Motorsports and Charity: How Auto Enthusiasts Give Back

Motorsports and Charity: How Auto Enthusiasts Give Back

By Justin Banner

When it comes down to the needs of those less fortunate, Auto Enthusiasts take every opportunity to give back. Despite the costs of our hobby, our careers as drivers, and the little time we have; Auto Enthusiasts still give what they can. In this article, I will give your four examples of charity by Automotive and Motorsports Enthusiasts and Professionals. From the large car show put on by Motor4Toys to Road Race Engineering's 1st Annual Car Show Toy Drive for City of Hope. From Formula Drift putting on an event for Hurricane Sandy Relief to BJ Baldwin giving back to the Baja's orphanages, you'll see how Auto Enthusiasts give back!

Motor4Toys

The first event of my multiple days of Charity events was the Motor4Toys car show. Kerryann and I had Dustin Troyan on MotoIQ Radio to talk about it and even Kerryann tried to explain to me the scale of this show. I wouldn't really understand until she, Scott Vanderheide, "Big" Mike, and I went to the show in the Nissan Race Shop Titan. It was incredible. I had never been in the presence of so many different auto enthusiasts in one place at one time!
Porsches, Mustangs, classics, moderns, exotics, and even electric cars were all here! Nearly every spot in the Anthem building's large parking lot was full of some sort of car, truck, or SUV. They were even here despite the drizzle that began. "There are usually more cars," Troyan mentioned.
I couldn't really believe it. I couldn't imagine it. There were so many already here, even the LAPD showed up with a helicopter, a race bike, and a drag car. Vendors showed off products and cars. Toys were stacked in very large boxes, 5 deep and 10 across!
The cars, oh my, the cars! MP4-12Cs...
911s, Golfs, Bimmers new and old...
Even Jeeps and hardcore off-road trucks! If you had an interest, even a remote one, you would have found something that whet your palate. Kerryann even went on to tell me about how Ferrari enthusiasts would show up in packs and then head off to do canyon drives afterward. Even a race team with Porsche GT2 Cup cars in a hauler showed up one year. I began to understand what I'd been missing being on the East for a majority of my life.
To say the show was a success would be an understatement. Next year will be the 10th annual and they are planning for larger than this and past year's. Far larger with talks of using a bigger lot and more coverage. I'm looking forward to next December!