Folllwing our prior episode about the demise of racing schools, Sylas and Todd take a deep dive into a novel racing school which lived and thrived at Sonoma Raceway in the early 2000s into the 2010s, but has sadly passed on: "Simraceway".  A successor to the storied Jim Russell Racing School, Simraceway simultaneously offered a brand new simulation racing platform online, as well as a real life racing school featuring Audi roadcars and Formula 3 racecars at Sonoma. Learn about what it was like to be a student, a member, and an employee of this place that kickstarted professional motorsports careers, and inspired driving passion in young and old drivers alike. And a little speculation on what could have been different.

Cold Start Hint: Stig Tested, Fittipaldi Approved (Pietro, we mean)

Answer to Episode 53 Cold Start: Formula Mazda 13B rotary

It seems like with more options to get on track through track day providers, fewer people have been going to proper racing schools, killing that industry. Back in the day, it used to be mandatory to have a racing license to get on a racetrack. But with laxer requirements, people are taking the path of least resistance and reshaping the ladder into racing as schools are struggling to stay open. The guys look into this changing of tides within the industry, and discuss what the potential solution might be to put the cool back into school 😎. 

Cold Start Hint: A dying formula car series with a funky engine

Answer to Episode 52 Cold Start: BMW SpecE30, God's chariot 

What seemed like a simple afternoon for a professional driver to go to a track day to hang with friends, turned into a deep dive into the mental side of motorsport -- and what it means for a competitive individual to actually have fun at an activity they've spent years training to master. After chasing the high of racing wheel-to-wheel, Sylas shares his insights of what it's like to take a step back to chill track days and the struggles he faced in just going for fun to Thunderhill in his Spec E30.

Cold Start Hint:  The best examples have shiny or painted headers.

Answer to Episode 51 Cold Start: Nissan 240SX with a Tomei Exhaust

As car enthusiasts, leaving our cars stock is simply not an option. We always need to be tweaking and making changes to make our cars our own. Anyone can modify their cars but there is an art to modifying them well. Todd and Sylas talk about what they have learned from their own journeys of modifying cars and what they think is the proper order of operations to make a well modified automobile. 

Cold Start Hint: It has a modified exhaust

Answer to Episode 50 Cold Start: Porsche 991.2 GT3RS

There has been an interesting phenomenon that has been sweeping the nation in the motorsport industry. More and more "country club" racetracks have been popping upper to cater to the uber wealthy car/racing enthusiast. This business model has become so popular that even some public tracks have started to make the transition to go private and more exclusive. The guys explore this topic and discuss its long term effects on the grassroots enthusiast and motorsport industry as a whole. And they also answer the question of if these exclusive racetracks are even worth the hype. 

Cold Start Hint: The perfect starter car to go with your track membership

Answer to Episode 49 Cold Start: 2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10 

The guys are back with more difficult decisions of Automotive "Would You Rather?" In this episode, they get a little more... eclectic in their comparisons. Decisions get harder and arguments get fiercer as they try to come to an agreement of which car would be the better choice. Listen to hear how Sylas and Todd made their decisions, and see how your opinions stack up. And remember, if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice! 

Cold Start Hint:  Is that the car or the truck?

Answer to Episode 48 Cold Start: 1979 BMW M1 Procar Racecar

The BMW M1 is an iconic car within the BMW lineage because it represented the beginning of ///M and was the first time that BMW created a car specifically for racing and then turned it into a street car. The guys talk about the story of the M1 Procar, the racecar version, and its rise to fame in the late 1970's and how a rule change in homologation almost terminated the project but actually resulted in one of the greatest single make racing series of all time. The M1 Procar series will go down in motorsport history as one of the best "Plan B" decisions ever made. 

Cold Start Hint: Designed by the Italians, powered by the Germans 

Answer to Episode 47 Cold Start: 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL

BMW celebrated 50 years of art cars in 2025, so Todd and Sylas decided to reflect on the 20 official cars that make up that collection and talk about their significance in the automotive community. What started in 1975, turned into an iconic blend of art and motorsports throughout the decades but some were more iconic than others. The guys talk about their favorites and even touch on some of the art cars that some may have never known about. They also may get a little philosophical on what art really means -- listen, and find out! 

Cold Start Hint: Na na na na na na na na Na na na na na na na na

Answer to Episode 46 Cold Start: Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series

We have all played the game "Would You Rather?", so the guys decided to play the automotive equivalent: pitting automotive icons against one another to see which would reign supreme in their dream garages. See what cars they can agree upon -- easy choices -- and where some more questionable choices have to be justified. 

Cold Start Hint: It has a V8 with an accent

Answer to Episode 45 Cold Start: Straight Piped 2000 Honda Civic

You took a perfectly good car and did what to it?!? Modifying your car is almost a must as a car enthusiast but there is most certainly the right way and the wrong way in changing things on your car. Todd and Sylas go through a list of the automotive "no no's" when it comes to modifying your car. If Dante Alighieri was a car enthusiast, he would categorize levels of hell based on these horrid modifications. So if you're an offender of bad modifications, just leave them in 2025 and remember that sometimes the better mod is no mod at all... keep it classy.

Cold Start Hint: The rev bomb king

Answer to Episode 44 Cold Start: Dodge Charger with Notifications turned on