Tuned In

David Mazzei may well have the best-sounding turbocharged rotary on the planet, but how he chased down that elusive F1 V10 sound with this masterpiece of an engine is somewhat unexpected.
Rotary engines are often labelled as temperamental and unreliable, but David Mazzei of Formula Mazzei believes the opposite. In his view, rotaries can be among the most reliable engines when properly understood.
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In this episode of Tuned In, David shares his journey from a childhood fascination with technology and cars to becoming a rotary engine expert. He discusses the challenges and rewards of owning and daily-driving his first RX-7.
We dive deep into rotary tuning, starting with the fundamentals—air-fuel ratios, exhaust gas temperatures, and the critical relationship between ignition timing and engine reliability. David also shares his views on engine building, apex seals, and porting, and explains why rotaries deserve a far better reputation than they’ve been given.
We explore the evolution of his five-rotor engine, what it took to bring such an ambitious project to life, and the challenges of building something this complex. David breaks down the science behind its unforgettable sound and reveals how his background in music helped him dial in and replicate the pitch of an F1 V10.
David’s passion for the rotary engine is undeniable. He’s a wealth of knowledge, and what he’s achieved with his MF5 Superlite is nothing short of extraordinary. If you have even a passing interest in rotary engines, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
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Follow David here:
Instagram: mazzei_formula
Youtube: mazzeiformula
Facebook: David Zachary Mazzei
Timestamps:
0:00 Building The Worlds Best Sounding 5 rotor
4:11 How did you become interested in cars?
17:20 How did daily driving your first RX7 at 17 go?
21:55 Rotary reliability
29:16 How did you learn to tune?  
37:24 Can you explain the different rotary engine ports?
40:15 Driveability with modern ECU’s on a bridge port or peripheral port?
46:15 EGT’s on rotary engines
55:15 Air fuel ratios and timing on rotary engines
1:06:05 Can you explain rotary split?
1:12:33 How did the 5 rotor project develop?
1:23:17 Is the turbo charger irrelevant to the sound of the engine?
1:30:30 How do we go about building a 5 rotor?
1:38:23 Billet vs factory cast blocks
1:42:46 What’s your opinion on apex seals?
1:46:25 Should we be running premix in our rotary’s?
1:53:37 How important is injector timing?
1:57:25 Final 3 Questions

Pikes Peak and land speed record racing couldn’t be more different when it comes to motorsport, and that’s exactly why Scott Birdsall from Chuckles Garage is so interesting. From 1,000+ HP diesel hill climb monsters to a 2JZ-powered, land speed record-holding Toyota Hilux, Scott is into everything cool and fast.
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In this episode of Tuned In, Scott shares his journey from a childhood passion for cars to becoming a successful automotive entrepreneur. He discusses the importance of his hands-on education through auto shop, and the challenges of navigating a career in the automotive industry. Scott reflects on the founding of Chuckles Garage and what it’s become today.
He dives into the wild build story of Old Smokey, a 1949 Ford F1 truck, breaking down the engineering challenges of extreme diesel performance, compound turbo systems, and the brutal demands of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. After a massive crash at Pikes Peak left the truck beyond repair, we explore Scott’s plans to rebuild the iconic machine—faster and more extreme than ever.
We also cover his venture into land speed record racing at Bonnieville, detailing the unique challenges of tuning for wide-open-throttle for long periods of time and the strategies required to achieve record speeds using the 2JZ Toyota platform.
Scott’s approach to building vehicles is truly unique. His ability to take an unexpected or unconventional platform and turn it into an insanely fast machine for a specific discipline—while doing it all with his own unmistakable style is simply impressive. 
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Follow Scott here:
Instagram: ChucklesGarage
Facebook: ChucklesGarage
Youtube: ChucklesGarageOfficial
Timestamps:
0:00 1000+HP Diesels to 2JZ Weapons — Chuckles Garage Does It All
3:53 Where did the passion for cars come from? 
6:08 What was the first cool car you owned and started modifying? 
8:40 What do you learn at an Auto Shop?
10:58 What was your formal education after High School?
18:24 What was your plan to build your passion into a business?
22:40 How did you build your fabrication skills?
27:18 How much of a game changer is a 3D printer?
30:23 Overview on your business today
38:31 How important are Sema level builds for your reputation?
40:00 Tell us about Old Smokey 1949 F1 Ford
44:29 How to make 1400Hp out of a Cummins diesel?
50:20 Are you doing the diesel tuning?
52:14 Why are you using a compound turbo setup?
59:49 How much can you rev these diesel engines?
1:02:10 What are the challenges of racing old smokey at pikes peak?
1:05:06 Tell us about your crash in old smokey
1:14:27 What’s the plan with old smokey from here?
1:18:06 How did you get involved with a land speed record attempt? 
1:21:22 2jz Dart block, what are the advantages?
1:22:52 Was there any other engine options for the land speed truck?
1:24:46 How long are you at wide open throttle at Boniville?
1:26:39 Where do you see the advantages of methanol? 
1:30:36 How did you figure out how to break the land speed record?
1:35:36 What’s it like to drive at 250mph?
1:42:08 Final 3 questions

