What's your proudest driving moment?

What's your proudest driving moment?

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dxg

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

259 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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By "proudest' I mean that moment that made you think "I can actually do this. I'm a competent driver."

Here's mine - I'm interested to see how it stacks up against those of others:

So, I'm heading up bottom end of the M42 one day and traffic is heavy. I'm in lane 2 and there's a flatbed car transporter in lane 1, loaded up and playing the game of conserving momentum. I'm almost in its blind spot to continue past it but, as it's rapidly coming up to the back of an artic and I can imagine how long it would take to build up speed again, I check for an indication that it wants to come out in front of me. No sign.

I then - and this is where the proud moment comes from - check its door mirror and catch the eye of its driver staring back at me desperately and - for once - actually looking in his mirrors before signalling to pull out. I catch his eye, a quick flash of the headlights and he's out without bothering with his indicators.

This was several years ago. Still makes me smile.

Edited by dxg on Sunday 25th January 11:56

MrBarry123

6,025 posts

120 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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When I made my first journey across London (West-East) without the use of a satnav, without killing anyone and without ending up in Brighton.

robertrobertson

60 posts

110 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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The time I was blue lighted by Strathclydes finest and outrun them and managed to dump my stuff before they saw it. All right I was in a m3 and they had a diesel Astra but it was still pretty wicket.

isctony

10 posts

196 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Building my kit car with my dad back in 2007 and driving to the Nurburgring in 2013. It was an epic journey in a car that had been built by my own fair hands and driving it around a slippery Nurburgring. It was a n incredible experience.


isctony

10 posts

196 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Building my kit car with my dad back in 2007 and driving to the Nurburgring in 2013. It was an epic journey in a car that had been built by my own fair hands and driving it around a slippery Nurburgring. It was a n incredible experience.


BritishRacinGrin

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Overtaking for the lead around the outside at Paddock Hill bend and winning the race from 5th place. Family and friends were all there. I was walking on air for the rest of the day.

barker22

1,037 posts

166 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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I get you OP!
It does make for a good feeling when you anticipate other drivers and it plays out exactly as you thought biggrin
Unfortunately we still have many more drivers who only look at the back of the car infront of them and nothing else around them

omgus

7,305 posts

174 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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At the tail end of nearly 15 hours driving through the worst weather, traffic and idiots that the UK can produce, it was about 01:45, the temprature had plummeted and the roads were starting to have that really slick icy look you know brings trouble.
I was in my MR2, they were not known for being forgiving to tired, cack handed idiots in near freezing conditions after torrential rain and about 2 miles from home the back went on a tightening bend, my passenger felt it, exclaimed loudly and then realised i had caught it and it incident was over before she finished her little yelp of surprise.
The correction had to be perfect, i was tired, the conditions weren't great and it seemed to be the most natuaral catch ever made. I really felt like i had nailed the RWD st that day.

Must be added a few weeks later i fluffed a down shift and spun the same car whilst going in a near straight line so there is always something to learn. paperbag

V8forweekends

2,481 posts

123 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Quite a few in kart racing where I managed to overcome the handicap of being a "powerfully built" (fat and excessively tall) git and use wily tactics and little but of skill to win.

Loads on the road like the one the OP describes - I always like getting a wave of thanks from a fellow road user, whatever they are driving/riding, and it's great when you've caught someone's eye or, better still predicted with a seeming 6th sense, the moronic thing someone's about to do.

budfox

1,510 posts

128 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Avoided hitting a child just a few weeks ago because I was paying very close attention to what was going on around me. Younger drivers might have better reactions than those of us in our fifties, but nothing beats years of experience when assessing potential dangers.

vikingaero

10,256 posts

168 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Got given a Granada Scorpio to drive from Glasgow to Inverness in the snow...

I really shouldn't have been out driving. Shat my pants in whiteouts when I would lift off and end up 90 degrees across the road. Proudest moment was trying to get up a long incline and failing and then reversing up the incline line a FWD car.

