Since 1974, I have owned and competed in numerous cars ranging from a 56 hp
Stock Honda Civic to the current AMod Phantom. Not to mention countless OPC
(other people's cars) ranging from Stock Neon to Porsche TT to single seat
hillclimb record holder. I must say that as the car gets faster, it gets
more difficult to drive at 100 percent without making a mistake or hitting a
cone. The reaction time gets REALLY REALLY short. Just imagine going 10-12
seconds faster on a 45-second course (typical differential between a Stock
Neon and a top AMod?). It's like watching your in-car video footage on fast
forward. At higher speed sections where the downforce is high, the car has
so much cornering power (I have seen 3 gs) that the limiting factor IS how
fast you can crank the steering wheel. The car is WAY FASTER than the
driver. The traditional way of looking for your apex simply won't work. The
time lag for the hand-eye coordination required to execute a series of
corners takes too long compare to the visual presentation of the cones
coming at you. You almost have to close your eyes, see saw on the steering
wheel and hope you have a clean run when you cross the finish line. Is it
easy??? I don't really care. All I can say is that I have a lot more respect
for the drivers in F1 and Indy cars now than when I was driving my Stock
cars.
Joe
> Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 00:46:37 -0500
> From: "Eric Linnhoff" <eric10mm@qni.com>
> Subject: Re: Why I Drive a Mod car
> Just that it's easier to go faster in a machine that's
> specifically designed to just that, go fast
> Simply yanking and cranking the steering wheel quicker does not one a
better
> driver make. Faster, perhaps.
>
> Prove me wrong. Loan me a CM car for a year. ;^)
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