on the track.
CCU: Sounds good, hopefully we'll see you out there soon. How long have you been with the club and when was it that you became interested in cars?
AW: I joined the club in 2006. So I have been with it for most of the time. I became interested in cars when my brother brought his Miata home and bought that. It made me really jealous and I immediately started looking for a car that I could join the club with.
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CCU: You obviously found a car, what made you choose a Firebird? What factors went into deciding which car to buy?
AW: Well my Firebird is my second car that I have had in the club. My first car was that 1985 Camaro. I chose these cars because when I was looking, I fell in love with the look of American muscle. I also looked at a few Hondas and I just did not like the way I sat in them compared to the muscle cars.
CCU: What do you think is more important to a car enthusiast? Representing their favorite type, make, etc. of car, or the performance factors?
AW: I love it when people are proud of their cars. When a car enthusiast comes up to me with a modded car that they did nothing to and dont respect the car, it bugs me. For me people should respect everyone elses views on their cars. Don't put someone down for what they drive just because you dont like a certain brand. I also like performance though. Performance should come hand in hand with your make of car.
CCU: I've come out to a couple of the Auto-X's but it seems to me like most people aren't being crazy enough with their cars. It seems to me like nobody wants to push them. Do you think it's better to be too crazy or better to keep on the safe side?
AW: I think there is a fine line between being able to push your car to its full out potential and being stupid to the point of hurting someone. I think if your going to pay $30.00 to race your car, come with your race face on and get ready to have your foot or girlfriend surgically removed from your car after the race.
CCU: Well said. That kind of goes in hand with your MSN slogan I suppose, "Race with respect...Evolve with passion." Am I correct in saying that is the slogan of Racers Evolution? What does that slogan mean to you?
AW: It really just means everything to me and my car. If you are racing, race with respect and understand that people do different things, so respect other drivers decisions. The evolve part is my favorite. It really is showing the evolution of our car club and the growth of it. When I heard this slogan on our MySpace profile, I immediately fell in love with it.
CCU: Let's go back to your car. What have you all done to it and what's on the drawing board for the near future?
AW: Well as of right now the only thing that is done to my car is a deleted catalytic converter and an electric water pump. In the near future I plan on putting in full exhaust, and intake. Then, possibly later on a supercharger.
CCU: I believe I've overheard you talking about oil changes before. Do you work at a car shop?
AW: Yeah, I work at Stan Puklich Chevrolet. I change oil, rotate tires, install tires, and every once in a while I will change bulbs in lights. It really is a fun job for me because of my love for GM vehicles, and my passion for cars in general.
CCU: Is a career related to automobiles something you want to pursue?
AW: Actually that is what I plan on doing as soon as I graduate. I plan on doing that while I am young and then I plan on going back to school to get my education degree.
CCU: Sounds like you have you're priorities in order. What's your dream car?
AW: Truely, I have no Idea. It would be really nice to own a Camaro/Firebird/Trans Am of every single generation. Starting in 1967 all the way through the new concept Camaro that Chevy is producing.
CCU: Good goal! Think of the feeling of accomplishment you'd get from that. Thanks Aaron, hope to see you on the racetrack soon.
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This week I sat down with the leader of Racer's Evolution, Jacob Achtenberg. He owns a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
CCU: I've had the privelege of being invited to a few of the events your car club, Racers Evolution, has done. As the leader of a well-established car club, what do you think was the biggest challenge to get to this point?JA: Well first is getting our younger generation of kids to be more reliable and attend more events. Today we have problems with kids not being able to stay in one place for a long period of time. Its the members that make this club.
CCU: About how many members does Racers Evolution currently have and how many of those do you think fall into that "young" category?
JA: Well, there are about 35 members in all three chapters including Bismarck/Mandan, Dickinson, and Las Vegas. Of the 35, I would say 10 would fall into the "young" category.
CCU: So young ones make up a large percentage of your club. Let's talk about you. What kind of car is it you drive and what have you done to make it better?
JA: I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. I currently have Megan Coilovers, Weapon Racing Intake, Weapon Racing Load Equalizer, Witeline Racing Lower Ball Join and Outer Tie Rod End, Apexi N1 Cat Back Exhaust, Greddy Informeter, AGP Front Mount Intercooler, Magnicore Spark Plug Wires, and a Custom Mail In Flash of the ECU. For the body I have an Extream Dimensions Body Kit. I know im forgetting a lot of stuff but thats what I can come up with off my head lol. Ohh yeaa and Rota Torque 17' by 8' rims.
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CCU: In other words, you've definately done some work to it. When did you buy the car and what was the main reason you bought it?
JA: I will have had it for exactly one year coming up this next month. I fell in love with the EVO a long time ago becuase of the looks and performance of the car. If you ask any one person who knows me, my daily vocab includes the word EVO in it. It's a perfect car for ND. It's 4WD and it has plenty of power for the things i love to do in the summer. I grew up around cars, always taking them apart so I will always be the go to guy for car work in my family...
