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Bye, Spark EV; finding the perfect stance, and we must act after the Austrian GP

michael banovsky

13 Jul 2022 — 2 min read

A shorter one today, but far heavier than normal. Bye, Spark EV; finding the perfect stance, and we must act after the Austrian GP

Quote by Lily Herman in the awesome *Engine Failure* newsletter

This is both an F1 story and a warning from me: Don’t be a shitty man. Don’t allow people to feel vulnerable and scared, even if you have to stand up against strangers to make it stop. There’s no excuse for this.

And just because you wouldn’t act like this, don’t be silent: now is the time to stand and support positive change. I encourage everyone to get out of your comfort zone: follow different voices, LISTEN to women and be ready to act. Otherwise, fuck off.

MUST READ: a full rundown of the events at the Austrian GP by Lily Herman in Engine Failure. Other voices: Follow @gridclique on Instagram. Challenging the archaic mindset of our patriarchal sporting society – an interview with F1Toni by Cait Rust. Let’s talk about: how F1 world HAS to be better by News on the Grid. Follow @Racing_Incident on Twitter & listen to their podcast episode titled, “The Fish Rots From the Head”. Dre Harrison’s recap of the Austrian GP in Motorsport 101. Harassment at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix Isn't New, Unfortunately by Elizabeth Blackstock in Jalopnik. Luke Smith in Autosport: “No fan should ever attend a GP and not want to go back”.

I’m no longer an electric car owner. Yesterday, my 2015 Spark EV was traded in for *slightly* more than I spent on it, which is nice. Don’t think I’m swimming in cash or about to announce a hot new sports car purchase for *speedster.news*, however: as a perpetual freelancer, the money is probably going to rent, food, or debt. I’ll have more to say about the car and the experience (mostly positive) soon. Technically, I’m down to my last car: a 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo that’s been stored in a barn 1,000 km away from where I sit now. With its window down for the last 10+ years. How’s someone like me, without a garage, going to embark on the folly of building the Volvo of his dreams? One mistake at a time.

Today’s video is from ishikawa body, for two reasons: the thumbnail and final stance. The project, all about fitment and clearance on a modified Nissan Silvia, involved cutting sheet metal…and who cares if the result is this visually perfect? It begins with the finished car and goes through the project in stages—but I queued it up to the reveal.

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