Confessions of a racing school employee
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Ed Bolian's first job in the car industry was at Road Atlanta working for Panoz Racing School and the Audi Driving Experience. There was a little too much downtime and he ended up finding a lot of ways to get into trouble. Photo credit Danny Steyn.
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I cannot imagine the trouble I would get into with a job like that.
I can... probably the same kind of trouble I used to get into selling Nissan 300 twin turbos and PFS RX-7 twin turbos.
That's... Bad trouble... Isn't it ? :P
During college, I was a salesman at the local VW/BMW/Porsche dealer. This was the era of the E36 M3, M roadster, and the first 996 watercooled cars. So the young and reckless guys like me spent a lot of time taking friends on very fast test drives. One time we scraped the pan off a brand new M3 on a speed bump. We pulled over. We surveyed the damage. We ripped off the giant piece of plastic and threw it into the woods. My favorite job was picking up the wash dudes on work release from the jail every morning. I’d always bring something nice like a 540 or 740.
@@OnPointFirearms BMW's are trash though sounds like a fun experience nonetheless lol.
@@Cricis11700 ya cuz e36s are total junk🙄🙄
Today he would have been fired 80 times throughout that entire story
80 times on the first 20 minutes.
I think Ed should do audio books.... I'm pretty sure he could read nursery rhymes and I'd be in a trance lol. His pitch and delivery breaks through my ADD instantly
Same here I watch all his videos love his voice
swoopa2284 Swoopa that’s because you don’t have a problem the school/work environment just doesn’t know how to keep your attention because some people aren’t made to sit at a desk
swoopa2284 Swoopa FACTS.
swoopa2284 Swoopa I still have to read the comments. Otherwise I can't make it through most videos.
I agree, it's easy to listen and focus on what he says.
8:30 "invited to not reapply for my position" haha you have such a way with words!
C Brooks comes with being a intellectual and a people's person
Ed is such a good story teller. I'm sure that's why he was such a convincing salesman.
OMG...VinWiki is almost 300k...been enjoying the ride since around 75k subscribers..keep up the quality content guys!
Lol, I remember when it was less then 40k.
FortisProcer Lol, I remember when it was less then 5k
Lol, I remember the day this channel was started 🙄
"I had been invited to not re apply for my position the next summer" Ed kills me everytime
Glad I was early enough to see the Grand Tour video before they removed it.
B Fra they removed it
They must not have been happy about the word of clarkson and the others not being the ones driving the cars in most shots getting out
Saw that coming tbh, guys probably in some trouble :(
does anyone know where to find it now?
Matt Rezek honestly who didn’t already know that
Having been to Road Atlanta on several occasions, I'm just glad someone actually did all of the things I thought about doing with the old skidpad entry and infield roads, lol
Lap of the World if anybody would have it'd be Ed
Yay Ed, another older video i haven't seen yet, your channel just keeps getting better and better.
Ed I love this stroy. I worked at the Bob Bondurant driving or the transition to just Bondurant driving school for almost a decade. The things the we would see on an almost day to day basis its truly amazing when it comes to the " avarage joe" trying to minipulate there way around a race track.
Insurance companies have ruined all the fun. You can no longer do anything you said while working on a racetrack without getting fired. Unless you do at 5am, when the management isn't There, and that's only if your immediate supervisor likes ya, and doesn't see it.
Becuase believe me he will hear it
Well of course I have experience as a driving school instructor why do you ask
Last time I was this early, the JC Penny gal's at the Sip'n Shop were still sober.
Clint Gliford and caravans were worth 80k
Jake Browne and it only cost $375 (including auction fees) to acquire them
Congrats on 300K subscribers! I watched the moment it happened!
Note to self. Ed is never driving any of my cars 😂😂😂😂 Great vid!
Rob Pitts
Make sure he only drives the ones where pills are mysteriously falling from the dash...
This video changed my life, so thank you so much.
I took the Panoz school 9/06. Joe Foster (IIRC) was the chief instructor. Before that a few R. A. Track Days with "Bo"...
I see Ed, I click like. I am a simple man.
John Doe 😂😂😂😂
I need to know.
Clearly none of you have a sense of humour.
Mike van Varik I have a sense of humor but his joke was funnier than yours.
