Our guest for Episode #179 of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast is Devin Hofmann of Devine Force Racing.

Devin always had a passion for cars, and a curiosity about how they work. That passion has not only lead her into the field of engineering, but has also inspired her to not only track her STI, but compete in Grid Life Time Attack since 2020.

Devin is also using her engineering background to inspire kids that are interested in STEM and Engineering through a couple of different programs and camps, and teach them how science and engineering relate to Real World things like Race Cars.

We also talk about how Devin has seen Time Attack change in the last few years, and what her future plans are, including a shift to Wheel-to-Wheel racing.

If you want more information on any of the programs that Devin mentioned in the podcast, here are links to them:

https://www.nextengineers.org/

https://www.clemson.edu/cecas/departments/peer-wise/outreach/

https://drivecrs.com/

Be sure to follow Devin on her Instagram page and website for all the latest info about what she is up to:

https://www.youtube.com/@devineforceracing/

https://www.devineforceracing.com/

https://www.instagram.com/devineforceracing/

Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

In this episode, our guests are Justin Grimm and Art Petrakov of Overtake USA.

We start out discussing the origin of Overtake USA, and what Justin's inspiration was to get back involved with the Subaru market.

From there, we talk about the current state of Subaru, and what we think the future holds for both new and old Subaru models alike.

And what does the Future hold for Overtake USA? We get a few hints about that as well.

If you want to check out everything that Overtake USA has to offer, you can find it on their site here:

https://overtakeusa.com/

Flatirons Tuning is proud to offer Overtake USA products on our site as well:

https://www.flatironstuning.com/overtake

Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

In this Episode:

00:00 The Genesis of Overtake

05:01 Rebuilding the Team

07:01 Lessons from GrimmSpeed

09:07 Navigating the Subaru Market

12:54 The Future of Subaru Enthusiasts

16:36 Performance Expectations and Innovations

20:23 The Evolution of Subaru Models

24:24 Nostalgia and the Subaru Community

27:48 Project Cars and Future Aspirations

37:05 Reconnecting with the Community

38:02 Evolution of Product Design and Prototyping

43:16 Innovation in the Automotive Industry

48:48 Supporting Grassroots Motorsports

55:50 Future Product Development and Community Engagement

01:08:33 Exploring New Motorsports Opportunities

The Loam Ranger, aka Ryan Kelly, is our guest on this episode of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast.

Ryan fell in love with Rally Racing at almost the same time as he found Mountain Biking. Because Mountain Biking was much easier to get involved with, that is where he started, but he always dreamed of trying his hand at Rally...

Now that Dream is turning into a Reality

Ryan had already started down the road of building a top tier Rally Driving sim rig when he stumbled across a Barn Find Rally car that he couldn't pass up. He went through his Turbo Impreza L Rally car to get it competition ready, and has already completed 2 full Stage Rallys!

We talk about this process, and what it was like going from racing Mountain Bikes to a Rally Car, and what some of his next steps might be to find more speed and handling in this chassis.

Be sure to check out Ryan's Road to Rally on Youtube!

Thanks for listening and Stay Tuned!

In this episode:

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

01:46 Transition from Mountain Biking to Rally Racing

04:42 Experiences in Rally Racing and Car Modifications

07:32 The Canadian Rally Community and Its Growth

10:17 Rally Car Performance and Challenges

13:06 Future Plans and Engine Modifications

15:49 Standalone ECUs and Tuning Options

19:00 Understanding Engine Monitoring and Safety Features

21:54 Tuning and Performance Enhancements for Rally Cars

25:46 The Importance of Drivetrain and Differential Upgrades

33:59 Evaluating Transmission Options for Rally Performance

40:41 Rally Car Evolution and Decision Making

43:16 Building a Rally Car from Scratch

44:50 Driving Dynamics: All-Wheel Drive vs. Front-Wheel Drive

46:37 The Importance of Reliability in Rally

49:32 Learning and Adapting in Rally

51:44 Measuring Success in Rally and Content Creation

55:22 The Role of Sim Racing in Rally Training

This is a short episode of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast. For Episode #176, I wanted to give a quick update about the state of the Podcast, and a hint about some of the guests that we have in the works to bring on.2026 also seems like it is going to be a crucial year for Subaru, and may determine the direction that they go in the years to come.With the new models coming out like the Uncharted and Trailseeker, could these change the trajectory of future Subaru's?What effect will they have on the BRZ. WRX, and STI?I give you my thoughts and let me know what you think in the comments.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

