Leave you’re Opinion/Comments/Experiences.....

[Kaz200]

He should be thankful that you're not out there at Calder drifting around the track with all the spanker commodores

[GTRgeoff]

Mate, I'm a bit tougher on the extended family and unwanted advice. If he don't like it then GTF out of the house and go home to his paludrin. My old man doesn't like my wife of 17 years so I haven't spoken to him for 10 years after telling him to get out. MY choice. This woman is more important to me than anything else. We discuss what happens in our life together...no-one else gets a say.

20 years in the Army in the most dangerous crap you could imagine from live fire assaults, explosives, rock climbing, parachuting, abseiling out of choppers and a bit of the 2 way shooting range and I end up half crippled from a jogging slip

Live what you can of your life IN CASE it goes to hell.

I often can't race, let alone drive properly or safely due to nerve pain. My passions for cycling and refereeing Rugby Union go unfulfilled. Work is all but impossible due to the drugs and chronic pain affecting my memory and concentration, added to an inability to sit comfortably unless in a recliner.

I've had a pretty fair chop at life, probably lived enough for 2 or 3 but I've got things to do yet so I'm justifiably bitter at such a pathetic incident spoiling things.

Talk it over with the wife, confront the F in law with reality and do what you your wife think is best.

[Ant97GTR]

Thanks guys I apprieciate everyones comments.

Those that know me fairly well will know that this isn't going to make me stop...fact is I'm just too addicted atm :headspin:

I guess all this just took me by surprise, I mean I've known/dated my wife for the last 10 years, I've always been a car nut and until last weekend I had never heard this from them. I also thought that considering her father is an ex-racer (and therefore thought the red-mist still flowed in his veins) that he would understand - clearly I was wrong!!

Good advice on the cage there James. If I was running semis with track orientated suspension I'd be with you on that one but I figure with my crap street rubber (and I mean CRAP) and boat-like stock suspension I think there is enough 'give' in the system to be fairly forgiving if I push too hard. At the moment the car gives VERY obvious early signs that its about to go and gives me a chance to correct before heading backwards/sideways off the black stuff - that combined with the lower corner speeds make me feel pretty safe pushing her on the track. As that 'warning' time would dramatically change with semi etc I figure that that is the time to fit things like a cage.

All those that have suggested taking my father in law for a passenger session - I all ready thought of this and offered to take him around sandown. Trouble is he thinks its too dangerous and won't even consider it. So I thought of the next best thing....offer the seat to one (or both) of my wifes brothers. Now both of them have been into cars ever since I knew them and have a rather special cooper brick sitting in their garage that they built from a rusty shell. Naturally I thought that they would jump at the chance considering they don't mind giving a car a squirt on the street but it seems the track is just too dangerous.

[Ant97GTR]

LOL at Snowie and Roy.........that would just be too easy to let you guys fight it out for the SAU championship honours alone now wouldn't it

Wayne.....you are a very lucky man to have such an understanding family on both sides. I'm starting to think I was born into the wrong family!!

[riggaP]

I'd be telling him to blow his opinion fair out his arse....

[Interloper]

lol, who was the knob who voted taking up knitting?

[jezzerrr]

So let me get this straight... He WONT go for a ride with you cause he THINKS it's too dangerous... So, um, how many major accidents have you had? On what does he base this assumption on, and that's all it is, an assumption. If he bases it on his own experiences when he raced, then he's grossly misinformed, cause you'd be crazy to even suggest that motor racing is even 1/10th as dangerous as it was in his day.

Obviously a case of him being over protective of his "little girl", He obviously has his mind made up, regardless of the truth, and the only reason he doesn't want to go for a run is because he knows the chances are high of you proving his one eyed stance wrong.

Do what you feel is the right thing to do! It's your family, not his, and if your wife hasn't had a problem thus far, then there IS no problem. He has a right to an opinion, but he also has a right to be wrong

[46n2]

lol, who was the knob who voted taking up knitting?

[inark]

haha man if my gfs dad told me to stop racing... oh wait... i dont

yet

lol ant this is pretty damn funny... tell him driving to the airport is more likely to get u killed then racing... road toll = 300+

track toll = 30+ (OVER 50YEARS!)

of course my statistics are all fictional and madeup but probably arent too far from the truth...

[Interloper]

hmm, bit worrying that not long after i posted inquiring as to the sanity of the knitting vote, what do i see? another vote for gardening/knitting!

[SABBAi]

hmm, bit worrying that not long after i posted inquiring as to the sanity of the knitting vote, what do i see? another vote for gardening/knitting!

My mouse slipped.......

And besides, Ant could do with a new Jumper.....

[Interloper]

lol, ok, at least you have an excuse

[Ant97GTR]

Chrisman......LOL.....yeah right...mouse slip my a$$$$$ you just want a chance to do to a skyline what you did to the rampart WRX at the next track round, don't you???!!! hehehehe

....but yes I do need a new jumper (james- feel free to photochop a pic at this point )

jezzerrr - Yeah I also figured that the bad incidents he was witness to in his day might have something to do with this....I mean he did loose 2 friends at track events (admit'y one was on a crotch rocket) as well as having a fake kneecap thanks to the Morris's steering column not being collapsable. However as you said comparing todays club racing compared to over 30-40 years ago is like comparing the ol' apples and oranges and that is why I offered to take him on a passenger session. Unfortunately he just won't consider it atm.

[Kaz200]

So when was the last time anyone actually did get seriously injured at one of these track events?

[Ant97GTR]

Kaz.....not exactly sure but I've been to the last 5-6 all over victoria (winton, calder etc etc) and we are yet to have a serious injury. Not only that but I don't even think anyones been injured at all and that includes Gareths sandown incident, Adz sandown moment, a WRX roll over.....the list goes on!

[Snowman]

A guy at a WRX Club event a couple of years back went through his rear window when he slammed the car into the pit wall at Phillip Island coming onto the straight after he got his rear wheel on the grass and came around.

Thats why they are so funny about PI.

But the WRX Club have had 3 cars in the last 12 months on their roof. All 3 have been good experienced drivers. None of them have been hurt but in all 3 circumstances the drivers have been wearing a harness and one of them had a cage.

The last one at Sandown - the white rex - judging by the way the car was wrecked I'd have been worried for the guy if he was just wearing a seat-belt. The car was squashed inwards and without a harness his head "may" have gone out the side window whilst in a rolling car.

Lucky we don't have to worry about the maybe's in this instance cause a harness was being used.

But again - all of the BIG accidents I know of have come from good drivers driving fast cars to the limit. Some of these accidents may not be drivers faults - maybe a small drop of oil that wasnt there the lap before - we don't know.

The point is - the faster your car can go and the closer to the limit you find yourself pushing the more safety considerations should be taken into account.

Driving my GTR around the track is a lot more dangerous and risky than driving the rex. There is plenty of feedback and give in the rex and the limitations in the rex are so much greater that the car can't be pushed anywhere near as hard.

Ant - your car is still pretty simple but YOU are starting to get more experience and should be getting quicker each time. A $300 harness may be a wise investement and help keep the Mrs a little happier.

[ferni]

He can't argue with stats - show him some stats of injuries/deaths from club motorsport track days like we do, and show him some stats of general things (like injuries/deaths on the road)... Its hard to get your head around that something that looks so dangerous has less risk than driving on the road.

[Babylon]

I am never gonna get married