Gilhooligan

2,211 posts

143 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Continuing my undefeated reign into my final year of uni with the uni karting club is a pretty good feeling. Not many more races to go til the end our chanpionship.
I almost never qualify pole either. I'm a good few stone heavier than my two main rivals but we ways race the 'ironman' format where it pays to be consistently fast and better at passing back-markers quickly.

Car related, I was driving home up a deserted A19 in lane 2 and was fast approaching a lorry in lane 1 which was coming up behind a slower car on an uphill section. I gave a couple of flashes before he indicated so he could pull out and keep his momentum going. Got a healthy dose of hazard lights as a thank you.

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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When driving northbound on the elevated stretch of the M5 south of Bristol, I was in my Beetle (air cooled), it was winter and lane three was covered in slush from the previous night's snow. As I was in lane two, passing a line of traffic, a car suddenly pulled out, the driver not realising I was there. I had nowhere to go but lane three where the Beetle, sliding every which way on the slush did a neat 360 and was eventually persuaded to fall back into line, heading in the right direction and without touching anything. Luck had as much to do with it as driver skill but I gave myself credit - as you do...
I'll never forget the wide-eyed rear seat passenger mouthing "Oh fk..." as she watched me pirouetting.

FiF

43,960 posts

250 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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In the sense of the OP's question the moment when you first thought "I can do this".

First rally win that was gained just on sheer pace and not because everybody else's navigators had made a mistake.

First time produced stage times right on the pace with the works guys. Didn't last long though. frown

First time finished top ten in an International event and a class pot. Bit of a fluke but occasionally you have to get the rub of the green.

On ordinary roads was on an advanced check drive. Slightly similar circumstance to OP. In lane 2 about to overtake a heavy that was catching up another. Moved into L3.

Instructor / tester just started to make a criticism when the heavy pulled out to overtake, no signal and the driver gave me a thumbs up. Shut the guy in the left seat up. Got the highest score out of our entire mob.

North3rn Monk3y

234 posts

140 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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On the A449, overtaking lots of traffic in my 1st car, th'Escort (1.4 shed with cheap alloys and a noise maker on the back).

Saw a beautiful red Audi RS4 flying up behind, I quickly tucked into a gap so he could go past without slowing down and then pulled back out again so I could continue my overtaking.

He gave me hazard warning lights and a thumbs up out of the window to say thanks before disappearing into the distance, I felt epic laugh

mattdaniels

7,353 posts

281 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Don't try this at home, kids.

Oakington 360

Asterix

24,438 posts

227 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Surviving any journey here in Dubai...

Seriously though, I really enjoy the mundane of being able to filter into and get across a six lane highway without causing any of the other road-users to have to brake or take any other action. It's a rarity here and if you can get it right it's very rewarding wee thing.

Actual specific - The first Dubai 24hr Endurance kart race I took part in. I was the team captain with a bunch of novices. We won the novice cup. Partly through lots of managing who did what and when but also driving like a bd to come from 3rd in class to first in the final stint. Especially as I'd been punted off during my 2nd stint and cracked a rib. I was in agony.

FreeLitres

6,039 posts

176 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Driving a TVR Chimaera 500 to Monaco and back via the Stelvio Pass. It was my first time driving in mainland Europe (i.e. on the right) and the first leg was 8 hours only stopping for fuel! The car performed faultlessly throughout.


TommoAE86

2,659 posts

126 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Once on a private road my Jag's back end stepped out, before the electronics saved me I'd already started winding off the opposite lock. Realised that I could do it if I was focused and sped up my workrate, if I was a driving god/really good naturally the electronics wouldn't have stepped in, but it's a start smile

Burrito

1,705 posts

219 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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If we're including karting then the club100 race where we were black flagged in qually, starting from the back of the grid and won the race which won us the championship. The kart felt incredible and all three of us drivers were absolutely on it.

On the road, a few years back, when I was a bit younger and bit foolish; I entered a large roundabout at a good pace but had to lift off when I caught a 4x4. I managed to catch the ensuing lift off oversteer hitting the lock stops and the passenger thought it was intentional!