Tell us about when you were nearly a driving god

Tell us about when you were nearly a driving god

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Black_S3

2,667 posts

187 months

Wednesday 12th December 2018
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GravelBen said:
What do you mean, 'nearly'?

hehe
Exactly my thoughts.... The last time I came close to being a driving god I ended up having to trawl through the classifieds the same evening with the actual intention of buying one of the cars I was looking at.

vsonix

3,858 posts

162 months

Wednesday 12th December 2018
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In New Zealand, I was enjoying the easily controllable gentle powerslides in my borrowed '95 2.0 AWD Legacy wagon on some stunning bits of winding gravel road and was enjoying progressively bolder and smoother moves until I realised I was no longer surrounded by welcoming fields on either side and there was now a sheer hundred metre drop straight into the Pacific, no margin for error whatsoever, and furthermore, no mobile phone signal to call for help if I did stack it. Not only that but I was coming within centimetres of the edge. So I had a stern word with myself and went back to going round corners the 'normal' way.


Edited by vsonix on Thursday 13th December 19:07

QuattroDave

1,461 posts

127 months

Wednesday 12th December 2018
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P5BNij said:
QuattroDave said:
P5BNij said:
I drove an Inter-City HST 125 at 128mph once. Thread done...? biggrin
I thought class 43's had a top speed of 140mph but only for very short periods, its cruising speed was 125mph!
This was back in 1983 when I was a mere eighteen year old secondman travelling in the cab from Swansea back to Paddington with three drivers, one of whom was on his very last run before retirement, he put me in the chair for a short while and I managed 128mph between Swindon and Didcot before shutting off for a temporary speed restriction wink


(I think from memory the needle 'stop' in the speedo was somewhere around the 130mph mark back then)


Edited by P5BNij on Wednesday 12th December 19:27
Still very cool, best I got was being left as a 10 year old with a friend in the cab of a class 47 in Weymouth station - all on and running and told "don't drive off!"

Zarco

17,708 posts

208 months

Thursday 13th December 2018
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DickyC said:
The 125 and I have grown old together. When I wasn't commuting somewhere by car I was in and out of Paddington on the HST. When they were newish and allowed to leave stations at full chat I timed one, standstill in Paddington to standstill in Reading, at 17 minutes exactly. If I was right and didn't dream it, it would have been an average speed of 125.

Is there a railway section here? I could go and ask if I imagined it.
That's some going. That used to be part of my commute and I think best I've seen is around 25min, and that was a rarity.


anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 13th December 2018
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rossub said:
I drove on a frosty back road this morning without winter tyres and I didn’t crash bowtie
Clearly this is impossible.

FK

161 posts

63 months

Thursday 13th December 2018
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Good evening,

New to the forum here but thought it was only right that I share my driving (lack of) godliness.

On a commute back home from work, overtook a 911 round the outside on one of those wide roundabouts leading onto the M1.

Felt very good about myself, until I checked my mirrors and saw a pair of very bright headlights in my mirrors.

Put my foot down in my Focus 2.0. You can guess what difference that made....

Had to admit defeat, pulled out of the way, and a brand new Audi RS6 V8 shot past as if I had stopped to use the gents...

Definitely put in my place!

Shuvi McTupya

24,460 posts

246 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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Welcome to the forum FK.

I wouldn't feel too bad about being 'embarassed' by an RS6, there isn't much on the road that can keep one of those at bay!


Edited by Shuvi McTupya on Friday 14th December 09:38

Flying Phil

1,578 posts

144 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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DickyC said:
P5BNij said:
I drove an Inter-City HST 125 at 128mph once. Thread done...? biggrin
The 125 and I have grown old together. When I wasn't commuting somewhere by car I was in and out of Paddington on the HST. When they were newish and allowed to leave stations at full chat I timed one, standstill in Paddington to standstill in Reading, at 17 minutes exactly. If I was right and didn't dream it, it would have been an average speed of 125.

Is there a railway section here? I could go and ask if I imagined it.
Yes ...in the Pie and Piston section there is a "Boats Planes and Trains" section and HSTs were timed at over 130 mph when they were first introduced on the GW route.

