The Circuit Jerks Podcast: Recent Episodes
Lucas Myers
The Circuit Jerks is a motor sports history podcast where hosts Lucas Myers and Elijah Holbrook explore the fascinating stories behind the people, places, and cars in the rich history of motor sport.
Elijah Holbrook is a stand up comedian living in Milwaukee and Lucas Myers is a racing enthusiast, (very) occasional karter, and head of the F1 Houston watch group.
Follow us on Instagram: circuitjerkspodcast
Email: circuitjerkspod@gmail.com
This week we wrap up our long running series on The Bentley Boys by talking about Glen Kidston and Clive Gallup, the inspiration of the beloved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the new NASCAR Gen 7 cars.
This week we talk about Elijah's birthday, and his very underwhelming surprise, and The Great Race of 1878.
This week, after being a couple of days late, we talk about one of the of biggest names to come out of Mexico, Pedro Rodriguez. With a career that spanned nearly his entire life, it's no surprise that he is still an inspiration to aspiring drivers in his home country.
One of the most entertaining racing series going right now, we're covering Aussie V8 Supercars! Per a listener request, we dive into how the series has evolved over the years into what it is today!
This week we cover the 1903 Paris to Madrid Motor Race. One of the biggest races in the early days of the car, and a race that had some of the biggest names in motors racing in it. Find out why the press dubbed it THE RACE OF DEATH in this week's episode!
This week we finally talk about Brooklands: the world's first purpose built banked racing circuit. A place that went from being the heart of British racing to being the heart of British airplane industry. A track who's legend is felt to this day.
This week we are joined by Matt Trumpets from the Missed Apex Podcast to talk about one of the most famous tracks in the United States. We talk about how the track came into existence, the origins of NASCAR, the Daytona 500, and the 24 hrs of Daytona.
This week we continue our series on the Bentley Boys with John Duff; the first, and only, Canadian to outright win the 24 hrs of Le Mans and he did it twice. He lived all over the world, and helped Bentley win their first Le Mans race. The end of his career takes a wild turn that you will not see coming and we're not about to spoil it in the summary.
This week we talk about one of the best Pre-WWII drivers in history. Three time European Championship winner Rudolf Caracciola, who was so good on wet tracks that he earned the nickname Die Regenmeister or Rain Master. From the inaugural Nurburgring Grand Prix to the Mille Miglia and setting speed records that stand to this day, Caracciola was a major force in all forms of motorsports.
This week is the conclusion to our Helle Nice story. We pick it back up with her arrival in New York, where she raced around the Americas, pitting herself and her car against the times set by the best male racers in the US. Hear the rest of her story in this week's episode!
This week we talk about one of the coolest women in the history of racing. Helle Nice. The daughter of a postmaster in a small town, she raced Bugatti's, hung out with princes, and lived her life to the fullest. A dancer turned professional racing driver, very few can hold a candle to "Hellish" Nice.
Sorry about the audio quality this week, Lucas did not select the right input and it wasn't caught until the editing was started.
We're finally back from the holiday break! This week we talk about one of the legends of early racing. Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari.
This week is a short holiday episode where we talk about our F1 2020 time trial competition and what we have in the works for the new year!
Join The Circuit Jerks, and our very first guest as we talk about the disaster that became one of the most infamous races in Formula 1 history. The 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motorspeedway.
This week we talk about the insanity of sim rallying, potato based trophies, and a tale of triumph and tragedy: the biggest name of the Bentley Boys (probably) Tim Birkin.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Birkin
https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/tim-birkin
http://8w.forix.com/birkin.html
https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/world-of-bentley/the-bentley-story/history-and-heritage/heritage-cars/the-blower-bentley.html
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-2004/64/birkins-ghost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk4N0O81diU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oazVae_8ck
This week we talk about one of our favorite memories from our youth (and when we were invincible), how Elijah tore the exhaust off of a VW Corrado, and we get to see Lucas's brain quit working in real time. Oh and there is some Bentley Boy's mentioned in there somewhere.
This week we talk about mental health, the joys of sleeping on an air mattress, and "the Queen of the Steering Wheel" herself, Eliska Junkova. She beat some of the era's biggest names, she was the first woman to win a grand prix, was one of the early pioneers of women in motorsports and was a superstar in her home country. She was a true innovator who's impacts are still felt today.
