I first met Alan in the local Supra scene, and gradually got to know him a little as the quiet but fairly serious MK3 guy clear on the other side of town - it's a 1-1.5 hour drive depending on traffic.
Fast forward to SIV 2014, and we bump into each other on the drive out, and hang out periodically through the weekend - and from that point on we became solid partners in crime. So while we don't see each other through the year very much, every Sept we start talking a lot and figure out a plan for SIV.
He's a man of few words, and absolutely zero BS. He's determined, talented, and reliable as they come. He methodically blazed the trail on the build in his '89 Turbo featuring a 600+whp GTX-powered 7MGTE, a CD009 conversion with a twin disc, and a Giken-equipped GS400 3.26 rear end, and countless other one-off details. Despite the complication of his build, it's made the trek to SIV three out of the last four years, which is a bit over 1100 miles round-trip.
The one year it didn't make it, SIV 2016, he rolled with me in my old hoopty of a SC300. I'd set it up as a tool-laden support vehicle and Alan didn't hesitate at all to pull over and help fellow Supra owners at every opportunity.
Coolant and new rad cap in a Kingman AZ parking lot, tow strapping a 1JZ MK3 at the race event, putting wrenches to a few other Supras for little details made easy by the right tools and a few helping hands. The question with him was never 'Should we stop?' it was 'What do they need? Let's fix this Supra!'
This year, he was determined to see my car at SIV as well. After several other fabricators I knew couldn't make the deadline, Alan didn't say much, he just said he might be able to help and that he would be coming over to check out what I needed.
But he'd loaded up his welder and all of his welding equipment into his daily and drove 1.5 hours to my house on one of his few days off to weld up the charge pipe and downpipe changes I needed. When my dryer turned out to have the wrong 220v plug for his welder, he figured out how to make an adapter cord out of shit at Lowe's. After the welding, he spent the rest of the day helping me get the nose of the car together, the engine bay cleaned up and dressed as best as possible. There'd never have been a prayer of my Supra making SIV 2017 if not for him.
He asked for nothing in return. Nothing!
I managed to provide a few Gatorades of his favorite flavor and I think I figured out how to pay for his meal when he wasn't looking. Needless to say, I owe him far more than that for his effort.
After 11 years of cycling between work-on-it/save for parts/work-on-it/save for more parts, I'd gotten my '95 SE with a complete USDM 2JZ-GTE V160 swap, RPS single turbo, 3 row, triple disc, Kaaz 3.26, the whole nine was finally on the road, paintwork and all. Just in time for SIV.
Then a week ago today, the worst happened. I still don't know for sure what went wrong, whether it was my crap driving or something else I'd screwed up wrenching, but the rear end felt suddenly loose, and I lost control of the car. It went sideways hard in 3rd gear despite only being part throttle, zero wheelspin, and barely into boost.
It's destroyed. It had been roadworthy for less than two days, and I'd been driving to an alignment appointment when it happened.
I was lucky to walk away, really, but the heartbreak couldn't be more real after how much effort I'd put into it.
After telling Alan, he broke his man-of-few-words tendencies for the first time since I've known him, and he set about the very difficult task of keeping my head right, helping me bounce back, and most importantly, not going deep into a bottle of liquor and hiding next to a destroyed Supra in a garage instead of going to SIV.
My girlfriend, Kayla, also stepped up and supported me to a level that can only be described as astonishing and breathtaking. She is amazing, and frankly she's out of my league. Yes, this is about Alan, but I can't discuss this part without giving her the huge credit she is due.
But Alan pulled through for me, again and again and again, not just with my Supra but with myself and doing things he didn't need to do for me, and all the while he asked for nothing in return. He somehow convinced me to get to SIV anyway, and start thinking about the next steps back into a Supra.
Alan, unsurprisingly, was right. SIV was the right place to help me bounce back. I can't thank you all enough for the love you guys showed me as a family.
It helped more than I could possibly put into words, and I've been accused a few times of being able to write some shit pretty well. I'm already looking forward to SIV 2018! Whether I'll be in a MK4 or MK3 or what has yet to be determined, but I'll be there!
I was truly flattered to get another Spirit Award this year, especially since I wasn't up to performing my usual duty of doing the dyno announcements, and especially since I further complicated an already complicated weekend for Andrew and Miguel by tapping out of that duty the morning of the dyno event!
While it is not lost on me that it took a lot to get to SIV, but I sure as hell didn't do it alone.
So before we both started the drive to back ABQ on Monday, I gave Alan my Spirit Award.
He deserves it so much more than I do.
We don't really do any of this car stuff alone, and there are no finer Supra brethren than Alan.
Yes, that is high praise indeed in a community packed to the gills with outstanding, incredible people I am proud to call a friend. Alan is among them, and those of you that have had a chance to hang out with him would likely agree.