My driving god incident(s) were fortunately few My frogeye, on brand new tyres, in the wet, on a dual carriageway in town that turned 90 degrees after going under a railway bridge. I had overtaken a few cars leading up to the bridge......How they smiled as they passed me - facing them, having spun 180 degrees, just round the corner......
Going too fast at the end of the two lane motorway into Palma ......and seeing the red traffic lights! Four adults in a rented Clio makes stopping distance somewhat longer than the distance to the last cars in the two traffic lanes.......Fortunately there was Just enough space between the two lanes, to come to a halt. As the tyre smoke drifted past our windows and we all looked ahead my father said "That was close"......


FK

161 posts

63 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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Shuvi McTupya said:
Welcome to the forum FK.

I wouldn't feel too bad about being 'embarassed' by an RS6, there isn't much on the road that can keep one of those at bay!


Edited by Shuvi McTupya on Friday 14th December 09:38
Thank you very much for the welcome. I guess I can't be held accountable for a 430bhp deficit!

vikingaero

10,256 posts

168 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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Nineteen ninety something. Driving in a Vectra automatic hire car. Came up behind a few HGVs convoying on the A9. Went to overtake and realised that a few HGVs was actually 9 HGVs. Committed, so I clenched my buttocks and went for it. Overtook all 9 (admittedly whilst praying that none of them pulled out). Pure hero.

JBT

118 posts

145 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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This was the time I was nearly a racing god. My first year racing two stroke karts, 4th or 5th round of the championship at Clay Pigeon. It was a dry / wet heat and the whole field was on slicks. Coming towards the esses round the back of the circuit on the last lap, I was in about 7th desperately trying to hang on to the pack in front, when the leader spun and forced some of the others to brake nearly to a stop and the rest to take to the grass. There was half a karts width of clear track on the outside and I went for it, clattering over the kerb and just keeping it pointing in the right direction, and I came out in front, with the top 4 in the championship and the reigning champion now behind me. I had not led a race until that point and for the length of the back straight I was shouting "YESSSSSS!!" in my helmet. Until I got to the hairpin at the end of the straight, overshot my braking and sailed into the tyre wall.

zarjaz1991

3,471 posts

122 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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I was nearly a Driving God when....errr....it was that time when....umm....yeah...errr.....can I come back to you on this one? I'm sure it must've happened sometime.

Toltec

7,159 posts

222 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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Driving some of the twisty hill roads in Tenerife in a hired Citreon C something and hooking the inside wheels into the V gutters initial D style.

Sport220

619 posts

74 months

Friday 14th December 2018
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Last time I went go karting biggrin

QuattroDave

1,461 posts

127 months

Saturday 15th December 2018
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FK said:
Shuvi McTupya said:
Welcome to the forum FK.

I wouldn't feel too bad about being 'embarassed' by an RS6, there isn't much on the road that can keep one of those at bay!


Edited by Shuvi McTupya on Friday 14th December 09:38
Thank you very much for the welcome. I guess I can't be held accountable for a 430bhp deficit!
As an ex RS6 owner (the v10 - tweaked to 700bhp ) I can confirm that statement. In fact I personally found it too fast for UK roads! Though before I sold it I did generate the funniest wtf faces on the driver and passenger of an M135i I'd ever seen. They were clearly out for a blast and when they saw me they tried to boot it away from me only for me to sweep by as if they were going backwards. Slowed down as soon as I'd passed and they both gawped at me as they trundled by!

However speed isn't all that as the RS6 is a one trick pony when it comes to enjoyment - straight line speed. I actually moved to a new M140i which I've found far more engaging and although I miss the v10 sound and bootspace that's made up for by halving my fuel consumption and removing the background fear of a ruinous repair bill!

FK

161 posts

63 months

Saturday 15th December 2018
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QuattroDave said:
FK said:
Shuvi McTupya said:
Welcome to the forum FK.

I wouldn't feel too bad about being 'embarassed' by an RS6, there isn't much on the road that can keep one of those at bay!


Edited by Shuvi McTupya on Friday 14th December 09:38
Thank you very much for the welcome. I guess I can't be held accountable for a 430bhp deficit!
As an ex RS6 owner (the v10 - tweaked to 700bhp ) I can confirm that statement. In fact I personally found it too fast for UK roads! Though before I sold it I did generate the funniest wtf faces on the driver and passenger of an M135i I'd ever seen. They were clearly out for a blast and when they saw me they tried to boot it away from me only for me to sweep by as if they were going backwards. Slowed down as soon as I'd passed and they both gawped at me as they trundled by!

