Brembo Red-Episode 14

This edition of Brembo RED with Dan Sandberg features four-time IndyCar Champion and sportscar racer Sebastien Bourdais who talks racing, winning, and the fear of owning a Ford GT. He also tells RED what three race cars he’s driven that he would want back in his garage. Also, Howard Smith, General Motors Vehicle Performance Manager for Performance SUVs and Police Vehicles, joins RED to discuss the all-new BIG horsepower 2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series. Bourdais is currently driving the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. With a win at the last race the Frenchman from Le Mans discusses his 30-year racing history, Le Mans 24, and his future in the sport. He also tells us why he “couldn’t keep his Ford GT.” Smith was tasked with bringing the Escalade V-Series from grocery getter to a full size, go faster SUV. The BIG V, the result of “customer ask” has 682 hp, 653 pound-feet of torque and is stopped by BIG Brembo brakes. Smith says, “launch control was a necessity.”

This edition of Brembo RED with Dan Sandberg features Jason Stein of SiriusXM’s Cars and Culture talking about podcasts vs. print media and the future of EVs, Chris Sergeant, Polaris’ VP talking about the increasing popularity of the Slingshot and Stephen Nasse, Late Model racer, who discusses track etiquette and doing it in the dirt. Jason Stein, former publisher of Automotive News, started in radio and now is back with his SiriusXM show “Cars and Culture.” Stein is still breaking news and learned recently why you should be careful when asking Jay Leno why he doesn’t own a Ferrari. He also tells RED why it’s going to take some time for North American consumers to warm up to electric vehicles and why many current manufacturers may not survive the EV transition. Sergeant shares his journey from being a Naval Nuclear Submarine Officer to being the czar of the unique three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot. He explains how this “auto-cycle” provides the same “visceral experience” of a motorcycle without the “two-wheeled anxiety.” Stephen Nasse, the popular Late Model racer who runs 30+ races a year from Miami to Maine talks about respect on the track and how he “races how you want to be raced” and why he has used Brembo stopping power for years. He also talks about his aspirations to “maybe” running in NASCAR someday.

Dan Sandberg hosts a special holiday HOLLYWOOD EDITION of Brembo RED featuring Tinseltown car guru Dennis McCarthy from Visual Effects, Justin Kell of motorcycle provider Glory Motor Works, and Brembo’s own Mike Messina who checks-in to talk about 2021’s motorsports championships. McCarthy has built or modified cars and trucks for blockbuster movies like the Black Panther, Blade Runner, Batman, Green Hornet and the Fast and Furious nine movie franchise. He reveals some of the secrets behind those movie star performance cars and even tells Dan the details behind the custom built Batmobile in Batman vs, Superman, a 10,500 lb., 11 feet wide monster car stopped with big Brembo 8-piston brake calipers. Kell talks about building and supplying bikes for the newly released Matrix Resurrections, Indiana Jones, Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick, and what it takes to ready a movie bike for nose wheelies and other stunts. Kell tells us about Steven Spielberg’s “almost” Indian motorcycle and the electrification of Hollywood two-wheelers. He also reveals why Ryan Reynolds, Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves are great riders when it comes to making movies. Mike Messina from Brembo’s Race Team joins RED to close out the motorsports season championships in NASCAR, IMSA, F1, Off-Road, as well as new products. He talks about Hendrick Motorsports magic season this year including 10 wins for Kyle Larson and the victory records broken in this year’s season, all on Brembo brakes.

On this edition of Brembo RED with Dan Sandberg, we head back to this summer’s Concours d’Elegance in Plymouth, Michigan to talk to Collector of the Year, Judge Joseph Cassini III, who is passionate about pre-war autos, including his favorite Duesenberg. Recently retired Ford VP of design and the Concours’ Enthusiast of the Year, Moray Callum discusses the successes of his career and the future of automotive design . Stellantis Dodge design chief and Concours Muscle Car Judge, Mark Trostle, explains electric car proportions and horsepower brand identity. Judge Joseph Cassini III joins Brembo RED to share his passion for car collecting. Cassini talks about how sexiness and styling drew him to pre-war cars and how “hormones and gasoline” fueled his early passion for the hobby. Moray Callum, former Ford VP of Design explains why sketching is still important for a designer and the challenges of designing above the electric “skateboard” platform. Callum talks “frunks” and about his love for the ’76 Ford Bronco. Mark Trostle, Stellantis (Dodge) design head, discusses today’s horsepower icons and how specific design cues, particularly the body’s proportion, makes a great vehicle. The SRT creator also guarantees that new performance electric cars will be just as exciting as their gas counterparts and will maintain the company’s brand identity.

