____ from the front

when i first started participating in track events (driving around a ten-turn racetrack with your daily driver production car) i did ok. i was able to pass more often than not. instructors like it when you pass. even tho, officially, were not racing ;-) still, no one likes to go slow. and they probably feel that they are doing a better job instructing if you are going faster.

i didn't really have a lot of engine back then - a 140hp (rwd) 240sx. so it felt nice to be able to say "bye bye" to some higher powered vehicles in the twisties where engine (or top speed) made less of a difference. even though a civic or something would occasionally be seen going "quick" compared to me. it's all driver - as we learned. stupid civic.

as i attended a few more of these over the next few years - i finally got enough instructors to sign off on me so i could drive solo - and i started working my way up into the next class (there were four total), which really upped the ante. i remember one old man who was my instructor in the next class up who calculated how many tens of thousands of laps he had logged around summit point ... and HE really liked the way i drove. he felt comfortable that i had my car - even though i was playing with the limits a bit - haha. that was really nice.

one time i decided to try to save a little money by going to a single day event (track events are usually two day weekend events) - still hoping to get my speed fix (these actually help to slow me down on public roads). since i clearly wasn't a novice anymore ;-) and not driving a slow car either, i kinda pushed to not be in the bottom class because i wanted to go fast and not be held back by a bunch of n00bs.

what i failed to appreciate was that there were only two classes in the one day event. and so, if you weren't in the bottom class, you were in the *open* class. which means anything and everything can drive; including vipers (with literally two and half of my engines under the hood), guys who would show up with two trailered $90k Porsche with drilled rotors, even non-street legal kit racers. there was even a new Porsche GT3 there because the guy had just totalled his M5 a few weeks before. not only were there some brutally fast cars out there, these guys were seriously experienced drivers. the kind of guys who obviously do this more weekends per month than not.

i gave it my best shot, but my same make of vehicle had rolled a few weeks before and an instructors arm got caught flailing outside the car (you drive with windows down) - and everyone was nervous. i kept getting told to slow down which was frustrating. but in fairness i'm sure i wasn't driving well. nothing felt right. it was miserable. for everyone. suffice it to say i was the slowest moving piece of turd out there.

i got a different view of the track that day. i got a view of the track with all kinds of open space in front of me, and ten cars lined up behind me trying to get by me in the strait (the only designated pass zone, we weren't allowed to go two-wide in the turns). i realized what it means to be in front with a clear view and have a bunch of capable guys behind you. it doesn't mean you are their leader. it means - you are holding up progress. it means that, for whatever reason, you are holding guys back who've got places to go and people to see. it means you are a piece of human cholesterol.

maybe you've seen the motivational poster (usually accompanied by an image of horses galloping) which says "the speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack". well - yeah dude, that's cause the "leader" is slowing everyone down. in hierarchical leadership no one is allowed to pass the "leader". you're never allowed to go two-wide.

while its presumed apparent that the person in front is the fastest - this seems to hold true only if everyone begins at the same starting line... if everyone is coming from the same place. which works in carefully controlled environments - like the olympics -- but never in real life - like the golf course or toll road. in real life - where everyone is coming from a different place - the person in front is going the slowest. anyone behind you is going faster than you or they wouldn't be there.

everyone works differently than everyone else. if i'm at the top of my particular class... i may be better in the turns, but a porsche will be faster than me down the straight. if he is courteous (or if i "let him know i'm here" as my instructor encouraged me, by driving a foot off his bumper through six strait turns) he will lift off the gas on the strait and let me (maybe even beg me to) go by him. i may even be able to put some distance between us once we get back in the twisties. but i'll never be his leader. btw, isn't it interesting that some porsche aren't real happy letting a rice burner go by them... so sometimes you really gotta let them know you're there ;-)

its awesome to me that i don't feel held back at common table and our amazingly-collaborative loosely-structured structure (which isn't really documented anywhere - though we hope the lack of insistence of such a hierarchy speaks for itself) ... even though were small and don't have many resources, and really only a heart document and a creed to guide us organizationally. yet when i worked full time in a big church building with big budget and lots of toys and a big staff and a big loud pastor (with a culture that readily supports burnout, and a healthy lack of teamwork, and survivor-like culture thrown in for added instability) - i regularly felt restricted. and tired. there was just too much that needed to move in lock step. or not move at all. and all the lanes. and politics. and the reactions-neigh-convulsions to accommodate the senior ceo's whims. it sucked. ass. it sucked ass is what i'm trying to say.

turns out that i drive best when i'm allowed to drive my race, my line, my pace, with brothers and sisters around me to support me, cheer me on, turn a few laps with me when we find ourselves flocking, spur me on when they think i could be doing something better, tell me they miss me when i'm not there, are cool when i take a few laps at a different track once in a while, and generally celebrate our different lines and approaches and philosophies for driving around the track. its so cool that i get to do such cool shit here. i can't even believe it. and with my buddies around. yo buddies... love driving with you. watch how i find the apex on this next turn...




