from:larrybsp@aol.com
Racers are people just like everyone else including all the faults
that come with being human. When I was young I drove a 550 HP Dodge Hemi on
the street every day and street raced almost every night. I was at the drags
every weekend.
The concept of driving anything with less than 400HP was alien to me. Luckily
I
lived through my street racing days. When I started skiing It was a 700 mile
round trip every weekend from Manhatten to Sugerbush, VT. I needed something
fast that could handle the Vermont roads. I bought a 67 Mustang fastback with
a 270 HP engine. I upgraded the chasis to handle and off I went road racing
or rallying, sometimes both. My first "sports car". Doing 80 -90 mph by moon
light on two lane Vermont roads with black ice, snow, deer, and fog had your
adrenalin pumping like no autocross ever could. Best training groung for for
an autocrosser or road racer you could ever find. Thirty years later I've
mellowed. I drive my SUV (race car tow vehicle) and have no urge to hot dog
it on the street. From driving on the race track you realize just how
dangerous the roads are and just how quickly bad things can happen. One thing
I will admit. I use my cell phone in the car and and my CD player. I can't
tell you how many times I've almost lost it because my attention was
distracted dialing a number or trying to get a cassette back into the holder.
I keep
telling myself I should know better but I do it anyway. Like I said racers
are human.
Larry
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