Brock Yates, RIP.

BROCK YATES 1933-2016 Story by Doug Stokes. Brock Yates ... "The Assassin" as he was nicknamed at one time (although I've often wondered if he didn't really start that himself, just to get under the establishment's skin a few millimeters deeper) has left the building. Most thought of him as brash, a larger-than-life provocateur who loved nothing more than skewering the establishment in print and in person every chance that he got. He was all of that. Right ... he started the Cannonball Run (more formally the "Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash"*), and yes, he and Dan Gurney once traversed the US part of the North American continent ... the Red Ball Garage in Manhattan to the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach in a Ferrari Daytona taking a grand total of 35 hours and 54 minutes to do the drive. The guy who built the famous "Eliminator" road racing special, and one of the fathers of Karting, "Duffy" Livingstone, is an old friend of mine, hence the reference in the above inscription. None other than Hal Needham, the stuntman-turned-action-film-director, once growled, "I thought that I was a crazy son of a bitch until I met Brock Yates." But Brock wasn't crazy; he was just very, very alive ... and to-the-core honest. His writing spoke of his passions. They were broad and plainly-stated, his work was not really aimed at undermining convention, but to ask a few impertinent questions and then have some solid alternative answers. I guess that he really was a scholar in many ways; Yates' monthly column in Car and Driver had the same magnetic attraction for me as Chris Economaki's weekly words about the state of the automobile world. It was ALWAYS going to be "good", always interesting, sometimes praising, sometimes taking issue, but always featuring that insightful style that made his writing so intriguing. I must stop myself there to mention a strange typo in that last graph. I was thinking "insightful" but I spelled in "inciteful" ... I fixed it of course, but think the Brock would have loved the error. He incited well, on a regular basis, and to great effect. I last saw Brock at the Motor Press Guild Dean Batchelor Dinner in late 2011 where he was given MPG's Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award. Alzheimer's was already weakening his memory but, when I went over to crouch next to his chair, held his hand and said my name he lit up and, said. "Yes, Doug, the racetrack, Karts ... how ARE you?" The best thing that can be said about anyone was that they were perfectly true to themselves. Yates was such, he never wavered, he loved cars and the people who loved them more, I think, than even he knew. In 2015, MPG gave me that same award. It was not a surprise, I knew about for weeks (which only made things worse). I had printed out the list of prior awardees beginning with Chris Economaki and including people like Denise McCluggage, Jesse Alexander, Shav Glick, Wally Parks, John Clinard, Robert Petersen, Thomas Bryant and Brock. I (think) that I said that my name had no business on that list and was really trying to remember what Brock said. It's almost a year now since, I look at the award itself almost every day ... I keep thinking that I'm (finally) going to get the call to bring the thing back, that it was a joke, or, at best a clerical error, but there's been no call as yet. Brock Yates gave voice to the excitement and frustrations of the wheeled world, he managed to be civil on many occasions, even charming at times, but he was always at his best asking the tough questions. In the end, in his last columns with the help of his daughter, he was still a redoubtable figure, openly acknowledging that he was being slogged by some stupid brain fog, but with a clarity of thought and purpose that never wavered. So long pal, you did better than your best, take a little rest now... -Doug Stokes *The movie was fun for sure, but even better, and even more outrageous is Brock's (and a whole bunch of other highly-involved folks) retelling of the real story in his book: "CANNONBALL! World's Greatest Outlaw Road Race". Get it, read it, pass it along. Editors Note: I hope my friend Doug Stokes (stokescommunications October 6, 2016) doesn't mind me posting his story here on our Blogsite. I have many things to write about Brock Yates, but it will take a day or two to get my thoughts together. Dicken Wear.

Real Automotive Journalists: Past and Present.

Real Automotive Journalists: Past and Present. Why do we read what they have to say, and trust them? Editorial, by Dicken Wear. (Reposted 12-24-2012)


(This is the question that got me thinking. Posted by: Gary Grant on Facebook.)

There has been much discussion here about what constitutes an automotive journalist. Or an automotive writer, or reviewer, or whatever....My question is, do you think a journalism degree is more important than actual automotive experience? Can a 22 year old journalism school grad who has barely driven, has owned one car at most and never stepped foot in a shop or dealership, be considered an automotive expert? Gary Grant.

And here are my thoughts on that question. I would say that a Journalism degree is helpful, but knowledge of Automobiles, some sort of real experience in the Automotive Industry, as a Driver, Mechanic, Engineer, Designer, Crew Person, or maybe as a Race Official would surely be an important requirement. There are far too many people these days that get jobs as PR people, writers, or reporters doing stories about automobiles now that have no real understanding of the automotive industry, and automobile design.

We had a ranking officer in the largest automotive media group in the USA that did not know who Brock Yates was. Now I never met William Shakespeare or Ernest Hemingway, but I knew who they were. We have lost Chris Economaki, David E Davis, Dick Dixon, John Fitch, and Jon Knapp. Some we all knew, some a few of us knew well. But what made them readable and credible was we knew they knew what they were talking about. Brock Yates, Csaba Csere, Rich Ceppos, Pat Bedard, Aaron Robinson, John Reite, Wes Raynal, Mark Vaughn, John Dinkel, Tom Cotter and Aaron Robinson, (sorry I didn't mention you all) are real Automotive Journalists and Authors, that have a real Automotive knowledge most based on years of designing, building, fixing, racing, testing real automobiles. Where will the next Brock Yates or Csaba Csere come from?

Honda has a TV commercial that states, anyone can have a Blog. Sadly this is true. Time magazine will stop being a printed publication at the end of this year. The Media World is changing daily. New Media (as my colleague Edmund Jenks calls it) is the future. Internet based publications, newsletters, updates are all used by AutoWeek, Car and Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend, etc. And all use the Internet to get the latest news out to its subscribers. Time Magazine becomes an Internet Publication next year. Soon other Paper and Ink Publications will transition to the Internet. One day new publications will start online and have their entire presence Internet based. Some of the best Karting Publications once paper & ink, mailed to subscribers and members of Race Series have been converted to e-publications only. Automotive Publications change often, and in some cases it for the better. But if all good Automotive Publications go from paper and print to online publications, what will we read at the Doctors offices, Discount Tire stores, and on Southwest Airline flights?

So while the world of Automotive Media has changed, will continue to change over the years, the changes will come more often and sooner than in the past. But the one thing that should not change, is where we get our Automotive Journalists. They should come from MIT, Chrysler, NASCAR, USAC, Service Departments, Race Teams, and years of love for the cool cars. Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, Sports Cars, Exotics, 4X4 Trucks and all the rest. Larry McReynolds, Brian Till, Chris Neville, Tommy Kendall, Robin Miller and Sam Posey are the guys who know what's real, they know all the players, drivers, crews, series, sponsors and the fans. These are the guys we want to tell us the stories, take the pictures, and keep the history alive. I'm not sure if they all have Degrees in Journalism, but these are the guys we need to tell us what's real and good. Maybe a good automotive journalist is a person that can talk to the newsmakers, watch the crews and drivers, take the pictures, listen to their stories and write it all down. But then again if you don't know what it takes to drive, what it takes to build them, fix them and race them, how will you ever know if what they tell you is the truth?

(All this from a question I saw posted on FB).

Dicken Wear 12/12/2012  Happy Holidays to you all.