Late to this party but, a job working with Indy Cars kinda fell into my lap. My neighbor works for Andretti and I get to transport Indy cars to corporate events, show them and talk about them. Pretty fortunate to have the opportunity that was literally, me being in the right place at the right time.
wow, haven't heard the name Panoz Esperante in probably 20 years
ANOTHER kick-ass story!!!
It blows my mind how closely our lives almost came to watch other's. Before my accident in '99 I was hired to be a Performance driving instructor at a local driving school. I was SUPPOSED to take that knowledge and go work at a major driving school like Skip Barber. Instead, I chose to try to become a flight specialist in the Marines. My driving sponsor agreed that flying would be a lot of fun and that when I was done with the military to look him up so we could go racing. Then I got ran over.
Wow. Thank you for your service.
I wish I could share a few stories..I worked at Laguna Seca at 18 to 20 then I moved and worked for a Ferrari,Merc,Porsche dealer in 97-2000 who had a brother who is now dead His name was Skip Beck and he had a Lamborghini Dealership & Bobby had the other dealerships which as you know how many other manufacturers end up on the lots but I actually delivered one of the only Mercedes CLK GTRs in the U.S.& I got to drive it 160 miles!! It is still one of the most incredible experiences of my life..The car was over 2 million after all was said and done..I love the transmission which is a 3 peddle true clutch engaging Paddle shifter which gave u the option of shifting without the clutch or with which I dont get why anyone wouldnt use it because it required a complete clutch setup every 1500 miles!! If you drove with only paddles..You can stretch it to 5000 miles if you use the peddle which made me wish it had a stick over the paddles. This was all crazy new technology..This is back when Porsche 1st started using that SHITTY Tiptronic trans and the 355 was shoving the AWFUL F1 trans in otherwise AWESOME 355 which I had as a WORK VEHICLE!! I took home a black on black MANUAL 355 which I RAPED..I then got a Diablo which was Skips personal car that he decided to sell and me taking these cars home and driving them around town was great advertising..I sold more cars that way than you would believe and I got to keep doing it...Anyway giant story..Sorry..Another fay..You takr care Ed oh ACTUALLY I just an invitation to Porsche Altlanta Perimeter which is a Jim Ellis owned business and I actually got my new Carrera White 2008 Manual GT3 RS shipped from Atlanta to Tx and I bought it site unseen ..It was new but I hadnt even driven one..I only got a chance because my pop is a porsche vip and gets the calls and emails on new model choice and actually thats what this dinner im going to is about..Its the release of the new Panamera Sport Tourismo Launch party..So hell yes im going..Sorry for the crazy long email with im sure tons of spelling mistakes being that im a passenger and bouncing around trying to catch my flight and if you are familiar with Denver and this shitty Circus Top Airport which is no where near Denver but its a weird ass airport and even thpugh I fly out weekly I just never feel comfortable ..It's a henky place!! Take care Ed P.S.I never heard anything back about my interest in a Safari build which you passed on the info for me when I asked how to contact him..We will catch up..Maybe in Atlanta if you are going to the Porsche Launch!!!?? C.B.
These stories are golden.
Ed you are killing it. You must have met Paul Newman back in the day...
Another 2 a day from VINwiki! Yay!
I dont know why, but hearing about the Shrewdest Negotiator fumble about when he was younger fills me with hope.
Anderson Jukebox sometimes it takes a while to figure it out!
YES! Definitely the stories! I worked for two different teams in my 20's. A Speedvision/Speed World Challenge team and a Grand Am team when I could. I love cars, it was an awesome job, didn't pay much, I look back now and it's just like "Woah" I cant believe I did all that LOL.
I remember my one trip to Road Atlanta. The fact that its essentially hidden away, and not given much signage annoyed me quite a bit. A gem.
Loving these double uploads. Keep it up.
I always wanted to work on the racing side. I never had that much fun working in the warranty department with the street cars. It sucked. I only got to drive a car out on the road one time. And I was never able to parlay my experience there into anything else but grunt work. My hat is off to you my friend.
Ed is a master story teller - more please!
I love the way he tells stories. Very engaging
where do you find jobs like these and get started i genuinely love that stuff and the stories
ps someone please respond i dont want this to disappear into the abyss of the unseen comments lol
I responded
Todays equivalent might be your local go kart track.
