Cogito Ergo Zoom

Cogito Ergo Zoom -- "I think, therefore I go fast."  Automobile magazine used to use that tag line; I thought it a very appropriate title for this post.  I would generally consider myself a sentient being (though admittedly more so on some days than others).  As a sentient being, who also happens to drive a car capable doing fantastically wonderful things at high speeds, I frequently choose to drive fast.  Nothing too crazy, mind you, but being able to zip from point A to point B is far more entertaining than scooting, sauntering, moseying, or doing something otherwise slower than zipping between those two points.  But even though I've always considered myself a good driver, I've never really felt that I handled my car well at high speeds (i.e. with the appropriate control and finesse).  Then along came my savior, BMW's driving school in Pueblo, Colorado...

Fortunately, the BMW driving school in Pueblo is open to all makes and models, so I registered on the first day, then waited the agonizing three months until June 16th finally arrived. ...and oh, was June 16th in car # 16 a good day.  I can honestly say that I've never had more fun in my life.

            

In this driving school you spend the day alternating between classroom sessions, where they teach you cornering concepts and such, and track sessions, where you put everything you've learned into practice.  For me, the first track session was awful.  I didn't understand what to do and only made it around the course by the grace of God.  The second session was a little better, because what I'd learned in class and what I was feeling on the track finally started to click.  But the third session...ahhh, that third session...was really where it all came together.  I swapped to a new instructor (an instructor was in the car with you at all times on the track), whose teaching style better suited my learning style, and everything else from there on out is history.  Let's just say you're reading the blog of the person who won the "Most Improved Driver" award that day.  Oh yeah, baby, that was me.  I rocked it.

And as if that wasn't cool enough, I had the good fortune to spend June 16th with an absolutely awesome group of people, most of whom I'd never met before.  Many are driving school veterans and were more than willing to give thoughtful and valuable advice such as, "Keep the gas pedal ON THE FLOOR down the straightaway.  If it's not on the floor, PUSH IT TO THE FLOOR."  How can you go wrong with advice like that?

  

I think, therefore I go fast.  I think I would like to go to Pueblo again and go fast with all of my wonderful new friends.  See you guys in October.

(Photos courtesy Todd Vernon, Tom Higley, and Frank Amoroso.)

Comments

[Rick]

It's way more fun to do it in someone else's car. Do the Skip Barber race school in the formula or the spec miata.

[Chris]

You definitely rocked that track!! Post a picture of that kickin' trophy you won so the whole world can revel in it! Now, just imagine how cool it would have been with an RS4 . Glad to see you don't regret taking our advice on the straightaway! I know we're all looking forward to the next driving school--ahh, it just doesn't get any better than the smell of hot brake pads on a cool fall morning.

[Will]

"Push it to the floor" is such a cathartic (car-thartic ) phrase. When I recently went to Bob Bondurant school, there was a couple of guys there that had just come back from doing the NASCAR diving school. Apparently, the catch phrase there is: "if you can see the bumper of the car in front of you, you're not close enough." I think I'll stick to finding the best line around the track ;-)