Racing Mazdas (no firearms)

[Osman Parvez <oparvez1@nycap.rr.com>]

Ok Steven you asked for it... 

[Story Time...complete with moral]

I went to pick up a friend the other day. Pulled up behind a Mazda Rx7
Twin Turbo.
I wait and wait.....
My friend is late.....

I get out to stretch a bit and walk by the Mazda....and notice the HUGE
Tank sitting in the Trunk with hoses running inside...then I notice the
auxilliary guage mounted on the A-pillar, the racing harness, the pseudo
DOT approved Slicks, and the silver button mounted on his stickshift
(with big hoses running from to and from it).

I ask the guy if he's running nox. Turns out that he was handicapped and
had built his own clutch actuator with various components hooked up to a
AIR tank! He had gotten into a Motorcycle accident a few years before
and was paralized from the waist down. BUT he hadn't given up on racing
in the SCCA.

We spent the next 20 minutes (my friend was VERY late..) chatting about
racing, his custom design work, and his Mazda. I recommended that in a
few years he move to a Steering Wheel tiptronic A4 (mandatory Audi
Content). He said he would look into it.

I also mentioned that I had bumped into a Quattro Club member at
Limerock a few years ago who was Handicapped. The guy had built
something very similiar for his 4000q. All I remember about the fellow
was that he was from CA and owned his own shop specializing in Audis.
This was someone from 2 Bennet was it? I wish I could have put the Mazda
guy and the 4000q guy in touch to compare notes, but I hadn't a clue
what the 4000q guy's name was. Just on the chance that I will see Mr.
Mazda again, anybody know who the guy from CA is?

OK so anyway...back to the Mazda.. (oh wait you were just kidding about
Racing Mazdas right?)
Seriously, I guess my point is, considering both the guy from Limerock
and this fellow I met the other day, that one really does set his own
limits as to what he or she can do. These guys didn't let their handicap
stop them from enjoying racing.

Also, that auto-enthusiasm crosses many boundaries. I saw this poster
the other day talking about people with disabilities having more access
but not fitting in. This didn't apply the other day. We probably would
have spent the next few hours talking cars, engineering, racing, etc. 


-- 
Osman Parvez
Albany NY
89 200q 175K (down but not out)
85 Mr2 77K
91 Golf (temp)