Alan, you are the fucking man - Thank you so much for your friendship and support. Here's to SIV 2018, and the friends that have become family because of this kick-ass event!
Fast forward to SIV 2014, and we bump into each other on the drive out, and hang out periodically through the weekend - and from that point on we became solid partners in crime. So while we don't see each other through the year very much, every Sept we start talking a lot and figure out a plan for SIV.
He's a man of few words, and absolutely zero BS. He's determined, talented, and reliable as they come. He methodically blazed the trail on the build in his '89 Turbo featuring a 600+whp GTX-powered 7MGTE, a CD009 conversion with a twin disc, and a Giken-equipped GS400 3.26 rear end, and countless other one-off details. Despite the complication of his build, it's made the trek to SIV three out of the last four years, which is a bit over 1100 miles round-trip.
The one year it didn't make it, SIV 2016, he rolled with me in my old hoopty of a SC300. I'd set it up as a tool-laden support vehicle and Alan didn't hesitate at all to pull over and help fellow Supra owners at every opportunity.
Coolant and new rad cap in a Kingman AZ parking lot, tow strapping a 1JZ MK3 at the race event, putting wrenches to a few other Supras for little details made easy by the right tools and a few helping hands. The question with him was never 'Should we stop?' it was 'What do they need? Let's fix this Supra!'
This year, he was determined to see my car at SIV as well. After several other fabricators I knew couldn't make the deadline, Alan didn't say much, he just said he might be able to help and that he would be coming over to check out what I needed.
But he'd loaded up his welder and all of his welding equipment into his daily and drove 1.5 hours to my house on one of his few days off to weld up the charge pipe and downpipe changes I needed. When my dryer turned out to have the wrong 220v plug for his welder, he figured out how to make an adapter cord out of shit at Lowe's. After the welding, he spent the rest of the day helping me get the nose of the car together, the engine bay cleaned up and dressed as best as possible. There'd never have been a prayer of my Supra making SIV 2017 if not for him.
He asked for nothing in return. Nothing!
I managed to provide a few Gatorades of his favorite flavor and I think I figured out how to pay for his meal when he wasn't looking. Needless to say, I owe him far more than that for his effort.
After 11 years of cycling between work-on-it/save for parts/work-on-it/save for more parts, I'd gotten my '95 SE with a complete USDM 2JZ-GTE V160 swap, RPS single turbo, 3 row, triple disc, Kaaz 3.26, the whole nine was finally on the road, paintwork and all. Just in time for SIV.
Then a week ago today, the worst happened. I still don't know for sure what went wrong, whether it was my crap driving or something else I'd screwed up wrenching, but the rear end felt suddenly loose, and I lost control of the car. It went sideways hard in 3rd gear despite only being part throttle, zero wheelspin, and barely into boost.
It's destroyed. It had been roadworthy for less than two days, and I'd been driving to an alignment appointment when it happened.
I was lucky to walk away, really, but the heartbreak couldn't be more real after how much effort I'd put into it.
After telling Alan, he broke his man-of-few-words tendencies for the first time since I've known him, and he set about the very difficult task of keeping my head right, helping me bounce back, and most importantly, not going deep into a bottle of liquor and hiding next to a destroyed Supra in a garage instead of going to SIV.
My girlfriend, Kayla, also stepped up and supported me to a level that can only be described as astonishing and breathtaking. She is amazing, and frankly she's out of my league. Yes, this is about Alan, but I can't discuss this part without giving her the huge credit she is due.
But Alan pulled through for me, again and again and again, not just with my Supra but with myself and doing things he didn't need to do for me, and all the while he asked for nothing in return. He somehow convinced me to get to SIV anyway, and start thinking about the next steps back into a Supra.
Alan, unsurprisingly, was right. SIV was the right place to help me bounce back. I can't thank you all enough for the love you guys showed me as a family.
It helped more than I could possibly put into words, and I've been accused a few times of being able to write some shit pretty well. I'm already looking forward to SIV 2018! Whether I'll be in a MK4 or MK3 or what has yet to be determined, but I'll be there!
I was truly flattered to get another Spirit Award this year, especially since I wasn't up to performing my usual duty of doing the dyno announcements, and especially since I further complicated an already complicated weekend for Andrew and Miguel by tapping out of that duty the morning of the dyno event!
While it is not lost on me that it took a lot to get to SIV, but I sure as hell didn't do it alone.
So before we both started the drive to back ABQ on Monday, I gave Alan my Spirit Award.
He deserves it so much more than I do.
We don't really do any of this car stuff alone, and there are no finer Supra brethren than Alan.
Yes, that is high praise indeed in a community packed to the gills with outstanding, incredible people I am proud to call a friend. Alan is among them, and those of you that have had a chance to hang out with him would likely agree.
Alan, you are the fucking man - Thank you so much for your friendship and support. Here's to SIV 2018, and the friends that have become family because of this kick-ass event!