CCU: I know you like to Auto-X and I know there's one coming up in a week or two here in Bismarck. How is the competition here? Is it hard to place in the top racers around here?
JA: There are A LOT of good drivers with really nice cars. Corvettes, Lotus, Carmaro's with Corvette engines and I cant forget the Subaru dealership parked at every autocross event. I race more for the fun of feeling out of control in the car that I work on more often than I drive. It's never too hard to place in the top 10 you just need to be disiplined in the art of driving and not get too crazy.
CCU: I've come out to a couple of the Auto-X's but it seems to me like most people aren't being crazy enough with their cars. It seems to me like nobody wants to push them. Do you think it's better to be too crazy or better to keep on the safe side?
JA: I think there is a fine line between being able to push your car to its full out potential and being stupid to the point of hurting someone. I think if your going to pay $30.00 to race your car, come with your race face on and get ready to have your foot or girlfriend surgically removed from your car after the race.
CCU: Haha, very nice. I think that's about all I've got for questions except of course...what's your dream car?
JA: I have it... I have been working my ___ off for this car. I worked myself from a $100 van to a $27,000 EVO. I am done with my dream car purchase. But, if I could drive a rare car I would drive a Dodge Omni GLH.
CCU: Sounds good man. Thanks a lot and good luck at the upcoming race!
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I finally got my good friend and racer Darin Helbling to sit down for Car Club Union's first Racer Spotlight. If you would like to have your own interview, please contact me. I'm always looking for more racers to interview!
CCU: When did you become interested in cars and what was it that got you interested?DH: PlayStation 2 Gran Turismo, that is when both I guess.
CCU: Ok, when was that? And how long was it before you actually got a car worthy of racing?
DH: Wow, umm, 1998. It took me untill I was 20 to buy my 1991 Honda Cr-x in cash. So 11 years old is when I gained interest in cars. Then 9 years later, I finally bought a car.
CCU: Cool, why did you choose to buy a Honda CRX?
DH: I was just looking for a car worth racing for AutoX. I found out about a car for sale and the guy took me out for a spin. I bought it 2 weeks later. He sold it cheap due to an oil leak. He thought is was due to a warped head or motor from where the oil was sitting so he sold it for only $2,500. The sweet thing is that it is fully built and his name was well known. O ya, the leak was a gasket that was from the valve spool and cost only $30 to fix, so my money is well worth spent.
CCU: Haha, so you got off lucky there. Since you first bought the car and fixed the minor issues, what else have you put into the car and what's next?
DH: I have had the car for 1 year and 5 months. I fixed the oil leak, his buddy curb checked the back tire so I had to have the rear sub frame welded back up $700, new OEM brake rotars and pads $220, Tanabe front strut tower bar $100, Tenzo R racing seats $400, with 4 point harness $80, headlights, bumper, and corner lights $160, racing steering wheel $100, Konig rims with Falken Azenis tires $1000.
Next investment here this week or next week is suspension. Looking at Megan coilovers with Buddy Club camber kit, or Koni coilovers with Ground Assualt along with Skunk2 camber kit. Price is around $1000 to $1200 bucks.
CCU: You've already spent more on upgrades than you paid for the car originally. Do you think that there comes a point where investing in a new car altogether is a better alternative?
DH: This is still cheaper then a new car by far. $6000 bucks for a car that is near new with only 23,000 miles on the motor or $20000 plus on a new car that is all electronics and bone stock. Plus, if you love cars, it becomes a hobby for the person. I could still turn around and get my money back and not lose a dime. I had offers up to $5000 when first bought it, which is doubled for what I paid for it.
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CCU: Good points. You mentioned it becomes a hobby. How has racing become a hobby for you? What all do you participate in to get involved with this hobby?
DH: I just AutoX for the rush you get and you can speed with out getting a ticket. I do it for fun but when you get out there and see all those Subaru's, it becomes a war zone. FF against AWD is a challenge but I have been doing well and beating them.
CCU: I know you're one of the leaders in Racers Evolution which is a car club primarily located in Bismarck, North Dakota. What does the club do to get involved with the hobby? What obstacles has the club run into?
DH: We have a lot of young members which is tough to get every member to gether as a club due to jobs and whatever there it. We set up car club cruises every so often, we all try to meet for AutoX events here in town, and have BBQ's for family, friends, members, or people of interest. We also started Tuesday Night Tuners here at our local Burger King to get people together and meet with similar interests as us and every person is welcome to come and check it out.
CCU: Is Racers Evolution looking for new members? If so, who should they contact?
DH: We are always looking for members. They can check it out at www.myspace.com/racersevolution or get my page www.myspace.com/mazdaaspec. From there, you can check out our members and contact any person through there.
CCU: Great! I've got one last question for you. Everyone has a dream car. If you could have any car, what would it be?
DH: It would be.....oooooooo........so pretty........a........19.........95.......he he he.....ok fine.
CCU: Any day now.
DH: 1995 Mazda RX-7, fell in love furing the first Gran Turismo.
CCU: Thanks Darin, and good luck racing in the future.
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