Ashod

Ashod in Monterey for Rennsport

Hi I'm Ash! I'm originally from Australia and I moved to SF to found a startup. After building two venture-backed startups I now spend my time on building the ultimate driving app for the road and track. It’s called Track Attack and you can check it out at www.trackattack.app 

How did you get into Porsche? 


I grew up riding motorcycles and I didn’t have any interest in cars or Porsche. When I moved to the US I sold my motorcycle to help fund my startup and for the first time in my life I had no vehicle. 

When I was ready to buy again I looked for a car that would give a similar experience to a motorcycle. I needed a car that could be driven hard and thrown into corners, perform well, be reliable, sound great, and be a convertible. Porsche was the only vehicle that fit this criteria and the Boxster GTS was at the top of my list!

Since then I’ve fallen in love with the brand. The cars, the heritage, the events, the people, and the drives. I can say that it’s the perfect vehicle and the most fun I’ve had on 4 wheels. 



Buttonwillow

At the starting grid for the Virginia City Hillclimb

Why do you drive? What motivates you? Do you have any goals? 


I grew up riding motorcycles so a lot of my influence in driving stems from riding. Driving and riding to me is all about a harmony between you, your machine, and the environment. When everything aligns it’s a beautiful rewarding experience. There are only three activities where I’ve experienced the flow state: riding/driving, weightlifting, and coding! 

Also as an engineer I enjoy the technical and analytical aspects of driving and analyzing data. 

Any Porsche stories you want to share? 

On my first PCA event someone corrected me when I said Porsche and they said “it’s Por-sha” 🙉 


What is your dream Porsche and why? 


It’s very difficult to choose one so I’ll choose four! 992 GT3RS, Carrera GT, 959, and 918 Spyder. 


Any future drving or event plans? (drive, events, etc) 

I’ll definitely be competing in the Virginia City Hillclimb next year, plus of course the usual track days and PCA events. If you see a Boxster GTS with Track Attack livery come say hi! 



Ash and Lezzel at Rennsport








Got caught up in the snow with summer tires

What kind of Porsche(s) do you have or did you have? 

I have a 981 Boxster GTS which is the perfect car for me! It looks great, performs great, and with the Porsche Sports Exhaust sounds like a mini GT3! 

How many Porsches do you own? 

Just 1! San Francisco apartment life makes it difficult to own multiple cars, although I’ve been thinking about a more track/competition focused second vehicle. 


Member of a car club other than GGR? 

I'm a member of the Ferrari Club of America after competing in the 2023 Virginia City Hillclimb. I’m also a member of the Golden Gate Lotus Club (GGLC) after participating in their track days. 

What is your favorite style of driving? (Track day, Autocross, Motoring...) 


I love driving hard so any type of aggressive driving. Windy roads, track days, and hillclimbs are my favorites! 

For the Porsche enthusiast, can you share any tips from any or all of your Porsche? 

Drive hard to save your battery. I always hear about people complaining that their battery dies after 2 wks of not driving so they have to keep it on a charger. I’m on my original battery (now 8 years old!) and never had an issue even when I’ve traveled for as long as 6-8 wks. The only thing I can think of is that I regularly drive hard and I’m not shy of revving it out! 




PCA drive at Mammoth Lakes








PCA GGR Track Day at Laguna Seca - Photo at the famous corkscrew

Are you currently working on a car project? 


My car project is an app called Track Attack (www.trackattack.app).



Track Attack started off as a hobby project after I was frustrated with existing apps. Just like a typical startup founder and engineer, I thought to myself “how hard could it be?”… so I built my own!



I added all the features I wanted: simultaneously recording the front and rear cameras on your phone synchronized with GPS and all the sensor data, recording heart rate from an Apple Watch, and recording the vehicle RPM, throttle position, and other parameters with a bluetooth OBD adaptor. I spent countless hours tweaking the UI and the video overlays so that you can customize and export great looking videos!



Since I do a lot of road driving I expanded Track Attack for the road by adding maps and navigation. You can easily create routes with an unlimited number of waypoints by searching or simply tapping on the map. No more screwing around with the clunky Google Maps UI trying to create the perfect route.



I no longer use a GoPro and I record and plan my road and track drives all with Track Attack.

Do you have a favorite driver? 


Since I grew up riding motorcycles and watching motorcycle racing I don’t know any car drivers! My favorite motorcycle rider is Marc Marquez #93 and that’s why #93 is my race number! 

Would you be willing to participate in a future Porsche events? 

This must be a trick question 🤔 

What has been your favorite drive so far? 

The PCA drive at Mammoth Lakes! It's such a unique drive with an undulating roads that's the closest thing to a rollercoaster on 4 wheels. Then spending the rest of the day chatting and meeting everyone over a drink or two tops it all off! 




Road trip - at the top of the Colorado National Monument










On the way to Pebble Beach at Monterey Car Week

Is there something your GGR members who may be reading this may not know about you? (car related) 

My Porsche is only the second car I’ve ever owned. I grew up riding motorcycles and for most of my life I actually had no interest in cars or Porsches! My first car was a VW Golf GTI and it’s what made me enjoy cars. Since the Golf GTI was a DSG (dual clutch) and my Boxster GTS is a PDK, I don’t know how to drive a manual car! 🫢 

Can people follow you on Instagram or facebook? 

Sure! Feel free to DM me about any questions on Track Attack and data logging and video recording with your smartphone!


https://www.instagram.com/ashoddd/

https://www.instagram.com/trackattack.app/ 



Can people reach out to you for a driving tips if they are in your area? 


Sure! Especially for questions about using Track Attack and data acquisition and analysis! I spent the early days of my PhD working in vehicle dynamics and I worked on the DARPA challenge (the autonomous vehicles race sponsored by the US DOD). I pretty much know about every type of sensor used for vehicle performance analysis! 


When you are done with a long day driving event and get to cafe, what do you order? 


If I’m done with a long day of driving then I’m having a beer! 


Doughnuts, Cupcake, or Cookie? 


First eat cupcake then eat cookie!