View From The Porch: Professional driver on a closed course. Seriously.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Professional driver on a closed course. Seriously.

In my dreams I drive like that everywhere. Like, to the grocery store and stuff. It must come from being all cautious and polite behind the wheel when I'm awake.

(H/T to Peter.)

23 comments:

Scott said...: Very cool. I used to have a Fiat X1/9 that I autocrossed, that I wanted to dump a hot rodded 2.0liter motor in but never got around to it before starting to race dirt track.; 7:48 AM, September 16, 2010
rickn8or said...: Being polite in traffic is very difficult during "Pull over in front of me, drop 20 mph, and light up the cell phone" month.; 8:30 AM, September 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Why does the engine sound like my weedeater?; 8:48 AM, September 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Ugh!

That's requires more gear than a carbine class and dress up. No dress up.

As well, no room to haul guns or ammo. Pass.

Shootin' Buddy; 8:49 AM, September 16, 2010
McVee said...: Wow. In your dreams who's on the segway?; 9:22 AM, September 16, 2010
Matt G said...: Truly psich.; 9:29 AM, September 16, 2010
aczarnowski said...: He's certainly keen on keeping the tires warm. For traction no doubt.; 9:32 AM, September 16, 2010
gamachinist said...: "In my dreams I drive like that everywhere. Like, to the grocery store and stuff. It must come from being all cautious and polite behind the wheel when I'm awake."

Well, you did grow up in Atlanta for the most part...

And some of my friends will swear I drive like that in traffic.; 12:35 PM, September 16, 2010
staghounds said...: Why do they cut to pictures of the driver?; 12:36 PM, September 16, 2010
Weer'd Beard said...: Listen to that little sum-bitch backfire! That's HILARIOUS!!

Also I've seen the segway trick before...and you couldn't pay me to be on the two-wheel pogo-stick for that stunt...I'd need new pants!; 1:32 PM, September 16, 2010
Tam said...: Weer'd,

Did you stick around for the outtakes during the credits? Where he actually nudged the Segway with his bumper?

Yikes!; 1:42 PM, September 16, 2010
Bram said...: I want! I want to drive home from work in that little beast sideways through the snobby neighborhoods of Mendham and Chester, NJ.; 1:44 PM, September 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: 0-60 in 1.9? That's mad. Though that car is a Ford Fiesta in the sense that Pamela Anderson is a human being...

As for driving in general, I sincerely believe there's a reason why so many serious shooters drive fast. The skillset is very similar in terms of visual cueing, hand eye coordination, rapid judgment and execution, etc. At least, that's what I tell the nice officers when they pull me over.; 5:18 PM, September 16, 2010
T.Stahl said...: Now imagine Walter Röhrl doing the same in an Audi S1 whose inline-five screams like a real beast and doesn't sound like a Tim Taylor tuned lawn mower. ;-); 5:55 PM, September 16, 2010
Buck said...: My wife's Malibu isn't a race car but it's got paddle shifters too. I'm not allowed to drive it anymore.; 5:55 PM, September 16, 2010
Arthur said...: Weer'd, that's not regular backfire - they actually dump fuel rich exhaust upstream of the turbos and let it detonate to keep them spooled up to eliminate lag when they get back on the gas.

They do something similar in turbo drag racers that makes them sound like machine guns going off right before the light goes green.; 6:22 PM, September 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: heck Tam We still drive like this in Atlanta!!; 6:42 PM, September 16, 2010
Kristophr said...: I watched this loon haul one of the "Top Gear" presenters through a Nevada airport and airliner boneyard in that vehicle ... heh.

And then race a motorcross competitor out in the surrounding desert ... he beat the biker on the straights, but had trouble in the twisties and on the jumps.; 3:03 AM, September 17, 2010
og said...: SHoot, the tires alone would keep you broke.

I do like the flappy paddle gearbox, though. Supposedly the Subaru WRX is coming with one next year. if I was going to have a midlife crisis, thogh, It'd be cheaper to buy the Sabatti 500 Nitro express at Cabelas for $5499. And that would hold it's value better too.; 8:17 AM, September 17, 2010
Tam said...: "It'd be cheaper to buy the Sabatti 500 Nitro express at Cabelas for $5499."

Judging by some of the folks I know who are serious hobby racers, it'd probably be cheaper to pick up a bad coke habit and a yen for playing the ponies. ;); 10:35 AM, September 17, 2010
Gun Blobber said...: Personally, I liked the previous Ken Block / DC Shoes Gymkhana video better...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ7R_buZPSo; 12:44 PM, September 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Bram, Actually, you can still drive like that in Mendham and Chester today, just as my cousin Andy is prone to do. [And I did, about 40 yeqrs ago in a '69 Mustang set up for track instead of drag strip.] May I suggest the Yampa Valley [CO] scenic drive - 81 miles, of which 40 is gravel. If you do the suggested 25-35 mph you'll shake your filings loose. But get the car up to 50-much higher and ride the ridges. Watch the corners, as there aren't many guardrails...OldeForce; 10:23 PM, September 17, 2010
Dr. StrangeGun said...: Well... it makes me wonder about turbos and if it's workable to fit a sturdy oversized catalytic converter and a bleed line from manifold pressure, with one more fuel injector ahead of that cat to feed extra fuel and air into it when desired... or just richen up and feed air.

It's a sort of turbo turbo boost boost idea...; 11:29 PM, September 20, 2010