How does one define a Dicken Wear? Neither easily nor shortly. A recognition of a friend and colleague who passed from this life a bit too quickly on Father's Day 2020. Image Credit: John Dinkel (2017)
Dicken Wear . . . Gettin' His Kicks On Route 66 By: John Dinkel, Contributor to the SAE's Automotive Engineering magazine - Republished with permission - published originally on June 24, 2020
So . . . how to define a Dicken Wear. That’s the third thought that hit me after learning from friends back in the north country (the One that is North of Australia) that Dicken had passed away.
My first thought was that Dicken was in a far better place, free of the cancer that had wracked his body for the past two years, and, secondly, great sadness at the loss of a dear friend.
Dicken behind the wheel of a Kidracer at the 2017 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: John Dinkel (2017)
Dicken was amazing. I don’t know another person who had the knowledge and connections in motorsport that Dicken had. And seemingly in every area and at every level of motorsport. And these were not just casual acquaintances from chance meetings. He literally knew and was friends with motorsports connections from go-karting to Formula 1.
Dicken hauled my Meyers Manx all the way from Arizona when I bought it. And yes, that is "Competition-Engineering.com" lettered on the engine-protection bumper. Image Credit: John Dinkel (2017)
But Dicken was much more than a storehouse of motorsports knowledge. He was a genuinely nice guy. You got a problem? Dicken was there to help. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I called Dicken, or he called me, when he wasn’t behind the wheel of a truck or a car . . . typically a BMW. Someone needed a car or something hauled somewhere.
Question: Did Dicken ever NOT wear a car shirt? Image Credit: John Dinkel (2017)
About 10 years ago [2010], I posted the following words on Dicken’s Linkedin page that are as true today as they were then:
How do you define a Dicken Wear? Neither easily nor shortly. An East Coaster, from Road [sic] Island, with deep roots in the auto industry. His grandfather was a Duesey of an enthusiast who built Rolls-Royces and imported, distributed, or sold almost all English sports cars from the 1940s through the mid 1960s. Aston-Martin, Morris, MG, etc. In other words he Triumph-ed over adversity to live a live of Riley, but it was not an Austin-tacious lifestyle. Ditto his father. Dealerships, racing, fabrication . . . that’s a small microcosm of a Dicken Wear. Wanna design and build a go-kart track? That’s Dicken. Name a dozen top currents racers and more than a few probably attribute their success to Dicken. Formula Atlantic, IMSA, Grand-Am? Dicken has had his hands wrapped around all of them. SEMA, LBGP, PRI? Dicken will be hanging out. LA Auto Show, Grand National roadster Show? Yup, he’ll be there too. Ditto car museums. Write him a big enough check and he’ll design and build you a sports racer/track car/hot rod. And that’s not a complete fabrication! Right now he’s got a hot SEMA Dodge Challenger connected to his name. Dicken loves anything dealing with cars and car people. He owns more BMWs than most car dealers . . . and most of them need a little work. But they are fast and they handle. He also loves writing and shooting cars, following in the foot steps of one of his heros, Pete Lyons. I can’t think of anyone more fun to hang out with than Dicken Wear. Okay, Paris Hilton would probably get me “access” to a few more places than Dicken. Oh, and we have one other thing in common: We’re both pizza snobs!
You owe it to yourself to know a bit more about this unique human being called Dicken Wear. I suggest the following links as a start.
"Spirit of Ecstasy" iconic Rolls-Royce hood adornment. Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
Inside Rolls-Royce, An Automotive Lifestyle POV - Reprized In Memory Of Dicken Wear By: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications for the The Motorsports-Report - Originally Published - May 9, 2015
For people drawn to luxury motoring, style or design the event to attend this Saturday evening in Los Angeles was at the swank, hip SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Present by Rolls-Royce the event was entitled ‘Inside Rolls-Royce’. Our invitation was a preview for the Motor Press Guild; the largest group of professionals in Automotive Journalism and Public Relations. Gregory O’ Shea Experiential, Manager added several Roll-Royce owners to our group to give us their perspective, some owned classic models others current models.
“Inside Rolls-Royce” was presented in the manner of an art exhibit by our knowledgeable tour guide in from the UK, Lars Klawitter, General Manager, Bespoke. As it turned out an art exhibit format is the perfect manner to display the many unique accouterments combined in Rolls-Royce motorcars.
Lars Klawitter General Manager, Bespoke (with wood and extended arm). Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
The taking the spotlight at the entry was a Wraith ‘Inspired by Film’ finished in Sliver and Jubilee Silver with handcrafted solid silver ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ a top of its grill. Those colors being two of the 44,000 in their color palate for customer to select. .
