Welcome home matthewAPM

[matthewAPM]

yogi yogi yogi. where do I even start.

I guess I can start with my parents buying everything. My first car was a first gen MR2. full cage, 3 sets of wheels, suspension, etc. Now how much do you think this car was?...try $1000. Yeah, my first car was a POS but it was a good starter race car for me. My dad got me this car because it would give me something to work hard for. YES, MY DAD BOUGHT ME MY FIRST CAR!!!! I turned around and sold it to a Atlanta Region member (who knows who I am), for $2000. I then drove my dads camaro in ESP with him until I got enough money to get a new shifter kart. I ran Pro ICC in a CRG for a while. And the kart was paid for by ME. The guy who i bought the kart from knows who I am from karting. I picked it up for $5000 and sold it for $4800. After that I got my CSP miata. If you ever saw this car run, you would know that this was the fastest CSP car in the southeast at the time. How much was this car?....$5000. where did the other $200 come from? cutting grass and washing cars. After having a dominating run in CSP, I sold the car to someone in the North (who heard about me from a National Tour) for $4500. I was wanting to move to STS because that was were the competition was at in the Atlanta Region. I picked up a 89 Civic Si for STS for $6200. I had been saving because all off season and I had no car and I didnt get ANYTHING for christmas but money to help pay the little amount I had to have to get the car. And what did I do after I got the car? I PAID my mom back by selling all the spares. I then sold that car and got a Subaru 2.5rs that was going to get made into a Time Attack car. I didnt have the funding to do so, and sold the car for $6600. I then got on a plane and went and picked up my 92 325is for $6500. I got buddy passes from a friend and spent $190 bucks for 2 plane tickets. The only money given to me for this car was for gas to get back ($400). My mom just got a good amount of money from her job (single mom by the way) and wanted to help me out. After all these years, the only thing they have paid for was running Red Bull, half of tires, and fuel. Now I know many people on this forum have played some kind of sport when they were younger. Now go ask your parents how much they have paid after all those years for you to play that sport. Im sure its about the same as what my parents have paid. And yogi, i know you wish your parents had supported you like my parents do in motorsports. I know what you do with your kids is none of my business, but if they had an opportunity in doing something amazing in there life, wouldnt you help them out?

As for people who know me, your right, there are people who dont know me, there are also people who dont know Michael Schumacher, not sure what your trying to get at here? Ask anyone in the Atlanta Region if they know me. I would say almost everyone knows me pretty well. Also, im sure you could ask a few people from Florida Winter Tour, Stars, SWC, Star Mazda, FBMW, ALMS, and so on and so on about me, they would say they know me. If you ran Big South Series, im sure you know Casey Carden (drives a formula mazda for raceworks). He will be driving with me for ECR's in the BMW next season. Also, have you ever read SportsCar Magazine? If so, go dig for the 2008 April issue and go look for me. There is a entire article about this kid who you talk bad about.

And what have I raced in? I started out with a KT100 in autocross and road racing in FL. I then moved up to Rotax, then ICA. I never paid for this, all paid for by teams. (not mom and dad) I also ran Pro ICC and F125 in solo2. In autocross I have driven more cars then most will ever drive in there life time. If you would like, I can post up some results to show you. Looks at the Atlanta Region points 1 from this year for example. I believe my name is second over all (out of 250-300 people). I have ran in SM and ITS. I have never owned my personal road race car so everything I drove before was from people who wanted to give me a chance. I have been a SCCA autocross instructor since I was 14 (yes 14), SCCA PDX instructor since 16 and have done private coaching for MANY people and clubs at various tracks in the Southeast. I have also done testing in MANY pro road race cars. Also have proof about this as well.

Now I know there are people on this forum who absolutely hate me. I am not saying they are wrong in doing so. I have said and done things on this forum that I should be hated for. But, there are also a lot of good things I have done for this forum. I know you cant read my PM's, but I get at least 2 PM's everyday from new people asking about racing and how they can get involved. Do you think I turn around and say unless you have parents who pay for everything, your outta luck? No, I will spend 30 mins writing back to them about everything they need to know about what they want to do and if I can help them out at all. I have also made some good friends from being on here and am glad i joined. There are also people who try to say everything is given to me and that all i do is talk talk talk. And because of that, i wish I had never came to IA. This is supposed to be a car forum. Where people can get on, have a good time, talk cars, learn new things and meet new people. I hate to see people (not just you) but many, who just get on here to talk bad about others and try to bring them down, when they dont know them. I guess what im trying to say in all this is that you shouldn't judge someone because of what they post on a forum. Meet them and get to know them. Im sure you would think a little differently about them after.

Thanks to everyone who spoke for me in this thread. Like I said, thats one reason I keep coming back here. You cant find a better group of people. And Sport 1.3, your right about my dad. A great guy. Wanna say thanks to him after helping me out after all these years.