Pikes Peak 2025 was one of our most challenging years yet. We decided to move to a new Engine and Turbo package this year, running a Turn in Concepts De-Stroked EJ234 engine, and while we saw glimpses of greatness, we were chasing a lot of head gasket issues this year.We have talked about what happened through the course of getting ready for Pikes Peak, and then the engine change during Pikes Peak Race Week, but there is another part of the issues that we were seeing that we haven't gone into yet.Now that we have been able to go through the car, the time has come to sit down with Clint from Turn in Concepts to talk about how we landed on our EJ234 engine package, and to go into the full details of the issues that we saw this year.It has definitely been challenging, but the team from Turn in Concepts has been a huge help to work through what might be going on with our engines.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

We love our 2024 WRX shop car. The more that we live with this car, it is clear that this is the best WRX that we have ever had on offer, but could this be the end for the WRX?No one is buying WRX's now after Subaru had to adjust pricing due to Tariffs...With sales numbers sinking to BRZ levels, can Subaru continue to make the WRX? Can they make a small change to get enthusiasts excited about it again?Or should Subaru just bring back the STI?We dive into what is going on with the WRX and give Subaru our suggestions about what they need to do to save it in this video.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

All ready this year, Tariffs have started to have an effect on both Auto Manufactures and the Automotive Aftermarket.There has also been a fair amount of confusion around possible changes in the way that the EPA is going to enforce regulations as well which has left shops and enthusiasts alike with questions.SEMA is always at the forefront of any of these changes that affect the Automotive Aftermarket, and on this episode of the podcast, we have a conversation with Karen Bailey-Chapman who is the Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for SEMA.We go over the current best information on these topics, and at the end we also talk about the issues around the Right to Modify vehicles that may be the next big challenge for the industry.If you would like to see more information about the topics we discuss, here are links to resources on SEMA's website:https://www.sema.org/advocacyhttps://www.sema.org/advocacy/tariffshttps://www.semagarage.com/Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

The 2026 Subaru Outback and Outback Wilderness have now been revealed. But Subaru has another new car up their sleeve.The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker EVThis looks a lot like a Legacy Wagon of old, but this new EV will be both the most powerful and fastest Subaru ever if it actually hits the advertised performance markers of 375 hp and a zero to 60 time of 4.3 seconds.In this episode we talk about those new vehicles, and what it means that Subaru is set to build an EV with this level of performance...What does this mean for the STI? Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

There is a good chance that you know Dewey from IAG's Thursday Thing. Or Devin Giles from Professional Awesome.

But did you know that these two guys (and James Houghton) have now formed another Podcast called Heat Exchanger where they talk about everything that is going on in Grid Life.

Devin and Dewey have been building cars and driving competitively for a long time now, and for this episode, I wanted to pick their brains about where they would start out now, having done all that they have done, and knowing what they know.

If you have been thinking about getting out to the track more, and especially if you are thinking about competing, give this a listen. There is a ton of good information here for you.

Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

For more on what Dewey and Devin are up to, make sure to check out their Podcasts here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3AHKdpHieVMBD7zIIUEJda

https://open.spotify.com/show/0zfW8Q3aut0Adr6oj67IiF

https://open.spotify.com/show/43TNLQ142rz9o0PPoso097

When a car is fun to drive and fast on track, it doesn't typically stay a secret for long. As a car gets a reputation with enthusiasts, they quickly become more expensive because they are more sought after.With the lack of new fun cars to choose from at a reasonable price for the last couple of years, there has been a lot of focus on cars that are 5 - 10 years old. It can certainly seem like all of the good options have been picked through and are not as affordable as they should be.But are there some good track cars left that everyone has forgotten about?This is the topic of discussion today with Mike Pettiford of Go 4 it Racing.Maybe there are still some diamonds left out there.Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!