So this is racing, eh?

[Elandur]

Well, I suppose I had my first race tonight. I've always been interested in it, and I've always had a bit of a lead foot, but I've never had a real opportunity. I've driven fast alongside friends, and done a lot of passing on freeways, but not really "racing".

So tonight, a car pulls up beside me at a red light. I'm not too sure what kind of car it was, because I'm not necessarily a "car guy" normally. I know how to drive them, I know how to control them. Both of which I'm very good at. But after a quick google search, it looked like either a civic or a metro hatchback. It looked very new. I didn't get a good look at the guy, but he seemed to be around mid 30's from what I saw (I'm 21, if comparison matters.). I'm going to guess that his car was stock, because I doubt I could take any modders with my stock '98 Taurus SE (Non SHO version).

He looks over at me, I look over at him. He revvs a little, so I revv a little. At that point, we both glue our eyes to the stop light.
Suddenly, a green flash in the corner of our eyes. His car jumps to life, and mine sits motionless. But I'm not worried, as the flash of green is the left turn light, and we're trying to go straight.
As he sheepishly reverses back into place, I flash him an understanding smile. We've all done it, even if we don't like to admit it.

As the correct light turns green, we both go off of the line at a good pace. I start to pull ahead a tiny bit, but he caught back up. We were nose and nose for a while, but as soon as I broke into a higher gear, BAM, I was way ahead. As soon as I realized that he wasn't catching back up, I eased off. I don't want to rub it in or anything. We paced each other, and nods were exchanged. He eventually made a right turn, and I continued on home.

So anyway, that was fun. It got my heart beating and it got my adrenaline rushing. May be fairly tame compared to some of the stuff you guys do, but it was fun.

[silentscreams85]

nice kill. welcome to AF.

[Elandur]

Originally Posted by silentscreams85

nice kill. welcome to AF.

Thank you kindly, sir. Hopefully I'll have some more to post in the future. I think this is a bit addictive.
I poked around and couldn't find anything, but is there some sort of "newbie guide"? I figure it's the kind of thing you need to learn on your own, but hey, you never know. I'm particularly interested in how to find people. I got lucky when the guy pulled up and revved, but I have no clue how to pick someone to initiate a race with.

[Sleepr awd]

from the way you've described it, you have MASTERED finding people. street races are few and far between and should be cherished and especially cherished when you dont' get caught.

plus, i think you ruined that poor guys day beating him in a taurus and all. very funny.

[superman'd b18]

dude easiest thing: go into any local parts store that r specifically for car parts, not like napa or autozone, but like sound system companies etc. they will be able to point you in a general place where people might meet up to race on a friday or saturday night: you can even ask if anyone on here has a place to meet in your home town... i found quite a few places asking people on here

[AMGalltheway]

Originally Posted by Elandur

...a metro hatchback. It looked very new. ..

A new metro, good joke
welcome to the forums

[Elandur]

Originally Posted by Sleepr awd

plus, i think you ruined that poor guys day beating him in a taurus and all. very funny.

Haha, yeah. I was shocked as well. It's not the WORST car I've driven, but the engine isn't amazing by any stretch of the word. If the car is treating me right, I can get off the line okay, but I usually sputter if I try to give it too much push. That night, it was working perfectly.
I know I'm not going to win any races against anybody out of my class. Even though the '98 taurus seems sportier than most family type cars, it's still a family car at its heart.
If there's one thing I've learned from my dad, it's that you can race anything if you have the right opponent. He and his friends used to race their VW Bugs. They weren't stock at all, but they were still bugs.

[Sleepr awd]

never... ever... underestimate the bug.

[Elandur]

Originally Posted by Sleepr awd

never... ever... underestimate the bug.

Haha, can't say I've ever seen one that was "fast"
Am I missing something?

[Sleepr awd]

this is why I am the sleepr.

You can put a small block in the back of a bug, Porsche engines went in including a flat 6 that would scoot. And the new bugs came turbo diesel which is similar if not identical to the jettas and gotian could tell you a couple things about that. Not to mention herbie was a badass.

Never underestimate the bug.

[CassiesMan]

Originally Posted by Sleepr awd

this is why I am the sleepr.

You can put a small block in the back of a bug, Porsche engines went in including a flat 6 that would scoot. And the new bugs came turbo diesel which is similar if not identical to the jettas and gotian could tell you a couple things about that. Not to mention herbie was a badass.

Never underestimate the bug.

Didn't they have one on an episode of Pinks that was running 8s on the four banger?

[Sleepr awd]

I dunno. It is feasible but that would take a lot more effort than I think it would be worth. Either way, seriously, unless you have seen the setup inside out on anything, you have no clue what it will run. Its always fun to catch people off guard like that. I'm seriously waiting for my first 'vette owner. Omg it is going to be so good.