Exterior of Sliver Wraith ‘Inspired by Film’ - Image Credit: Rolls-Royce
This Wraith edition celebrates the acceptance of the film ‘And The World Stood Still’ by the British Film Industry into its National Archives. The film won a Gold Award at the 26th International Visual Communications Association Awards. BFI Senior Curator, Patrick Russell “We selected it for preservation as an outstanding award winning example of modern corporate promotional film making…” Wraith ‘Inspired by Film’ also celebrates their long association with the film industry, one that has prominently featured Rolls-Royce models in the iconic films Goldfinger, The Thomas Crown Affair and The Yellow Rolls-Royce to highlight a just a few.
Thomas Crown Affair's Two-door 1967 Rolls Royce Sliver Shadow with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. Image Credit: Phantom Wick via tumblr
Interior of Wraith. Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
This film was used to introduce Wraith as the most powerful and technologically advanced Rolls-Royce in history. Wraith’s power comes from a 624bhp twin-turbo V-12 capable of 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. This puts Wraith’s performance in the exotic sports car field.
RR V-12 Motor. Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
Wood Samples - Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
The rare and exotic woods used to create the dash and the interior trim’s warmth where on full display. Sam, a young talent in a nearly lost art form, is one of the few craftsmen that can take a customer’s vision and bring it to life. Sam spoke about how these seductive interiors develop through the imagination of owners and craftsman’s expertise that can include adding a family crest or logo into the veneers.
Sam behind wood sample. Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
Custom Woodwork - Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
This exhibit is an interactive multi-sensory experience focused on engineering, design and craftsmanship. The motion capture technology allows guests to become the statuette on top of the grill by creating themselves as the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ on screen.
Trinh’s flowing moves creating the "Spirit of Ecstasy" as she feels herself to be.
A public showing is also offered. I see the public showing as a smart PR move to give an everyone an understanding of what goes into creating these most luxurious of motorcars. If people appreciate the craftsmanship, the exotic materials or design they will tend to also have a favorable view of the owners, not as just wealthy but as people of unique style and ways of expressing it. Others may show their personal tastes with a Renoir or Picasso in their homes while some fill their garages with mobile-art like the Wraith.
Wood dash interior of Wraith. Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
Gravity Seed Soap Box Car - Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
With the public showing Rolls-Royce is also thinking long-term by having a dedicated children’s area along with interactive displays intended to engage children’s participation, exciting them and educating.
Following afternoon tea and the tour Trinh and I spent quality with time with Gerry Spahn and Elizabeth Williams of the US Communications department gaining insights on the latest models. The feature that I found most interesting is the Rolls-Royce Satellite Aided Transmission System.
The system is unique to Rolls-Royce Motorcars. SAT acts as a navigator does in a rally car by calling out the turns and degree of difficulty ahead of time. Except in this case SAT does without someone in the passenger seat. Using GPS mapping the system collects data based on location and current driving style and selects the appropriate gear from its ZF 8-speed transmission ahead of the turn to a degree that the driver isn’t aware it’s being done. Driver and car remained poised at all times for the road ahead. I imagine that this system in addition to its safety factor would have the benefit of making the driver more skilled and feeling additional confidence. Mr. Spahn agreed and added that system also saves fuel.
Motorsport-Report Publisher, Dicken Wear joined us later.
Any Rolls-Royce event is of interest to Dicken since he is able to trace his family’s involvement with Rolls-Royce back to the 1920’s when his grandfather (J.S. Inskip) Managed the Springfield, MA. USA Rolls-Royce factory, and built the bodies for Rolls-Royce.
During World War II the Inskip Engine Shop in New York City would rebuild the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines used in the Spitfire fighter planes after they were shipped across the Atlantic. After servicing the engines, they would be shipped back to the UK where they would be put back into service for the war effort. After the war, the Inskip operation became an Importer, Distributor, and Dealer for Rolls-Royce/Bentley Automobiles.
The pedigree of Roll-Royce is as long as the industry itself and goes back to 1904, with the stated intent to build the finest motorcars. Sir Henry Royce summed up the founding principles as ‘Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. If it does not exist, design it’.
Pick you adjective Best, Most Exclusive or as Rolls-Royce states, the ‘Pinnacle of Motorcars’. So successful has the company been in creating its Brand that their history of accomplishment could sever as their advertising campaign forever….
Directly following the closing of the exhibit Rolls-Royce will host its dealers for their annual meeting. Everyone should be in an upbeat mood after the companies fifth consecutive year of record sales, now topping 4,000 automobiles annually. The United States is its most important market representing thirty percent of global sales. There are thirty-six US franchised retailers and interesting enough and only the thirty-six Rolls-Royce US employees. The staff had a New York introduction of the Wraith ‘Inspired by Fashion’ edition just the night before and flew in today for the Wraith model ‘Inspired by Film’ edition.
