When I was in high school, I used to go out on the lake with my friends. One of my buddies would tow us behind his family’s boat on a giant inflatable tube and proceed to maneuver the craft in an effort to knock us into the water. I was incredibly good at hanging on… A little too good.
One perfectly sunny afternoon, after several minutes of trying and failing to send me flying off the rubber doughnut, he resorted to very aggressive moves. He saw my white-knuckled grip on the nylon handles and tried to break it. He eventually did in a most spectacular fashion.
I think my old friend must have a cousin named Bill Caswell.
He tries to break the 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S’s Launch Control feature of its stubborn tendency to perform flawlessly and without fatigue (and without electronic nannies stepping in on its behalf) over and over again.
Sixty-one times, to be exact. The R&T gang loses track after 50 because the acceleration from the 560-horsepower, 516 lb-ft 3.8-liter flat-6 makes them woozy. What a hell of a way to mark the 50th anniversary of the 911.
Despite ripping off 0-60 times of 2.6 seconds repeatedly, the 911 is unflappable. The ZF clutches in the PDK aren’t called “lifetime parts” for no reason.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
