Proudest Driving Moment/Save
Discussion
What has been your best memorable moment whilst driving?
Mine is one of my first. Driving my 106 GTi across a connecting B-road from Perceton to Dreghorn just outside Irvine. There was a 'crest' followed by a tight, 2nd gear left. I was making progress and left the braking until the car had settled after the crest, as soon as the car was fully loaded I turned in, felt the back NS wheel pop up and the front grip in.
It was on the edge of grip and I was bricking it but it felt right. After that corner there is a junction, I sat there for a moment and collected myself before driving on such was the adrenaline hit! After my legs stopped shaking I couldnt stop smiling!
Another proud moment was in the same car when I managed a perfect and seemless upchange from 1st to 2nd. Havent been able to do that since!
Are there any similar 'moments' out there?
Mine is one of my first. Driving my 106 GTi across a connecting B-road from Perceton to Dreghorn just outside Irvine. There was a 'crest' followed by a tight, 2nd gear left. I was making progress and left the braking until the car had settled after the crest, as soon as the car was fully loaded I turned in, felt the back NS wheel pop up and the front grip in.
It was on the edge of grip and I was bricking it but it felt right. After that corner there is a junction, I sat there for a moment and collected myself before driving on such was the adrenaline hit! After my legs stopped shaking I couldnt stop smiling!
Another proud moment was in the same car when I managed a perfect and seemless upchange from 1st to 2nd. Havent been able to do that since!
Are there any similar 'moments' out there?
My proudest moment was setting fastest stage time on stage 2 I think it was of the 1994 Kune Tune stages rally in my 1.6 Talbot Sunbeam, beating the cossies and twin cam escorts etc.
It's possible that I missed a small section of the stage out somewhere taking a wrong turn, but the Marshalls never picked it up, so the time stood and I'm hoping it was right! I did drive that one stage well I remember. Not so stage 7 when I crashed!!
It's possible that I missed a small section of the stage out somewhere taking a wrong turn, but the Marshalls never picked it up, so the time stood and I'm hoping it was right! I did drive that one stage well I remember. Not so stage 7 when I crashed!!
I forsee willy waving follwed by condemning of said willy waving 
A moment that springs to mind. I once picked up an ex gf in my 106 1.5d
driving away from her street I took a 90degree sweeping left at 30 in the damp. The back let go. With hands in the 10 and 2 position I threw lock right without taking my foot off the accelerator.
It was perfect, the back sat around 30degress out and the front wheels followed the same path they would if the back hadn't stepped out.
Caught it, kept driving without breaking sentence. a few seconds later she said "Show off". I had to explain it was a complete accident. It was unbelievable, thank god I had a witness.
A moment that springs to mind. I once picked up an ex gf in my 106 1.5d
driving away from her street I took a 90degree sweeping left at 30 in the damp. The back let go. With hands in the 10 and 2 position I threw lock right without taking my foot off the accelerator.It was perfect, the back sat around 30degress out and the front wheels followed the same path they would if the back hadn't stepped out.
Caught it, kept driving without breaking sentence. a few seconds later she said "Show off". I had to explain it was a complete accident. It was unbelievable, thank god I had a witness.
Being told to 'turn in through the understeer' in a Litchfield Impreza, being slightly over-aggressive into the 'jet right hander' at Brunters and holding a five or six second, 80mph lock-stops power slide.
I claim that it was 95% skill, 5% luck... this is a lie.
Still quite proud of it though. Managed not to stuff it!
Oh, that and being 2.5 seconds faster than anyone else around the Brands Hatch rally circuit on a journo launch day. Thank you left-foot braking. Oh yeah, and being told by Tim Harvey that I'm a 'pretty decent driver' - At this point I do not want people pointing out that he was just being nice. I don't want to hear the truth, thank you very much!
I claim that it was 95% skill, 5% luck... this is a lie.
Still quite proud of it though. Managed not to stuff it!
Oh, that and being 2.5 seconds faster than anyone else around the Brands Hatch rally circuit on a journo launch day. Thank you left-foot braking. Oh yeah, and being told by Tim Harvey that I'm a 'pretty decent driver' - At this point I do not want people pointing out that he was just being nice. I don't want to hear the truth, thank you very much!
When I was a teenager, I was riding my bike, turning left unto a main road. Car coming, and I did not want to stop, eventually I though I had better and yanked on the back brakes.
