I was out cruising last night by my house in Seattle. I live by a beach and in order to get to it you take a nice 7 mile windy road. It is a 4 lane road (2 lanes per direction) and has a speed limit of 35MPH. The corners are limited to 15MPH and 25MPH. I spotted a Black S2K with tinted windows cruising ahead of me just before the top of the hill that starts the 7 mile frenzy. I'm just praying that the light turns red so I can get a "off the line" start with him. The racing god was watching me and hooked me up with a even matchup at the light. I look over at him and cant see inside cause he had like 5% tint (close your eyes, one shade darker than that). I'm pretty familiar with the lights around there and watched for the yellow on the perpendicular side. I'm reving about 2200 and the ground was a little wet from the rain earlier. Perpendicular light turns red I let the clutch out smoothly and let the tires grap I get in my mind a perfect start (no wheel spin no loss in momentum). I'm a little nervous cause I'm not the worlds best driver and this is the first time I'm racing in the Z against a car in it's class. We are even in 1st until 5K and I'm slowing down for the first turn. I shift into 2nd before the apex and accelerate full throttle 60% through the turn. I had TCS on because of the road conditions and I'm glad cause it kicked in and helped me from completely losing it. His nose is on my *** exiting the turn and we are going full throttle through 2nd and 3rd down the straight away into the next turn still have him right at my ***. I decided to get ballsy and this was a 25MPH turn. I decided to use the whole road (the 2 lanes going my direction) I took the the thing at 60 in 3rd and the car loved it. The Z said give me more and I did. Just flying through the turns. Before I knew it I was having so much fun discovering how awesome this car is and how I'm driving better and better I lost track of where he was. I look in the review and nothing is there. I push the auto dim button and wait for it to change. Nothing..... I'm like WTF?? So I slow down to a crawl and roll the windows down and start to breathe because I was about to have an anxiety attack. Sure enough the HID's come flying around the corner in my rearview and he pulls up to me. Rolls down his window and says damn! those things are fast "I thought we would have been equal?" I told him I know me too "I thought the same thing." I was like anyway "good race take care of that baby." we gave each other thumbs up and cruised it down to the beach where we met up in the parking lot and talked about our cars some more. I really think it would of been a better race if he was a better driver. You know what they say..... 90% driver. I had a good time and it has giving me some confidence in my driving. When I first got the Z I took it to the local park and ride and tested out it's limits. It scared me cause I didn't think I could handle it. This car rocks!!!!

 

Just a word of kind warning. We all know the Z in snow sucks, but keep in mind that the Z in rain without traction control can be pretty hairy too.

I got a little carried away once and spun it. Always a good thing to keep it on, like you did.


Must be nice to live near a beach.

 

good race!
thats the way to those s2ks!
lol

 

Z's in the rain being bad. Ha Try an S2K in the rain. You feel like Colin McRae around every corner.

 

Be careful with road conditions like that. I put my RSX in a ditch a few weeks back doing the same type of thing you were doing, road a little wet, a few turns. I knew better, but thought I was too good of a driver for things like that to happen to me. Did a 900 degree spin (2 360s, 1- 180), slid over a culvert, landed on the two drivers side wheels, ended up in a pile of dirt, after a minute the car settled down on all 4 wheels again, the front drivers side tire was knocked off the wheel, drivers side door and rear 1/4 were screwed. Killed the drivers side door panel with my shoulder. Just put the car in the shop today, 1 new door skin, 1 new door panel(It was all busted up at the top from my shoulder hitting it), new paint for the 1/4 panel , front bumper(got scratched up), and door. The window alignment pieces have to be fixed from where my shoulder hit them like a sledge hammer(what the body shop guy said it looked like hit it). My back and shoulder were sore for 2 weeks or so, better now though. My dad owns a towing company, and since this happened at home(down for christmas break from college) I had him tow me out with no police report to save insurance from rejecting me or my premium going sky high. So don't know yet, but this is going to set me back probably around 1500-2000, and that is b/c I'm lucky to have the owner of the body shop as a family friend. Delayed my goal to own a new 350z enthusiast =\. So- 1 door, 1 rear 1/4, 1 door panel, getting the bumper repainted, new strut mount(got busted in the accident), drivers side tire being dismounted and remounted and rebalanced, 4 wheel alignment, was it worth it? Yes and no, no b/c that **** just plain sucks, yes b/c I learned an important lesson-the hard way. I'm only 18, but I've brought that car and other cars I've driven in spins(for fun messing around in deserted parking lots and whatnot-hey when your young you do stupid things, I try not to do these things too much anymore ><) and brought them out every time it wasn't on purpose, except this one.


Anyways, sorry for the long post. Good kill, just becareful, I got lucky and only got a sore back/shoulder and a busted lip. I don't want to see anyone getting hurt out there!

 

Nice one. Its good to know how Z vs S2K with turns and corners.

 

Sounds like you need to add a $60 million dollar aircraft to your list.

 

I have a 2001 S2000 and you could not be more right. I have winter tires on it now, now those are great in the snow, but suck on dry and wet pavement. WOW, that 84 Volvo wagon must be a real sleeper; I wouldn't want to meet up with that. Take care.

 

The wagon was built to be the ultimate tow vechile. I want to out tow anything. One of the other S2K guys and I joke around that were going to pull up at the drag strip with trailers and our S2000's behind our tow vechiles and have at it. I think it would be pretty funny to see the wagon pull up there and run a 15 something with a full load behind it.

 

Dodge has a commercial out like that. I's their new Hemi truck towing a Hemi Road Runner racing two guys in a Duster and beating them; it's a great commercial.