Maverick Mechanic
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Maximus with his souped up BMW coupe.
Max Rojas likes to tinker with things. When he was in middle school, he tinkered with computers. Not the type of computers most of us use today—MacBooks and iMacs that cannot be opened or modified. Max disassembled and reassembled old-school tower computers used these days mostly by gamers looking to increase the power of their PCs. Unlike modern all-in-one desktop computers, the guts of the old tower PCs can be accessed easily if you have a Phillips head screwdriver. For Max, souping up computers sparked a passion for using his know-how and mechanical skills to take something ordinary and make it extraordinary. A little more memory here, a fresh graphics card there, a faster processor pulled from a computer junkyard, and voilà, he had a PC that was faster and more capable than any of his gaming buddies in the neighborhood. And, guess what, he was then able to beat his buddies in the games they played.
As Max grew older, his interest in tinkering with things shifted from computers to automobiles. Much like computers, cars are becoming increasingly difficult for the at-home mechanic to work on. Many new cars come with a plastic cover over the engine to prevent the would-be tinkerer from accessing it. Car manufacturers assume car owners don’t want to change their own oil or even jump-start their own batteries anymore, so it is best to keep the guts of the car hidden and inaccessible. New cars are like new iMacs—they are not friendly to hands-on tinkerers like Max.
When it came time for Max to buy his first car, he didn't head to dealerships. Instead, he scoured online forums, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace for a car that is seen more in reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 than on the streets of Charlottesville. Max was looking for a car he could easily tinker with, and those cars were made in the 90s and early 2000s. Max found his dream car in a 22-year-old BMW 3 Series coupe—a car known for its performance and, like an old tower PC, its openness to modifications and improvements for the driver who is willing to get his hands greasy.
Max spent more time in the garage working on his white beamer than he did driving it the first few years of ownership. He took it apart and put it back together. He added a new suspension system, tweaked the air intake system, replaced the clutch, added a new stick shift (yes, Max only drives manual transmissions), and made countless other changes—some that worked and others that didn’t. He tinkered to make his car faster and more capable.
Max’s aptitude with car mechanics caught the attention of his older brother, who was working with semi-professional race car teams at the Richmond International Speedway. He invited Max to help out on a new MX-5 racing team. This was a perfect fit for Max as MX-5 race cars take stock Mazda Miatas and modify them into lightning-fast race cars. For Max, taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary is something he knew well. He jumped at the opportunity and proved to be a valuable member of the pit crew. Whether he was making last-minute adjustments to the car or helping with complete overhauls, Max was fully engaged and adding meaningfully to the team. His work ethic and know-how opened the door for him to move up in the racing world this spring. Max was invited to work on a crew at Laguna Speedway in California on an open-wheel prototype race car team. These cars look much like Formula One race cars and are fully custom-built. For Max, this is a dream come true and puts him on the path to working professionally as a race car mechanic.
Maximus Rojas is a maverick. He looks at things differently than most. He sees the extraordinary in the ordinary because he is willing to open things up, figure out how they work, and use his know-how to make them better. By slowing down and taking the time to understand the mechanics behind things like cars and computers, Max is speeding toward a career and lifestyle rooted in his passions.
