Re: Idiots? BTDT

[STEADIRIC@aol.com]

>I'm gonna send my girls to a Skippy school or some such when they get 
>their licenses.  Only question is - do I let them drive for a year 
>first, to get the feel of the cars - or send 'em RIGHT away?

Speaking from Skippy'dom experience.....  Send them 3 month after they 
get their license... You, your wife, your girls AND the insurance company 
will love you for it!

Here's my Idiot BTDT story......  (Yes even us racing drivers/instructors 
do it!!)  The STL Region SCCA put's on a GREAT HIGH SPEED autocross at a 
airport... Did I say that this was a HIGH SPEED Event?.... Modified cars 
have been known to run out of gears and go down the taxiways and runways 
at full throttle in top gear bouncing off the rev-limiters for 5 to10 
seconds at a time!!  I was Co-driving a friends street prepared RX-7 and 
I swore up and down that I could do this little right, left, right lane 
toss flat towards the top of third gear... Something like 85 or 90 
mph.....  Well.... I forgot that on a lowered RX-7 the watts link goes 
into bind at anythng more than 2.5 degrees of roll, making the rear 
suspension have a infinate rate which is signaled by instant 
oversteer....  Did I mention that the oversteer happens so quick that you 
thought that it happened YESTERDAY?   Now at the drivers meeting they 
informed us that those really cool looking blue runway and taxiway way 
marker lights cost like $500 each if you take them out.....  The really 
bad thing about that is those lights are less than one foot from the 
runway.....  Well it's my 2nd run and I know that this time I'm going to 
go through this little combo FLAT And REALLY Impress everyone... 
Including the car owner who is working that corner....  I get to the lane 
toss and I toss right and the car get's a touch loose.... I keep my right 
foot planted and grab a ton of steering and toss left.......  Well I 
did'nt make the right toss back because the rear swapped ends with the 
front.....  As the car passed 90 degrees I thought to myself "I wonder 
how many of those little blue lamps am I going to take out?"  Thank god 
for racer reflexes and the "When in a spin, BOTH FEET IN" training... I 
grenaded both the brakes and clutch, and YES!! I caught the spin... small 
problem was now I travling 80mph BACKWARDS..... At least I'm wiping out 
cones and not runway lights!  I keep the brakes locked and at about 60mph 
I crank on full right lock rev the engine to 6000rpm and jump off the 
brake pedal, As the car passes 110 degrees I dump the clutch and continue 
ON COURSE completing a perfect "Rockford slide"!!!  I loose a total of 
2.2 seconds to my last lap time, take 6 seconds in pylon penaltys and get 
a standing ovation upon my return to the pits....  Oh yeah that run also 
cost me 4 tires....  Which was still cheaper than One runway lamp!

Later!


Eric Fletcher
'87 5KCSTQIA2RSR2B
St. Louis, MO

STEADIRIC@aol.com