Croak
02-06-2004, 01:58 PM
I was on my way home from work last night, at around 11:30 PM, dead tired and driving the speed limit.
As I'm getting ready to go through an intersection in the far right lane, I see a car on the cross street ahead, and it's the only other car in sight. I'm doing 55 in a 55, and about 200 yards from the intersection, when the car ahead decides to go ahead and pull out in front of me.
That ticked me off a little bit, since I was only a second or two from making it through the intersection, and there was no traffic behind me, so the guy could have waited a bit.
I go ahead and slide over to the middle lane just to give him room while cussing at him, but he didn't need it, since he nailed it as soon as he got straight, and hauled ass down the road. I notice it's a blue Audi S4. Hmm, this guy looks familiar.......
Flashback to last summer: Same road, a similar car pulled up next to me at a red light and got froggy. So I got froggy too, and when the light changed, we went for it. 1st gear had him almost a full car in front of me but not pulling much, and then disaster struck. I yanked the car into 2nd much too hard, and the damn shift knob came off in my hand, so I had to let off, while he zoomed off towards the horizon,embarassing the hell out of me. I don't know if I would have won, but I would have liked a rematch. Alas, I never saw him again...
Return to last night: The light ahead had turned red, and the Audi is sitting there, still in the far right lane. I near the intersection, slowing down with the clutch in, my nose about even with the Audi's rear wheels when the light changes to green.
The Audi punches it, leaping through the intersection with a whoosh! I'm caught a bit flatfooted, clutch still in. I grab second and release the clutch, and I'm at about 3k RPMS when I roll on the throttle. The Audi is a quarter car in front of me and pulling before I get sorted out.
Tach is climbing too slow to suit me, but she finally starts picking up steam. The Audi is a car and a half ahead, but he's stopped pulling when I cross 5k and the magic starts to happen. I'm thinking to myself that I've got this sucker!
But wait! The next intersection is coming up pretty quick, and the lights are yellow. There's enough time to stop, but there won't be if I stay on the throttle much longer. I let off and start to brake, and so does the Audi.
We come to a stop at the intersection, and I look over at the Audi. The driver is rolling his window down, and so do I. A blast of cold air greets me as the driver of the Audi shouts "Hey, I remember that car! Dinan, right? I smoked you last year!"
"I, um, had a shifter incident!" I reply.
"Whatever, give it up man. I'm running a Stage 2 now, and your old busted beemer just can't hang!"
That gets my hackles up, but I just shrug and smile, wondering if he can tell that I have a supercharger now. The light is about to turn green, so I roll the window back up and concentrate on the task at hand.
I slowly bring the revs up to 2.5k and hold it there. The guy in the Audi isn't reving, just sitting there looking at the light.
Green. Roll off the clutch. Roll into the throttle. Tires bark a little, protesting abuse. Audi leaps out like an arrow. Revs pass 5k. Thrust is brutal. Hold till redline, shift. No bark. Audi a car ahead. Knob stays on. Audi still ahead. Pass 5k again. Audi getting closer. Running out of RPM. Audi is closer. Shift. Perfect. Audi now even. Pass 5k again. Audi falling back. Shift. Too fast for this road. Audi half a car back. Audi 3/4 car back. Audi a car back. Intersection ahead. Still too fast for this road. Stupid. Throttle off, brakes on hard. Audi brakes. Coast through intersection. Heart pumping, copper taste in mouth. I got him.
Now we're doing the speed limit, and the Audi guy pulls even with me, window down. Shakes his head and shouts "Nice one! First beemer to beat me! Time for a Stage 3!" He then waves and rolls up his window. I wave back and continue down the road.
My turn is coming up soon. I'm still shakey from the run, and thinking how stupid it was to be doing triple digit speeds in a 55 and 50 zone inside the city. But I've got a warm fuzzy coming on from a good kill.
