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Spinnaker · 04-01-2011, 04:01 AM

Your second lesson should be the same as the first.
Let the lead foot street racers go, you will pass them somewhere else. They might be be pulled over by the Redmond Police, wrapped around a pole, in one of those huge ditches along Avondale Way, or crumpled up in a heap at a intersection they tried to speed through down on Willows Road.
You only have one life, enjoy it. Feel the joy of winding through those twisty roads up around Ames Lake and feel the wind rush through what is left of your hair when is gets warm enough to put the top down.
You don't have to prove anything to anyone, and the street is NO place to be racing anyone. A few seconds of adrenaline thrill is not worth dying for. When you are driving on the streets, you never know what to expect. Cars, pedestrians, kids on skateboards, you never know what will jump out in front of you. You might not kill yourself, but you might kill someone else, could you live with that for the rest of your life?
Three years ago, a 24 year old "kid" was killed driving his Boxster a few blocks from where we used to moor our sailboat on Westlake Ave along Lake Union. I know the spot where he lost control of it well, and I figure he must have been going well over a 100 to lose it in the turn there. He skidded sideways across to the other side of the road and was broadsided right in the drivers door. A life wasted and gone for a couple of seconds of thrills.
If you want some driving lessons, contact the Pacific Northwest Region of the Porsche Club of America. They conduct driving skills and track days where you can get all the adrenaline thrills you want without risking anyone else's life.
http://www.pnwr.org/
Their calender shows quite a few events in April.
I'm not trying to do any preaching here, because I did my share of "street" racing when I was a kid and I have the tickets to prove it. But I was young and ignorant then, and by some miracle, I survived it all. I grew older and wiser, and know that by all accounts, and the testimony of those who knew me then, I could have been just like that unfortunate 24 year old very easily.
You don't need to prove anything to anyone, and you are old enough to know that. You admit that the car isn't a stop light racer so enjoy it for what it is. It is a car that is meant to be driven on the twisty roads of the world for the pure enjoyment of it all. It is a beautiful car meant to be driven on those beautiful roads.
I don't want to be picking parts off of your car in some wrecking yard because you have to prove you can beat a Highlander off of some stoplight. What are you going to do if you come up next to a Nissan GTR somewhere, sometime. Be stupid like I was when I was a kid? There will ALWAYS be a faster car somewhere. Let them be the stupid ones. You can send them flowers when they find out their car was faster than they were capable of driving it. Do you think anyone will care a couple of years down the road, that you beat someone off of a stoplight? I beat plenty of cars racing on the street, do you think anyone cares now? If I told my racing "stories" now, an intelligent person would think I was pretty irresponsible then, and they would be right.
Ever since I got the Boxster, I get a lot of pseudo racers trying to egg me on into a "race", and for some reason, a lot of them are driving Boxsters. I just let them go, because I remember that 24 year old life wasted, and I want to enjoy the roads and the years that I have left on this earth. Life is short and very precious.
Be safe and ENJOY it........

04-01-2011, 04:01 AM	#3
Spinnaker Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Seattle Posts: 735	Your second lesson should be the same as the first. Let the lead foot street racers go, you will pass them somewhere else. They might be be pulled over by the Redmond Police, wrapped around a pole, in one of those huge ditches along Avondale Way, or crumpled up in a heap at a intersection they tried to speed through down on Willows Road. You only have one life, enjoy it. Feel the joy of winding through those twisty roads up around Ames Lake and feel the wind rush through what is left of your hair when is gets warm enough to put the top down. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, and the street is NO place to be racing anyone. A few seconds of adrenaline thrill is not worth dying for. When you are driving on the streets, you never know what to expect. Cars, pedestrians, kids on skateboards, you never know what will jump out in front of you. You might not kill yourself, but you might kill someone else, could you live with that for the rest of your life? Three years ago, a 24 year old "kid" was killed driving his Boxster a few blocks from where we used to moor our sailboat on Westlake Ave along Lake Union. I know the spot where he lost control of it well, and I figure he must have been going well over a 100 to lose it in the turn there. He skidded sideways across to the other side of the road and was broadsided right in the drivers door. A life wasted and gone for a couple of seconds of thrills. If you want some driving lessons, contact the Pacific Northwest Region of the Porsche Club of America. They conduct driving skills and track days where you can get all the adrenaline thrills you want without risking anyone else's life. http://www.pnwr.org/ Their calender shows quite a few events in April. I'm not trying to do any preaching here, because I did my share of "street" racing when I was a kid and I have the tickets to prove it. But I was young and ignorant then, and by some miracle, I survived it all. I grew older and wiser, and know that by all accounts, and the testimony of those who knew me then, I could have been just like that unfortunate 24 year old very easily. You don't need to prove anything to anyone, and you are old enough to know that. You admit that the car isn't a stop light racer so enjoy it for what it is. It is a car that is meant to be driven on the twisty roads of the world for the pure enjoyment of it all. It is a beautiful car meant to be driven on those beautiful roads. I don't want to be picking parts off of your car in some wrecking yard because you have to prove you can beat a Highlander off of some stoplight. What are you going to do if you come up next to a Nissan GTR somewhere, sometime. Be stupid like I was when I was a kid? There will ALWAYS be a faster car somewhere. Let them be the stupid ones. You can send them flowers when they find out their car was faster than they were capable of driving it. Do you think anyone will care a couple of years down the road, that you beat someone off of a stoplight? I beat plenty of cars racing on the street, do you think anyone cares now? If I told my racing "stories" now, an intelligent person would think I was pretty irresponsible then, and they would be right. Ever since I got the Boxster, I get a lot of pseudo racers trying to egg me on into a "race", and for some reason, a lot of them are driving Boxsters. I just let them go, because I remember that 24 year old life wasted, and I want to enjoy the roads and the years that I have left on this earth. Life is short and very precious. Be safe and ENJOY it........ __________________ 2000S Ocean Blue Metallic- 116K 3X Water Pump, Clear side markers, Crios Mod, Front engine mount, Flywheel, clutch, RMS, AOS, MAF, serpentine belt, power brake vacuum line, battery, 2X CV boots, Fuel filter, Oil filler tube, 3X ignition switch, 90K service, gas cap, Coolant tank Last edited by Spinnaker; 04-02-2011 at 04:44 AM.