Back end whipped around, let go of the brake and whipped upright in a perfect position on the main road. Must have frightened the life out of the driver coming behind.
Me, I was a riding god....
Back end whipped around, let go of the brake and whipped upright in a perfect position on the main road. Must have frightened the life out of the driver coming behind.
Me, I was a riding god....
Coming down a slip road in the snow to find a stationary bus blocking the entire exit, had do chance of braking to a stop before hitting the bus, but managed to go around it, up the grass verge and onto the carrigeway. My drivers wing mirror hit the back of the bus, that is how close I was to it!
Had to pull over at the next exit to take a few deep breaths, I must have been doing about 30mph when the mirror hit the bus, would have been a right mess if I had hit it with the front of the car
Had to pull over at the next exit to take a few deep breaths, I must have been doing about 30mph when the mirror hit the bus, would have been a right mess if I had hit it with the front of the car
another 106 save. Before I learned about lift off over steer, and being a bit young, I went around a wet roundabout a bit to fast, and ended up going around it with the back hanging out. I think the other people on the roundabout thought I was showing off, I wasn't, well didn't mean too.
Leading a race for the first time at Brands Hatch with family and friends there to see. I had qualified 4th which was my best ever qualifying at the time (only my fifth ever race). I was very eager off the line, and was leading by paddock. I lead for a few laps. Right on the very edge on the wet and recently re-surfaced track. The man who went on to win the championship overtook me on the inside at Paddock, I kept with him and he went defensive at Druids, I went to the outside.
This photo was taken, halfway round the tight druids hairpin:
Unfortunately on the very next corner (Graham Hill Bend), distracted by the new race leader, I made a mistake with the gearbox and this was enough to have me abruptly slithering off the circuit arse first!
This photo was taken, halfway round the tight druids hairpin:
Unfortunately on the very next corner (Graham Hill Bend), distracted by the new race leader, I made a mistake with the gearbox and this was enough to have me abruptly slithering off the circuit arse first!
I had a go in a Formula Ford out in Oz (my mate builds them and arranged for me to have a play in one - legend). On one of my last laps I got a bit cocky and took a fast right-hand kink about 5mph faster than I had done previously, and must have stuffed it up, as the back started to come around. Whilst mentally totting up the bill for the damage, I threw on full opposite lock while keeping the power on, and was unbelievably surprised when, after drifting for what felt like three and a half minutes (but was probably half a second) the damn thing came back into line. I may have whooped slightly in my helmet.
Nobody saw. Nobody believes me.
Nobody saw. Nobody believes me.
There have been plenty of epic saves on track (and at least as many epic non-saves), but on the road one comes to mind.
As I was straightlining a slippery roundabout near work in my old Mk1 Focus (a bit too quick), a car approached from the left a bit quick so I snapped the throttle shut, predictably finding myself looking directly out of the passenger window at speed at the narrow gap between the kerb and the traffic island on the roundabout exit...
Quite a few cars end up in the hedge on the left of this roundabout, and I was convinced I was shortly going to arrive at my first accident in that well worn spot upside down. Somehow I managed to thread it between the kerbs completely broadside, it swung back the other way a bit, aiming me nicely me around the slightly left handed exit, and I gathered it up to find myself perfectly in the middle of the lane travelling at normal speed.
Total, total fluke that I caught it.
Also a lesson learnt, I now tip-toe over that roundabout in the damp, and never barrel into any roundabout at any speed.
As I was straightlining a slippery roundabout near work in my old Mk1 Focus (a bit too quick), a car approached from the left a bit quick so I snapped the throttle shut, predictably finding myself looking directly out of the passenger window at speed at the narrow gap between the kerb and the traffic island on the roundabout exit...
Quite a few cars end up in the hedge on the left of this roundabout, and I was convinced I was shortly going to arrive at my first accident in that well worn spot upside down. Somehow I managed to thread it between the kerbs completely broadside, it swung back the other way a bit, aiming me nicely me around the slightly left handed exit, and I gathered it up to find myself perfectly in the middle of the lane travelling at normal speed.
Total, total fluke that I caught it.
Also a lesson learnt, I now tip-toe over that roundabout in the damp, and never barrel into any roundabout at any speed.
