Newbie-Tales: Stock SS v. unknown BMW
06-15-2005, 09:41 PM
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Staging Lane
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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Newbie-Tales: Stock SS v. unknown BMW Long post for no reason... I'm an excited newb and a freelance writer, so I get a little long-winded. Please skip to the bottom for a summary.
I was running errands in the SS today... it was a beautiful day, I had the top down and the music going. I turned on to De Anza (2 lanes in each direction with a tree-ed divider in the middle, 40mph limit) and got going. There were a few cars in front of me and a couple behind, the usual scattered pack you find in the middle of town on a weekday afternoon. Everyone was going slightly under the speed limit, so I casually weaved my way through.
Up near the front in the left lane, with a car ahead of me in each lane and one slightly behind in the other lane, I glanced in the rear-view and saw an older BMW squeezing through the cars the way I had just done, and watched as he pulled up behind me, just short of attaching himself to my bumper. I raised an eyebrow, but I wasn't dangerously close to the car in front of me, so I edged forward a little and kept doing my thing. He stayed right on me....
At this point the car in front of me in the right lane started signalling to turn right. Immediately, the BMW flipped on his right turn signal, with nowhere to go... the car that had been behind me to my right was still there, blocking him. I shrugged and followed suit, merged over when the lane cleared, and accelerated in 4th to get around the last car in front of me. 4th gear from 40-45 isn't exactly hair-raising, but it gave me pause when he stayed exactly six inches off my rear. I switched back over to the left lane when I could and stayed on it, still in 4th gear. I just wanted to see what he would do next.
He didn't exactly punch it, but he stayed with me to about 55... not your casual driver, I'd say. Then I saw the next light turn yellow and started braking, fully expecting the BMW to fly past me and barely clear the light. Not so! We both came to a stop and I turned to see a youngish guy, my age (22) at most, driving an early 90's larger BMW. I don't know much about older BMWs, but my friend (not with me at the time) later said it might have been a 5 or 7 series. He had his hands at 10 and 2, and was staring intently ahead. I figured it was on.
So here's the situation. I've got a stock 2000 SS convertible M6. Not only have I had the car for only a couple of months, that's also how long I've known how to drive a stick. Needless to say, I'm not the most skilled or confident shifter at the moment. I have nearly-new Potenza 750s on the rears and Kumho Ecsta Supras of unknown age on the fronts. This was my first real race in a stick, and my absolute first race in a stick from a dig. I don't really know why, he didn't do anything but drive fast, but I wanted to MURDER this guy (in a race).
The light turned green, and I got the best soft launch I've ever pulled off. Smooth but fast, no chirp. It felt like I'd just left a light in my A4 Maxima. So I got the jump, but as expected, the BMW driver immediately got on it, so I dropped the gas pedal to the floor. Everything was going fine, I was slowly inching away from him, and then I heard squealing rubber. It took me a moment to realize it was MY car... my rear tires were breaking loose as the car was hitting the powerband! I was so surprised I almost forgot to shift into 2nd. But I did, and my baby started smoothly walking away from Mr. BMW. He was a couple of car lengths back by the time we hit 65... then I saw a car going the opposite direction turn across our path. It was a ways off, but I didn't want to take any chances, and let off the gas. The BMW didn't, and caught up to my front fender by the time the coast was clear. I punched it again and stopped his advance, and pulled a length or two again just barely into my 3rd gear, when we both had to stop behind cars at a red light. I turned back to see if he was reacting in any way, and then he flipped on his turn signal and turned right off the road.
I'm not sure I got my opponent's car IDed right, and I probably didn't drive my own car as well as I could have somehow, but let me tell you, it made one hell of a newbie experience.
EDIT: After a little research, I think it was a 95-01 7-series, but I don't know specifically what year or trim.
SUMMARY : Stock 2000 SS convertible without driver mod pulls ~2 cars on unknown larger 90's BMW (5 or 7 series?) from 0-65ish. Newbies everywhere rejoice. Veterans roll their eyes.
I was running errands in the SS today... it was a beautiful day, I had the top down and the music going. I turned on to De Anza (2 lanes in each direction with a tree-ed divider in the middle, 40mph limit) and got going. There were a few cars in front of me and a couple behind, the usual scattered pack you find in the middle of town on a weekday afternoon. Everyone was going slightly under the speed limit, so I casually weaved my way through.
Up near the front in the left lane, with a car ahead of me in each lane and one slightly behind in the other lane, I glanced in the rear-view and saw an older BMW squeezing through the cars the way I had just done, and watched as he pulled up behind me, just short of attaching himself to my bumper. I raised an eyebrow, but I wasn't dangerously close to the car in front of me, so I edged forward a little and kept doing my thing. He stayed right on me....
At this point the car in front of me in the right lane started signalling to turn right. Immediately, the BMW flipped on his right turn signal, with nowhere to go... the car that had been behind me to my right was still there, blocking him. I shrugged and followed suit, merged over when the lane cleared, and accelerated in 4th to get around the last car in front of me. 4th gear from 40-45 isn't exactly hair-raising, but it gave me pause when he stayed exactly six inches off my rear. I switched back over to the left lane when I could and stayed on it, still in 4th gear. I just wanted to see what he would do next.
He didn't exactly punch it, but he stayed with me to about 55... not your casual driver, I'd say. Then I saw the next light turn yellow and started braking, fully expecting the BMW to fly past me and barely clear the light. Not so! We both came to a stop and I turned to see a youngish guy, my age (22) at most, driving an early 90's larger BMW. I don't know much about older BMWs, but my friend (not with me at the time) later said it might have been a 5 or 7 series. He had his hands at 10 and 2, and was staring intently ahead. I figured it was on.
So here's the situation. I've got a stock 2000 SS convertible M6. Not only have I had the car for only a couple of months, that's also how long I've known how to drive a stick. Needless to say, I'm not the most skilled or confident shifter at the moment. I have nearly-new Potenza 750s on the rears and Kumho Ecsta Supras of unknown age on the fronts. This was my first real race in a stick, and my absolute first race in a stick from a dig. I don't really know why, he didn't do anything but drive fast, but I wanted to MURDER this guy (in a race).
The light turned green, and I got the best soft launch I've ever pulled off. Smooth but fast, no chirp. It felt like I'd just left a light in my A4 Maxima. So I got the jump, but as expected, the BMW driver immediately got on it, so I dropped the gas pedal to the floor. Everything was going fine, I was slowly inching away from him, and then I heard squealing rubber. It took me a moment to realize it was MY car... my rear tires were breaking loose as the car was hitting the powerband! I was so surprised I almost forgot to shift into 2nd. But I did, and my baby started smoothly walking away from Mr. BMW. He was a couple of car lengths back by the time we hit 65... then I saw a car going the opposite direction turn across our path. It was a ways off, but I didn't want to take any chances, and let off the gas. The BMW didn't, and caught up to my front fender by the time the coast was clear. I punched it again and stopped his advance, and pulled a length or two again just barely into my 3rd gear, when we both had to stop behind cars at a red light. I turned back to see if he was reacting in any way, and then he flipped on his turn signal and turned right off the road.
I'm not sure I got my opponent's car IDed right, and I probably didn't drive my own car as well as I could have somehow, but let me tell you, it made one hell of a newbie experience.
EDIT: After a little research, I think it was a 95-01 7-series, but I don't know specifically what year or trim.
SUMMARY : Stock 2000 SS convertible without driver mod pulls ~2 cars on unknown larger 90's BMW (5 or 7 series?) from 0-65ish. Newbies everywhere rejoice. Veterans roll their eyes.
