After I began racing, one of the things I volunteered to do was help at the NASA Car Control Clinic, which they do 3-4 times a year. The idea is to teach kids (though adults are welcome too) the basics of Car Control so that maybe they won't get in a wreck and die. It's a one day long course, and the instructors don't get paid but we get an hour of free track time over lunch.
Given that it's only an hour, I don't pull the race car and trailer up. I just take the NSX. It's the only time that the NSX sees the track anymore.
While I've done a bunch of these, I haven't written them up because they haven't been that interesting. I go. I teach. I spend a few minutes on the track. I come home.
Tonight was different.
One of the benefits of not driving an SUV and pulling a trailer is that you can go faster on the open road. So, I was on I5, after the merge from 505, and I came up on a very usual situation. Semi truck in the right lane going normal speed for a semi, and a car (in this case a Chevy pickup) in the left lane, overtaking but still plenty of room between them as I approach. The polite thing to do would have been for the pickup to move over and let me by, but no one is ever that polite so I did what I always do - move into the right lane and pass the person in the left lane before the semi.
Suddenly, the guy decides to race me and close the gap so I can't pass... ARE YOU SERIOUS? While the NSX may not be a supercar by today's standards (Ferrari, McLaren), it certainly was when it was built. So, I accelerate and pass him with little trouble, and then settle back down to the speed I had been cruising at (90). Then, after passing the truck, he decides to make a point. He decides that he's going to show me up with his speed. So, he zooms past me like I'm standing still. Could I take him? Sure. The top speed (calculated) on the NSX is 196 MPH. but I have no desire to get into a speed contest with a PICKUP TRUCK!! Even acknowledging that I thought there was a contest would be humiliating. And, another car follows him by me at (estimated) 110 MPH. A few minutes later, I can still see him about 1/2 mile ahead, and suddenly my peripheral vision pick up a flashing light out of the right side. I look right, and it's a sheriff on the parallel road with his lights on (obviously for me). CRAP!!
So, I slow down. He speeds up. I figure he's going to get on at the next on ramp and write me a ticket. Suddenly, the radar detector goes nuts. The pattern is "CHP approaching on the other side". I see him, and he passes me and makes a U-turn. DOUBLE CRAP!! I figure his buddy is going after one of the other guys, and he sent the CHP to get me. After he makes the U-turn, he zooms past me. (Whew!) A few miles later, I see flashing lights on the right, and the CHP turns on his flashers and makes a 180 across the center median and fairly quickly another 180 to come up on my side of the freeway.. I pass him (again, figuring his buddy got the main guy and he was now going to go after me), but he passes me again (note: I'm still being good), and pulls in next to the sheriff who has the pickup truck pulled over. One car, two cops - that means you're going to have a bad night.
For me...? A deep sigh of relief. And then, back to 90...
The rest of my trip was uneventful.