I'll toss my vote in for better education early. I myself was phenomenally
lucky, lucky enough that my major stupidity play didn't hurt anybody. I saw
the recent post on remembering the road beyond the hill in an MR2, and had to
hop on...in Sheffield, VT on Rt. 122 south, I was driving a friend from NYC
back to our house in Dad's then-brand-new '88 MR2 (Super Red, natchurly.) We
were shooting the breeze over the car's performance, and he mentioned that
he'd never travelled 100MPH in a car. Well heck, I said, no time like the pre-
sent. I was then 18; I myself had only driven 100MPH on a superhighway (Rt. 91
in VT) with an experienced high-speed driver in the right seat. Anyhow, I crank
the car up to 102 on this two-laner twisty road that in fact was made for TR
driving in fall/spring, and as I reach a particular small chicane with a hump
in it I realize I don't remember which way the road curves after the hump. I
told my friend to brace himself, and we left the ground; I saw I'd guessed
wrong and was stupid and panicked enough to turn the wheels while aloft. We
landed with the wheels about 10 deg. out of true, and instantly went into a
vicious spin, ending up with the front of the car hanging over a 50ft dropoff
and sliding backwards/sideways down the wrong side of the road. We stopped 10
feet froma big tree.
So, yes, I consider myself undeservedly lucky, because I considered myself
immortal. The MR2's wheels weren't evene out of alignment. I drove at 40 or
less for six months, having just had it demonstrated how little control those
few square inches of rubber can actually give you.
Sorry; we return you to LBC's. Ob. TR: This is not something I'd ever like to
experiecne in my '6. I found out *afterwards* that MR2's tend to roll...I
started shaking, right there, a week later.
-JBZimmerman!
'71 TR6
'91 Kawasaki Zephyr 750
very humbled driving ego
|