You Might be a racer if...

[Pete.]

You might be a racer if ...


- You think the primary purpose of wings is to PREVENT flight.


- You take your helmet along when you go to buy new eyeglasses.


- You feel compelled on a road trip to beat your previous best time.


- You are happiest when your street car's tires are worn to racing depth (wear bars showing).


- When something falls off of your car, you wonder how much weight you just saved.


- You change engine oil every other week.


- You sometimes hear little noises from your passengers when you get on�the throttle right after turning in.


- You thoroughly enjoy showing the tailgater behind how to drive around a�highway off-ramp.


- Your racing budget is one of the big three -- mortgage, car payments/maintenance, dating.�


- Your email address refers to your race car rather than to you.


- You walk proper lines through the grocery store.


- You bought a race car before buying furniture for the new house.


- You find that you need a new house because you've outgrown your garage and the neighbors are threatening violence if you park one more vehicle on the street or in the front yard.�


- The requirements you give your real estate agent are (in order of importance):�
1) Climate controlled garage with an attached shop.
2) Outside parking for 6 cars, a motorhome, a crew cab dualie, a 28' enclosed trailer and a 34' 5th wheel.
3) 3 phase 220V outlets in the garage for your welder.�
4) A grease pit.�
5) Convenient to a hazardous waste disposal site.�
6) Deaf neighbors.�
7) Across the street from a paint and body shop.


- You sit in your car in a dark garage and make car noises while waiting for your motor to get back from the machine shop.


- You look at the purchase of tools as a long term investment.


- Your wife says, "If you buy another set of tires, I'm getting a new mink."


- Your garage holds more cars than your house has bedrooms.


- More than one racer supply house recognizes your voice and greets you by name when you call.


- If you can't remember when you last worked on weekdays and rested on�
weekends.


- You have a separate drawer for 'garage clothes'.


- Your reading material in your bathroom consists of racing supply catalogs and 400 racecar magazines.


- People know you by your car number, make, and model.


- You talk to other cars on the road, calling them by the manufacturers name.


- Your first date involves asking her to crew for you.


- You plan your wedding around the race schedule.


- Your family brings the couch into the garage so they can spend some time with you.


- You complain when cars in front of you on highway off-ramps don't stay on the line, causing your exit speed to drop.


- You refer to the corner down the street from your house as "Turn One."


- You look at the fire hydrant at that corner and see an apex marker.


- You always late apex the intersection and try to pass a few cars coming out.


- You can't stand understeer.


- You always want to change something in your street car to make it handle better.


- You will gladly pay up to $8 for a litre of engine oil.


- You hate long distance driving, but you will gladly drive 800 miles to the race track.


- You think that traction control and ABS are for those who can't drive.


- You save broken car parts as "mementos".


- Your last several freeway forays included just brushing the curbs as you apexed the on-ramps perfectly....


- You've found your lawn mower runs pretty good on 108 octane gas.


- You would choose a roll bar over air conditioning if it were an option.


- You consider the redline a "conservative suggestion" and the rev limiter "a fun limiter"


- Your idea of a good time is sitting around figuring out gear ratios and the ideal final drive ratio for given situations.


- You own five cars and only one of them is street legal.


- You've embarrassed your significant other at least once by insisting on wearing your full face helmet while driving.


- You know the "racing line" of every turn in your daily commute, including�your alternate routes, and practice hitting them every day.

- You quote your street tire wear life in weeks rather than miles.


- You regularly live test your rev limiter on that straight that's a little too long for 2nd but not worth going into 3rd for.


- You've started looking for sponsors for your daily commute.


- After you tell your wife where you'd like to go on your vacation she answers: "Why... is there a race there?"

[Neal]

Good one Pete.

- You approach turns at 20mph over that recomended limit!

[ChrisL]

Ummm... too many are too true for comfort

[DaveL485]

I Started counting how many applied to me but ran out of fingers....

Love that list though

[Ron Earp]

No kidding. I think I've hit about 80% of them, especially the ones with car parts and too many cars around. I own four cars now that are not streetable, only two that are. That isn't right.

[DaveL485]

Originally Posted by Ron Earp

No kidding. I think I've hit about 80% of them, especially the ones with car parts and too many cars around. I own four cars now that are not streetable, only two that are. That isn't right.

Twelve in total, four on the road. Not a good ratio

[Chris Ardern]

You have at least 3 Race Car parts in your office at any given time.

My favorite is "ABS is for people who can't drive". I live by those words. You do not mess with a mans brake pedal.

[Duncan Potter]

When I was teaching my 16 year old son to drive I was trying to teach him about turn-in, apex, and track-out...on the street. He said he wasn't racing, I said it was important to do it right every time, street or track..He thinks I am insane. He may be right!

[BenL]

Originally Posted by actvpwr

You have at least 3 Race Car parts in your office at any given time.

- The folks in shipping know to call you when an odd-shaped package arrives at your office.

[OhioMark]

You're on a first name basis with your UPS driver!

Mark

[Malcolm]

Are we all this predictable? So true, so true....cut our honeymoon short so I could do the Brighton Speed Trials!

[speed220mph]

Your wife sees the UPS truck pulling up and she says, "What did you buy for your car now?"

[Dutton]

That is exactly what my wife says...

Rule #1: Tis better to ask forgiveness than permission

T.

[Andy]

Thank God this isnt 1943 and you are not the Gestapo !!
Im guilty of helping the Resistance.
Long may we all drive as you suggested

[BenL]

Originally Posted by Malcolm

Are we all this predictable? So true, so true....cut our honeymoon short so I could do the Brighton Speed Trials!

On our honeymoon we went to Detroit to visit the Ford factory (we also stopped at Niagara Falls on the way home).

[Dutton]

Okay, back to the list... here's a few more:

• You measure all domestic acquisitions in terms of the number of race tires that could've been purchased. Othodontics being four full sets, of course

• You minimize turns when mowing the grass so as to maintain top speed for as long as possible

• You thoroughly enjoy showing a tailgater how to drive a highway on-ramp

• You've been known to yell "it means check your mirrors, dammit!" at the television

[Pete.]

You save broken car parts as "mementos".

When you hear overcooked it you think of lost time in a corner.


- You enjoy driving through snowy, empty parking lots and using the emergency brake to kick the back end out.

- You have racing shops programmed on your cell phone.


-- You've slalomed the cones in a construction zone.

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

ahahahah...great Pete!

I just add:
-crew in Monza know u by the name....