Air|Water Reality Check, Radwood Origins & Inside Japan’s Wildest Racetrack

This week on Shifted Opinions, we sit down with designer, Radwood co-founder, and Driving While Awesome host Lane Skelton for a raw, unfiltered conversation on car culture—past, present, and where it’s actually going. We break down the real story behind Air|Water—from underwhelming show layouts to why it might be better understood as a trade show for Porsche enthusiasts. Plus, what most people completely missed. Then we go deep into: The origin story of Radwood (and how it accidentally became a global brand) What it actually takes to turn passion into a business The behind-the-scenes reality of selling to Hagerty Why most car events fail creatively And finally—Lane takes us inside one of the most insane automotive experiences on the planet: 👉 A $1 billion private racetrack in Japan that feels like Jurassic Park This is part car talk, part industry reality check—and all operator-level perspective. 📍 In this episode: Air|Water vs Luftgekühlt — what’s missing Why car shows are really about people (not cars) The truth about automotive “taste vs money” Japan’s craziest track: Magarigawa Circuit Radwood’s accidental rise to success How Driving While Awesome stayed passion-first 🎙️ About Shifted Opinions: “We’re not sure, but cars are involved.” Hosted by Paul Kramer (AutoKennel), Dave Van Epps (Sonderwerks), and Casey Parkin (Group C Curation). 📩 Stay Connected: 👉 https://shiftedopinions.com