Passing of a legend........

[mike kojima]

I met Carroll Smith briefly while I was working at TRD
and he was a consultant for PPI, the company that
built the chassis and did the prep for Toyota's off
road racing trucks.  I remember we had a discussion on
suspension geometry and the problems of keeping bump
steer under control with long suspension travel. I was
in awe with how smart he was, his books inspired me to
continue my education and get my engineering degree
when it was tempting to drop out and work at racing
full time.  His books are still one of the first
things I flip through if I come up against a
mechanical engineering problem I don't know how to
deal with or when my schooling is fuzzy and I need a
quick bit of information.  His clear, consise, easy to
understand writing style still inspires me in my other
carrier as a magazine and book writer.

Although he never knew it and only knew me briefly in
passing as one of the kids on the race team, his stuff
had a perfound affect on my life, probably more than
any other thing. Carroll Smith and Trevor Harris are
my real life heros, the guys who I wanted to emulate.

Mike