Honestly google local race tracks and give them all a call.
I’m in love with this channel.. the content is just incredible
This guy always has such great stories omgggggggg
Always love Ed's stories.
I have been enjoying hearing these stories knowing this all took place a few miles from my house.
I'm on a string of watching VINwiki videos, in order of upload...then Ed comes on and I'm like "Oh yeah, the OG is back!"
"Invited not to reapply"
Grand Tour video got taken down? Glad I got a chance to watch it!
The advice at the end was the best great video
I had a job at Firebird Raceway as a track hand in Phoenix when I was in college, most fun job ever. After events, I’d go through the dumpsters and pull out multiple unopened 30 racks of beer, and automatic pit pass for everything
TWO VIDS? best day ever
keep up the good work guys your vids are soo interesting
That definitely qualifies as one of the top 3 best Ed videos; great story! I wonder, the race cars in the warehouse you were describing...could they have belonged to prior Road Atlanta owners the Whittinghams (as described in another video on your same channel)? Certainly seems within the bounds of possibility.
Yep! My wife called them my "hobby" jobs. Took a gig wrenching for a landscape company, got to fly the owners Grumman Goose from Hillsboro Or to McCall Id. Will never forget it.
Another gig at a Euro shop, I wrenched & drove stuff most never heard of! Ummm, Turner? Anyone? Yea, good times, good memories!
I have hundreds of miles at Road Atlanta from my club racing day's,,,,love that track!!
That job... SOUNDS LIKE THE MOST FUN IN THE WORLD. I'm 15, live in Georgia, and now I want to be 18 get my license and work there. It sounds like so much fun
i live 15 min away from the panoz factory off hwy 124 in braselton, a whole lot smaller than one might think it would be... every time i go by i try to catch a glimpse of the cars in the showroom up front
Doug, WE WILL MEET!
SD's a small place.
So enjoy your product, do what ya love and the rest just flows.
Cars live and breathe with the souls of their constructors.
If you have the enlightenment to feel, you will experience fully.
Best to you.
Scott Whitmire
That swerving action you were talking about is actually really common in high traffic areas, I see it all the time. If someone gets cut off or thinks another driver is about to enter their lane, they either swerve or slam on the brakes. Over the years of working as a driver, I've learned that you should never make such sudden movements like that in an emergency situation, especially at such high speed. Just brake a "medium" amount (not to the floor as someone behind you could crash into you) and slowly try and move around them. Lanes in America are so big that you have a lot of wiggle room to maneuver.
Ed’s last statement about the stories is completely true. I️ worked at an O’Reilly Auto Parts for a few months between this past Thanksgiving and up until about Easter this year. Pay was shit, management was equally as bad with the new manager. But I️ could tell stories for a few hours about that things that went on and what my co workers and I️ did during the evening hours where we would be lucky to get a handful of costumers in the store.
ed and doug in ONE day !!!!! man i can rest in peace now
FAWZI rip
*Shrewd negotiation intensified*
IIRC, Dukes of Hazzard was set in Georgia, but filmed in & around Santa Clarita/Valencia, CA
This channel grew so fast. I remember 20K just a few months ago
Thanks! It has been a wild ride.
This guy has the best stories !!!!
What a great storyteller.
Glad I got the see the Ford GT Video before they were asked to take it down.
Remind me not to loan Ed my car! Love this story!!
Ya know. His advice doesnt only apply to racing. I took that advice to heart when my dad gave it to me. No job is too small when you try to get somewhere in life.
While watching the grand tour video I already had a feeling it was gonna get taken down. At least most people probably could have seen it already :)
I was fortunate enough to get a "professional" start in racing @ Skip Barber. Meet some good folks, and a lot of them moved over to Indy Cars. These types job are not a carrier but a starting place. Unfortunately most have disappeared.
Guess I’m the 300,000 subscriber congrats vinwiki well deserved!!!!!
Thanks so much. It has been a wild ride. We will keep them coming.
This was a great watch especially since I just started a position as an Apprentice Mechanic haha. A lot of what you're talking about is already highly relatable to my experience thus far (though I haven't ruined any tires yet haha).
