MalcolmG the Car Enthusiast

In my introductory post for this blog, I said I would introduce the various aspects of my life to provide some level of context for future postings, so here's another:

I tend to feel a little embarassed or ashamed to admit to having a love for cars and motorbikes, as I feel I run the risk of being stereotyped in a way that I don't think reflects who I am. Nevertheless, since as far back as I can remember, they have always been a fairly prominent part in my life (I wonder if I can find the picture of when I was 7 or 8, proudly sitting with my vast matchbox car collection?)

Around the age of 16, shortly after getting my first car and long before deciding I wanted to pursue a career in mechanical engineering, I started to get interested in the technical aspects of cars - learning to do all my own maintenance and repairs, trying to understand the fundamentals of operation of the various systems, and learning about the aspects that affect a vehicle's performance. Before long, my car (or cars) would spend increasing amounts of time in more pieces than is typically useful, as I worked on the latest modification, repair or upgrade. My increasing interest in the technical and theoretical aspects of vehicle operation and performance eventually lead me to realise that mechanical engineering was the best candidate I'd come across for what I'd like to do 5 days a week for the next 40 years (well...the best one that I would get paid for)

My current toys: Honda CBR600RR (red), Kawasaki ZXR250 (green), Toyota MR2 (um...it's the car)

By the time I had enrolled to do a Bachelor of Engineering, about 5 years after dropping out of school at the age of 16, I had spent considerable time (and money) working on and learning about all things automotive, and had gathered a decent practical skill set and reasonable understanding of the way things worked in the mechanical world, which ended up being a significant help as I tackled a university degree without having anywhere near the academic background that most students did.

Behind the wheel of one of our older FSAE cars, sans bodywork

It wasn't all about the technical side though - I thoroughly enjoy driving, especially racing (or pretending I'm racing). From the first time I drove a go-kart I was hooked, and would've relished the opportunity to get into motor-racing at a young age if my family had the money to do so. Instead I had to wait until I was working and able to fund my own way through such ventures - which still hasn't amounted to me doing any regular racing. As with many things in my life, I've dabbled - I have quite a bit of drag racing under my belt, plenty of driving in my mates' race karts (but never in a proper race), as well as a significant amount of time behind the wheel of Formula SAE cars.

Behind the wheel again, this time in the 2008 FSAE car at the Australasian comp in Melbourne

Wait a second, WTF is a Formula SAE car? Having spoken about the subject ad nauseum between 2006 and 2009, I almost just can't be bothered any more! But in a nutshell, they're cars built by university students (predominantly engineers), as part of a global student engineering competition. It was an activity that dominated my time at university - an awesome experience through which I grew tremendously as an engineer, a project manager, and as a person. I had the privilege of being the Chief Engineer for my last two years, and learned more than anyone would care to read about during my time in the team. It sparked a number of fires of areas of interest to me, nearly all of which will likely require me to head overseas if I want to pursue them as careers (the supply of interesting engineering jobs in NZ is tiny - I'd have to be very lucky to pick something up locally that tickles my fancy). Unfortunately, I quite like it here, so I'm in the midst of an internal debate about whether I should stay or not.

2009 FSAE car, my second as Chief Engineer

Before I finish up, I need to mention the joy that is motorcycling. I'd never really given bikes much thought until I got to university, where it seemed half the people were motorcyclists. When I eventually discovered the joy of riding, I was hooked. I have only been riding for a couple of years so far, but I just love the freedom you feel on a bike, and the connection between bike and rider - making you feel so much more a part of the experience than driving. It also helps that you can pick up an insanely fast sportsbike for just a few month's pay :) All that, combined with the ease of getting through congested motorways on the daily commute to work, have often lead me to think that I am a much less stressed person than I was 7 or 8 years ago, when my day consisted of 10 hours of work and 2-3 hours of commuting for the privilege...