Steve Hallam is one of the great unsung heroes of the sport. Raised in Liverpool, what began as a career in automotive engineering turned into one of the most prolific careers in motorsport, engineer for teams such as Lotus, McLaren, TRD, Tekno and with drivers that include Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Mika Hakkinen, Shane van Gisbergen and of course… Ben Barnicoat. He’s had a dream career but don’t tell him that, he’s English. Dinner was served at Sapori Ristorante in Newport Beach, CA, with Paper Planes “Arrow Flies” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

The Snake! Along with previous guests like Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme is one of the pioneers of the modern drag racing scene, coming from modest means in California’s San Fernando valley to one of the staple characters of the NHRA as the series grew. Critical to drag racing history, Don is best known as part of the infamous “Snake and Mongoose” rivalry against Tom McEwen, where the duo partnered with Mattel to introduce a whole new generation of fans to the sport. Lunch was served at the Rancho Sante Fe Bistro in Rancho Sante Fe, CA, with Rex Banner’s “Merry Go Round” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Kamui Kobayashi is one of the most exciting guests that we had this year. Widely considered one of Japan’s greatest drivers, his career has spanned from Toyota’s Junior program to becoming one of F1’s most insane drivers, to eventually becoming a staple of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s prototype where he’s won Le Mans like 100 times, and juggles his role as both driver and Team Principal. Dinner was served at Stonewood Grill in Daytona Beach, FL, with Captain Quibz’ “I Can’t Help Myself” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Kamui Kobayashi is one of the most exciting guests that we had this year. Widely considered one of Japan’s greatest drivers, his career has spanned from Toyota’s Junior program to becoming one of F1’s most insane drivers, to eventually becoming a staple of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s prototype where he’s won Le Mans like 100 times, and juggles his role as both driver and Team Principal. Dinner was served at Stonewood Grill in Daytona Beach, FL, with Milano’s “Hot Hot Fire” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Daniel Morad can best be described as a classic example of when talent meets tenacity. A go-kart phenom from Canada, Danie’s career, started on limited funding, has had a multitude of hills and valleys that have seen him go from being a Red Bull junior driver, to street car instructor, then back again to the top step of the podium at Daytona. Realizing his career counts as much on out-of-the-car relationships as it does performance, the real emphasis in this episode is how Daniel worked on himself to become one of America’s sought after GT drivers. Lunch was served at Bonefish Grill in Daytona Beach, FL, with Ofer Koren’s “A Man Aman” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

There is, simply put, no character in the sport quite like Alex Sims. Currently a driver for Corvette Racing and the recently crowned IMSA GTD Pro Champion, Alex’s resume between formula cars, prototypes, GT and even Formula E for multiple manufacturers only scratches the surface…. as it’s his existence as one of the quirkiest human beings in our paddock that makes him standout. Hope you’re ready for this episode, there’s nothing like it. Dinner was served at PF Chang’s in Daytona Beach, FL, with Greg Sales “Adeline” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

If you’ve ever watched Formula One on TV, then you’ve probably seen Paul di Resta… first as a driver, then as a commentator, but his career history stems so much further than that. Raised as part of the extended Franchitti family, helping at his father’s nightclub as he tries to earn a living, Paul’s success extends with DTM championships with Mercedes, to driving for Force India in Formula One, to now an extended endurance racing career with both Peugot and United Autosport. Lunch was served at the Dahlia Mexican Kitchen in Daytona Beach, FL, with Louis Island “Found Ya” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

If you listen to Episode 162 you’ve already heard Ben’s story, if you watch “Dinner(s) with Ben Keating” on MotorTrend you get an even further tale…. which is why in this episode we go the other way and just play some fun clips from our most recent recording. With the majority of the recording being a story already told, we cut in the part of the episode that “didn’t make it,” featuring updated stories and some of Ben’s famous social media meltdowns.Dinner was served at the Victoria Country Club in Victoria, TX, with Ben Fox’s “Sensational” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Re-visiting our MotorTrend episode titled “Dinner(s) with Ben Keating,” the partnership of long-time friends Don Whitaker and Stephen Livesay are a big part of Ben’s success. With Don, now CFO, knowing Ben since Elementary school and Stephen, now COO, holding family church connections that stem to Ben’s childhood, the two present a history and perspective not found anywhere else in Ben’s business and personal life. Dinner was provided by Domino’s Pizza, served at the Keating household, with Alex Mastronardi’s “Scrapyard Blues” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Re-visiting our MotorTrend episode titled “Dinner(s) with Ben Keating,” this next episode features the less-edited dinner with Ben and his wife, Kathleen. Long-time college sweethearts, Kathleen tells all on the commitment and sacrifices required throughout the last 30 years, and the toll it took. Dinner was provided by the Victoria Country Club, served at the Keating household, with Richard Farrell’s “Aint Looking Back” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!