You know the kind of excitement I'm talking about?

It's a Friday or Saturday night, you're in High School, and there's gonna be a killer party. You're up for it. You're annnn...tissss....ipating. Everybody is gonna be there. You've got to be there. SHE is going to be there.

Or you're a grown up, and lucky enough to be a Racer. And it's the season opener, or the big classic in the middle of the summer, or the big pro race coming thru town.

"You gotta do it!"

So you spend all your money, burn up all of your spare time in the shop, and you do it - You make the scene.

You get to the track. Everybody is unloading and setting up. Eventually things settle down into a typical day at the races. You do what you've got to, you roam around and talk to everybody, and then it's just about time for practice, or qualifying, or the race.

You're suiting up - whatever. You jump down out of the trailer - you're taut. Somebody looks at you just right and the hair on your neck stands up, you hold up two clinched fists and with a big smile roar out something like "THIS IS SO ******* COOL!"

You're in. You've made the scene. You're IN the scene.

You go out. You drive around the track. Whatever. You go around the track some more later. Whatever. You go around the track again - It's a Race. You come into impound and everybody is talking. Little here, little there. Then you get talked to a little and you're let go.

It's starting to cool off, and people are packing up for the night or the end of the weekend, and you look around.

It's over. The scene is gone. You were there. It was real. You felt it.

But that's all there was.

Maybe somebody took some pics. They'll remind you, and maybe others someday, of what was, and what you were a part of. It looks pretty cool. You remember - it was cool.

Cool enough.

But lets look again.

It's not the same scene for everybody that was there that day.

There's the guy who crashed hard.

There's the guy who spent too much.

There's the guy who wanted to win too bad....and didn't.

These poor guys likely have something eating away at the joy of having made the scene.

How do you find balance in such things? How do you come away thinking only good thoughts?

Are you thinking of saying something like "It's all in your head anyway, so just think happy thoughts"? Well stick that up your ***. It's not how real people really work.

I think it always comes back to the beginning. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step eh? It couldn't hurt then to see to it that the first step is in the right direction.

You want to make the scene right? Ok, you've got to make the scene. Is it any better at $1000 more? Maybe not. In fact I'm almost sure it's not.

If you're gonna BUY the rights to "the starring role" in the scene you're not a winner, you're a sucker. If you just go out and EARN the rights to "a starring role" in the scene, you're a winner. And anybody who knows anything knows it. And anybody who knows anything about scenes knows that there are always plenty of stars and plenty of "stars".

As you make the scene this year try to think ahead to how relatively insensitive the benefit is to increases in price. You can always pay more, but human joy is always just about "11".

Scott, who will follow his own advice as best he can...and probably still wind up with empty pockets.

 

would you shuttup and just finish building your car?

is this anything like the difference between causing a scene and being part of one?

 

I'm working on it.

Just got my HPMotorsports wing. Nicer construction than I was expecting. Gotta get some stands cut - I don't like theirs and they're not "spec'd". Mugen Style - that's what I'm talking about.

Unfortunately I also just got the new Ferrari book by Peter Wright. Mmmm - that's gonna cost me a handful of hours.

Scott, who will not compromise....what? I have no idea.

 

dang man - you described it to a "t", for me anyway.

i was hit after i spun in 9 at lsir.
i lost a lot of nerve because of that, i thought i was going to get t-boned and die.
i was never the same after that.
my autopower was not going to save me from the e30.

i lost 2 motors and was finally forced out of the "scene".
now i see people from the "time trials" racing...damn.

no more wheel to wheel with my street car - dedicated race car this time around.
this time i plan to stay, and ill get there eventually.
i could slap it all together qucik like, but i want it "just so".
many custom parts unfortunatly.

the "scene" was everything to me, and i can't wait for it to be a part of my life again.

i used to think that there are those that are in the "scene" that don't deserve to be there, yet they are there because they **** money...but that was then.
now i don't hate, i just want to participate.

mentally i did a 180...ive changed.

one day...one day soon.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RR98ITR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You know the kind of excitement I'm talking about?

Somebody looks at you just right and the hair on your neck stands up, you hold up two clinched fists and with a big smile roar out something like "THIS IS SO ******* COOL!"

You're in. You've made the scene. You're IN the scene.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! I'll be "that" guy all freakin' year long.

John -- who can't wait for May 8th

 

Welcome Back Paul

Scott, who remembers T-Shirts from the 80's that read "Participant"...usually worn by spectators...Be Here Now.

