Brash22
01-04-2008, 07:09 PM
OK, not really a race, but I thought you guys would appreaciate the story.
So on the last PreludeAustralia cruise we went for a little hills run. One of the things I love about my home town of Adelaide, SA is that some of the best driver's roads in the country are a little over a half hour drive out of the CBD, and that was where we headed on this, the last cruise of 07.
So we get the winding bits, and we set a pretty decent pace. Not flat out, but it is a public road, and I have a policy of never more than seven tenths on a public road. And I'm not too trusting of the skill of any of the four drivers in front of me (three because I've never seen them on the twisties, and the fourth because I've driven with him before).
So I gave my camera to Shane (whose third gen is about 1200km away having a H22 shoehorned in, and a K-Sport koilver kit intalled) in the passenger set and told him to capture as much of the action as he could.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/brash22/PAMEET_071216/IMG_5648.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/brash22/PAMEET_071216/IMG_5741.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/brash22/PAMEET_071216/IMG_5665.jpg
The one thing I dislike about the hills during the day (especially on a weekend) is that due to the public nature of the road, other traffic is common. And generally speaking, other traffic does not want to go as fast as we do. So much time is lost while waiting for an appropriate overtaking opportunity.
We get on the home stretch. I'm in front, Miki behind me in a 92 Mazda Astina (he left the Prelude at home), Jas fifth gen behind him, Laws E30 BMW 318 coupe behind him and rounding out the pack was Matt and his newly aquired fifth gen.
Due to the speed we were going, we caught up to a pair of slower travellers in no time at all. At the front was a first generation Mitsubishi Magna (http://www.carsales.com.au/Tig/UI/CSPhotoSlideShow.aspx?p=3061678&s=3061678,3061679,3061683,3061684,3061686&vehicle_id=5007115&Silo=1003&StockImage=False&PortalID=240481), followed by a brand new VE Holden Commodore SS (http://www.carsales.com.au/Tig/UI/CSPhotoSlideShow.aspx?p=9124120&s=9124120,9124124,9124125,9124126,9124127,9124128, 9124129,9124130,9124131,9124121,9124122,9124123&vehicle_id=4919762&Silo=1000&StockImage=False&PortalID=240481) which had the spare tyre on the front right corner.
Now a standard rule of thumb when driving in Australia, especially at speeds over 80km/h is to keep in the left lane unless you're overtaking. However neith of these two knew that. So coming to the first dual lane bit they stayed in the right lane. I'd had enough by that stage, and I ducked to the inside, but ran out of lane too quickly so put myself in between the two of them. The VE driver wasn't too happy about this, and did a great job of telling me so from his seat. But an overtaking lane is about a minute's drive away.
Or three minutes at this pace. Seriously, I can ride my bike though here faster than that!
The overtaking lane comes, and the Fagna pulls out. I gun press my fight foot to the firewall, and the cam changes. I'm outta there!
Now this overtaking lane is all uphill, it curves around to the right a little, then to the left a bit, the left lane ends, then we keep going up a little, round another left bend, then a right bend, then down the hill a little then it's hard on the brakes to drop the speed down for the little town of Inglewood.
But the VE driver stays in the right hand lane. Once past the Magna, Miki, headlights ablaze pulls to the inside as the lane ends. I see a bit of dust come up from the side as he goes off road to get aorund the car, but Jas, also high beams on in maximum intimidation mode pulls out, the other side! Over a double centre line on a blind corner up a hill! I see the lights in my mirror, and shout "he's going high!" in a Days of Thunder style comment. "...and there's cars coming the other way!" I exclaimed as we noticed a pair of late model Mitsubishi Pajero four wheel drives coming the other way. We round another corner, hoping for the best. We rounded the corner, getting ready to turn around, or to nail it and get out of there. After all, the PA.com logo is on all our cars, if the dipchit wants to report us, he has all he needs to.
Checking the mirror, I spot two sets of headlights rounding the left hander, and it's celebration time, me and Shane are jumping around as much as we can while strapped in. They made it.
We pulled out not long after that so the heartbeat could settle, mine was easily beating about 200BPM if not more, and I wasn't even involved!
Miki told us how he just had to get around that car, and he noticed how there was a lot of shoulder after the road officially ended, and went for it. And made it, by a bee's dick.
And Jas, he said the same thing. He couldn't see anything coming, and went for it.
Ok, it was probably a bit more exhilerating being there and watching it than reading it, but I've got a bit of an adrenaline rush just remembering the event.
