I tell these two incidents to folks, and each time I do, I feel like a *****. Doesn't seem like my personality, I'm not an adrenalin *****, but I was ******* the gas when younger. But here goes. It's a decade ago.
Growing up, I didn't have much. Worked hard, went to school, and saved.. was a good kid. As I neared 20, I earned enough (and was blessed enough) to comfortably afford my first Viper. Bought it for myself for my 20th, it was a 94 RT/10 (still have it). I wasn't terribly aggressive, most people around me with sports cars were worse. But when there was an open road... I'd use it.
Incident 1: 124mph in a 40mph (resulted in arrest, went in front of judge, got hit hard. Ended miraculously)
Incident 2: 150+ in a 65 (cop pulled us over, 1 1/2 hour talk, in the end let us go. Another miraculous ending)
This is of course on top of the many times I didn't get caught.
Age does take some of it out of you. But I'm a firm believer in what formal track time does. Ever since I began racing, I don't feel the urge to set the streets on fire. Once you learn what you car can do (and what it can't do - on normal pavement) you respect the car more. In a way, I don't get the same rush "racing" on streets as I grew older. I of course enjoy driving the car wherever I go and hit the gas on occasion, but only find myself craving extremes on the track with my good friends in the club.
I didn't have to really learn the hard way in my case, but I still learned.
Avip said it best. Good rule to follow.
