Under the Radar: Jay Storm

For the most part all of the interviews and profiles thus far posted have been of people that are relatively well known within the greater Solo community. Starting with this post we are going to begin highlighting some of the people that may be ‘under the radar’. In other words, the regular people who make up the bulk of the Solo community. Just to make this interesting we are going to ask each person that we profile to give us a list of names of people who they think we should talk to next. Without further ado…We begin this series with a man who is knocking on the the underside of the Big 4-0 and resides in Willoughby, Ohio. He earns his keep as a Maintenance Technician and says “Every day I can count on fixing something!�.  Previously married he has a son, 16-year old Alex. He now happily co-habitates with the same wonderful woman and his pseudo step son for the past 13 years. Meet Jay Storm.

RR: When did you start autocrossing?
JS: It all started with the final ASCC (Akron Sports Car Club, Ed.) event of the 1998 season.

RR: What kind of car did you start autocrossing in?
JS: I started with a 1994 Dodge Shadow. 3.0 V6, FWD, open diff. Chevy needs a supercharger to make the smoke I made in 3rd gear!

RR: You are closely associated with Subaru. How did that come about?
JS: I got frustrated with the V6 Shadow being an oddball car. No traction, no parts, and seemingly no future. The Subaru 2.5RS had just come out, had traction and I really liked the rally aspect of the Impreza. I thought it’d be a good “Swiss Army Knife” of a car. Friggin hook, line AND sinker…..

RR: You are also closely associated with Ed George. How did that relationship begin? How has the relationship held up over time?
JS: Ed started one event prior to me and we both had V6 FWD Mopars. Mine a 5-speed…his an automatic. We shared notes and developed a pretty tight friendship. After I got my Subaru, I talked him into one and we’ve been co-drivers ever since. I wouldn’t be able to do many of the events without Ed’s support and encouragement. He is one of my best friends on and off the course.

RR: Among people that know you personally you sort of have the reputation as a ‘Mad Scientist’. How did you earn that moniker?
JS: I will be honest…I have a very wild imagination of the mechanical possibilities. Unfortunately, I have an extremely limited budget. I cannot buy the latest greatest parts to help the car get quicker, but often times; I’ll study the expensive part and try to make a reasonable version of my own. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. For me, much of the fun is in the building and tuning of the mechanical end of things. The driving is icing on the cake. Installing an untested custom intake manifold on the DSP car…on the trailer as we left for Nationals, probably cemented the moniker. I mean, people knew I had crazy ideas…but I literally put 50 or 60 hours into that seemingly simple task within 3 or 4 days. I gave myself a 3 hour deadline to Tech closing for our cars…to have the manifold installed and running. I knew it would take me that long to completely revert back to the previous setup and make it to Tech. I think it was about four hours before the deadline when I drove the car off the trailer and over to Tech. A milestone achievement! I don’t think I’ve touched anything on that manifold setup since then. It worked out very well too!!!! Ed now has a rule of “No mods after July.” I always push it to August though…

RR: Who has helped you over the years?
JS: Without a doubt, it’s Ed. In some sense…he’s carried me all these years, to events I wouldn’t have otherwise gone. To push me to drive better. To remind me that it is supposed to be fun first.

RR: Have you taken any autocross specific instruction? Do you recommend any?
JS: Yes, I’ve taken the Evolution Phase I/II School. I highly recommend it.

RR: What are your three pieces of advice to improve for an aspiring autocrosser with a focus of competing nationally?
JS:  1. Get close with other national competitors in your local club or region. 2. Read the rulebook and exploit it. 3. GO to national events and get whooped until you start whooping on others.

RR: Have you achieved any personal goals as it relates to Solo? What are your long range goals?
JS: I have achieved early goals of finishing respectably (not DFL), and have padded my confidence with a Canadian National Championship in 2006, in DSP. My ultimate long term goal is to bring home an SCCA Solo National Championship. I would be satisfied with a simple trophy finish at Nationals, so I keep going back in hopes of achieving one of those 2 goals.