However speed isn't all that as the RS6 is a one trick pony when it comes to enjoyment - straight line speed. I actually moved to a new M140i which I've found far more engaging and although I miss the v10 sound and bootspace that's made up for by halving my fuel consumption and removing the background fear of a ruinous repair bill!
Interesting. My old boss used to have an Audi RS4 and he was saying that despite it being extremely capable, and despite deriving a huge amount of satisfaction in giving a couple of M3s a lesson in real corner speed, he also felt the car left him a little bit cold as well.

The only time I ever showed an fast Audi a clean pair of heels was in a classic traffic light grand prix. Focus was not available, so I had to resort to just 1000cc for this. And two wheels. And a Suzuki badge. Never seen an RS4 go backwards like that. Including round the corners. Felt extremely well endowed that day even though my mum could probably have done just as good a job!

DickyC

Original Poster:

49,549 posts

197 months

Sunday 16th December 2018
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To return briefly to my hotted up MG Metro of yesteryear, one of my commutes involved the Marlow Bypass. With no traffic this would be a fast dual carriageway joining the M40 with the M4 with just one roundabout to interrupt flow. At the time of day I used it I never had a clear shot at the roundabout and the boy racer in me had to content himself with blasting round the roundabout from stationary and then away on the dual carriageway. Southbound was best as it was uphill away from the roundabout. Then, one evening, I fell through a hole in the traffic and after a fast run south from the M40 the roundabout was clear and waiting for me. Round the roundabout, left, right, left, then foot down even harder for the hill. Bang. The only engine I've ever blown up. Limped to the layby, disconnected plug leads until I found the blown piston. Turned it off, took the plug out and drove home on three cylinders to decide not to have the engine rebuilt again. So endeth the MG Metro period of my life.

Shuvi McTupya

24,460 posts

246 months

Sunday 16th December 2018
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JBT said:
This was the time I was nearly a racing god. My first year racing two stroke karts, 4th or 5th round of the championship at Clay Pigeon. It was a dry / wet heat and the whole field was on slicks. Coming towards the esses round the back of the circuit on the last lap, I was in about 7th desperately trying to hang on to the pack in front, when the leader spun and forced some of the others to brake nearly to a stop and the rest to take to the grass. There was half a karts width of clear track on the outside and I went for it, clattering over the kerb and just keeping it pointing in the right direction, and I came out in front, with the top 4 in the championship and the reigning champion now behind me. I had not led a race until that point and for the length of the back straight I was shouting "YESSSSSS!!" in my helmet. Until I got to the hairpin at the end of the straight, overshot my braking and sailed into the tyre wall.
Gutted! smile


horsemeatscandal

1,171 posts

103 months

Monday 17th December 2018
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Overtook a Tesla in my gutless Suzuki on Saturday evening.

Nothing ‘nearly’ about it.

daytona111r

762 posts

203 months

Monday 17th December 2018
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17, recently passed my test, in my Citroen AX 14DTR. 53hp but you could just flick that car around on 155 tyres, it had no intertia, and I was continually trying to probe the limits of lift off oversteer. There’s a bridge by South Woodford Station, which has a continuous radius all the way round, awkward cambers and cars parked on the side. It was raining one Sunday morning as I was going round, and perfect for a bit of lift off oversteer research. Got the car sideways, over corrected, over corrected the other way etc etc dancing along until I hit the kerb, broke the front axl with the front wheel just coming straight off. My first accident, I was distraught with my driving God ego battered. We got the car fixed at a garage round the corner from the bridge with the repairs higher than the value of the car. And you know when you’re a teenager you feel like you get shouted at just for screaming, and then there’s one time you do something monumentally stupid and you don’t get bked at all??? Well that was this, and not getting bked just made me feel even more guilty. Fast forward a long long month, the car was done, I went to pick it up and drive it back home. Came back round the said bridge, on the other side, it was slightly damp . . . and being 17 and not having a fail safe switch, I thought let me try it again 😂. This time I got the little AX stupidly sideways, more than I’ve ever done since, 50/60 degrees or so, and I was looking out the side window and making a bee-line for a parked up grey MG BGT. I can still picture it now, this thing looked resplendent all polished up with its chrome bumpers. And I was heading for an almighty smash with it, with thoughts flashing in my head about what I was possibly going to say this time to my mum and the poor MG owner. Not sure exactly what happened, down to luck rather than skill, but the tyres must have caught some grip just in the nick of time and I had a luckily escape. I didn’t stop, drove home, and it shat me up so much I completely blocked it out of my mind for 6 months.