Why do people want to race on the road?!
Discussion
Driving home yesterday in the Integra R and whilst enjoying myself (as I always do), was minding my own business. Met with an Audi A4 Avant diesel thing which came up behind. He then at all costs had to overtake and was pushing into 3 figures (on a dual carriageway, punctuated by a couple of roundabouts) to make his point.
I let him go as I am not into that sort of thing but what is the deal with people wanting to prove that they are faster? After all, it is one of the most miserable cars on the road and as much as anything says "I am not a car guy". Is it just me?
I was genuinely suprised to see him make it around the roundabout at the speed he was going at...was waiting to see him understeer into a a ditch!
I let him go as I am not into that sort of thing but what is the deal with people wanting to prove that they are faster? After all, it is one of the most miserable cars on the road and as much as anything says "I am not a car guy". Is it just me?
I was genuinely suprised to see him make it around the roundabout at the speed he was going at...was waiting to see him understeer into a a ditch!
Had the same years back, I was in a xr3i and a boy in a 5 turbo came past in the lanes. All whistles and dump valves going flat out.
A mile or so on he'd gone wide, hit a tree and was facing me in the middle of the road with the front end scattered and steam going up. He looked fine so I gave a little toot and drove by.
A mile or so on he'd gone wide, hit a tree and was facing me in the middle of the road with the front end scattered and steam going up. He looked fine so I gave a little toot and drove by.
vrsmxtb said:
It's because they're little, insecure egotists who see another car (especially a sporty one) being driven briskly and perceive it as an attempt to make them feel inferior, so have to prove they're not.
Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
+1Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
If you think you can drive there are plenty of club championships available in the UK. On public roads if you have to use car control skills your observation and anticipation skills need refreshing
BFG TERRANO said:
Had the same years back, I was in a xr3i and a boy in a 5 turbo came past in the lanes. All whistles and dump valves going flat out.
A mile or so on he'd gone wide, hit a tree and was facing me in the middle of the road with the front end scattered and steam going up. He looked fine so I gave a little toot and drove by.
A mile or so on he'd gone wide, hit a tree and was facing me in the middle of the road with the front end scattered and steam going up. He looked fine so I gave a little toot and drove by.
A nice 80's flashback there....
OP, Diesel A4's are motoring royalty, don't you know (to my eternal shame, I quite like them btw :/).
It is not something I ever rise to to be honest - I am too sensible/miserable/old (delete as applicable!) for any of that. Yes, he may have just had a call to say he needs to rush to the hospital but I did overtake him on the dual carriageway prior to this. He then sped up, overtook me and then chucked his car into a roundabout at quite a speed. The road was quiet given the conditions and quite safe for him to do so but it amused me all the same .
.SidewaysSi said:
He then sped up, overtook me and then chucked his car into a roundabout at quite a speed.
Straights are dull and miserable at 60 or 120mph. Corners are fun when taken at a decent speed. I've often been passed on a straight and then have overtaken a car just after a roundabout due to carrying more speed through it.
What makes people want to race on public roads?
Simple answer is that they have a competative edge and that funding a season of circuit racing is prohibitavely too expensive for many people.
But I personally don't class it 'racing' if there are no corners
But then again, I don't 'race' on public roads.
Simple answer is that they have a competative edge and that funding a season of circuit racing is prohibitavely too expensive for many people.
But I personally don't class it 'racing' if there are no corners
But then again, I don't 'race' on public roads.
SMGB said:
vrsmxtb said:
It's because they're little, insecure egotists who see another car (especially a sporty one) being driven briskly and perceive it as an attempt to make them feel inferior, so have to prove they're not.
Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
+1Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
If you think you can drive there are plenty of club championships available in the UK. On public roads if you have to use car control skills your observation and anticipation skills need refreshing
k".Wouldn't it be lovely if driver of said Audi had enough money, a trailer, a race car and time to enter a club championship. Or he could just use a large piece of unoccupied tarmac to have a bit of safe fun.
StottyZr said:
Or because they are wanting to have a bit of a hoon and play against another car to see the difference between the cars. Bearing in mind an Integra Type R shouts "I'm not a 90 year old boring fk".
