It's TTAC Vs. R&T And Jalopnik In A Race Of Some Sort

Sam Miller
by Sam Miller

This weekend will be the inaugural race for the new American Endurance Racing (AER) series. It’s a run-what-you-brung, take-no-prisoners approach to low-cost endurance competition that welcomes everything from prepped SCCA racers to the cheaty-est of LeMons Class A rides.

As you might expect, former Editor-In-Chief Jack Baruth will be there — but this time, he’s the enemy.

Or maybe not.


Hi. I’m Sam Miller, and despite the photo you see below, I try not to be a crappy driver.

I’ve raced a variety of classes and done a fair amount of professional driver coaching. I’m also a long-time TTAC reader and friend of the Texas TTAC crew. So when the call went out for someone to represent this site against Jack (driving for R&T) and Travis Okulski (driving for Jalopnik) I was at least one of the choices.

This weekend, we’ll be running on the New Jersey Motorsports Park “Lightning” course in a couple of Spec E30 race cars, which are old BMWs with a surprising amount of motor and grip to them. Once we all arrive at the track, we’ll be assigned to our cars and sent out to do battle. It’s possible that they will actually make me team up with Jack while putting Travis together with pro driver Randy Pobst in an unbeatable combination we’ve already nicknamed “Randy Travis”. In which case, look for me to thoroughly humiliate my aging teammate with a series of untouchable laps before handing the car over to him for a lackluster finish.

Yesterday, Jack and I drove from Powell, Ohio to Baltimore in a brand-new Buick LaCrosse eAssist. He says there’s a review coming and something something auto-stop. All I can say is that the back seat is very comfortable.

Today’s practice and qualifying. You can find out more at the AER website. Live timing and scoring will also be available. And if you’re in the area, come out and say Hi!

Sam Miller
Sam Miller

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  • The Heisenberg Cartel The Heisenberg Cartel on Aug 02, 2014

    Randy Travis. Haaaaaa!!! That needs to be a theme for a Lemons racer!!

  • Claytori Claytori on Aug 02, 2014

    Someone with as much racing experience as you claim to have would be more appreciative of the benefits of wearing the shoulder belt, even when riding in the back seat. Jack's recent misadventure in on-road driving proves that anyone can have a serious accident.

    • Sam P Sam P on Aug 03, 2014

      Dan Gurney and Brock Yates drove across the United States in a Ferrari Daytona in 1972 during the first "Cannonball Run", at speeds sometimes exceeding 170 mph without seat belts. Yes, the Ferrari Daytona came with belts. No, I'm not saying it was a smart thing to do.

  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
  • Merc190 A CB7 Accord with the 5 cylinder
  • MRF 95 T-Bird Daihatsu Copen- A fun Kei sized roadster. Equipped with a 660cc three, a five speed manual and a retractable roof it’s all you need. Subaru Levorg wagon-because not everyone needs a lifted Outback.
  • Merc190 I test drive one of these back in the day with an automatic, just to drive an Alfa, with a Busso no less. Didn't care for the dash design, would be a fun adventure to find some scrapped Lancia Themas or Saab 900's and do some swapping to make car even sweeter. But definitely lose the ground effects.
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