Tech/racing magazines

[Nero]

Hamish, yep low budget is me...I'm married after all. I have $2k per year budget for everything! So a magazine where someone has spent $5k on paint for a trackcar...well its just not me!

[spindoctor]

I like CCC a lot.A great fan of Dave Walker.

I also like Race Car Engineering...a bit pricey though.


combining the best of the two would be fantastic.

Does this sort of mag interest anybody, cost was projected to be the same as RCE or a couple of dollars more, every 3 months

Sticks hand up.

[de_rift]

Whats CCC?

[demuire]

Mmm, sounds interesting. I used to buy lots of magazines, Hot4's, FF&R, Speed, PB and a whole lot of other stuff in hope that I'd learn some useful stuff. All up in all the magazines I have I probably really liked half a dozen articles...

One of my friends showed me a magazine from the UK (forget the name now - it was one of those clubman ones), but WOW it had like heaps of info - everything from tips on welding, basic suspension setup, different designs etc, it was great

[hamish]

CCC = Cars & Car Conversions

[Nero]

So I guess that is generally a positive result...had hoped for more responders in a way, but thanks lots anyway guys.
We have hit one hurdle....one quote for insurance was $30k a year!!!! for public liability...since we are suggesting things to do...seems we might get sued if someone tries what we suggest and cuts a finger off!

[Datto-Zed]

Add me to the list of positives.

[Guido]

I'd definately be interested. Seems there is't much available that deals with real suspension work. I find that Race Car Engineering tends to be a little drab despite having interesting topics.

[Nero]

suspension is a tough one to crack. It can be either a guru...in which case we need to find/convince/employ him/her...not easy or it can be more the interested/experience amature describing what they have done and what the results were for their car. Also could do the suspension tune on a test day at winton and record the results. Of these two the latter is probably more achieveable.
Anyway we still need ideas for other things.
I generally agree re RCE...I think that it is good, but usually seems a bit irrevelant to my level of motorsport.

[mondo2000]

I'm interested.

[Nero]

ok getting more possible but less likely! Insurance is a bitch. One person dropped out so just the two of us left who are interested. Capital outlay has doubled!.
May limit initial production to 1000 and see if they sell.
Anyone got any ideas for name?
Have started looking at publication in Jan/Feb next year, Quarterly, $10.00 cost. imbetween 50-100 pages....with photo's.
Need ideas on content, will also need writers....anyone interested?

[hamish]

Content ideas, maybe some articles on sedan preparation, things like seam welding, cages etc, or choosing a car to start with. With suspension, were to buy or how to make & use wheel alignment gear.

Maybe an article on order of priority of modifications, ie. should I look for another 50hp or spend the money on better shocks, stuff like that.

The list could be endless, but there just a couple of ideas off the top of my head.

Good luck with the project, insurance is a killer, I assume a disclaimer at the front of the mag makes little difference.

[Nero]

Hamish disclaimers waste add space is what I have been told....not worth the effort etc etc. So far fully 30% of production costs may be insurance, but maybe I'm looking at it all wrong?
Thanks for the thoughts. We have all of those written down, others include shock mods for track work, DIY EFI hardware, staging injectors, Tool reviews etc etc.

[Zac]

Are you going to focus the articles on specific cars or write them in a way that the content is adaptable to almost any similar car?

I'd like to try my hand at writing for automotive publication.. I have written some stuff before but just not for an automotive mag.
Got any good ideas that are within my area?

[Nero]

in short yes, don't know, possibly....
We are making it up as we go along and trying to find a path through the maze. I was thinking that specific marque/car articles have value and generic tech articles also have equal value.
Zac I don't know what areas you are interested in. My advice at this stage (as supposed editor) is to write on something that interests you and also somthing that you know quite a lot about...or are prepared to research/ask questions etc to base the writing on. The ideas are intended to be presented as information and information that to the best (and researched) of our knowledge is true and correct, with the proviso that we might be wrong!
I hate that UK/aussie/american magazine thing where something is reported as definitive i.e. the max, the best, the only way to go...basically a load of wank! So Information, information, information and then a little opinion...not the other way around. Sound OK?