Wouldn't it be lovely if driver of said Audi had enough money, a trailer, a race car and time to enter a club championship. Or he could just use a large piece of unoccupied tarmac to have a bit of safe fun.
Have you heard about sprints, or autosolo?k".Wouldn't it be lovely if driver of said Audi had enough money, a trailer, a race car and time to enter a club championship. Or he could just use a large piece of unoccupied tarmac to have a bit of safe fun.
I always follow some advice given to me years ago.
"If I crash on a racetrack and someone gets killed or injured it's regrettable, if I do it on public roads because I was racing it's immoral."
Edited by SMGB on Monday 15th October 09:29
SidewaysSi said:
Yes, he may have just had a call to say he needs to rush to the hospital but I did overtake him on the dual carriageway prior to this. He then sped up, overtook me and then chucked his car into a roundabout at quite a speed.
This makes it sound more like racing. Some people really, really don't like being overtaken.
SidewaysSi said:
Driving home yesterday in the Integra R and whilst enjoying myself (as I always do), was minding my own business. Met with an Audi A4 Avant diesel thing which came up behind. He then at all costs had to overtake and was pushing into 3 figures (on a dual carriageway, punctuated by a couple of roundabouts) to make his point.
I let him go as I am not into that sort of thing but what is the deal with people wanting to prove that they are faster? After all, it is one of the most miserable cars on the road and as much as anything says "I am not a car guy". Is it just me?
I was genuinely suprised to see him make it around the roundabout at the speed he was going at...was waiting to see him understeer into a a ditch!
What a strange post. A car has come up behind you, and thus is travelling faster than you. Why aren't you allowing him to continue to travel faster than you? It takes more than 1 to 'race' and presumably he wasn't 'racing' until he encountered you.I let him go as I am not into that sort of thing but what is the deal with people wanting to prove that they are faster? After all, it is one of the most miserable cars on the road and as much as anything says "I am not a car guy". Is it just me?
I was genuinely suprised to see him make it around the roundabout at the speed he was going at...was waiting to see him understeer into a a ditch!
vrsmxtb said:
It's because they're little, insecure egotists who see another car (especially a sporty one) being driven briskly and perceive it as an attempt to make them feel inferior, so have to prove they're not.
Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
Or perhaps they're just traveling from A-B in the manner that they often do.Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
What a bizarre thread.
vrsmxtb said:
It's because they're little, insecure egotists who see another car (especially a sporty one) being driven briskly and perceive it as an attempt to make them feel inferior, so have to prove they're not.
Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
For me this sums it up perfectly! I get it ALL THE TIME even when just pottering along minding my own business someone will fly up behind me and then overtake as soon as they can or if on a duel carriageway they will overtake with their foot flat to the floor then once past just pull in and slow right down again.Don't rise to it - any moron can slam the loud pedal on a DC.
You can read it like a book. They are literally saying 'I know you've got a faster car than me but im going to prove im better than you by overtaking you'.Its pathetic and I just let them get on with it.
Strange,but I NEVER experience it when driving my van or a 'non sporty' car.
SMGB said:
Have you heard about sprints, or autosolo?
Sprints look interesting. Autosolo is a no no because of the extremely likely event of being sideswipped.Saying that, I'm looking up entering sprints right now and it seems I have to jump through about 50 hoops to enter, as well as pay to enter. I take it the car needs rollcage/special fuel tank to enter?
If there is any event where I can take my road car to for free/very cheap and race against the clock, I will go.
heebeegeetee said:
What a strange post. A car has come up behind you, and thus is travelling faster than you. Why aren't you allowing him to continue to travel faster than you? It takes more than 1 to 'race' and presumably he wasn't 'racing' until he encountered you....
...What a bizarre thread.
Indeed.......What a bizarre thread.
SidewaysSi said:
Yes, he may have just had a call to say he needs to rush to the hospital but I did overtake him on the dual carriageway prior to this. He then sped up, overtook me and then chucked his car into a roundabout at quite a speed.
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