Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Why you should let her drive. « 1 2 »
  • Keith

    April 14, 2010 6:39 p.m. Keith SuperDork

    Janel's face after cracking 2 minutes at Laguna Seca. Her instructor (our friend Rick Weldon) commented that with her consistency (about 5 laps with a 0.2 second variation), she'd make a good endurance racer.

    Two days later, she innocently asked me how you get involved in endurance racing...

  • DaveEstey

    April 14, 2010 7:18 p.m. DaveEstey New Reader

    Awesome.

    Also, I have the same seat in my CRX.

  • Marty!

    April 14, 2010 7:31 p.m. Marty! HalfDork

    Uh oh, looks like you're gonna have to take your name of the car and put hers on there instead.

    Minivans - Pleasing Soccer Moms since 1984....

  • Nitroracer

    April 14, 2010 8:10 p.m. Nitroracer Dork

    I asked my girl friend whether she wanted to try an autocross or a rally cross next month, she said both look fun but she doesn't want to wreck my car in the dirt.

    No problem, the autocross is cheaper and closer anyway. I'm also teaching her how to do a tuneup on her own car friday.

    1968 Fairlane 500 - 1998 Camaro Z/28

  • Toyman01

    April 14, 2010 8:15 p.m. Toyman01 Dork

    I did, and the son and the daughter. Now I stay broke trying to keep two cars running and in tires.

    Fun though, at least until my son beats me in my own car.

    You can watch things happen, you can make things happen, or you can wonder what the F happened. I don't want to be on number three. - Capt. Phil

  • Jensenman

    April 14, 2010 8:17 p.m. Jensenman SuperDork

    Your kid's face after driving the Abomination was worth every bit of time and effort.

  • Toyman01

    April 14, 2010 9:23 p.m. Toyman01 Dork

    Jensenman wrote: Your kid's face after driving the Abomination was worth every bit of time and effort.

    Truth.

    You can watch things happen, you can make things happen, or you can wonder what the F happened. I don't want to be on number three. - Capt. Phil

  • ddavidv

    April 15, 2010 6:31 a.m. ddavidv SuperDork

    I've been trying to get mine to do a HPDE for years. I've finally given up. I know she'd love it once she tries it but she worries so much about being embarrassed that she's unwilling to give it a try. The skills she could pick up are what's most important to me, not turning her into a racer. Autocross? Forget it; people watch you.

    "Having fun is my revenge on mortality"--Dustin Hoffman

  • April 15, 2010 6:48 a.m. volvoclearinghouse New Reader

    Endurance racing? I've got one word for you: LeMons.

  • maroon92

    April 15, 2010 7:17 a.m. maroon92 SuperDork

    That is what I don't understand. My SO does autocross with me, but she is worried about pushing it too hard, "because, well, what if I do something embarrassing, like spin".

    XBL GamerTag: bcbrownell Current Cylinder Count: 47

  • 4cylndrfury

    April 15, 2010 7:20 a.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

    spining is awesome! Tell her its a rush, everybodys done it, and its sometimes fun to watch!

    "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo DaVinci

  • Duke

    April 15, 2010 7:33 a.m. Duke SuperDork

    "Embarassing"? I've never seen an autocross spin that didn't get an enthusiastic standing ovation, unless it ended with bent parts.

    Junior Brown is my hero.

  • Giant Purple Snorklewacker

    April 15, 2010 7:45 a.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

    See - this is EXACTLY why I wouldn't let her drive. I cannot afford another race car and I don't want her along messin' up my weekend by being faster than me.

    walterj, playing with the 'preferred username' feature

  • scardeal

    April 15, 2010 7:53 a.m. scardeal Reader

    Unfortunately my wife gets motion sickness...

  • 914Driver

    April 15, 2010 8:30 a.m. 914Driver SuperDork

    Innocently?

    BMW -- You don't need a hibachi to cook rice.

  • Adrian_Thompson

    April 15, 2010 9:36 a.m. Adrian_Thompson HalfDork

    My wife just has zero interest in it. She did a Bondurant day at Oscoda once (they did some Ford training there) and was really good, but it just doesn't interest her :(

    Friends don't let friends drive Toyota's. Toyota - For when you want to show the world it's won and you've given up. Scion Tc...For when a minivan is just too sportyIF YOU CAN'T F

  • madpanda

    April 15, 2010 12:35 p.m. madpanda New Reader

    My SO was worried about being embarrassed too so we did a rally driving school where we had 5 hours of classroom instruction on Friday night, then all day doing exercises with an instructor on Saturday. By the time we got to the rally cross on Sunday she felt like she knew roughly what to do with the car and was willing to give it a shot even though people might be watching. It helped that it was pouring rain and everybody was more interested in staying dry than spectating.

    She ended up loving it and asked the next day if it's time for us to buy her a new car and turn her '96 Impreza into a full time rally car... I kid you not.

    The school, by the way, was the Primitive Rally School featured in the April GRM. I'll try to post some pictures and a full recount of the adventures in a new thread this weekend when I get some time.

  • monark192

    April 15, 2010 2:11 p.m. monark192 New Reader

    My wife did the Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca event for the second time this year. She loves it and was always excited about the download sessions, getting different instructors to ride with her, and looking for ride-a-long opportunities when she wasn't driving. Her biggest disappointment of the weekend - that we didn't have a transponder for the track timing!

  • neon4891

    April 15, 2010 4:44 p.m. neon4891 SuperDork

    Lucky, I'm having a hard time teaching my SO to drive stick.

  • Capt Slow

    April 16, 2010 12:20 p.m. Capt Slow HalfDork

    4cylndrfury wrote: spining is awesome! Tell her its a rush, everybodys done it, and its sometimes fun to watch!

    Its really the easiest way to get a round of applause at an autocross...

    1995 subaru impresa -- to be sold | 1996 Miata -- woot!

  • JoeyM

    April 16, 2010 1:21 p.m. JoeyM Reader

    Capt Slow wrote:
    4cylndrfury wrote: spining is awesome!
    Its really the easiest way to get a round of applause at an autocross...

    Yes, but I always thought that was a little Schadenfreude

    MSCC's May 15 Mini-Prix: Faster and Better than your local autocross

  • Keith

    April 16, 2010 2:38 p.m. Keith SuperDork

    I learned that word from muppets!

    I dunno, we've all done it, so we can all appreciate what it's like...

    Square left in 50 caution ocean!

  • 96DXCivic

    April 16, 2010 3:23 p.m. 96DXCivic Dork

    I taught my SO how to drive stick. She stalled twice because she forgot to release the handbrake and then never stalled again.

  • Type Q

    April 16, 2010 3:58 p.m. Type Q HalfDork

    I think Janel and I were in the same group. I wasn't that consistent because I kept getting stuck behind people. I hoping to break two minutes this year. My best lap of the weekend was 2:04 and some change. I guess its not bad for a 163,000 mile 1.6 Miata with street tires.

    Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

  • Keith

    April 16, 2010 6:56 p.m. Keith SuperDork

    TypeQ, that photo was taken on Friday when she was running with much faster cars. At the Miata event, she was running in C and was frustrated by traffic.

    Square left in 50 caution ocean!

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