I pulled out of the dealership, careful not to end up on a Metube video as an idiot in a sports car losing control and crashing it.
Especially after having just bought it.
I drove around town, all giddy, showing off my new car.
I know that it is unbecoming to show off your wealth, but I got a new car, and honestly, the looks and attention I'm getting while driving this car is amazing.
I was never really popular, I was the guy that was kind of friends with everyone but close to no one.
A lot of that was because of how shy I was. I'm still a little shy, but I have gotten much better than I was before.
Always wondering if what I was going to say was funny, ok, or even inappropriate. What I learned is that most people don't care.
Sure, everyone has different limits for inappropriate, or dark jokes. But, you can't live being afraid of what they might say if it hits a little differently than you thought.
It is actually much easier to make friends the more open you are, because if they ever say anything, "Whoa, you can't say that!" Then you know they were never going to be a close friend anyway.
Live and learn, as they say.
Or perhaps age and don't care anymore.
Either works.
…
I spent a couple of hours driving around and getting a thrill at people pointing and staring.
But, I was getting bored, and I wanted to drive the car a little faster.
I Foolgled if there were any private race tracks around, and sure enough, there was.
I was a little surprised, but it seems that private tracks are more common than I thought. There were three within driving distance of me.
Two of the three were membership only, while the third was open to the public. You just had to buy a day pass, which cost $400.
Kind of steep but ok.
I drove over and asked, "Can I get a day pass?"
"Sure thing. Have you been here before?"
"Nope."
"Ok, well then you will have to sign a waiver and take a safety course. Do you have a helmet and a transponder?"
"No…"
"Then you will either need to buy a SA-2015 or newer helmet, or rent one we have here. You can rent a transponder."
"I will buy a new hemet, do you sell them here?"
"Yes, they are through that door over there. Also, will you be driving your own car or renting one from us?"
"I will drive my own."
"Ok, then we will need to inspect it."
"Umm, why?"
"To make sure it is road worthy and safe."
"Do you mind if I watch? I only really trust my own mechanic looking at the car unsupervised."
"Uh, sure? Whatever makes you feel comfortable."
I paid for everything I needed to here and went to buy a helmet.
The helmet prices were from $200 to $400. I bought a $400 one because you can't put a price on safety. Well, I guess you can, and it's $400.
So… I paid and went outside for the car inspection.
I was a little worried because I had already upgraded the car once, so I was afraid the mechanic might notice.
However the upgrade should have just brought it up to date.
I went up and talked to the mechanic, "Hey man, I heard you are the guy who is doing the inspection on my car."
"Yeah, that's right. You're in good hands, I know just about all there is to know about these sports cars."
"Great…"
He got the car parked into the bay, lifted the car up, got one look and said, "These aren't the parts for the 2015 model."
I nonchalantly said, "Yeah, they're new."
"I mean, they do look like the new parts. But, there are differences, like here, this shouldn't look like this."
"They are privately manufactured new parts."
"So, they aren't from the actual manufacturer? Then I don't know If I can pass this."
"Under state law this is perfectly legal."
"I know. But since I don't know the parts I can't be sure that they are safe."
"So, you know every part in the world and are the deciding factor on whether they are safe or not?"
"No, I'm not saying that. I just don't know if THESE are safe."
"Again, if you don't know every part, do you only allow parts you know?"
"No, but…"
"Look, I'm not trying to give you a hard time, ok? I just find it hard to believe that the parts I have are deemed unsafe because you just don't know the parts. I thought the inspection was about safety and the safety features. But you are looking and deciding based on the engine components."
"Yeah, you're right. The engine doesn't look unsafe or problematic, just different. The safety features look good, tires are in good condition. There really isn't a reason I should turn it away. But it being different is throwing me off. It's not different by much, just enough for me to go, huh? But, I guess you're good."
"Thank you, and sorry for being such a Karen. I get defensive over my things."
"Naw, it's alright, I get it. I'm that way about my car as well."
"Alright, cool. Have a nice one."
"You too, man"
I got the car back and was now ready for the 20 minute safety class.
Looking back, that whole conversation was really cringe on my part. I'm embarrassed I was like that.
Anyways, I have to focus on the safety class.
The safety class felt anything but. It was quick and rather uninformative. It felt more like they were trying to cover their legal obligation than actually care about my safety.
Or anyone else's for that matter.
But, I was finally cleared to get onto the track and start driving.
I pulled up into the "pit" area and topped up on fuel.
Then I pulled out onto the course.