As car lovers, we’ve all run into “that guy.” You know who he is. He’s the dude who doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but enjoys running his mouth to share tall tales.
A man in England by the name of Shaun Davis is not “that guy.” I’m sure he told his buddies, “I hit 192 mph on the highway the other day,” but he was actually able to prove it…because he filmed himself doing it.
The only problem, aside from the obvious danger in which he was putting his fellow motorists, was that the cops could prove it as well.
They found the videos Davis shot of himself flooring it in a BMW M5 and an Audi RS6 after they arrested him in relation to completely separate charges.
These days, I think it’s safe to say there are numbers aside from 192 that are more significant to Davis: 28 and 10. He was sentenced to 28 months in prison and banned from driving for 10 years.
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.