Sources:
https://english.radio.cz/eliska-junkova-czech-racing-queen-jazz-age-8560008
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli%C5%A1ka_Junkov%C3%A1#cite_note-:4-3
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&u=https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25C4%258Cen%25C4%259Bk_Junek&prev=search&pto=aue
We're back! After a week off we are back to continue our series on the Bentley Boys. This week we talk about Sammy Davis, mental health, and edit our script while recording.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Davis_(racing_driver)
https://web.archive.org/web/20100213193202/http://www.500race.org/Men/Sammy%20Davis.htm
https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/sammy-davis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1927_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans
https://alvisarchive.com/alvis-people/sammy-davis/
http://www.f1grandprixdriversclub.com/member/sammy-davis/
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1999/50/second-opinions
This week we talk about our cats, getting our phones blown up, and the first installment in our Bentley Boys series: Woolf Barnato. The only driver with a perfect record, and the man who single highhandedly saved Bentley.
https://fragmentsof-history.com/2018/02/06/the-killing-of-bro-barney-barnato/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolf_Barnato
https://therake.com/stories/icons/the-leader-of-the-pack-woolf-barnato/
https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/woolf-barnato
https://www.rolls-royceandbentley.co.uk/woolf-barnato.html
https://www.goodwood.com/grr/race/historic/2020/4/triple-le-mans-24-winner-woolf-barnato-was-the-tom-kristensen-of-the-1930s/
https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/classic-life/woolf-babe-barnato-gentleman-driver
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1926_United_Kingdom_general_strike
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans
This week, we tackle our biggest name yet. Dan Gurney: A titan, an innovator, and a true legend. The man who changed aerodynamics forever, and introduced a tradition to motorsports that is seen from karting up to Formula 1.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Gurney
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_American_Racers#Formula_1
http://allamericanracers.com/dan-gurney-biography-page-2/
https://www.scca.com/pages/dan-gurney
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/0709sr-dan-gurney/
https://f1.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Gurney
https://www.motorsportshalloffame.com/Hall-of-Fame-Members/Bio.aspx?q=Dan%20Gurney
https://petrolicious.com/articles/getting-personal-with-dan-gurneys-eagle-weslake-mk1-at-goodwood
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurney_flap
https://jalopnik.com/all-the-innovative-ways-dan-gurney-shaped-racing-as-we-1822099608
This week we talk about The Kansas City Flash, Masten Gregory. From illegal street races to being the first American to finish on the podium in a Formula 1 Race, and leaping out of cars his career was nothing short of exciting.
http://www.atlasf1.com/2000/aut/cox.html
https://petrolicious.com/articles/legends-of-motorsport-masten-gregory
https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/masten-gregory
https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-gremas.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masten_Gregory
This week we talk about Alfonso de Portago, racing's first playboy. He was a rich and fast adrenaline junkie who raced as hard as he lived.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_de_Portago
https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/alfonso-de-portago
https://therake.com/stories/icons/full-marquis-alfonso-de-portago/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrera_Panamericana#1954
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIBT_World_Championships_1957
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1000_km_Buenos_Aires
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_National
This week we talk about Pat Moss; women's racing pioneer, champion rally driver, and sister to someone named Sir Stirling Moss.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Moss
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/pat-moss/amp
https://www.bbc.com/sport/31749919
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-2009/30/obituary-pat-moss
Elijah and I are taking the week off to research and write a couple of episodes so we can get ahead and deliver some quality episodes and not half ass it. See you next week!
In this week's episode we talk about the Mille Miglia. An open road rally style race that ran from 1927-1957. It had some of the biggest names in motorsport competing and one of the highest mortality rates of any race.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille_Miglia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_Mille_Miglia
https://www.britannica.com/sports/Mille-Miglia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_rally
http://masharikimotorsport.com/rally-history/
Today we talk about the most old timey racing driver of all old timey racing drivers. Barney Oldfield. From racing bicycles to racing against aeroplanes, Barney did it all, with a bit of his winning formula of course (it was not vinegar).
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2013/09/17/racing-heroes-barney-oldfields
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Oldfield
https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/blog/our-collection-on-barney-oldfied
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1905_AAA_Championship_Car_season
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CLASS/am485_98/sarratt/barney.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1914_Indianapolis_500
In this week's episode we talk about different racing series, how they got started, some technical regulations and a lot of tangents.
Sources:
https://www.fia.com/organisation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fédération_Internationale_de_l'Automobile
http://www.f1-grandprix.com/?page_id=222
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_racing#Points_system
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/motorsports/endurance-racing.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Rally_Championship
https://www.wrc.com/en/more/wrc-history/early-years/
In our very first episode we talk about what got us into Motorsports and explore the story behind Formula 1's first world champion Giuseppe “Nino” Farina.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Farina
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-2004/80/substance-with-style Guiseppe Farina: Substance with Style - Mike Lawrence
https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/giuseppe-farina
https://f1history.fandom.com/wiki/Giuseppe_Farina