Yikes...

I don't know, maybe I don't go out much. But a short, 40-mile round tripper to a Dr. appointment today exposed me to two of the most insane, near-accident situations I've seen in the passed few years.

The oblivious
Not even a block away from the Old Town Alexandria practice I visited, we were following an Outback through a string of green lights when lo-and-behold, some one going way over 25 MPH comes flying through an intersection perpendicular to us (running a red that's been red for quite some time). I had more than enough following distance to slow comfortably while the Outback stopped short and turned to the right as the oblividiot slammed on the brakes and came to a halt. Both cars remained a still life photo of near disaster, inches between them as everyone looked on and waited to see how the suspense would end. 30 seconds later, both cars drove off.

The indecisive
Then, on 495 North we took the left exit for 66 West behind an 8th Gen Civic, who decided after exiting that he was going to veer back onto 495N. In the middle of his violent dash to the right, immediately in front of the water-filled crash barriers, he decided to undo his nearly complete veer and turn back to the exit lane for 66 West. The suspension never settled from his initial veer to the right, which made for some very active body roll in a car I rarely see move at all on its struts. If it was an SUV this confused highway driver would have rolled it.

WTF?! Pay attention to what you're doing on public roads, PLEASE!

Confidence!

For the third year in a row, we made it down to Kershaw, SC to ride Carolina Motorsports Park with Sportbike Track Time.



I was just reviewing the notes I took after each session, and confidence is the word of the weekend. I was carrying more speed into corners, getting on the throttle harder and earlier on exit, and reaching higher speeds on the straights. I think I finally get it, though raw speed and hard braking are still my biggest mental challenges. Of course, my accolades this week came after much coaching from the experts!



By the end of this 2-day stint, track days went from being a challenging experience for me to being fun in its most extreme, thrilling form. As the fear dwindles, the positive excitement just gushes.



As usual thanks to Megan for shooting (even though I didn't bring the heavy optical artillery)!

CMP 2010 prep complete!

Thank goodness. I'll refrain from sharing the laundry list, but all that remains are a few minor to-dos and this train is ready to leave!