*** We’ll be taking a break over the Christmas/New Year period and will be back in action mid-January.
That means that although there won’t be any new episodes for a few weeks, we’ll be taking another look back at some of our favourite episodes.  ***
Are you sick of playing the guessing game when it comes to setting up the suspension and tyre systems in your race or road car? If you’ve ever felt like you’re throwing alignment adjustments, damper settings, and spring rate changes at the pit wall just to see what sticks when making changes to your or your customer’s vehicle, then this episode with Bruno Finco of Optimum G is going to be a perfect listen.

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Originally from Brazil and now based in Colorado, unusually for a guest of the Tuned In podcast, Bruno didn’t have all that much interest in cars growing up — it wasn’t until he went to university to gain a degree in mechatronics engineering that he joined the school’s Formula SAE team and began a life-long love affair with all things motorsport.

Walking out of university and straight into a role at Colorado-based Optimum G, Bruno has since gone on to become the motorsport tech company’s Lead Performance Engineer, and now spends his time travelling around the world’s greatest race circuits, gathering data, helping both race teams and OEMs optimise their vehicle dynamics, and teaching others how to do the same through the use of Optimum G’s highly-regarded software packages.

The bulk of this admittedly very tech-heavy episode consists of Bruno talking us through the many nuanced points of motorsport handling and performance, breaking down concepts into their many facets. This includes roll centre, tyre slip angle, Ackermann steering, anti-dive and squat, plus much more.

Bruno also explains how Optimum G’s software works, and most interestingly, despite how it first looks, how it’s not something you need to have a Ph.D. in order to understand and use to substantially improve your vehicle’s performance.
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A more thorough explanation of Ackermann steering can be found here.

Find all the resources Bruno mentioned in this episode here.

Follow Bruno and Optimum G here:
IG: @optimumg, @bruno.finco
LI: OptimumG
YT: OptimumG
WWW: optimumg.com

*** We’ll be taking a break over the Christmas/New Year period and will be back in action mid-January.
That means that although there won’t be any new episodes for a few weeks, we’ll be taking another look back at some of our favourite episodes.  ***
Few people know more about ultra-high-performance engine building than this week’s guest, Terry Radbourne of Bourne HPP. In this episode, we’re going to be discussing topics like creating engines for LMP1 and Mercedes’ F1 team, truly getting the absolute most out of Honda’s K series motor, as well as the odd controversial opinion that’s sure to get the comment section fired up.
👉 Use the code ‘PODCAST500’ to get $500 OFF HPA's VIP Package: https://hpcdmy.co/podvip

Terry brings an intriguing mix of expertise and insider knowledge — straight out of school, he found himself working for Advanced Engine Research and quickly became involved in some seriously high-end race engine design and building work. After a few years spent honing his craft — including a stint creating engines for the Mercedes Formula 1 team, Terry went on to found his own company, Bourne High Performance Powertrains, or Bourne HPP for short.

