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I have a '90 NA 5-speed with a JWT Pop Charger. So I am driving home from work today on a 2-lane divided highway. I'm cruising in the left lane at about 50 (45mph speed limit), and I catch up to a green Ford Contour. He's going 40 in the left lane. Up ahead the road merges to 1 lane for about 4 or 5 miles, and I'm thinking I don't want to be stuck behind a guy going lower than the speed limit. So I move over to the right to pass him. And of course, as I do this, he speeds up. He speeds up to 60, and it didn't look as though he was going to slow down for the merge. I'm about a car length in front of him. I'm getting a little nervous at this point, because although technically the left lane merges into the right, the road is constructed as though the right merges into the left. Luckily, he doesn't gun it or anything (if it's possible to "gun it" in a Contour), and he merges behind me with just under a half-car length of space between us. He then proceeds to tailgate me all the way down the 1-lane stretch of highway. And he was real close, too. Literally about 1-2 feet behind me, at 40mph. At this point I was freaking because I didn't think he would be able to stop if I had to break any harder then a gentle tap. So I gradually slow down to about 30mph, probably pissing off the long line of cars behind us, but I didn't care because I didn't feel like having him rear-end me. Finally, we get to the part of the road where it becomes two lanes again. I see him inching is way to the right side of the lane, so he would pass me on the right. As soon as the road widens, I drop it into second and floor it. I got an excellent jump and immediately pulled away from him. It wasn't even close. I see him trying to catch up, but it's just not happening. By the time I hit 80, he was way the @#$% back there. I slow for the oncoming intersection, and I see him taking an offramp. He waves as he goes down, and I wave back. I guess he just wanted to see me gun it? That's probably the reason, because 2 minutes later, I look up the road and see a very short car, low to the ground. It looks interesting from a distance so I speed up a little to catch it. I get closer, and see.. it's a red Viper Venom! I've never seen one before on the road, so I immediately got behind it, hoping at some point the traffic would ease up so I could see him gun it. Luckily for me, we are both about to get onto the Parkway. He weaves around cars to get in better position for the traffic light before the onramp. Meanwhile, I take the super-secret-shortcut way (actually it's only a shortcut in rush-hour traffic, because the normal way gets backed up and you have to sit through 1-2 light cycles). But as luck would have it, my way was quicker. He got stuck at the light while I looped around and got on the parkway from the other direction. Now I'm cruising in the right lane at 65mph, and there are no other cars on the road. Soon enough, I see him coming up fast on my left. I drop it into 3rd, but he still passes me. He cuts over into my lane, we get up to about 100mph, but he won't go any faster. I'm behind him, and we just cruised for about a mile at this speed (remember, no other cars on the road! I wouldn't go this fast in even light traffic. it was desolate). I guess he was waiting for me to try and pass him. Since my turnoff was coming up soon, and it's a left turn, I decide I'd go for it on a long, gradual down-then-uphill curve. I take the inside track, sped up to 110mph (fastest I've ever gone before, too), and just as I'm side by side.. He drops gears and floors it. WOW! It was like a bullet! He shot up so quickly and in an instant was several car lengths in front of me. I just started drooling a little bit as he rocketed down the parkway. My turnoff came up, and I waved at him, and he waved back. All in all, it was a great drive home. I practically never get to race with all the traffic in northern VA, and it felt good to feel the Z's power again, even if it's only a NA! I guess everyone, from Contours to Vipers, feels like racing this weekend.
-Shap |
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