My name is Karl Shepard and I live in Portland, Oregon about 30 minutes
from Portland International Raceway. I just turned 48, have three kids,
one in college and two at home. I teach computer security: Check Point,
Nokia, RSA, and Entercept. I have been teaching for more 4 years. I
started out preparing for an academic career and have almost a PhD from
the University of Chicago in African Studies. I am 75% fluent in
Kiswahili and did my dissertation research in Kenya 89-90 on a Fulbright
scholarship. I taught college for a year, didn't like dumb undergrads
and decided to pursue high tech. I worked at Intel for five years in
desktop support ending there as a Unix admin.
I never had an interst in cars until April 1998 after I purchased an
1988 supercharged MR2. I found out that I could drive PIR in a driver's
school and did it twice. Then I found out that I could drive without an
instructor on the local car club track days. I have been a member of
the BMW club, Audi club, and Shelby-American club - all just to get to
track my MR2 at PIR. I have tracked the MR2 about 17 times. The engine
in the car gave out at 153,000 miles at the track November 1999. I
bought a salvage yard engine, had it reworked by SH Racing development
in Beaverton, Oregon and got the long block back from them in March
2000. I bought a mid-rise car lift and an engine crane and my next door
neighbor and I dropped the original engine. With it on engine hoist
chains the new long block on an engine stand, I cleaned and painted
every piece from the old engine and put the new engine together. We
then put the new engine in the car. What a kick at the track! The car
has Motul 600 brake fluid, Carbotech racing pads, TRD hardened rubber
suspension componets, ST lowering springs, an oversized crank pulley
that yields 14 pounds of boost, JE forged aluminum pistons, Kumho's, KBD
header, and ported exhaust ports. The car reaches 115 in the front
straight before the chicane and a bit more than that on the back
straight. More importantly, the car corners nicely.
In August, I bought Alan Drobnak's fully race prepared 1966 1600. I
intend to race it next year as a historic. So my interst in roadsters
is strictly limited to racing. I decided to race a roadster in
historics because the competitors are kinder (ie less paint rubbbing).
I need all the advice I can get on racing historics.
Karl
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