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who else is a racer or ex-racer?


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I've noticed several posts using racing lingo (privateers, laying it down, spinning out, etc.). How many of us are racers or ex-racers? I used to roadrace motorcycles at Sears Point and race dirt bikes in off-road races all over N. California. Interestingly enough, I found my weak points in road racing carried over to off-road racing and similar weaknesses exist in my gun racing.

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You sound like my best friend/shooting partner he used to road race bikes too. Unfortunatly now he doesn't walk so good but he's hell on steel! He got me hooked on watching racing. I'll mostly watch road races either cars or bikes (big fan of British Touring Cars...like IPSC on wheels...lol) but I always tune in for the Dakar Rally (any race where landmines are a serious threat is real racing...lol)

Pat

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Rubbing is racing.

I'd never get on the highway in the morning if it wasn't for some of the NASCAR trick I'v picked up.

Theres nothing like a good California stop to start you day.

I am more of a fan of closed wheele racing.  I would still like to get to one of these driving schools to sharped my skilles.

Pat - We should look into going to the BMW school this fall.

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I am a bit of a drag racer - both mud and strip. If my wife had here way, we'd have NO2 on our Z28!!! I am a HUGE fan of Rally events.  I was thrilled when Subaru finally brought the WRX to the US.  One problem though, I'm 6'6" tall. I don't care, give me some petroleum jelly and a shoe horn, I'LL MAKE IT!!! I heard a rumor that Mitsubishi is bringing the Lancer (Mirage) Evo. VII to the US.  If so, the pretty boys in their Cobra's and Corvette's better watch out.

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Robbie and I did the motorcycle road racing thing for several years. We also did a bit of crazy dirt bike riding.

It's funny, I remember watching road racing on TV and thinking, those guys are absolutely crazy, I would never do that. I bought my first motorcycle in 1984 - a 700 Nighthawk. Within a couple weeks I found myself speeding up and down the canyon roads to the lake. I met a Japanese guy there, and in another couple weeks I was on the race track. A few weeks after that, he was at the shooting range! Tendencies and preferences are a funny thing.

be

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I'm sure it does - 16k feet to what, 2k feet, in under 40 seconds? I edited a Guinness tv show with that in it, and I'm a pilot too, and it scared the bejeezas out of me.

Yeah, I ride a bike every day, sometimes fast (most times fast) and I drive a Lotus. I used to ski competitively too. I guess it's a particular personality type that gravitates towards sports like these? (And here I thought I'd grow old gracefully doing precision shooting...) :-)

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I'm not sure jumping out of a plain is for me, but one thing I have always thought would be fun is low level, map of the earth flying.  Some of my friend in the army

have flown along river bad at high speed in a helicopter with the door open.

I use to do some speed repelling.  It amazing haw fast the ground can come at you.

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When I was "down under," I did a 150 ft. swan dive bungie jump, with the cord tied to my ankles. That was the scariest thing I've ever done. It took me a week of preperation/worring - I'd go to the 15th floor of the hotel and imaging jumping into the pool. It didn't really work for me though, in the end I just had to do it. The music they were playing, right as I jumped, was Elton John's "Funeral For a Friend." Nice, huh?

be

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Worst I've done is 'Mock Tower' Its where they simulate jumping out of a perfectly good airplane before you go to jump school (in military). From what I was told they figured out what the scariest height was to jump from and built it. It's 66 ft from what I understand. I guess higher it doesn't seem real, and closer it doesn't seem like it will hurt.

Night reppelling on the Ottawa River bluffs ranks up there too.

Pat

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Imagine this:  the front 1/2 of a go-kart frame, the back 1/2 of a golf cart frame.  The rear end out of a 1982 Chevy Chevette and a 400cc snomobile engine.  One gear, 87 mph.  Maybe not scary, but one helluva thrill.  Talk about throttle response and accelleration!  My buddies would kick tail on Junkyard Wars!!!

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I used to race bicycles, until I got burnt out and discover shooting.  I raced road, mountain, and cyclocross.  I was crazy enough to race mtb on a cyclocross bike.

There's nothing like passing cars on a downhill, doing 50+ mph on two small contact patches 1/4" x 2", wearing tissue thin Lycra.  Boy do I miss it.  What I don't miss is all the training to get up to the top of the mountain to ride down.  I also don't miss crashing or getting taken out by someone in a race.    Going 24.5 mph to 0 mph in 4 feet really hurts.

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