BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

Guest speaker and longtime journalist J.J. O’Malley recounts how Watkins Glen fell into “dark years” after financial and safety troubles culminated in the Grand Prix Association’s 1981 bankruptcy, the loss of Formula 1, event cancellations, foreclosure action by the Bank of New York, and a 1982 auction. He describes how SCCA Glen Region leaders formed the Green Flag Committee to find a new owner, and how Corning Glass executive Jim Reisbeck—after seeing Daytona’s economic impact—commissioned studies and began talks that led Corning Glass to form Corning Enterprises to revive the track. Partnering with International Speedway Corporation (20% ownership), they created Watkins Glen International, closed public roads through the circuit, removed the Scheckter Chicane, upgraded facilities, emphasized family-friendly safety and strong law enforcement, and relaunched major racing with IMSA/Camel GT, Trans-Am, and eventually NASCAR’s Budweiser at the Glen in 1986, followed by successful vintage reunions.

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00:00 Watkins Glen on the Brink
01:19 JJ’s Racing Origins
04:37 First Trips to the Glen
07:50 Collapse and Bankruptcy
10:37 Foreclosure and Auction
12:15 Green Flag Committee Forms
14:24 Corning Discovers the Glen
18:23 Corning Makes Its Move
23:53 Rebuilding and New Leadership
32:02 Five Months to Race Day
38:27 Camel GT / Continental Series Returns
41:30 NASCAR Comes to Town
44:10 Vintage Revival and Festival
45:20 Q&A and Closing Thanks
45:58 Sponsor Credits and Outro

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

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This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

In this episode of Formula Fanatics, we banter about Lance Stroll’s DNFs and near-record Q1 eliminations, and discuss Charles Leclerc reaffirming his Ferrari commitment, credited to Fred Vasseur. We debate whether Lewis Hamilton can win the title or Max Verstappen is more likely to win his next championship than Hamilton, while criticizing team pit strategy and praising George Russell’s tire longevity. Race recaps cover a DNF-heavy, boring Dutch GP and an exciting Monza where Kimi Antonelli charges from the back and extends his points lead, while Verstappen features prominently. We pan to the Madrid street-style circuit as a near-parade where Antonelli wins and Hamilton retires early, note the 2027 schedule adds Portugal and replaces Catalunya with Madrid, mention Verstappen’s dominant kart race publicity stunt, Hamilton’s car-collection sale and F40, a Gilles Villeneuve documentary, Jamie Chadwick’s F1 test, and make Azerbaijan podium predictions.

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00:00 The No Homework Recap
01:00 Stroll Stats Roast
01:54 Why Leclerc Stayed at Ferrari
02:39 Hamilton vs Verstappen Championship Debate
04:46 Strategy, Tires and Team Orders
08:03 Dutch GP Breakdown
09:38 Monza Chaos and Kimi Charge to the Front
15:11 Madrid Ring - Street Circuit Reality Check
17:55 2027 Calendar Shakeup
18:29 Verstappen Karting Blitz
20:05 Hamilton Sells the Fleet for an F40
21:14 Gilles Villeneuve Film Preview
22:12 Jamie Chadwick and Women in F1 / Superlicense Debate
27:18 Azerbaijan Predictions and Wrap

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Formula Fanatics, is the high-octane sub-series of Break/Fix Podcast’s Drive Thru Motorsports News! This is your pit stop for all things Formula 1 — from breaking headlines and race recaps to insider analysis and paddock buzz.

The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

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Online Magazine: https://www.gtmotorsports.org/

Break/Fix’s Drive Thru News returns with banter about Brad’s right-shoulder surgery and a broader discussion on when car tech becomes too much, sparked by Tesla giving Grok AI control of vehicle settings. A Pacifica check-engine light leads to complaints about opaque diagnostic codes, printed manuals, and expensive infotainment upgrades like a $2,000 Uconnect swap. The hosts connect soaring diesel prices to data centers that rely on massive diesel backup generators, then criticize VW/Audi trends such as in-car game subscriptions, an EV “GTI,” factory closures, SEAT’s discontinuation, ugly new designs, and “quattro ultra” complexity. They touch on rumors of a 300-hp AWD Mazdaspeed3, evaluate Kia’s K4 hatchback power figures, discuss Chinese EVs, and note car-buying advice generated by ChatGPT favoring a Mazda CX-50. The episode also covers Cybertruck defects, TV viewing, new automotive books/films, collectibles, Florida-man driving stories, IROC and IndyCar notes, sim-racing updates, Lemons prep, site updates, and network announcements.

