When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
If driving "fast" means tooling along on the highway in daylight on dry, well maintained roads at speed less than triple digits, then it is true. At very high speeds it takes talent to keep the car under control simply because inputs need to be very subtle. This is especially true when environmental conditions are demanding. One of our S2Ki members has recently set the world record for under 2 liter gasoline powered vehicles - 258.8 MPH!!. That takes talent and guts.
Turning the car is another matter. It again takes talent to guide the car through a turn at the highest velocity, on line, making sure that speed is not lost through scrubbing. If you have traffic around you, as in a race, the necessary skill levels jump up yet again.
Driving fast and the S2000 does require skill......hit a bump in the road or a tire rut at 90mph+ and you better make sure you have a hold of the wheel and make a very smooth adjustment or you will end up where you don't want to be.
Skill also goes along with knowing the car you are driving very well and how it will behave given input.
I think that is an accurate statement. I am still learning about my car, how it handles and reacts under different situations, and my own driving skills continue to be worked on. Sometimes I feel I'm doing great, and then something will happen that slaps me upside my head and reminds me that I still have a long way to go.
It's easy to press the accellerator, the skill is in controlling the car.
I think that statement is very accurate. I really like autoxing and tracking my car. When I first went to them, I thought I was going to be very quick....I got my a$$ handed to me by most every type of car. I stuck with it and have learned a heck of a lot about driving this car.
In addition to a little autoX, I've learned the most about handling the S when my tires are a little past their prime....when you have to deal with a little slide action on the curves/ corners.
Working out in an empty icy parking lot can also teach a bit about skid control.
If a new RWD owner has never experienced these gyrations, there may be unhappy results under duress
Valentine and I were talking a few weeks ago about how driving this car takes all of our attention even at normal speeds. We don't look away, we don't play with the controls or anything at speed. Both hands on the wheel at all times. I pushed it to 105 on the way home from Richmond and it felt like I'd left the ground as I held on tighter; a completely different kind of driving at that speed. But she handled soooo well. It's a sweet little car. Can't wait to track her at FC04. Which reminds me, I need a helmet. Any suggestions for a one-time use.
I have to admit I enjoy driving the S at very rapid rates along the highways, etc., but I also agree with Rob on his "motoring" thread. It bothers me that the knowledge of what the car can do (ie how fast you can go and how well it handles) sometimes causes me to go for the "adrenalin rush" at high rates of speed. This car DOES demand one's full attention. I'm in love with the car and yearn for the roadways everytime the sun shines, but I'm very much aware of the dangerous situations which can lead to terrible results. My kids (who have somehow become our parents) are "all over my case" about the drives we take, so I'm thinking maybe its time to grow up a little bit !!![notice I said a \"little bit\"] and enjoy motoring more and the high speed thrills a little less. PaS2k -- maybe roller coasters are where I should seek that big hit of adrenalin. I'm anxious to hear the thoughts of others.
I agree with the statement. This car demands the driver know what they are doing and to be alert. Any fool can get in and mash the gas, but it takes a whole lot more skill sets to make this car dance through the corners.
In fact, I believe this statement is so true that I find I just have to go to school...
As a former motorcycle road racer that never experienced the "big get off" I think that I understand the importance of smoothness and subtle in-puts. In fact, this is also true in aviation. When I was learning to fly, my ground school instructed commented that she always knew that she was going to have a challenge when her male students showed up for a flight lesson wearing combat boots! Flying requires a very gentle touch as does driving at speed. I have "piloted" both two and four wheeled vehicles at speeds of over 150 MPH (over 230 KPH in Grannyrod speed).
I have attended the Skip Barber School twice. Once in 1994 and then again in 2001 as a refresher (and to have the opportunity to drive a Viper). I would highly recommend attending a driving school to anyone that has not done this. If fact, I would highly encourage those of you with children to send them if one can afford the $1200 or so. It could save their lifes.
On February 7th while on the way home in our Ford "Exploder" I hit a big patch of black ice. At one point I really did not think that I was going to be able to recover, and thought that I was going to put it in the woods. After a big three time "tail wagger" I was able to recover using the techniques that I had practiced on the skid pad at the Skip Barber School. Even my wife (Plant Pixie) was impressed that I had saved it.
P.S. I was please to learn that when I went back the second time that they were using the "key word" that I mentioned the first time that I was there in discribing the key to high performance driving: "Awareness"! That is being aware of the following: The condition of your vehicle, road conditions, traffic conditions, weather conditions, your condition (tired, etc).
02-29-2004, 02:18 PM
Anyone can go fast, the trick is to drive the car.
OK, let me throw in my two cents.
Flying requires a very gentle touch as does driving at speed. I have "piloted" both two and four wheeled vehicles at speeds of over 150 MPH (over 230 KPH in Grannyrod speed). 