I worked for skip barber after they purchased Panoz racing school. We went up to Atlanta to run some races and school with the old Panoz employees and they handled everything a lot differently then we did and a lot less professionally. I've got some good stories lol
Ed was a "shrewd" lot boy at the track. ;)
Great video, good stories on good stories ✌🏼
how did he not get fired lol
Good job bro this are great stories
Panoz was a genius, his race cars were legend. Awesome job to have as a young guy.
We will try to get Don on here sometime soon to talk about the company.
That would be cool! Its too bad you guys started this a little too late for another good legend in racing, Myron Cottrell. Unfortunately, he passed away a couple months ago. Thankfully, he gave me all his knowledge about LT motors so that lives on.
He's dead.
Ed, I don't remember anything about your experience with Panoz in your book. Great story!
That opening line sucks me in every time lol
That's the goal! Thanks so much for watching.
How do you get a job like that with no experience? Seems like almost everything these days require experience.
My job interview for Karting job was " Do you want to work here? It's crap pay and long days. " So of course I said yes! Was mainly track marshal but got to do lots of other things! Did it for 3.5 seasons and this was my 15th year of Karting! The day got short notice your the race director today was my most scary day! Thankfully all went well except on 1 last lap I threw yellow flag instead of white! Have also had it happen as a racer!
oh yea "sawing the tire off" lol. I know the hassle, made a rubber protector for my snowplow out of an old tire. Took me 6 or 7 grinder blades.
Great story ed! Keep them coming ;)
3:34 I had a deionization set up, foam cannon, presume washer spray, as long as you keep it clean that takes care of most of it...
My friend went to University of Alabama, and he told me about a friend who was on the rugby team with him. Told me he rarely went to class, but usually went to practice, and if he wasn't doing those things he was on the simulator. He had some other prior on-track driving experience, and all that got him a job doing ridealongs with Xtreme Xperience.
I went to that orientation at that driving club when they had the F1 cars at road Atlanta. They’ve got some big visions for that little warehouse
Good Thing I've watched that 'Grand Tour Ford GT' video.
can you tell me something about it what was in it?
Ed is the racing stig man !!!!!
An Ed Bolian story is a good story.
Panoz. Wonderful. I would love to own one one day.
i love the overhead aerial shot ;)
I got to work there during the transition to Skip Barber. Good memories 🙂
Loving the new upload schedule
Trying it out. May not be permanent but it worked well yesterday.
VINwiki maybe if you tried one in the morning one in the afternoon?
We may try. The problem we have seen with some of the livestreams is that if we send out too many notifications, the unsubscribe rate goes up marginally and it seems to hurt the views.
Me too
That moment when Ed shows up at your house “dad, you’re finally back”
I don't see why The Grand Tour asked you to take that video down. There was nothing derogatory to the Tour in the video.
Agreed but we didn't argue. Certainly didn't want it to keep Emile from getting to continue working with them.
I'm assuming it was because he mentioned the fact that the Trio aren't on set for nearly as long as the show makes it out to be. Also the tid bit about Clarkson, or any of them, driving the cars for more than the fancy shots would add to their displeasure regarding the video. Just a thought.
Hi Ed.
Connor Yea I think you pretty much got it. Being a fan of the show myself, It didnt make me think any less of the hosts or show itself but I did learn a few things I kinda wish I didnt know, like how most of the cool driving shots are actually the stunt driver.
Connor well Clarkson was “on set” for the entirety of the NY to ON trip, he did the drive, to me that’s all that really matters haha
He drove it, just not with the camera team.
Such a cool guy, such peculiar taste in shoes
I drove a Eurovan in highschool.. Good times
love Ed sm what a legend
Rip grand tour video. I liked that one
I valeted cars as a kid - same story except they weren’t race cars and parking lot instead of a track. I could get air too
I didn't know getting air time could actually pop tyres without getting seriously high, probably lucky I never got over a foot and a bit up XD
Was the drug runner one of the Whittington brothers, Randy Lanier. John Paul Jr, John Paul Sr? They all had interests in Road Atlanta, heck the Whittington's used to get drugs flown in there.
Glad I got to watch that gt vid! Notification squad!!!
ed really inspires me to work harder
Leaf blowers work great for drying vehicles
I met ed on a flight going to Florida and I didn’t even know who he was until a month later😭 Cool guy