Don't know how those street racers do it in public but I won't be doing this again anytime soon.

Just a Saturday evening ride (45 minutes) to end the day and relax with a little XM and Bose singing to me, great way to wind down from lot's of spring yard work.

I love my country roads near me and have a bunch of favorite routes that has little or no traffic and was 5 minutes from home when I look in my rearview mirror and a C5 is all over my a$$. I didn't see him come up as I was just dawdling along....don't know who it was...how old he was nothing. But coming out of a couple 25 mph turns I punched it in 3rd and took off. The torque from my new E-Force launched me and I pulled away quickly but I had the jump on him a bit and he closed up in a bit after I lifted and shifted into 4th and just let it burble burble a bit as I came into a small town.

A couple turns through town at 25 mph and this guy was staying with me through every turn. I knew what was going to happen next as we came to the town limits where it went back to 55 mph and so did he. I looked ahead and no traffic so this time in 2nd gear I punched it. Back end went sideways a few feet and hooked up hard...stayed in it through 3rd and just as I went to 4th I saw traffic coming towards us. Nothing in my lane but I was done and again lifted and just let 4th gear bleed me down to the legal speed limit.

When I hit 4th...probably like 90-100 mph. I also looked up to see how he was doing this time. Same thing...I had pulled him by quite a bit but I had lifted and here he comes! I did the math when I realized he didn't know I had already lifted and he was moving out to pass me...I'm still probably bleeding down to 70 and here comes the oncoming traffic! I couldn't believe he was doing this and a nightmare flashed past my eyes.

While I was stupid to actually have someone racing with me and not on a track...thank goodness my ego wasn't bigger than my stupidity. He had committed to go around me...so I braked hard to make sure this didn't go fatal with the innocent oncoming traffic. And he darted back in our lane as I continued down to 60 mph...shaking my head, heart beating!

My guess is this was a younger person with that decision and it dawned on me I'm encouraging someone I have no knowledge about skills wise or reasoning wise to drive beyond his means! I assumed he was just like me...lets go fast in a straight line for a few seconds and slow down and wave at each other.... How dumb is that assumption?

But now he was all ready for more, so he's in front of me and lets me catch up and now he spikes it and wants me to play some more...no way! And I let him race ahead of me a bit more...I'm done playing in public with this testosterone driven stooge.

So now that I'm boring and not playing anymore he slows down with his signal on turning left into a subdivision. Just as I blink him with my lights and wave (that was interesting but stupid wave) he has to show off for me once again! It is then I realize he too has a modified Vette as he lets me hear his pipes as he begins his left turn. He hammers it....his back end snaps out...he over counters....the back end now snaps back hard to the left and he has lost all control. His traction is regained and instead of staying with the throttle and let it come all the way around and at least stay on the road...he has lifted and his inertia takes him over a 3 foot ditch and into the house on the corners front yard.

These are big acre lots so he's not going to stop right next to the front door and ring the doorbell, but he did a nice job digging up the yard with his front end and made some nice ruts when I went back to the scene of the crime the next day.

A couple minutes later I was in my garage...heart beating...hands shaking from the left over adrenaline...hopefully a lesson learned for both of us! Well certainly me......

 

We're allowed one ignorant moment in our life and hope we live through it...but only one.

 

Ibtl

 

Must be the black wheels ...kidding. Glad it ended well for you.

 

Glad all are ok....



hind sight is usually good if you get to see it.

 

.....with my own eyes I wouldn't believe how fast you can lose this Vette! That car snapped in a heartbeat and he lost it....unbelievable! I learned from watching that too!

 

So what did your wife say ?

 

I will never ride with you again.....or something to that affect....

 

Mistake # 2 today,,,,loose lips sink ships

 

Boy are you behind the times.
OP, glad you learned a leason. Be careful!

 

Doubt it'll be locked. Street racing threads are tentatively acceptable now.

 

Thanks for sharing this story. Hopefully it will also be a lesson for all of the "experts".

"I know what I'm doing" will be small solace if you race someone with lower skill, and they mess up bad.

 

Yeah i was kind of in the c5's shoes a few years back when i was racing a c6z in my ws6. only thing is you dont realize how terrible your brakes are when running 140mph. had the pedal on the floor and it wasnt helping. almost rear ended a $70K z06 but lukcily i made it through that ignorant moment. i wont race on the streets.. play maybe... but never race

 

Ibtl

 

Yea, I get enough adrenaline excitement at night dodging deer, bears, armadillos, bobcats, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, wild boars, opossums, raccoons, cats, dogs, and drunk pedestrians. Never seen so many animals that like to get in front of those HID lights...

I've had the police pull over others trying to pick a race me me several times too, makes me be even more aware of where I punch it....

 

I'm not a kid anymore...and yes adrenaline does seem to take over...With the new found power I recently got I " will " respect it...Not to say I will have spirited drives like anyone else...but street racing - will not happen !!! Glad it turned out OK for you bud !!!

 

I lost it at the track on a road course a few years ago, into a tire wall, it all happens sooo damn fast you don't have time to think or counteract at times. If that happens on the street, it can be someones life.
I don't play on the street for that very reason.

 

Corvette strangers don't race each other. Not nice to attempt to slap down your brother or sister. That's my rule and I am sticking with it.

 

wonder if its some kid over on the C5 board.....maybe tellin how he blew away a C6 and then the a-hole ran him off the road.....hehe

 

This happened to me 30 years ago while in a MG. I was going down some back roads, minding my own business and had another car come up on me wanting to play. As we zipped around corners my rear swapped ends and he nearly hit me as he flew by.

The only damage was my pride, and I vowed not to do that again

Lesson Learned.