This month, the pylon points to:
Josh Johnston
Josh has been interested in "anything on 4 wheels" ever since he can remember. "I was always interested in fast cars and motorsports, but didn't have the money to participate in the sport until after I graduated from college." Right after he moved back to Phoenix, he began looking for a motorsport to participate in that wouldn't break the bank or his car. "My dad had mentioned he saw something at Firebird that involved cones, and after a little internet searching I came upon the Arizona Region SCCA Autocross!"
In high school and college, Josh worked at Petsmart and Autozone in order to be able to put himself through school. "I graduated in 2006 from NAU with a degree in Zoology and now I do nothing with it! Haha!" He currently works in the family business of construction with a product called HDPE lumber (not to be confused with HPDE driving!). He says it's lumber that looks just like wood but is made entirely from 100% recycled #2 plastics (mainly milk jugs and water bottles). "We build just about anything out of it, but mainly do children's playgrounds, patio furniture, and decking." If anyone is curious, they can check out these websites, playgrounds: http://pjsfuncrafters.com/ and outdoor furniture: http://everlastcreations.com/.
As far as club involvement, Josh says, "I'll be involved in the club anywhere I am needed. I've done about every worker position there is (although I think I like announcing the best. That's a lot of fun!). I also really enjoy helping the newer people out and teaching them anything I can that I have learned in my 2 short years of autocrossing." He goes on to say, "I think I may love the teaching of other drivers and building of a car more than I do the actual racing/driving part. Even Kimmy will tell you, I get REALLY excited about getting new car parts and will spend hours on the internet researching the product and talking to friends about their opinions." Well, once involved in this sport, who doesn't? Heh heh. "I enjoy installing any part myself and learning anything more about the mechanics of a car that I don't already know. One of my autocross-career goals is to have built a competitive car in every ST class." Is there a Team Johnston in the works? Or just a fleet, ...
As for hobbies other than autocrossing, he says, "To be honest I don't really have any! autocrossing and my girlfriend (Kimmy) take up all my money!!!" He does volunteer every other Saturday at the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center. "It's where wounded, illegal, or misplaced wild animals are brought to be rehabilitated and released into the wild or trained as education animals."
And here is a pretty cool part: "I'd just like to say I have been part of a lot of different car groups & clubs over the years, and the AZ Solo Region is by far the nicest, most caring, and most helpful club I have ever seen. Brian Peters has helped me a lot with rules of the sport, Doug and Ben and Brian W. have given me lots of tips on driving and car builds, and Clinton has let me borrow his car on my car's bad days, and Clint has even helped me out with car parts tuning and advice on driving skill/ and technique. Everyone in the club is always willing to help the guy/gal next to him/her, and to me that really speaks a lot about an organization and it is definitely something I want to be a part of for many years to come."
Sounds like Josh is our kind of guy!!! Oh, and be careful about that mechanic volunteering, Josh. You might just end up with a ton of work and no time for Kim! Just kidding, of course ... Anyway, welcome, and thanks for the enthusiasm!
Always welcomed ...