 

"The Scene" is easy for me to locate.
Its wherever I'm standing.

Its all about attitude boys. Now pull 'em tight and lets go racin'.

 

Does this apply to participants of HPDEs/track days/lapping events also?

 

not really.

 

OK, just checking.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bulldog_RS20 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">not really.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Unless you are Ghettoracer, er GhettoDE'er

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">"The Scene" is easy for me to locate.
Its wherever I'm standing.

Its all about attitude boys. Now pull 'em tight and lets go racin'.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Clearly, you've got the movie star good looks and charisma to help in this regard...

Casey, who's not sure if he'd rather be a part of the scene or have groupies following me at every event.

 

How did your first day of high school go? If it went well, your next 4 years were probably better than the guy who showed up late and had to sit next to Dexter the geek for the rest of the term. That sort of thing follows you around. Esp. in a small pond.
How did your first race go? Did you spin, get punted, or become an obstacle? Or were you the fastest thing out there and you can't believe that the Williams talent scout didn't return your call? Or did you just think you were that fast?
That will shape your next race, and the one after that every bit as much. It *is* about attitude, confidence, and preparation.

--Chris, who spun, got punted, and was an obstacle, but will still be out there again as soon as balance is restored to his life. And his checkbook.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">"The Scene" is easy for me to locate.
Its wherever I'm standing.

Its all about attitude boys. Now pull 'em tight and lets go racin'.</TD></TR></TABLE>


You know how Austin Powers enters the scene?

Is that what you're talking about? That's NOT what I'm talking about. That sounds more like something Tnord mentioned.

The scene is there...it happens...it's not something One Person or a collection of One Person's creates.

Oh, sure, maybe you could argue on the basis of something like being at Frank Sinatra's table, or being in on a Led Zeppelin Fish Beating. But I'm talking about a more elemental form of community - just people coming together to do the same thing.

My first motocross race as a Pro happened to coincide with my first (and last) date with this girl. She was the beautiful spoiled brat little sister of the beautiful and angelic girlfriend of a friend of a friend. She piled a bunch of "you can win" on me without knowing the sport, the field, or me. It totally turned me off. I had my attitude which was "I will work hard, learn, and in time it will come to me if I'm worthy". In the first moto that night I was on the outside of a massive first turn cascade crash - it was brutal. Second moto - can't remember a thing. Remember the girl as someone who probably went on to make somebody(s) greatly unhappy.

But I do remember that just a very few weeks later I won my first pro race. It was also the last one I won. But instead of that girls perspective on it, I have held on to the perspective one of the nicest and cleanest of my competitors shared with me. I said something like "it's a surprise to me, I'm not That good", and he responded with "I couldn't touch you, you're That good".

Now that's a scene.

And I think you can find and be a part of such a scene at the races. And at HPDE's. And in a vacant lot with your buddies on BMX bikes if you're a little kid.

It's one of those things that makes life that much sweeter if you have the capacity to stop for a second and notice. Jean Todt is paid to be goal oriented, and yet still manages to preside over a very human scene. How many local guys have you ever seen who manage to do it the other way?

Scott, who likes hearing about peoples love affairs with cars, and racing, and their friends...but not their love affairs with themselves.

**Disclaimer - this post is inspired by the writing of Scott Giles (Catch22), but is not intended to be read as a direct response to him specifically. While the characters and events in this post are real and did truly happen it's theoretically possible that this is all a dream I'm having in a folding lounge chair at the Rose Cups and it's just about time to wake up and suit up for my race**

 

Glad I could inspire such a deeply insightful response with the first silly BS that popped into my head.

Scott, who admits that part of his post was inspired by something Darrel Waltrip said on TV this weekend.

 

Hey, now, I don't want to pump you up, but maybe you need it.

Your haid isn't just poppin full of silly BS. Some of it is interesting BS. Other thoughts are possibly even stimulating BS. Sure some of it is just straight BS. But that's ok.

Scott, who would love to waste more of every day watching Speed Channel, but that would cut into the time I'm already Not Racing...which is a scene in itself, though not the scene I aspire to be in....which reminds me of something about Martha Stewart and "aspirational" living...which is something like wanting to be in a scene so bad you turn your whole fuggin house into one.....DAMN! You did it to me again Scott!

 

Wheeeeeeeee!!!

I like this ride. Its fun.
When it stops I'm going to get back in line again.