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00:00:00 Brad's Shoulder Surgery & Anesthesia Car Dreams
00:03:54 When Tech Goes Too Far
00:06:20 Why Cars Hide Diagnostics: The Pacifica's Mystery Code
00:13:34 Data Centers Burn Diesel?
00:20:13 VW In-Car Games, Why?
00:28:17 Electric GTI Controversy
00:31:55 We ask AI to redesign the Corrado
00:34:48 Audi Design and "Quattro Ultra"
00:41:06 "Peak Car" 2004 Debate
00:43:23 DSG Tech Gone Wrong, Speed Limits & GPS Lockouts
00:46:47 Mark 4 Golf is the G.O.A.T.
00:48:57 AI Mitsubishi Starion GSR Dreams
00:52:38 Mazdaspeed3 Rumor Mill
00:54:16 Kia K4 Power Reality Check
01:02:05 Chinese EVs and Renault Concepts
01:03:55 ChatGPT Car Shopping Story: What Would You Buy?
01:12:46 The Horsepower Perspective Check: Torque Versus Feel
01:19:27 Cybertruck Warranty Drama
01:20:08 New Grand Tour Review
01:22:43 New Books and Documentaries
01:25:41 Rich People Gift Picks
01:31:00 Florida Man Roundup
01:40:52 Motorsport Headlines
01:43:12 Sim Racing Updates
01:48:18 GTM Trackside Report
01:51:34 Shoutouts, Sponsor Credits, and Outro

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

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Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

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Automotive History Live marks Pontiac’s 100th anniversary with Tim Dye tracing the brand from Edward Murphy’s 1893 Pontiac Buggy Company to the 1907 Oakland Motor Car Company and GM’s purchase after Murphy’s 1909 death. He covers Oakland’s 1924 quick-drying paint and early four-wheel brakes, GM’s “car for every purse and purpose,” and Pontiac’s 1926 debut at $825, record 76,742 first-year sales, and rapid expansion into the "Daylight Plant." Dye highlights key eras including the end of Oakland in 1931, wartime production, and Pontiac’s performance transformation under Bunkie Knudsen, Pete Estes, and John DeLorean—racing wins, Wide Track, Tempest innovations, the GTO, OHC six, Firebird, and the Endura bumper—plus influential advertising and design. He recounts Pontiac’s final years, the last Pontiac built (a white 2009 G6), and how he tracked it down, alongside museum and convention milestones.

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00:00 Buggy Company Origins
02:14 Chief Pontiac Namesake
03:16 Oakland Becomes Automaker
04:54 1924 Innovations Tour
06:11 GM Ladder and Pontiac Launch
08:30 First Pontiac Stories
10:49 Myths and Promoters
14:03 "Daylight Plant" Expansion
14:37 Depression and Oakland Ends
15:41 War Work and Reinvention
17:45 Wide Track and Tempest Tech
20:39 Racing Dominance to GTO
23:39 The DeLorean Era Innovations
27:36 Design Ads and Leadership
30:10 World Tour and Final Home Plant
31:37 Last Pontiac Hunt
33:44 Museum and Centennial Wrap
34:42 Sponsors and Closing Credits

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

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This episode is part of our AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY LIVE! SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The Studebaker National Museum and The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

In this Evening With A Legend session, Michael Keyser—driver, filmmaker, and author—recounts his path from photographing Le Mans in 1970–71 to racing there as a privateer, while also filming material that became The Speed Merchants. He describes shooting in heavy rain, pit-lane life, encounters around Porsche and Ferrari teams, and early experiences with danger, including Piers Courage’s fatal crash at Zandvoort. Keyser details his 1972 Le Mans in a 2.5L Porsche 911 ST with Jürgen Barth and Sylvain Garant, finishing 13th and winning the GT 2.5 class as the only 911 to finish, plus a similar Porsche Curves off in 1974 with an RSR and a 1976 Le Mans attempt in a Monza ended by drivetrain failure. He explains where his footage went, how The Speed Merchants was released and is still available on DVD via autosportsltd.com, and shares opinions on modern Le Mans and why he doesn’t plan to return.

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00:00 Meet Michael Keyser
02:01 First Le Mans As Photographer
06:13 Rainy Night And Piper Crash
08:16 Lost Keys And Track Roaming
11:16 1971 Return And Changing Paddock
13:01 From SCCA To FIA License
14:02 Watkins Glen Shunt
15:22 New 911 ST And Film Crew
17:56 European Races: Targa Florio To Nürburgring
22:02 Arriving At Le Mans 1972
23:48 Racing in Night Fog and Bonnier Crash
28:23 Porsche Curves Mistake
29:26 Finishing 1972 Le Mans: Only 911 To Finish
31:18 Filming Speed Merchants
33:43 1974 Armco Repeat
38:25 Why The Monza (1976)
41:22 Monza Shakedown Chaos: Tires Off The Rims!
47:12 Where The Films Are Now
49:07 Modern Le Mans Thoughts
50:06 Lessons And Legacy
53:13 Closing Thanks And Sponsors

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

To learn more about or to become a member of the ACO USA, look no further than www.lemans.org, Click on English in the upper right corner and then click on the ACO members tab for Club Offers. Once you become a Member you can follow all the action on the Facebook group ACOUSAMembersClub; and become part of the Legend with future Evening With A Legend meet ups.