Bourne HPP specialises in designing and building seriously aggressive motors — most commonly of the Honda K-series variety in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms. This allows us to dive very deep into the intricacies of four-cylinder engine building, and time is spent discussing intake port design, cylinder sleeves, compression ratio, and a whole lot more.

We also get stuck into the K-series motor itself, and Terry spends time talking us through exactly why he thinks this is one of the best engines ever produced and how to get the most out of it. As Bourne HPP is something of a one-stop-shop that does everything from engine rebuilds, to NA and turbocharged crate engine packages, to dyno tuning with the use of Syvecs and Lyfe Racing ECUs, Terry has an absolute oversupply of knowledge that he’s (mostly) willing to share.

If you want to get smarter, this episode with Terry Radbourne of Bourne HPP is not to be missed.
👉 Use the code ‘PODCAST500’ to get $500 OFF HPA's VIP Package: https://hpcdmy.co/podvip

As mentioned in the podcast, you can listen to our episode featuring Syvec’s Ryan Griffiths here: https://hpcdmy.co/Syvecs

Follow Bourne HPP here:
IG: @bourne_hpp
FB: Bourne HPP
WWW: bournehpp.com

What would happen if you took an IndyCar inspired chassis, dropped a 1973 Pontiac Firebird body over the top of it, and then added a 1,450hp twin-turbo LS? That’s essentially what Cavan Cameron and his father, Russell Cameron, of Horizon Motorsport have built.
The project began as Cavan’s high school engineering project but has since evolved into one of the coolest and most ambitious builds we’ve seen in a while.
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In this episode of Tuned In, Cavan shares his journey from a childhood passion for cars to pursuing a career in motorsports engineering, sparked by his father’s involvement in IndyCar.
We dive into the “Hammerhead” build that Cavan and his dad have been developing, exploring the challenges of integrating genuine IndyCar components into a bespoke project. He breaks down the technical aspects of the tube-frame chassis, from fabrication and material choices to the complexities of suspension dynamics.
We cover the finer details of designing and developing a competitive race car, with a focus on suspension, engine configuration, and aerodynamics. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced during its first outing at World Time Attack Challenge, including managing torque through the transaxle and tuning the car for optimal performance.
This build is truly something special, and what Cavan has achieved is seriously impressive. We can’t wait to see how the car evolves as they continue to refine and dial it in.
👉 Use the code ‘PODCAST500’ to get $500 OFF HPA's VIP Package: https://hpcdmy.co/podvip
Follow Cavan here:
Instagram: horizon_motorsports_llc
Youtube: horizon_motorsports_llc
Timestamps:
0:00 A High School Project Gone Wild: 1,450HP IndyCar x Firebird
4:12 How did you become interested in cars?
5:21 What was your Dads involvement in Indy Car?
10:26 How’s the exposure to high level motorsport at a young age shaped your career?
11:53 Is it easier or harder to design parts with a tight set of rules?
16:10 Designing fit for purpose parts
18:58 Tell us about your motorsport degree 
29:54 What is the Hammerhead and how did this project come about?
33:33 Did you design the car fully in CAD before starting?
39:27 How did you learn your fabrication skills?
42:56 How do you juggle getting the car done and completing it to a standard you’re proud of?
45:15 What material is the chassis made from?
50:58 How did you weld the chassis and get it square and straight?
55:11 How does changing the roll centre affect the car's handling?
59:01 Are the IndyCar spec’d fasteners adequate for the extra weight of your build?
1:01:30 How about the components like uprights and wishbones? 
1:06:39 Spring rates and dampers, how did you spec these?
1:15:29 Did you ever consider putting a Cosworth XD engine in the car?
1:18:07 Was it ever a concern that the LS was going to have too much torque for the trans axel?
1:27:27 You’re not running any intercooler on this car?
1:32:54 How did you develop the aero package?
1:43:38 What’s left to develop on the car and when will we see it back on track?
1:46:41 Final 3 questions