I pull into my left turn lane, light is red. Audi goes through the intersection and honks as he passes. At least he was a good sport, and I imagine I'll see him again.
As I'm getting ready to go through an intersection in the far right lane, I see a car on the cross street ahead, and it's the only other car in sight. I'm doing 55 in a 55, and about 200 yards from the intersection, when the car ahead decides to go ahead and pull out in front of me.
That ticked me off a little bit, since I was only a second or two from making it through the intersection, and there was no traffic behind me, so the guy could have waited a bit.
I go ahead and slide over to the middle lane just to give him room while cussing at him, but he didn't need it, since he nailed it as soon as he got straight, and hauled ass down the road. I notice it's a blue Audi S4. Hmm, this guy looks familiar.......
Flashback to last summer: Same road, a similar car pulled up next to me at a red light and got froggy. So I got froggy too, and when the light changed, we went for it. 1st gear had him almost a full car in front of me but not pulling much, and then disaster struck. I yanked the car into 2nd much too hard, and the damn shift knob came off in my hand, so I had to let off, while he zoomed off towards the horizon,embarassing the hell out of me. I don't know if I would have won, but I would have liked a rematch. Alas, I never saw him again...
Return to last night: The light ahead had turned red, and the Audi is sitting there, still in the far right lane. I near the intersection, slowing down with the clutch in, my nose about even with the Audi's rear wheels when the light changes to green.
The Audi punches it, leaping through the intersection with a whoosh! I'm caught a bit flatfooted, clutch still in. I grab second and release the clutch, and I'm at about 3k RPMS when I roll on the throttle. The Audi is a quarter car in front of me and pulling before I get sorted out.
Tach is climbing too slow to suit me, but she finally starts picking up steam. The Audi is a car and a half ahead, but he's stopped pulling when I cross 5k and the magic starts to happen. I'm thinking to myself that I've got this sucker!
But wait! The next intersection is coming up pretty quick, and the lights are yellow. There's enough time to stop, but there won't be if I stay on the throttle much longer. I let off and start to brake, and so does the Audi.
We come to a stop at the intersection, and I look over at the Audi. The driver is rolling his window down, and so do I. A blast of cold air greets me as the driver of the Audi shouts "Hey, I remember that car! Dinan, right? I smoked you last year!"
"I, um, had a shifter incident!" I reply.
"Whatever, give it up man. I'm running a Stage 2 now, and your old busted beemer just can't hang!"
That gets my hackles up, but I just shrug and smile, wondering if he can tell that I have a supercharger now. The light is about to turn green, so I roll the window back up and concentrate on the task at hand.
I slowly bring the revs up to 2.5k and hold it there. The guy in the Audi isn't reving, just sitting there looking at the light.
Green. Roll off the clutch. Roll into the throttle. Tires bark a little, protesting abuse. Audi leaps out like an arrow. Revs pass 5k. Thrust is brutal. Hold till redline, shift. No bark. Audi a car ahead. Knob stays on. Audi still ahead. Pass 5k again. Audi getting closer. Running out of RPM. Audi is closer. Shift. Perfect. Audi now even. Pass 5k again. Audi falling back. Shift. Too fast for this road. Audi half a car back. Audi 3/4 car back. Audi a car back. Intersection ahead. Still too fast for this road. Stupid. Throttle off, brakes on hard. Audi brakes. Coast through intersection. Heart pumping, copper taste in mouth. I got him.
Now we're doing the speed limit, and the Audi guy pulls even with me, window down. Shakes his head and shouts "Nice one! First beemer to beat me! Time for a Stage 3!" He then waves and rolls up his window. I wave back and continue down the road.
My turn is coming up soon. I'm still shakey from the run, and thinking how stupid it was to be doing triple digit speeds in a 55 and 50 zone inside the city. But I've got a warm fuzzy coming on from a good kill.
I pull into my left turn lane, light is red. Audi goes through the intersection and honks as he passes. At least he was a good sport, and I imagine I'll see him again.