Dan DiBiase wrote (and others have expressed similar thoughts):
>
> Re: the whole 'street racing' thing - I am certainly out of touch with
> this whole area (more interests in staying connected with my 11 year old
> than the previous generation) but it seems to me that this isn't really
> any different than the street rodding arena of the 50's.... Not that that
> was right and this is wrong, it's just that it's a repeat of what some of
> us did when we were younger. Muscle cars in the 60's and 70's, etc. Just
> history repeating itself with a new generation.
>
As a born-again boy-racer I certainly have some sympathy for the
original correspondent (long since lost:-) and you all KNOW that I spent
far too much time, money and wrinkles trying to get my car to 'go faster
on a budget' - but yes, I restrict my insanity to the track.
I was a Steward at a 'KhanaCross' meeting in a little country town. The
'catering' was being handled by some ladies from the local community
volunteer group (raises money for the community group) and a couple of
them were saying how their teenage sons would love to be throwing their
cars around like the guys were doing on the part dirt, part sealed
track. They were lamenting the fact that they know that the kids are
'street dragging' just out of town and how dangerous it was.
Hey, at this meeting we even had a rollover (no-one hurt) - exciting,
eh? (Try doing that on the street and see how you come out of it!). My
suggestion was for them to encourage their kids to join a club and get
their cars onto the track at a formal meeting like this.
It is safe and cool because they actually have a track licence... and
they have OFFICIAL times against their mates and the others. They can
then go on to other tracks/events... even moving on to maybe becoming
professional racecar drivers (well, you gotta have a dream) like their heroes.
This is what we need to be saying to the 'street' drag kids.
It ain't cool to do it on the streets! They don't have a string of
trophies at home that say how good they are... just stories about their
last drag (stories that most people probably don't believe). I have
'official' time sheets and trophies!
Think ya can beat me? Prove it... see you at the track!
Eric
'68MGB MkII
Adelaide, South Australia
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