footnote: i've been poking at this one for like a month. but croghan - the blogging maniac that he is (and three time recipient of my new blagor0xx0rs tag) - has recently posted an awesome "aha" moment of his own that does not suck ass.

on species and flocking

we see birds flock overhead, we see fish flock in a pond, we see people flock to their respective places of worship, and children of similar age find each other - we all seem to take comfort with the idea, "you look like me".

as an s2000 owner - i've experienced another flocking phenomena: the instant brotherhood and trust that comes from crossing paths with another s2000 on the road. for the record: the protocol is a wave (a finger lift will do - after all the business at hand is driving), a broad knowing smile, and when stopped (with tops down) the reflexive compliment "nice car".

i've met guys that felt like my best friend after a few miles, and i was sad to see them go. i met one guy who was reading a book in the middle lane of the tollroad - and felt it my personal responsibility to kick his effing ass for that. but mostly i've met entities just like me - quick, alert, courteous to a point, guys that have no desire or need to compete, but rather immediately acknowledge my intrinsic worth and shared values. it's an instant safe environment.

lets compare this to a few other species:

minivans - as long as they are in the right lane, or moving out as appropriate, proper courtesy will be rendered. minivans are not people though - they are self absorbed elephants.

SUVs are inbred minivans - bigger, dumber, laden with genetic errors. SUVs are not people either - they are self absorbed mutants without free will, but with an ego. don't expect them to do much but wonder why you are pissed at them for matching the speed of those around them in the 3rd or 4th lane for miles at a time. ignorance incarnate.

trucks, particularly big trucks, from texas, and with tandem wheels - are dangerous. their weight distribution is whacked - yet they are surprisingly quick. they think they are as fast as an s2000 in the curves and have been known to tail you through the twisties into triple digits - but also arrogantly see no need to move out of the left lane with they clearly are not that fast. they needlessly add drama and tension to what could otherwise be fun situations, and i don't like being around them because i don't trust them and don't want to see one roll over or come off a cliff. if they stuck to what they know i'd respect them a hell of a lot more.

american cars are nothing more than pylons for driving by, including the high potential of the corvette. in deutschland- all of them know their place in the right lane of the autobahn. all image and no engineering... they have no free will and are doubtful sentient - although i've never actually tried to talk to one.

bmw - are sentient and usually make good travel companions. the 540's in particular - are secure in themselves but wise enough to not want to compete - and can indeed be a kindred spirit. but sometimes something inside is retarded and seems incapable of administering their gifted physical capability. unfortunately there are enough of these outsider data points to confound any verdict. the three series bmw's aren't that much of a direct threat and are usually capable enough... but those bmw that compete directly - the M3s in particular, are cold and indifferent. they can be fun to watch though.

porsche - are a relational disappointment. in all but the most expensive and capable porsche, s2000s compete closely or exceed them... a point that most porsche don't allow into their universe given our differing socioeconomic backgrounds. the most capable porsche are either way over my capability point - or are piloted by incompetents who somehow feel the privilege to take up space in the left lane. like i said, a disappointment.

miata's are well behaved little guys that don't mess with us and understand the difference better than anyone. consequently relations are civil and normalized. we're happy to eat lunch together and chat about whatever. ego's are never at issue.

Z4's are a parallel species but aliens. we don't talk to each other and don't mess with each other.

Nissan Z's are our bulkier cousin. competition is always a possibility - and a friendship isn't necessarily in mind - but its only about bragging rights... not anything more serious than that. personally, i think we have the edge. G35's are their equally capable sibling dressed in a suit scared to go outside.

performance modified ricers - aspire to be s2000s when they grow up, and jump at every chance to prove their worth. like a little brother they are willing to provoke to get a response (revving, horns, and weaving). usually well natured and fun and only mildly irritating. occasionally foolish enough to be dangerous.

cosmetically modified ricers - couldn't afford driving school and think they have somehow changed their performance by swapping out air dam's and moding tail lights. if they come alive nearby your best bet is to exit the situation as quickly as possible... either by disappearing forward or backing off. any close contest will result in them overdriving their car. it's not worth it.

old school muscle: displacement vs technology. ideally a respect for the generations keeps the peace. if not, all bets are off and the stakes go high. things can get primal very quickly. too bad we don't always respect our elders. and too bad our elders don't have the self confidence to not feel threatened by something newer going by. but sometimes a little tussle builds respect.

crotch rockets. a similarly complex eco system is present in the sport bike world. one of the most incredible aspects of owning an s2000, is that i'm actually recognized in their world as a sentient being with free will and a personality. after all - if you have to be driving on four wheels you might as well have 9,000 rpms. in a tunnel (a great time to relish your engine sound!) my two liters can add a respectable sub-harmonic to their 18,000 rpms.

semi's are the wizards of the road. too old and too wise to buzz about - they nevertheless are courteous and respectful of the s2000's capability and can handle themselves with respectable aplomb. often enough they will select a lane that allows you to complete a pass at nearly maximum acceleration so that you won't get stuck behind them. they always return a thank you for such courtesy.

it's a jungle out there. and a friend with whom you share common values is always a welcome sight. even if you just met him.