Atlanta Motorsports Park has a great series called “The Hunt for Speed,” and the focus of their second episode is Pedro Ebert and his “Ugly Bug.”
Pedro, like many of us, loves driving fast. But what sets him apart from the crowd is his chariot of choice, a 2003 Volkswagen Beetle. The “Ugly Bug” happened when a wholesaler, knowing Pedro was quite familiar with the brand, called him up asking if he wanted an $800 VW Beetle that was in need of a motor and trans. Pedro jumped at the chance. And then proceeded to turn it into a track day ego crusher.
“Getting those guys with a lot of money and no skill, and passing them with the Beetle, hurting their ego, it’s the best thing ever,” Pedro says with a wry smile in his face. But he is quick to point out it’s not all about passing any of the other cars on track. “I like speed! I really don’t care if I am the slowest car on track, because I’m having fun. I drive within my limits, so if somebody in another Beetle passes me, good for them. I just do this because I love driving fast."
Pedro also has some great advice for those just getting into track days/performance driving, “I think, if you want to drive fast, you want to buy the worst car possible. Learn how to drive that car on the worst tires, worst suspension possible. Because then, when you move to a fast car, you transfer all the things you learned from driving the bad car.” Of course we don’t want anyone out on tires that won’t pass tech, but he makes a great point about learning to hone your skills with equipment that isn’t the grippiest or best out there.
Take a few minutes to watch the video about Pedro, as well as the first video from “The Hunt for Speed” series. Both have some really good content, and the series is definitely subscribable!