BREMBO RED is live at LUFTGEKUHLT 7, the Porsche air-cooled festival in Indianapolis. Host Dan Sandberg welcomes JOHN OATES, from the legendary pop duo HALL & OATES, and Porsche race car specialist KEVIN JEANNETTE from GUNNAR PORSCHE RACING to talk MUSIC, CARS, Racing, and CULTURE. JOHN OATES talks about how he fell in love with cars, his special Porsche 356 EMORY OUTLAW and the reveal at Luft 7 of his unique rebuilt Porsche 914/6. He also talks about his passion for both music and cars. KEVIN JEANNETTE talks about the 914/6 he built with John Oates, the future of car rebuilds and collecting and HOLLYWOOD RACE CAR DRIVERS, including his work with the legendary Paul Newman, and the future of car rebuilding and collecting.

THE FUTURE OF CAR CULTURE and ELECTRIC vs. HYDROGEN discussion drives this episode of BREMBO RED from the Concours d’Elegance of America. McKeel Hagerty of Hagerty Insurance, and Michael Robinet, Executive Director at IHS Markit, join host Dan Sandberg to talk new and old cars, car culture and the future of the auto business. MORE LIKE A CLUB than an insurance company, Sandberg discusses how and why Hagerty Insurance has morphed into a CAR CULTURE MEDIA giant. In addition to insurance, the company now owns FOUR CAR SHOWS and is focusing on increasing the younger generation’s appreciation for cars and car collecting. The GLOBAL MICROCHIP SHORTAGE has stunned the auto business. Michael Robinet talks about the supply chain and why a part as big as a penny is so important to the automotive industry. Robinet predicts WHEN INVENTORIES WILL RETURN to dealer lots.

THE HENRY FORD: DRIVEN TO WIN exhibit is featured on this episode of Brembo RED. Host Dan Sandberg is joined by curator Matt Anderson and legendary Motorsports Hall of Fame racer Lyn St. James. The exhibit is “a look at the past 125 years of racing in the United States from stock cars to sports cars, Indy, drag racing and even hill climb.” Sandberg discusses the interactive pieces of the exhibit with Anderson, including the Brembo sponsored simulators. “The simulators are about as real as you can get without going out onto a physical track. You get caught up in the competition. It’s a great experience.” St. James discusses her racing career and how she approached racing differently than the men. She also talks about the mental aspect of her racing style and that she is still chasing a competition record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. “That is unfinished business for me . . . I want to get in the 200-mph club at Bonneville. I hope to do it this year.”

BIG HORSEPOWER on Brembo RED with car tuner John Hennessey in the studio to talk about 30 years of “making fast cars go faster.” Also joining the show is Cadillac’s Brandon Vivian on the all-new “CT5-V Blackwing -- the pinnacle of Cadillac performance.” Host Dan Sandberg discusses how Hennessey has modified 12,000 cars in his 30 years in the performance business. “Powered by passion” is what fueled Hennessey to build modified Vipers, Corvettes, Camaros, Ford, and Dodge trucks as well as Mitsubishis. He also talks about the future of high performance electric cars. Vivian discusses the CT5-V Blackwing and how it is “the most capable track car to date from the brand.” He also talks about the future of the V-Series as Cadillac will be all electric by the end of the decade. “The second generation of electric vehicles will have a range of performance and be able to do full track days on a charge.”

Brembo RED welcomes Ralph Gilles, Stellantis head of design, to talk design, horsepower and electrics. Alex Bowman, NASCAR driver, joins host Dan Sandberg to talk about his climb to the top of the NASCAR Cup series. Gilles talks to host Dan Sandberg about the design of EVs, being a true auto enthusiast, the horsepower wars, and the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Gilles manages all things performance for the newly named Stellantis, formerly FCA, and shares his enthusiasm of all things cars. He talks about unique design aspects including how “a grill needs to speak to me” and the look of the upcoming all-new Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Alex Bowman driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports joins RED to talk goals and reflect on his sixth place NASCAR Cup points finish in 2020. Bowman discusses “expectations on taking over the legendary 48 and 88 cars” as well as acknowledging that “I love big cubic inch, high-horsepower engines.” Bowman also throws more than just a bone to his local Charlotte animal shelter.

Racing legend Mario Andretti joins Brembo RED to talk about his successful career in racing and Hearst Auto’s Eddie Alterman is in the RED studio to talk EVs and hot new vehicle reveals. Host Dan Sandberg discusses Andretti’s 60 years in racing. As one of the only American drivers to race with Ferrari in Formula 1 -- “I always dealt directly with Enzo.” His achievements are legendary: He won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One World Championship, an unprecedented trifecta. No other race car driver has ever won all three titles. Mario took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades and across six continents. -- “I always drove the car ten-tenths.” And his philosophy on braking -- “Braking is part of performance, the better brakes you have the faster you are going to go.” Alterman, is Hearst Auto’s Chief Brand Officer. According to Alterman, “we are in the most convulsive era of the car business.” This professional “car guy” gives insight into the electric vehicle (EV) market including their style and performance, “Tesla made EVs sexy” and explains why and when we all will be driving EV’s. He also give us his take on the newest vehicles hitting the market including the Corvette, Ford Mach E, GM’s Hummer and the Ford Bronco.