The world maybe crippled by Covid 19 but in New Zealand (NZ), the Jalopy Dust Up was a dusty-fun way to see in 2021.

You might not want to admit it but I know you’ve done it. I’ve done it too. I’m just as guilty of street racing as the next guy.

I was making plans to attend the 99th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb when I received a call from my friend Cam Douglas of Optima Batteries.

Let’s be honest, we’ve all been suffering a little cabin fever lately. TorqTalk has been fortunate, however, to have been invited to some really cool events, even if they have had limited attendance and participants.

We’re huge fans of drifting here at Torq Talk, so when the finals were being held in our backyard it was an event we couldn’t miss.

Hot rods, sedans, sports cars, streamliners and motorcycles break a total of 29 records at the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) season finale at El Mirage dry lake, California.

In the market for your dream car? Well, there is no better place to find it than Barrett-Jackson. Unfortunately, 2020 threw a curve ball on what in January seemed like another great auction year.

Steve Gibb’s Nitro Revival had been cancelled and the weather forecast said rain all around the Southern California basin except for a small ray of sunshine over Willow Springs, CA. Sports cars, sports racers, post World War II formula cars plus big tire muscle cars of the Trans Am era such as Corvettes, Mustangs, the odd Mopar and some vintage NASCARs.

You can smell hot oil and burning rubber even if you are wearing a face mask at the Goodwood Speed Week. Sun shone, and more than 220 historic cars competed in 10 different races, once on Saturday and once again on Sunday.

It’s definitely different to have a season opener in October but such was 2020 when pretty much every event around the world was, well, different.

In 1971, ‘Mr. Cobra’ Lynn Park, Tom McIntyre and a bunch of their friends got together to organizer the very first Cobra Owners Club of America Open Track Day at Willow Springs International Raceway.

Time was every city in So-Cal had a dragstrip or, so it seemed. Those days are long gone as urbanization gradually disappeared many of those tracks.

They said it was a portal into the past and whoever they are, they were right.

Nobody said it was easy. If it was we’d all have a red hat and we don’t. Despite 48 land speed records falling like coconuts at the recent Bonneville World Finals, for every success story there was an equivalent tale of woe.

The Holley Moparty had all the hype and buzz you would expect of a major national event.

The first ever-recorded organized drag races were held at Goleta, a small airport 100 miles north of Los Angeles, now known as Santa Barbara Airport.

Nine months into 2020 and we only just got to see our favorite stars of the Formula Drift (FD) PRO Championship in action.

The 98th running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was a very different event this year. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic had its affect and the entry list was well depleted compared to normal years when there are typically more than 130 entrants.

It’s hard to believe that some of the world’s most famous races are now more than 100 years old. The first ever Grand Prix was held in France in 1906, the first Indy 500 was in 1911 and the first Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was in 1916.

How hard can it be? Forty-six square miles of empty white space—who can’t go fast? It’s not that easy. Bonneville is a tough, unforgiving place to race. Take, for example 72-year-old George Poteet, he’s been chasing land speed records for years.