Fully loaded long wheelbase sprinter tour bus, 6-up, Luxembourg, 2nd of January. Black ice everywhere. tiptoeing on a roundabout at 2mph to get to the motorway, but there was an uphill sliproad, so I had to give it a bit of power to get up the hill. Hit some black ice on the slip road at around 8mph and got on the second most ludicrous tank slapper I have ever had. It's bloody hard to wind on oppo in a van, but I managed to not kill anybody so it was a save in my book.
This.
IOM TT track. Rally Impreza. 160mph. "Biggest Moment of my Life".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jSYiU-JdRw
Soovy said:
This.
IOM TT track. Rally Impreza. 160mph. "Biggest Moment of my Life".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jSYiU-JdRw
Different viewpoint http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfdgQSkiYIQ&fea...IOM TT track. Rally Impreza. 160mph. "Biggest Moment of my Life".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jSYiU-JdRw
The co driver doesnt even flinch!
Last December, the snow and ice had completely melted, but the roads were still quite greasy and slippy. coming home one night, I purposely decided to enter a roundabout a bit too quickly just to see how much a Fiesta would understeer.
Err, a lot. So I lifted off quickly, and ended up going round the roundabout at about 45 degrees. Then saw the kerb approaching at a vast rate of knots through the side window, so imagining the consequences of hitting a kerb side on at 40mph, and not liking the thought of landing on my roof, I rammed the throttle down, gave it more than a dab of oppo, and carried on going to my exit and left the rouundabout perfectly, in a ridiculous fit of laughter.
I'm sure the Fiat Doblo approaching the roundabout from the other side thought it was a fantastically heroic manoeuvre. Or not.
Although terrifying, it was easily the most fun I've had in a car on the road.
Err, a lot. So I lifted off quickly, and ended up going round the roundabout at about 45 degrees. Then saw the kerb approaching at a vast rate of knots through the side window, so imagining the consequences of hitting a kerb side on at 40mph, and not liking the thought of landing on my roof, I rammed the throttle down, gave it more than a dab of oppo, and carried on going to my exit and left the rouundabout perfectly, in a ridiculous fit of laughter.
I'm sure the Fiat Doblo approaching the roundabout from the other side thought it was a fantastically heroic manoeuvre. Or not.
Although terrifying, it was easily the most fun I've had in a car on the road.
Edited by Deranged Granny on Wednesday 1st February 16:49
Not me but observed as a passenger in my mrs TT convertible (when she had it.)
We were waiting behind a right turner when I heard 'hes going to hit us' coming from Mrs Grayze looking in her rear view mirror. I braced and waited for the impact as I heard a screech. The guy had actually missed us by mounting the pavement and driven his car (old avenger i think but a bit blurry) between the two uprights of a road sign. The uprights were about 1 inch wider than his car and he was doing about 40-50MPH, he didn't miss a beat and disapeared into the distance without stopping.
Fantastic driving you d
head.
We were waiting behind a right turner when I heard 'hes going to hit us' coming from Mrs Grayze looking in her rear view mirror. I braced and waited for the impact as I heard a screech. The guy had actually missed us by mounting the pavement and driven his car (old avenger i think but a bit blurry) between the two uprights of a road sign. The uprights were about 1 inch wider than his car and he was doing about 40-50MPH, he didn't miss a beat and disapeared into the distance without stopping.
Fantastic driving you d
head.Defcon5 said:
Different viewpoint http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfdgQSkiYIQ&fea...
The co driver doesnt even flinch!
I bet his bumhole had a good bite of the seat thoughThe co driver doesnt even flinch!
The day when my ninja reactions and Basil Mann's unorthodox instruction techniques made up for my lack of foresight and saved the health of a pedestrian who stepped out in front of me at the absolute last possible second. Way too late to stop, fortunately I had room to swerve around them.
I should have seen it coming though and slowed down more than I did. To this day I still think she might have done it on purpose. She waited, looked me straight in the eye, then put her head down and stepped in front of me.
I hope Basil reads this one day (if he hasn't been run over by a student by now), just so he can know his hard work and frankly mental techniques at Gerotek made a difference to someone's life.
I should have seen it coming though and slowed down more than I did. To this day I still think she might have done it on purpose. She waited, looked me straight in the eye, then put her head down and stepped in front of me.
I hope Basil reads this one day (if he hasn't been run over by a student by now), just so he can know his hard work and frankly mental techniques at Gerotek made a difference to someone's life.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff