I havn't posted for a long time. I sold my XR Turbo's a while back to concentrate on track racing with another vehicle. This is very sad. Five young people killed and another who will be changed for life. I am 33 and decided a year ago that if I wanted to go fast I would hit the track in a car built for in at a place I can enjoy it. Cars today, and the XR Turbo is a prime example have so much grunt with a few tweaks that you really can't enjoy any of it on a public road. I don't want to sound like an old mole but they are really the facts. I look back when I was 23 and I use to go to Calder every second Friday to run my cars and shake the "hoon" bug out with good memories. I was no angel but it seems to me that young peoples judgment behind the wheel just isn't what it used to be. I think from what I have seen of late there are a few reoccuring factors why this is becoming more common. 1# The law of averages. When there are more young people driving more will die. It's unfortunate but the facts. On the whole as a population the number of cars in the last ten years on our roads has increased dramatically, while the number killed anually has risen no where near as fast. The TAC and the like keep pumping out the shock ad campaigns and if it saves just one life well and good. It's a double edged sword. More drivers = more accidents but on the whole we are doing pretty well if you look at the numbers. Unfortunatly the numbers can't comfort the people we have already lost. 2# The proportion of young people killed in accidents in standard cars versus true high performance cars is most certainly well weighted in the favour of standard car territory. In this instance, the reports all claim a "high performance" car involved - this is and is not true at the same time. By todays standards it has no more power than your garden variety mum and dad Falcon save for the spoiler and wheels. That said, the family car of ten years ago had nowhere near as much power and as we keep seeing, 180 odd KW in inexperienced hands is more than enough to lead to fatal consequences. The first VN SS Commodores and XR8 Sprint's couldn't muster 180kw and were a handful for a young bloke - I know I ouwned them both for a time. 3# Peer preassure. I notice it alot now - perhaps because I am getting old and notice it more or because it really does happen more often. But I see a lot of friends kids really baiting thier friends to push the boundaries harder and harder behind the wheel. And alot of parents just turn a blind eye. Nobody can stop somebody from driving in a really dangerous fashion when it comes down to it, but if you are a potential passenger you have a choice. I have refused a few times to get in knowing that I would cop crap about it but I was willing to put up with it. And it was very hard to deal with sometimes when the male ego is involved. But it did save my life on two occasions and I was glad for my decision. I have even dragged myself out of bed 3am on a Friday to go pick up a mates step son stranded because the designated driver got too drunk and dissorderly instead but wanted to drive anyway. I would choose the 3am "I need a ride" call over the dreaded 3am knock every time. He made a good choice to call even though he was very pissed and found another way home - alive. Sorry if it sounds a bit woeful, but it is how I see it. I have lost 2 friends this year and nearly a third - on bikes. All were pushing too hard. Experienced riders who were a little or a lot over the limit of speed and traction and when the time came to evade a bad situation the speed just made the situation worse. In 10 years I have lost another friend to drink driving, and half a dozen more come to mind that were very lucky to get out alive. EVERY single situation was because of poor judgment in the face of peer group preassure with the "go faster" or "just drive anyway" catchcry being their undoing. Again my thoughts are with the families at this time. And to the rest of you if you really want to show your mates and yourself what the car can do go to the nearest track day. I started about 4 years ago and can honestly say that I have never driven over the speed limit since. (I do drive a Toyota Aurion as a company car now though so that may have something to do with it!). My 2 cents. James.