The challenge then is to continue to make the Rolls-Royce band relevant for today’s market and in the future. Fortunately more people are newly wealthy because prosperity is coming to previously underdeveloped nations in the form of mineral deposits, oil or in the case of China realizing Capitalism is a more effective way to grow their economy than Communism. Judging by the current direction, strong dealer body and design expect to see Rolls-Royce rack up another century of success.
We were there to be enriched by the experience of Roll-Royce Motorcars, their charming hosts and educated by knowledgeable craftsmen, all done in the exquisite surrounding of the SLS Hotel.
Mission Accomplished.
Footnote:
RR Ghost in White - Image Credit: James Groth, Miles Ahead Communications
As I am writing this article I got a text from good friend Kevin showing his new Rolls-Royce Ghost.
Talk about a conquest sale, Kevin has been driving an Audi R8, Lambo, or Porsches along with riding Ducati motorcycles for decades ... and today he sends me a photo of white Ghost parked next to a new, bright orange and black, four-door Mini. Looking forward to a night out with them in their Ghost… ENDS
TAGS: Roll-Royce Motorcars, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Satellite Aided Transmission System, Wraith, Lars Klawitter, Bespoke, SLS Hotel, James Groth, Motor Press Guild, Gregory O’ Shea, Dicken Wear
"Please Come Back - I'm Ready" by Bill Patterson depicts the new Dallara with first season Red Bull Aeroscreen
Genesys 300 At Texas Motor Speedway Opens INDYCAR Season Without Fans In The Stands
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES got off to a late season start in a most grand and professional way. For the first-time ever, the season started the evening of June 6th, 2020 at a first-time venue for a season opener titled the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway - a high-banked mile and a half oval known for 214+mph speeds and close finishes. This event also featured a first-time where no one was allowed to pay money at a turn-style and sit in a seat to witness the competition on the track - in America? No concession's confectionery was allowed to be purchased because there were no fans.
Graham Rahal during the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday, June 6, 2020. Graham tracks along pitlane in his Aeroscreen modified Dallara racecar in oval trim as the field goes to restart without fans in the stands a Texas Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Chris Jones - NCIS (2020)
From the beginning, everyone knew this was going to be a high-stress affair ever since the nation went on a commercial lock-down, due to fears and concerns in readiness over the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in March after the first major event cancellation was ordered by Austin Texas Mayor shut down the rites of late winter South By Southwest (SXSW) music and culture festival. Soon thereafter, the traditional season-opener through the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida followed suit setting off a chain of chaotic ripples throughout the potentials of a 2020 racing series season originally set a 17 races ending in September.
Adding insult to injury to this set-up of a natural disaster aided by Human decision-making and control, this was to be the very first season the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) was under the new leadership of Roger Penske, who had purchased the INDYCAR sanctioning body and the track from the Hulman & Co. who had been in control of both the unified series and the track since February, 2008. The IMS track and the INDY 500 event had never been under any other leadership than Hulman & Co. since the facility was purchased by Tony Hulman, November 14, 1945, re-setting the modern history of American motorsport.
Given the chaos created in this era of the hysteria and fear created by the illness and potential ending of life in a newly identified (first isolated and identified on January 7, 2020) virus infection from Wuhan, China, it is probably amazing that this first race of a recently confirmed 16 race 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season (down from 17 races), ending in October at St. Petersburg, Florida, was actually held - fans or no fans.
With all of this as a backdrop, oops - adding that there was a 6 race 2-D gaming race series held in order to keep 3-D driver skills up and fan interest somewhat focused, but this effort, while better than nothing, left most fans with a very large void that real life, with real teamwork and the technology of cars on a dynamic physical forces track (masks, or no masks) could ever be matched in the cyber world.
Again, with all of this as a backdrop, oops - with a week's worth of Black Lives Matter violent protests (riots with property damage, deaths, and fires to 100s of buildings} - masks, or no masks by gatherings of people in very close shoulder to shoulder physical proximity without a Governmental concern of enforcement to their edicts on Social Distancing. As well as the fact that the Governor moved to a stage one open-up crowd strategy of 25% commercial capacity allowed for open air event environments for music and sporting events - whereas, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Texas Motor Speedway decided not to take advantage of for this first-time set of circumstances.
