Wife worries too much. How to deal with it.
Discussion
Hi guys
I have recently started being interested in track days as I have finally gotten a half decent car.
Since I live in Frankfurt it has been a few trips to Hockenheimring and a few trips to the Nürburgring.
My problem is that my wife is completely terrified the whole time I am away on one of these trips.
I try to earn her trust by judging the situation and not taking excessive risks, i.e. 2 weeks ago at Hockenheimring I did not even go on the track at I thought it was raining too much and there was too much traffic on the track. So I just walked around for a while and looked at the action and all the nice cars.
I told her about this in order for her to realise that I am not some crazy adrenaline junky that will risk everything for nothing.
But she is still completely terrified for me and says that she is physically shaking the whole time I am gone.
How have you guys dealt with similar situations?
Where must be some of you who have partners who are not too happy about this track day hobby.
I have recently started being interested in track days as I have finally gotten a half decent car.
Since I live in Frankfurt it has been a few trips to Hockenheimring and a few trips to the Nürburgring.
My problem is that my wife is completely terrified the whole time I am away on one of these trips.
I try to earn her trust by judging the situation and not taking excessive risks, i.e. 2 weeks ago at Hockenheimring I did not even go on the track at I thought it was raining too much and there was too much traffic on the track. So I just walked around for a while and looked at the action and all the nice cars.
I told her about this in order for her to realise that I am not some crazy adrenaline junky that will risk everything for nothing.
But she is still completely terrified for me and says that she is physically shaking the whole time I am gone.
How have you guys dealt with similar situations?
Where must be some of you who have partners who are not too happy about this track day hobby.
Saxaboom said:
Take her with you and take her around the track, prove that you're not a complete loon (or at least be extra sensible for that session).
That should help?
This.That should help?
Not easy but possibly the only way that she will understand that it's probably more dangerous getting there than driving on track once you are there.
xr287 said:
What the hell is wrong with these women? I wasn't aware such over sensitive bags of nerves existed. What happens when they are faced with some real trauma or dang?
Try and introduce them to a wife or girlfriend of someone in Afghanistan to give them some perspective in life?
100% well said that man.Try and introduce them to a wife or girlfriend of someone in Afghanistan to give them some perspective in life?
Get HER to drive on a track day - book her some time with an instructor on a "beginners" day and she'll see it doesn't feel that dangerous. Being a passenger isn't the best plan as the passenger often feels like you're going quicker than you are.
Apart from that assure her you're always wearing a helmet (even at the ring) - and if the car suits put a cage in it.
Apart from that assure her you're always wearing a helmet (even at the ring) - and if the car suits put a cage in it.
I hear what you are saying, I have been doing trackdays for 10 years now, since before I met her and indeed she used to love joining me on track, on one occasion at Donnington she did a pad swap while I sat down and chilled out 
How ever now we have two babies, she worries herself so much it has made me look at it in a whole different way. Just before my last trip to The Ring we sat down I explained that road driving is way more dangerous and death or seroius injury is rare on trackdays and that I would not take unecessary risks.
I left early last week as The Ring was pretty treacherous and after some training and a very close shave the following lap I took heed of my own advice! I have definetly slowed down and crossed racing off my my to do list for the forseeable future.
Advice: talk to her and fit all the safety gear possible.
How ever now we have two babies, she worries herself so much it has made me look at it in a whole different way. Just before my last trip to The Ring we sat down I explained that road driving is way more dangerous and death or seroius injury is rare on trackdays and that I would not take unecessary risks.
I left early last week as The Ring was pretty treacherous and after some training and a very close shave the following lap I took heed of my own advice! I have definetly slowed down and crossed racing off my my to do list for the forseeable future.
Advice: talk to her and fit all the safety gear possible.
Edited by VTECMatt on Sunday 10th October 20:21
I've being doing track days for 8 years and often with my son (so she has both the males in her life together in one car).
The car's road legal but caged and harnessed and early on she came to watch, and she has been a passenger once.
She knows that we've had and continue to have loads of tuition. I've explained the risks and she's happy about our on track activities
but she worries about our journeys to and from the track (small car laden with tools, wheels, fuel etc.).
She knows we have to give her name and emergency contact details, and for the first time recently she got a little distressed
when I told her that our son had given his girlfriend's name instead of hers
.
The car's road legal but caged and harnessed and early on she came to watch, and she has been a passenger once.
She knows that we've had and continue to have loads of tuition. I've explained the risks and she's happy about our on track activities
but she worries about our journeys to and from the track (small car laden with tools, wheels, fuel etc.).
She knows we have to give her name and emergency contact details, and for the first time recently she got a little distressed
when I told her that our son had given his girlfriend's name instead of hers
.
Mrs Muttleysnoop said:
GreigM said:
Apart from that assure her you're always wearing a helmet (even at the ring) - and if the car suits put a cage in it.
If you put a cage in the car make sure you put a harness in it.So she's happy for you to drive at 150mph on the Autobahn, with a speed differential of 100mph to the HGVs, tightly packed cars with drivers not paying attention, a separation of 10 metres from vehicles doing 150mph in the opposite direction, and the nearest ambulance is half an hour away. The distance between the road and the Armco is about 50cm, and in the event of an accident it's likely there will be an enormous fireball.
On a track, everyone is going in the same direction, you'll be in an ambulance inside 5 minutes, everyone is travelling in the same direction at a similar speed, and really concentrating on what they're doing. The barriers are metres away from the track, and in the event of an accident, all of the cars will quickly be brought to a halt. And you're wearing a crash helmet.
What she should really be doing is worrying about you on the trip TO the track, rather than ON the track.
On a track, everyone is going in the same direction, you'll be in an ambulance inside 5 minutes, everyone is travelling in the same direction at a similar speed, and really concentrating on what they're doing. The barriers are metres away from the track, and in the event of an accident, all of the cars will quickly be brought to a halt. And you're wearing a crash helmet.
What she should really be doing is worrying about you on the trip TO the track, rather than ON the track.
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