The only real way to improve as a driver is by putting yourself up against much better drivers and work your way up. I used to remember how Philly/DC drivers would occasionally show up at NNJR SCCA events at Englishtown with a big can of whoop ass so my next order of business was to take Bumblestook to Philly to see how I stacked up. It was July 25, 2010 and I drove out to Warminster for the Philly SCCA event. It was the first event with her having at least some setup and also the first event running in STR trim. Total of 9 drivers in STR that day but I don't think anyone was fully prepped yet as STR was still slowly growing in the Northeast.
Philly SCCA - Warminster - 7/25/2010
1st place STR
Finally got over my music overlay phase :D
It was your typical Warminster course...slalom/offset up, turnaround, slalom offset back but somehow between the new wacky setup and having another 7 weeks of generally driving the car to get a better feel for it, I took a pretty convincing win in STR on my first run. This was pretty encouraging, only my third event in Bumblestook and I was getting more confident. She felt pretty good (in hindsight it was probably pushy which is why I liked it because it felt "safe") and I wasn't driving like a drunken kungfu master.
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Philly SCCA 7/25/2010
Photo by: Christine Warren |
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Philly SCCA 7/25/2010
Oh how cute, I used painters tape to protect the paint. |
I was still lightyears away from the speed I needed to be but I'd be lying if I didn't feel pretty happy with myself winning that day. I still had the "local hero" driver's mentality back then so this was a big deal to me. It was the much needed confidence booster I had to have to keep going. I was sucking less. Yay!