RR: Is there any particular event that stands out in your mind during your involvement with Solo?
JS: I think it would have to be the 2001 Solo Nationals. It was Ed’s and my first trip to the big show and we brought knives, no….rocks….to a gunfight. I was so nervous in grid, much more so than at any event prior or since, when Gloria Carr came over and settled my nerves. Her words still stay with me whenever I feel myself getting psyched out at a big event. The historic events of that day went well beyond the autocross event (it was 9/11/01) and contributed to the significance. I felt like I was part of a big family while helping to evacuate Forbes field in a silent, deliberate manner, while we waited for news, updates and prognosis of the racing…let alone our country yet to come.

RR: You have definitely ‘gone against the grain’ in your most recent choices for a vehicle to autocross in. What influenced your decision to take a Subaru to places that most would think it doesn’t belong? Is it or has it been the right decision? Do you even care?
JS: I was certainly influenced by the fiscal facts of already owning the Subaru. I’m not going to buy another car and follow some recipe for success when I can bring something that, on paper, has the potential of being competitive despite no one developing one for the class. I’d like to think that I have influenced others to build similar cars; I just hope I can keep up with the potential! If or when I reach the developmental peak of the car, it is still not the right car…I will stick with it…..I LIKE the car and still drive it pretty much daily. It is too soon to say if it’s the right car for the class, but I know I made the right decision for myself in choosing this car for this class.

RR: What would tell someone if they decided to prepare a Subaru for something other than Stock? Do you want to discuss some of the things you have done to either car?
JS:  I’ve been pretty active in the discussion forums for Subaru’s. Specifically helping others choose parts or setups that I have found to work. Both of “our” Subaru’s have become sort of “cult status”. I’ve recently opened up to discussing the nuts and bolts of my setups, where I’ve been vague in the past. I’m finding it more fun to see the development others are doing in similar builds and look forward to competing with them.

RR: Is there a class that you aspire to compete in? In what kind of car?
JS: If I had the budget, I think I would fit in really well with the modified folks. It’s a deep pool to swim in….but I’m sure it’d be a ton of fun. SM is a class where I think I could challenge myself to exercise my “mad scientist” demons with budget minded performance instead of spending cubic dollars. Now if only I could manage to get that STi drive train into my garage……I have the plan to make it work, I just need the parts.

RR: Is there anything you can or want to share about how either one of the Subaru’s you have prepared?
JS: The DSP car is a monster, plain and simple…..It’s a raw version of what I came up with over the years. The FSP car is more subtle, balanced and rewards smooth driving. Both absolutely abolish the mantra that all Subaru’s push like a pig.

RR: Do you keep the car setup consistent? Does surface dictate making wholesale changes?
JS: Nowadays, the setup is pretty consistent. We’ve finally whittled it to the point where it will do most of what we want wherever we go. Wholesale changes happen at local events, just to try something new or try to keep us focused on feeling what is good or bad and seeing how changes effect things.

RR: How will you prepare for the new surface at Lincoln?
JS: Hopefully we’ll be able to GO TO Lincoln before Nationals. If not, we’ll try to do some concrete events. We’ll definitely be in touch with people who run at Lincoln to get input. We’ve perpetually been behind the 8 ball, why change now? 

RR: Was there a modification or experiment that you tried that was a disaster? Looking back could you have changed what you did to alter the outcome of the modification or experiment?
JS: In Topeka ‘01, I tried to fabricate crash bolts from standard hardware. I ended up with “active camber”. It did whatever the hell it wanted when I turned the wheel. A couple years later in Topeka, we got gas locally. The DSP car is definitely allergic to corn gas. I have since learned to listen to my co-driver more often.

RR: What do you say to someone just starting out?
JS: Get out there and do it. Bring whatever car you happen to have, as long as it’s safe….and do it.

RR: What do you love about autocross?
JS:  I love the actual pace of driving. I grew up racing BMX, hydroplanes and mountain bikes and have always had a knack for picking lines instantly, committing to decisions and operating on “auto pilot”.  Autocross allows me to get my adrenaline fix in a safe environment that is relatively economical and usually doesn’t end up with a broken car. The people I meet are just as odd as I am, so we get along.

RR: What does the future as it relates to Solo hold for Jay Storm?
JS: Every winter I tell Ed I’m not sure how much traveling I’ll be able to do, let alone local stuff. Every spring, I’m at the first event. For me, I have to find a way to budget some income for this sport. I feel horrible when I know there’s a local or Divisional event I’m not at due to priorities and responsibilities. I have to choose my seasonal events carefully with the ever-tightening budget and learn to accept a more abbreviated schedule.

