The Little Red Z That Could

[CassiesMan]

Thats what we've dubbed my car after the past few weeks. Its been pointlessly hectic the past three weeks, full of shit that pisses me off and a few things that make the world a better place. Most of those things involved traipsing around the local highways at extralegal speeds. Which, considering I'll do 85-90 in 3rd, that isn't really all that much of a surprise.

We'll start with the wins. It all started a few weeks back with some female problems (aren't they always), and I went to blow off some steam and cruise around. I was taking some nice easy sweepers that they call on ramps round here when I noticed that I had a set of headlights riding my ass. They looked like the dual Integra headlights, so I thought I'd have me a nice easy kill to start off the night. However, the Supra style hood as he pulled up past me made me think otherwise. I don't see too many of the older Celicas around here, but it looked clean, lowered, and had at least an exhaust. He pulled up next to me and started jumping a bit, so I obliged and threw it down to third at around 50ish. He honked three times and we took off. Despite being clean, it wasn't fast. Shut down after running out third and shifting with him way back.

He gave me the thumbs up, I returned, and he followed me around a bit till he pealed away when I got the toll. I love the toll's around here because they have a higher speed limit, and even then they aren't really enforced. Getting on I saw the familiar tail lights of a Mazdaspeed3 up ahead, or at least a Mazda3 with an LED conversion. It wasn't anyone I knew, and checking around the local Mazda board no one would own up to the race. I tailed him a bit hoping he would want to run, but he seemed to just be driving fast in the right lane. Thinking nothing of it, I dropped down to third, and pulled out to pass when I heard the turbo spool up. I jumped on it, and got a quick lead on him. Ran out third with about a nose on him, shifted to 4th with the shift light so about 90, and ran through till about 110 when I shut down with his nose at my rear wheel. I couldn't hear the tell tale intake noise, but I did hear a Forge BPV (you can't mistake it for anything else, trust me), so I'm thinking he may have had a drop in and a cut up airbox. He stood on it after I shut down and took off, and I didn't feel like running it out through fifth just to catch up.

Next up, two Monday's back I was driving out to a friends place when I cam across an older Mustang driving pretty aggressively. It was the first of the rounded off body styles, and I thought I might get a good race. I remember running a stock GT with the 325i back up in MO, and hanging with him, and this guy sounded to have at least an exhaust. I trailed him through some light traffic, and when he got out in front he let off, but I could hear him down shift. I pulled up next to him, dropped into third, and was going to let him honk us down when he just stood on it. He got a quick lead, but I put an end to it with him about half a car up. I pulled him back in by the end of third, and we were neck and neck till about 100-110 when I started opening up on him fast. Ran out fourth through to 130 and lifted with him sitting easily five cars back and me still pulling. He wouldn't pull up even to me after that.

The rest of the week went by quietly, and then Friday rolled around and it sucked again. Went out Friday night actively looking for some races, but only managed to get a Scooby of sorts to bite. I'm not sure what kind it was, as it had the STI wing, and was the hawkeye style headlights. He had an exhaust, and the front bumper off but it didn't look like he had a FMIC. He came up on me pretty quick but settled out as soon as he was next to me. I dropped it down to third, but it didn't sound like he down shifted or anything, so I shifted back to sixth, thinking he was just cruising or doing some street tuning. As soon as I started to accelerate away, I heard him drop it down and jump on it. I matched his move, but he already had the jump on me and was about a car length up. I slowly pulled him back in, passed him in fourth doing over a buck, and wound out fourth with me give or take a car length up on him. I let off, dropped back down to sixty and shifted to third, and this time he lined up and held with me for a few seconds before honking down. Third honk I left a touch early, but I didn't really pull on him at all in third. Shifted to fourth, right about 100 I started opening on him. Ran out fourth to 130, shifted to fifth, and held it for a second or so more with a little over a car length on him. Shut it down there, and got a thumbs up.

Last race that I won happened just yesterday. Things with the girl have finally settled down, so I was being a good boyfriend and brining her something to eat at work. Jumping on the highway from my apartment, I noticed a white Scion tC behind me, looked really clean. Lowered, sorta stanced out but not uber aggressive, carbon fiber hood and trunk that were well fitted, and at least an exhaust. It was also clean in the literal sense, not a spec of dust on it. I rolled down my window at the light exiting the highway and nodded at the guy driving, told him we don't have too many clean tCs around here and his car looked really nice. He just shrugs and says something along the lines of yeah whatever man, its better looking than your chick car.

