Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY TK; ILLUSTRATION BY TK BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 121 G E A R U P FEET FIRST HAND IT OVER SHADES OF COOL TIME ZONE To put your best foot forward, you need the right drivi ng shoes. For the fast and furious, Ferrari teamed up with Puma to create The Limitate Lo Scuderia Ferrari, a sleek black-on-white racing sneaker with Ferrari's prancing pony insignia ($300, store.ferrari. com). Meanwhile, for the pleasure cruiser, there's Tod's Ferrari Gommino Collection ( PICTURED), a luxuri- ous suede loafer made in Italy with a race- inspired design and all the comfort you'll need for long drives ($565, store.ferrari.com). You have to hand it to Fratelli Orsini for creating a sleek pair of driving gloves with all the fi ne craftsmanship of an Italian sports car. Using high-end Italian lambskin, the gloves are hand-cut, hand-stitched, and truly handsome ($99, fratelliorsini.com). Although now separate from the supercar company, Tonino Lamborghini creates sunglasses reminiscent of the eye-popping Lamborghinis that launched the brand back in the '60s. Lamborghini's Competition sunglasses are the perfect set of shades for cruising with the top down and the attitude up ($700, lamborghini.it). When Porsche Design teamed up with Grey's Anatomy star and avid race enthusiast Patrick Dempsey to create a race-inspired watch, the result was a limited- edition all-titanium timepiece that's as sharp and sleek as a Porsche 911. Dempsey owns and drives for Dempsey Racing, and the watch has his team crest on its face. Only 50 were made, so pick one up while there's still time ($6,250, Copley Place, 617-424-1400; porsche-design.com). Zooming around the track means outfitting yourself with precision attire. Europea n- st yle go -ka r t racing t rack. "You ca n't tell people how it feels to race; you have to show them," Valentine says. With F1 Boston, he's giving people that chance. One such person is Kaz Grala, a 15 -year-old rac- ing prodig y who got his start driving go-karts at Valentine's F1 Boston at the age of 4. Today he's screaming up the ranks in Nascar, currently racing in his rookie season in the K&N Pro Series East, with six consecutive top-10 finishes and a handful of top-fives—this from a kid who can't legally drive himself to the track. Racing is in Grala's blood. His fat her, Da r ius, raced spor t s ca rs in t he Fer ra r i Challenge and Grand-Am Series but never on the oval Nascar course. "If you're born knowing how to race and how to drive, then that's something you can teach to people no matter what kind of track they're on," Grala says of his dad's inf luence on his racing. "It's k ind of like r iding a bike: You don't need to know the person's street to teach them how to ride." Last January, Grala got the chance to test his stuff in a sports car like his dad, racing a BMW for Rum Bum R acing in t he Cont inent a l Tire Spor t sca r Cha llenge. He topped out at 18 0 miles per hour. "I feel like racing in New England is not as common as it is in some other parts of the country, and other sports are a lot more prominent," Grala says. "However, t he racing fa ns in New Engla nd seem to be die-hard fans. So there might not be as many fans, but I definitely think it's as st rong in New E ngla nd a s it is a ny where a s fa r a s pa ssion for t he spor t." But back to me and my adventure at the Ferrari ra lly. Ra in was st a r t ing to fa ll from t he heavens, splashing on the hood of my supercar. The droplets beaded up and spilled across its freshly waxed curves, dripping down the grilles, running off the wheels, and pooling on the pavement. Rain never had it so good. Neither had I. Pressing down on the pedal to accelerate, the engine roared, and I smiled. BC