12-24-2005, 10:29 PM
I'll keep my story relatively brief...
I've always had a passion for cars, and once I was of legal driving age, my father gave me his rare 82 Audi Turbo Quattro Coupe. After two years of driving like a jackass and having two off-road incidents (on Popes Head and on Beach Mill for you NoVA natives), I decided it was time for me to learn how to drive. I signed up for a BMWCCA school, but had to cancel as Turbo Performance Center pretty much destroyed my car from an inside theft job. I was a stupid kid, and had failed to secure all the proper paperwork to have them do an "under the table" job...
Next car I took to Davison College and I began to modify it with my summertime earnings. In retrospect, it was a bit riced out, but such is water under the bridge. Again I got that itch to try a road course, but never mustered up the courage and the thing was not prepared for such activities.
In January of 2002, I ordered my 350Z Track model - the acquisition a bit above my financial capacity at the time. Yes, a measly $32K salary with a $36K purchase makes it a bit tight, so I picked up a secondary job to augment my income. In retrospect, I don't know how I afforded the car since I make substantially more and I don't seem to have much money left over at the end of the month. Hmmm... Anyways, it arrived the first week of September of 2002, and immediately I planned on a trip down to VIR with NASA a few weeks later, temporary tags and all. I was wait-listed, but since I was present with a check in hand, I took my first hit of the GFCP, and my wallet has not been more empty since.
At some point I met some retarded ricers from a club called Madison Motorsports and happened to notice they were attending the same events I was. I guess I can say that they're alright...
Over the past 3+ years, I've set up the car specifically for one purpose, and I think it's been set up well. It's been a joyous period of my life, meeting a lot of great people, creating new friendships, and getting a lot of new experiences. I spent some time early in my driving career working corners with CarGuys, but for the most part I've spent my time driving. I've run with numerous organizations with varied opinions of how things are done: NASA-MA, NASA-SE, NASA-OH/IN, TracQuest / Chin Motorsports, TZC/THSCC, CarGuys, Mazda Drivers, Audi Club, and Ferrari Club. I started instructing in July 2004 to help share my enthusiasm with new and learning drivers, and in return I think it's benefited my training skillsets that I am frequently using at the office. My travels have taken me to many tracks including Summit Point (Main & Shenandoah), VIR (Full, Grand East, & North), Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and the Nurburgring (in a rental car).
The biggest downside to my 350Z is that consumables are extremely expensive, and I am long overdue in procuring a tow vehicle for hauling duty. I especially do not want to get isolated at a remote destination such as being stuck in the snow again on shaved R-compounds (Mid-Ohio April 05) or breaking my car.
The only other driving experience I can share is a recent SCCA Rallycross that I enrolled my leased WRX in. It was truly a different epxerience going from alphalt (and sometimes grass) to dirt and mud. After taking out a few saplings and tall brush my first session, my learning curve was pretty steep based on my knowledge of driving dynamics. My last session of the day recorded the fastest lap time in my class...
What's next for me? I'm taking the SCCA comp school in March of 2006, but I'm not sure what I'm going to be racing. With very little modification, I could change my 350Z to T2 spec, but the car is underpowered for its class and it would be challenging to be competitive. If all goes well, I hope to test the waters by getting a ride in an enduro car. Only time will tell...
I've always had a passion for cars, and once I was of legal driving age, my father gave me his rare 82 Audi Turbo Quattro Coupe. After two years of driving like a jackass and having two off-road incidents (on Popes Head and on Beach Mill for you NoVA natives), I decided it was time for me to learn how to drive. I signed up for a BMWCCA school, but had to cancel as Turbo Performance Center pretty much destroyed my car from an inside theft job. I was a stupid kid, and had failed to secure all the proper paperwork to have them do an "under the table" job...
Next car I took to Davison College and I began to modify it with my summertime earnings. In retrospect, it was a bit riced out, but such is water under the bridge. Again I got that itch to try a road course, but never mustered up the courage and the thing was not prepared for such activities.
In January of 2002, I ordered my 350Z Track model - the acquisition a bit above my financial capacity at the time. Yes, a measly $32K salary with a $36K purchase makes it a bit tight, so I picked up a secondary job to augment my income. In retrospect, I don't know how I afforded the car since I make substantially more and I don't seem to have much money left over at the end of the month. Hmmm... Anyways, it arrived the first week of September of 2002, and immediately I planned on a trip down to VIR with NASA a few weeks later, temporary tags and all. I was wait-listed, but since I was present with a check in hand, I took my first hit of the GFCP, and my wallet has not been more empty since.
At some point I met some retarded ricers from a club called Madison Motorsports and happened to notice they were attending the same events I was. I guess I can say that they're alright...
Over the past 3+ years, I've set up the car specifically for one purpose, and I think it's been set up well. It's been a joyous period of my life, meeting a lot of great people, creating new friendships, and getting a lot of new experiences. I spent some time early in my driving career working corners with CarGuys, but for the most part I've spent my time driving. I've run with numerous organizations with varied opinions of how things are done: NASA-MA, NASA-SE, NASA-OH/IN, TracQuest / Chin Motorsports, TZC/THSCC, CarGuys, Mazda Drivers, Audi Club, and Ferrari Club. I started instructing in July 2004 to help share my enthusiasm with new and learning drivers, and in return I think it's benefited my training skillsets that I am frequently using at the office. My travels have taken me to many tracks including Summit Point (Main & Shenandoah), VIR (Full, Grand East, & North), Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and the Nurburgring (in a rental car).
The biggest downside to my 350Z is that consumables are extremely expensive, and I am long overdue in procuring a tow vehicle for hauling duty. I especially do not want to get isolated at a remote destination such as being stuck in the snow again on shaved R-compounds (Mid-Ohio April 05) or breaking my car.
The only other driving experience I can share is a recent SCCA Rallycross that I enrolled my leased WRX in. It was truly a different epxerience going from alphalt (and sometimes grass) to dirt and mud. After taking out a few saplings and tall brush my first session, my learning curve was pretty steep based on my knowledge of driving dynamics. My last session of the day recorded the fastest lap time in my class...
What's next for me? I'm taking the SCCA comp school in March of 2006, but I'm not sure what I'm going to be racing. With very little modification, I could change my 350Z to T2 spec, but the car is underpowered for its class and it would be challenging to be competitive. If all goes well, I hope to test the waters by getting a ride in an enduro car. Only time will tell...
05 S/C "Elixige"
07 Mazda 3S - commuter car
99 YZF-600R - commuter bike
07 Mazda 3S - commuter car
99 YZF-600R - commuter bike