So on the last PreludeAustralia cruise we went for a little hills run. One of the things I love about my home town of Adelaide, SA is that some of the best driver's roads in the country are a little over a half hour drive out of the CBD, and that was where we headed on this, the last cruise of 07.
So we get the winding bits, and we set a pretty decent pace. Not flat out, but it is a public road, and I have a policy of never more than seven tenths on a public road. And I'm not too trusting of the skill of any of the four drivers in front of me (three because I've never seen them on the twisties, and the fourth because I've driven with him before).
So I gave my camera to Shane (whose third gen is about 1200km away having a H22 shoehorned in, and a K-Sport koilver kit intalled) in the passenger set and told him to capture as much of the action as he could.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/brash22/PAMEET_071216/IMG_5648.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/brash22/PAMEET_071216/IMG_5741.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/brash22/PAMEET_071216/IMG_5665.jpg
The one thing I dislike about the hills during the day (especially on a weekend) is that due to the public nature of the road, other traffic is common. And generally speaking, other traffic does not want to go as fast as we do. So much time is lost while waiting for an appropriate overtaking opportunity.
We get on the home stretch. I'm in front, Miki behind me in a 92 Mazda Astina (he left the Prelude at home), Jas fifth gen behind him, Laws E30 BMW 318 coupe behind him and rounding out the pack was Matt and his newly aquired fifth gen.
Due to the speed we were going, we caught up to a pair of slower travellers in no time at all. At the front was a first generation Mitsubishi Magna (http://www.carsales.com.au/Tig/UI/CSPhotoSlideShow.aspx?p=3061678&s=3061678,3061679,3061683,3061684,3061686&vehicle_id=5007115&Silo=1003&StockImage=False&PortalID=240481), followed by a brand new VE Holden Commodore SS (http://www.carsales.com.au/Tig/UI/CSPhotoSlideShow.aspx?p=9124120&s=9124120,9124124,9124125,9124126,9124127,9124128, 9124129,9124130,9124131,9124121,9124122,9124123&vehicle_id=4919762&Silo=1000&StockImage=False&PortalID=240481) which had the spare tyre on the front right corner.
Now a standard rule of thumb when driving in Australia, especially at speeds over 80km/h is to keep in the left lane unless you're overtaking. However neith of these two knew that. So coming to the first dual lane bit they stayed in the right lane. I'd had enough by that stage, and I ducked to the inside, but ran out of lane too quickly so put myself in between the two of them. The VE driver wasn't too happy about this, and did a great job of telling me so from his seat. But an overtaking lane is about a minute's drive away.
Or three minutes at this pace. Seriously, I can ride my bike though here faster than that!
The overtaking lane comes, and the Fagna pulls out. I gun press my fight foot to the firewall, and the cam changes. I'm outta there!
Now this overtaking lane is all uphill, it curves around to the right a little, then to the left a bit, the left lane ends, then we keep going up a little, round another left bend, then a right bend, then down the hill a little then it's hard on the brakes to drop the speed down for the little town of Inglewood.
But the VE driver stays in the right hand lane. Once past the Magna, Miki, headlights ablaze pulls to the inside as the lane ends. I see a bit of dust come up from the side as he goes off road to get aorund the car, but Jas, also high beams on in maximum intimidation mode pulls out, the other side! Over a double centre line on a blind corner up a hill! I see the lights in my mirror, and shout "he's going high!" in a Days of Thunder style comment. "...and there's cars coming the other way!" I exclaimed as we noticed a pair of late model Mitsubishi Pajero four wheel drives coming the other way. We round another corner, hoping for the best. We rounded the corner, getting ready to turn around, or to nail it and get out of there. After all, the PA.com logo is on all our cars, if the dipchit wants to report us, he has all he needs to.
Checking the mirror, I spot two sets of headlights rounding the left hander, and it's celebration time, me and Shane are jumping around as much as we can while strapped in. They made it.
We pulled out not long after that so the heartbeat could settle, mine was easily beating about 200BPM if not more, and I wasn't even involved!
Miki told us how he just had to get around that car, and he noticed how there was a lot of shoulder after the road officially ended, and went for it. And made it, by a bee's dick.
And Jas, he said the same thing. He couldn't see anything coming, and went for it.
Ok, it was probably a bit more exhilerating being there and watching it than reading it, but I've got a bit of an adrenaline rush just remembering the event.