Lastly, again, with all of this as a back drop, the INDYCAR teams put on the event under a 30 some-odd page booklet of COVID-19 protocols including masks, pit crew behavior, number of people in a pit crew, TV interview set-ups and protocols, and etc.. One could sense the tension that was requisite above and beyond just racing in the first race of the season - what comes to mind was watching team owner of the winner of the race - Scott Dixon - Chip Ganassi, struggling to keep a mask properly displayed upon his face throughout the event.
Firestone Firehawk tires used during the race came from an interesting sets of background and understanding. First off, this Dallara had never turned laps while in race trim at full anger. This being the first race of the season with a new platform, created some guesswork by the professionals at Firestone. What they ended up with is that the Rightside/Outside tires were the testing tires used to match up with the new aerodynamic stresses and down-force presented with adding the Areoscreen to the body. The Leftside/Inside set of tires chosen were last year's INDY 500 tires figuring that they would be able to handle the Texas track heat (nearly 150F degrees at race time) and speeds of around 214 during Qualifications for the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday, June 6, 2020. Image Credit: Chris Owens - NICS (2020)
The whole of the teams, owners, drivers, emergency support staff, and the TV production crew at NBC put on a real professional event performed at the highest levels of standard and to anyone with a trained eye, not one foot was placed wrong throughout the event.
Were mistakes made? - YES, this is reality with real world consequences. No quick digital pitlane resets here.
Was any of this a distraction to the professionalism of staging a race with a whole new platform of race car with the added safety feature of an Aeroscreen which changed up potentials in tiree wear on a banked oval track with average speed of over 214mph between 23 of the 24 cars scheduled to take to the track for just under 300 miles of tire to tire, side-by-side racing? - NO, in fact this first race of a Penske owned professional racing series at the highest levels of professional challenge in motorsport anywhere in the world was beyond a phenomenal success.
As far as holding a race without fans in the stands, NBC for its part decided to broadcast the race on Saturday evening through its over-the-air general non-cable portal with a tremendous response.
Scott Dixon celebrates with his socially distanced/virtue-signalling team after winning the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday, June 6, 2020. Image Credit: Chris Owens NICS (2020)
This excerpted and edited from IndyStar -
Saturday's 2020 series Genesys 300 that served as the season-opener shown on NBC, IndyCar's first network broadcast in primetime in seven years, averaged 1.285 million viewers across the show, which aired from 8-10 p.m. Unsurprisingly, Indianapolis led all markets with a 4.36 household rating — meaning 4.36% of homes with TVs on during the broadcast were tuned into the race. On a national scale (and excluding Indy 500s), it was the most-watched NBC-broadcast IndyCar race ever, surpassing last year's race at Road America (1.110 million viewers), and it became the series' most-watched race since the 2016 Dual at Detroit Race 2 (1.397 million on ABC).
[Reference Here]
Bravo to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for a near perfect race under extremely un-perfect circumstances breaking a near 80 day lock-down of society as a whole.
Next up? NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the GMR Grand Prix on Saturday, July 4 on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
One can only hope that this race is attended with people on the grounds at IMS under these understandings: If one is sick and has a fever - report to a hospital or stay home. If one is in an identified vulnerable demographic and fearful - stay home. Outside of this, enter living life at one's own risk, with the exact-profitable-densities the retail establishments had, as if it were New Year's Day 2020!
Lookin' for FANS, not NO FANS come race day at IMS - home at Indiana, Wuhan Red Death be damned.
TAGS: NTT INDYCAR SERIES, COVID-19, Wuhan Virus, GMR Grand Prix, Genesys 300, Texas Motor Speedway, NO FANS, Masks, Social Distancing, Professionalism, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Penske Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, The EDJE
Photo Journalist holding Credentials from MPG, PAPA & AARWBA, | Memberships (past & present): IKF, WKA, CIK, SKUSA, SEMA, PAPA, SAE | Licenses (past & present) IMSA, NASA, SCCA-PRO, FIA, NASCAR, EMRA, ASRA | Secretary: Kart Industry Council (KIC) | CEO: American Indoor Kart Racing Series | COO: Amateur Karting Association | Entrant / Driver: Pirelli World Challenge Racing Series. Member: LinkedIn. (Apologies for typos and errors in grammar, I was not an English major in school).
Edmund Jenks: Memberships - Motor Press Guild (MPG) Professional Journalist | AARWBA | PAPA | NMPA | ibnma - International Blogging & New Media Association - Founding Member | Pajamas Media (MAXINE) - Blog Roll, Citizen Journalist | NowPublic - Editor, Feature Page Manager (Motorsports, Tech & Biz) | EXAMINER - LA Conservative Examiner & LA Motor Culture Examiner | Blog: ... notes from The EDJE
