Chad Seip is a veteran designer with a love of both the track and his growing family. Now with his own design business Chad still likes to flex his creative muscle with blipshift designs while waiting for his next opportunity to adhere some rubber to asphalt in his Mustang. His designs include "3-2 Step", "First Responder", and "Six Star General".
Chad hit "pause" to answer a few questions of ours:
How did your interest in cars start?
I think my interest in cars started somewhere around the age of 22 months as shown in the photo. My father raced Off Road Cars which included competing with the likes of Rick Mears and Mickey Thompson back in the day. I was at the track a lot back then and I think it got into my blood.
How does your interest manifest itself?
I used to do quite a few track days on motorcycles, but have toned that down now that I have kids I need to come home to. So I race on iRacing.com in my custom race-sim rig to help soothe the itch. Yeah, I’ve watched every Top Gear episode as well as scouring YouTube daily for other motorsports related videos or race coverage.
We also try to hit the racetrack and drag strip a few times a season either on bikes or cars which is an ever-evolving venture. That includes getting a Yamaha R1M into the sub-10-second range after much trial-and-error with the launch and other factors.
Describe your vehicles, and what makes them special:
I’ve had almost too many cars to count but went down to 1 family car during the pandemic. Once that was over I stepped up into my first ever V8 with a lightly modded 2011 Mustang GT/CS. I will admit, the big torque is addictive and I'm not sure I can go back...
The other toy in the garage is my 2005 Repsol Honda CBR1000RR. What can I say? I love the modern classics.
What was your first car? Do you have any sort of brand loyalty?
First car was a Chevy Blazer but I quickly managed my favorite teenage dream, a brand new 1993 Honda Civic Si (I had realistic dreams). Unfortunately I only got one track day out if it before I rolled it into a farmer’s field driving home one afternoon. Ooops…
What did the funds from blipshift help you accomplish?
Over the years Blipshift has allowed me that extra cash to really develop my iRacing Sim Rig into quite the setup with the Fanatec DD1, Buttkicker and a VR Headset for full immersion. That way I can be a that family guy during the day and still sneak away to the virtual track when everyone is in bed.
What is your current occupation?
Currently I'm running my own design business, which allows me much flexibility in my day. But I'm also still heavily involved in Apex Cycle in Cambridge and get lots of riding time on some really sweet bikes.
What is your dream car?
My dream car would probably be something similar to the 1993 Porsche 911 RS America I owned, just if I had a better budget for making it right (this thing had too many glitches to keep around while starting a family unfortunately). Singer Porsche does a really great job of doing what I think is the coolest tribute to the classic.
What are some of your hobbies, not relating to cars?
I enjoy mountain biking, sport shooting, drawing, reading and PC gaming. But most of my time now is spent raising my 2 boys. My wife and I have made a serious commitment to spending as much time as possible with these rascals and it's well worth it! Nothing like those good ole family memories!
Any advice for fellow artists? How did you find the process overall?
Hmmm… working with the guys at Blipshift is quite exciting. Don’t try too hard, just let it happen. I have submitted many designs that have not been published, but have fun, use your head to come up with something clever, just let it flow.
Thanks for your time Chad! If you're looking for a motorcycle in Ontario you're looking for a motorcycle in Ontario be sure to check out Apex Cycle. Apex Everything!