Just an Inchident on the Track

Lost traction. Regained purpose. Back on track.

This week on DRS Diaries: we’re back on track and firing on all cylinders.
From decoding why your engine sounds grumpy on a cold morning to celebrating MINI’s 2000 comeback, this drop is all about resilience - mechanical and human. We’ve got engines waking up, icons reborn, and a story of how losing everything reminded us why we drive in the first place.
Because whether it’s a car or a creator, the real magic isn’t in how fast you go. It’s in how quickly you bounce back when you stall.

Car Tech Explained Like You're 5

Cold Start Made Simple

When you start your car in the morning, it’s like waking someone up from a deep sleep.
All the oil that usually keeps the engine parts slippery has been resting at the bottom overnight.

When you turn the key (or press start), the engine begins to pump that oil everywhere again to cover all the metal parts that move fast. Until that happens, the engine sounds a little rough and shaky. That’s completely normal!

Now, when it’s cold outside, things get trickier. The oil becomes thicker, like honey kept in the fridge. So it takes longer to spread around the engine and keep everything moving smoothly.

That’s why your car might sound louder, idle faster, or feel a bit sluggish for the first few moments. It’s just trying to warm itself up.

Modern cars are smart, so they automatically add a bit more fuel and adjust how the engine runs during this time, so it warms up safely and quickly.

(That’s why you don’t need to leave your car idling for long anymore. Just start it, wait a few seconds, and drive gently.)

Quick summary:​
Car sleeps overnight → Oil settles → Engine wakes up → Oil warms and spreads → Car runs smooth again.

This Week in Petrolhead History : November, 2000 - MINI Is Reborn Under BMW ​ In November, 2000, BMW unveiled the new MINI, reviving the legendary British icon with a modern twist. The original Mini from the 1960s was all about small size, big personality. The reborn MINI kept that charm but added German precision, safety, and a touch of luxury. It proved that retro could sell and sell big. Soon, the MINI Cooper S became every city driver’s go-kart dream. Without this relaunch, we might never have seen the MINI racing scene, the JCW performance line, or those fun toggle-switch dashboards we all secretly love. Why it matters:​ The rebirth of MINI wasn’t just a nostalgia trip. It proved that heritage can be modernized without losing its soul. When BMW relaunched MINI in 2000, it didn’t just save an old badge; it created a new category: the premium small car. Suddenly, compact didn’t mean cheap. It meant stylish, sporty, and full of personality. MINI’s success showed the whole industry that emotion sells as much as engineering. That’s why today, even electric MINIs still keep that go-kart DNA alive - proving that good design and character never really age, they just get recharged.

The Driver’s Room

Losing Everything to Find the Spark Again

This week, DRS Diaries hit rock bottom.
Every single thing I’d built since August. The posts, the numbers, the subscribers, the website, even the revenue, gone. Overnight.

It felt like stalling mid-race with the world watching. Everything went quiet. No dashboards. No data. Just… silence.

But here’s the thing about losing everything, it reminds you why you started.
DRS wasn’t born out of metrics or money. It began as a passion project. A place to tell stories that made cars feel human and machines feel alive. Somewhere along the road, I’d started measuring horsepower in rupees.

That ends now.

The last 48 hours have been pure rebuild mode. No pity pit stop - just fire, grit, and a renewed purpose. I’ve re-engineered everything from the ground up, faster, leaner, and truer to what DRS was meant to be.

So yeah, we went from 100 to 0. But passion doesn’t die when you crash, it reignites when you rebuild.
And this comeback? It’s not about recovery. It’s about rediscovery.

We’re back. No ads, no distractions - just drive.

Keep revving,

Parth Kusalkar Founder, DRS Diaries.

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. ©️2025 DRS Diaries
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​