BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

In this “Evening With a Legend” episode, we interview Mark Raffauf, IMSA’s Senior Director of Competition, tracing how IMSA’s early relationship with the ACO grew from the 1970s through the creation of GTP, the split from FIA Group C’s fuel-formula approach, and the IMSA-driven development that helped shape cars like the Porsche 962. Mark recounts 1980s GTP’s manufacturer battles and behind-the-scenes antics, then explains the 1990s shift to World Sports Car, Ferrari’s 333 SP, and how rule changes at Le Mans affected competitiveness. He details IMSA’s organizational split that led to ALMS and Grand-Am, the rise of Daytona Prototypes, and today’s cost-control challenges. The conversation culminates in a deep discussion of Balance of Performance, LMDh vs hypercar sustainability, lift-and-coast strategy, and the need for a common future platform beyond 2030, while emphasizing Le Mans as a global mega-event.

Break/Fix Podcast returns with co-host Don Weberg from Garage Style Magazine to interview car enthusiast and fundraiser Bob Hammer about using car culture to support A Brighter Day, a nonprofit helping teens and young adults facing stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. Bob shares his automotive roots (including a ’66 Barracuda, a long-owned ’65 Mustang he sold during two bouts of testicular cancer, a ’68 Corvette, and restoring his uncle’s 1957 Chevy stake bed to stock after his uncle’s death) and his fundraising background through the Have a Ball Foundation, which has raised $5.4 million for cancer. Now as A Brighter Day’s development director, Bob is expanding the charity’s car show into downtown Danville, CA on Sunday, June 14, with sponsors, vendors, music, awards, and a goal of growing attendance and fundraising over time.

Jon Summers, The Motoring Historian, recaps a Consumer Reports session led by Alex Knizek, outlining CR’s nonprofit testing operation (36 cars yearly, 330-acre Connecticut track) and its scoring pillars: road test, reliability, owner satisfaction (380,000 member surveys), and safety, including real-world/track ADAS evaluation. He reads key rankings, including five-to-ten-year reliability led by Lexus, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, and Acura, with Tesla last; he contrasts this with the 2026 brand report card topped by Subaru, BMW, Porsche, Honda, and Toyota, and notes Rivian’s low reliability but high satisfaction. He shares takeaways that hybrids show 15% fewer issues than ICE, while plug-ins have 80% more issues than hybrids, and discusses model-specific drags (Honda Prologue, Mazda CX-90). He explains his wife’s purchase of a 2026 Cadillac Optiq, influenced by pricing, free workplace charging, and Super Cruise.

This episode of Formula Fanatics and recaps the Miami GP weekend, including Hulkenberg missing the sprint with engine issues, Antonelli’s repeated poor launches despite pole pace, on-track tension with Russell, Ferrari’s rotating “flippy” rear wing, Verstappen’s early spin and recovery, Leclerc leading before finishing with a damaged car and receiving a 20-second post-race penalty for unsafe condition, and crashes involving Hadjar and Gasly (with Lawson flipping Gasly). We also share F1-related experiences in Boston: seeing a Ferrari F1 car and IBM telemetry/AI demo at IBM Think, trying simulators, and visiting F1 Arcade with Arrow for McLaren merch. And the episode covers an upcoming Monopoly F1 Edition (July 15, $39.99), Verstappen testing a Nissan Z Nismo GT500 at Fuji and competing at the Nürburgring 24 Hours before a drive axle failure, and reports of BYD discussing Christian Horner, then preview the Canadian GP.

This month’s Drive Thru News mixes banter and headlines with a “What Should I Buy?” story: Brad abandons his troubled orange Mk4 GTI “Pumpkin Spice” after finding oil-and-coolant “chocolate milk” from internal failure and frame misalignment, then buys a high-mileage Vortex Blue Turbo Beetle (one of 2,000 U.S. cars) that’s clean, street legal, and likely chipped, prompting naming jokes and parts-swapping plans. The crew debates VW’s business turmoil, an allegedly Mk4-inspired Mk9 Golf design, the 2027 ID.Buzz return, Porsche EV uncertainty, a Cayenne Electric Coupe, simulated “manual” shift-by-wire, and Brembo’s non-hydraulic brake system. Other topics include Stellantis moves and factory health complaints, BMW killing the Z4 but teasing a manual M3 CS, an ugly Mercedes EV, discounted Hertz Shelby Mach-Es, an Outlander recall and handling rant, a pristine 1992 Scirocco auction, Cybertruck mishaps, books and upcoming events, Florida flying-car talk, sim-racing updates, and 24 Hours of Lemons prep including a risky wheel-sourcing tow story.