Oh. Fuck. That.

I roll my eyes and tell him he doesn't need to worry about how my car looks, he just has to like the tail lights. He laughs and tells me he shits all over Zs any day. I asked him if he wanted to prove it, and told him I'd give him fifty bucks if he could beat me. The light went green, but we didn't do anything, being stuck behind umpteen million pick ups. At the next light he said he didn't race for cash. I told him no, I'll give you fifty bucks if you win, if I win, I just get to laugh. He laughed again, said ok, and I told him to follow me. My girl's lunch could wait. I pulled into a gas station, and dug out some cash to show him I was serious. We agreed on a highway, start from 60, let off with a clear winner.

We get on the highway and line up, and I let him honk down so he could even get the jump. He honks three times, but took off early just after the second honk. Eh, no biggy. Run him down from his half car head start in third, and by the time I hit the shift point, he is already about a car back. Fourth is my happy place, and I flat shift from third at 80 and run out fourth all the way to red line. I glance in the rear view, and I see him falling back beyond bus lengths as I hit the hazzards. He does a classic ricer fly by and gives me the bird, and I turn around to bring the girl lunch.

I also had to pretty fun kills. First one was up against a buddy on his Gixxer 1k, wasn't really expecting anything out of that just sort of a fun run on the way home from a meet. The other one was against a C5 'Vette, but this was the one that earned my Z her nick name. Oh, and for the record, because I've named my other cars, the Z's name is Eliza.

I was heading to the same friends house on the same highway when the C5 jumped on in front of me. I had missed cars and coffee, but it was obvious he was coming from there and he was being a bit zippy in traffic. It looked like he had an exhaust as he only had two tips instead of four, and I was in the mood to play so I took off after the 'Vette. I was coming up on him kinda quick, doing about 80 when I got to his door and he opened up the taps. I floored it, ran out third and proceeded to chase. He opened up on my pretty quick about two lengths, and was slowly starting to pull a third. I knew I wasn't gonna win, but it was gonna be fun. I kept it floored, and he finished his third length and was working on a fourth. By now, he was hardly pulling on me, and only slowly speeding up. Without even thinking, I caught site of the shift light, and flat shifted to third. By now, he had a solid four lengths on me, but wasn't pulling any more, and I wasn't pulling him in. Staying WOT, I shot a quick glance over to the speedo mounted on the center of the dash, and saw 153. Ooooooookaaaay I thought, and figured loosing to a 'Vette wasn't worth ending up a spec on the time line. I risked one more glance, 155, and lifted slowly flashing my headlights. He instantly hit the brakes, and when we finally got down to under one and a half times the speed limit, gave each other thumbs up. He headed his way, I went a different, but I was pretty proud of my little Z. Four car lengths with a modded 'Vette to 150 isn't all that horrible in my world.

tl:dr...too bad. Learn to read, it may just save your life some day. And if you can safely pilot a 3000+ lbs missile down a crowded road, ^ is not too much to read.

[TorchedStealth]

Nice races cassies! I enjoyed the read. I wish it was still warm enough to race here. Damn TC owner though, what a tool. And I hear ya on 3rd being long, when im tuning I do 3rd gear pulls and my 3rd gear goes to 110mph lol. On stock blower I trapped 109.7mph and never shifted to 4th. Sometimes I think its too long

[CassiesMan]

With the tC driver, I just don't get it. I mean...I was trying to say that he had a nice car. Most of the Scion owners around here are part of Team Sciotik or Scionyed, and are gaudy as hell. His was super clean, like the way I would do one if I owned one.

Third gear has taken some getting used to. In the Speed3, if you took third past 70 it fell on its face, and even starting in 60 you were better off to be in fourth. In the Z, I could theoretically cruise at 60 in 4th, and third just runs up to 90 like nothing. I have the shift light set to come on at 6700 rpm (7k redline), and I'm usually knocking right about 90mph at redline in third. In the Speed3, I couldn't hit 60 from zero unless I went into third, the Z does sixty in second. The gearing in this car just plain makes sense compared to the Speed3.

The one thing I noticed in running the 'Vette was the car was dead stable at those high speeds. My tires aren't the best, I would have thought it would have been a bit more squirrelly, but she just owned it.

[TorchedStealth]

Yeah they seem to plant pretty well at higher speeds. Ive ridden with my friend in his G35 above 100mph a few times and they are still very solid at those speeds