RR: If you could change one thing about the SCCA or one rule as it relates to Solo what would it be? Why?
JS: Believe it or not….I would get rid of R compounds and non- OEM equivalent shocks in stock. Why? Because I remember getting outspent when I competed in stock. If a driver wants to take car prep out of the equation and run in stock on drivers merit…then do it right.

RR: Last year you had great success at several Pro Solos. Can you pinpoint why? What factors contributed to your success?
JS: The FSP Subaru gets off the line really well. 3-5 tenths per run right there. Changing to the 13″ wheel multiplied the effect. I’d also like to think I improved as a driver since getting whooped over the years in DSP.

RR: You used Hankook’s for most of the season. What do you like / dislike?
JS: Honestly? I liked the size and the price. The K tire didn’t come in the size I wanted and the other H tire was too expensive and didn’t last as long. I didn’t like the performance gap to the other H tire, but I accepted it…and drove around it with fresh ‘kooks.

RR: You ran Hoosiers at Nationals instead of Hankooks. Why? Is there a huge performance gap?
JS: There is a performance gap between Hoosier and Hankook. Nobody in their right mind would buy a Hoosier if there weren’t. The fact is we planned all last winter to run a 275-35-15 on a 10″ wheel. Hankook wouldn’t make them in that size, so we had no choice but to run Hoosiers. I would go back to Hankooks if they made the size we need.

RR: You recently started using a MaxQ data. Has it improved your driving?
JS:  It is a great tool. It has helped my driving, although it has helped Ed much more than me. I suppose if I were comparing my runs with (insert National Champion here) I might see greater improvement. We were very surprised to learn that despite the average gap between us from run to run; he is quicker than I am in many sections!!! It’s the sections that I am smoother or quicker that make the difference. It’s really too soon to tell how much I can learn from it. Initial impressions are very good.

RR: Unfortunately, you had an unseen event with your helmet going missing right before your 1st run at Nationals. How adversely did that affect you?  What ended up happening with the helmet?
JS:  Ahhh yes……the helmet debacle. Nationals wouldn’t be Nationals without some sort of drama. I was VERY MUCH affected by the helmet being missing. Ed and I have settled into a pretty smooth ‘modus operandi’ for any given event. Not too much falls outside of our usual routine. For my helmet bag to be in the car -without the helmet- well, it’s definitely not part of our routine. To go from a smooth event, into panic, into rage, and back to a rolling boil in the span of five minutes, threw us BOTH off our mental game. It could have been the sharing of a helmet that didn’t fit my head, the constant thoughts of possible places we could have lost it or the missing of my first run. It added up to a mediocre first day, which in hindsight, is average for me at Nationals. Gloria Carr saw a helmet in the lost and found and took a chance to look at it. When she saw it was mine, the clock was ticking to get it to me as we were already in grid for day two. Thanks to Elaine Chrismas and Charina Hansen, I was prepared to run with a new barcode and pretty much “over” the incident mentally, but when the helmet got to me prior to my runs, it was just that much better. I don’t know how it got there, but I’m very thankful for Gloria and our friends to make sure I had it on my head for day two. For those people who witnessed my behavior during this time, I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I would like to think it was the competitive spirit coming out as we incessantly tried to find it in those first few moments.

RR: Do you find it harder to prepare for Pro Solo’s because of its unique format? How do you prepare for Pro Solos / and National tours?
JS: Not necessarily for a Pro Solo. I take run counts into consideration and try to keep reasonably fresh tires on the car. The tree doesn’t affect me mentally so I focus on doing something in the 12 runs we get before the challenge. Tour events I take pretty seriously, due to the three run format. There is no room for error, so I tend to struggle getting the most out of a course in three runs. This is a known weakness of mine….I am not as consistent as the top-tier drivers. I like to describe it as “random acts of brilliance”.

RR: How many national level events do you plan on attending in 09?
JS: With any luck and enough funding, I hope Ed and I can do at least two Pro Solos and one or two National Tour events. We would love to attend Divisionals as well, but it will depend on schedules and budgets.

RR: Jay, thank you for taking the time to give us a glimpse of your life.
JS: You’re welcome!

Photos courtesy of www.gotcone.com & Jay Storm

For copies of photos email david @ evorticity.com

Tagged as: DSP, Ed George, FSP, Jay Storm, Subaru