speeding in Ferraris

Like him or not he's just a kid. Can't begin to tell you how many stupid moves I made growing up and surely didn't need a Ferrari to add to the mix. Lets hope he doesn't injure himself or someone else with this high powered toy.

 

Hope all you like. Disaster is caused by habit. Yesterday I was coming down my hill in the 575 when a 4 year old ran out into the street. 4 year olds do that. I was in my 25mph mode when I saw him and stopped dead. His mother came running and had that "oh shiit" look. I pointed my finger at her and nodded. She nodded back. He just may make 5.

 

I'm old, but not too old to remember seeing those horrible cash movies in high school with dismembered bodies scattered all over the highway. They did absolutely nothing to keep me from learning my high speed driving skills on the public roadway using Mom's car in ways it was never designed to be used. I never had an accident, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Nothing has changed, apparently.

What firmly believe works, rather than trying to scare a fearless teen, is to teach them how to actually drive. The typical teenage boy is simply not afraid to die, so they're pretty hard to frighten. Unfortunately, all too often the first skid a teen experiences is a few seconds before the crash. Why not pump up the tires in the family car and head out to your local SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) Autocross event? It might keep your kid alive.

The idea of Autocross is to run a single-car time trial around a parking lot course marked in traffic cones. A lap is usually between 30 seconds and a minute with speeds slow enough so that the chance of damage or injury is very very low. And since they're usually held in large parking lots, running off course and hitting something is not a risk. A simple helmet is the only additional piece of safety equipment required and the cost is usually around 25 bucks. There is a class for nearly anything with four wheels, so you don't need a high performance car. In fact, starting out you don't want too much performance.

Autocross gives you a chance to slide your car around in a safe and legal way and really explore the limits of your automobile. It teaches precision driving as well as car control so that when (not if) your teen does something silly, they have a better than average chance of coming home without damage to themselves or your car. Plus, it vents some of that natural tendency, especially among boys, to drive like a maniac. Not to say they won't do it late at night when they're feeling their oats, but at least they have a chance to know where the limits are, something the average high school driver's ed course doesn't teach.

If you happen to be blessed/cursed with a teen, give SCCA Autocross (also known as Solo II) a try some Sunday. You'll have fun yourself too. Autocross is also a great way to get yourself prepared for participating in track days. Similar events are held in other countries too.

 

High speed, powerful car + young rich kid with questionable ability to drive said car = perfect mechanism for wealth redistribution. He gets in accident with said car, other party sues the $%!& out of him.. wealth is redistributed. Hopefully nobody gets seriously injured.

 

Ah, were that it were so simple.

If / when "the Biebs" kills someone through reckless driving, I've no doubt he won't be out of pocket anything other than the cost of his insurance deductible.

No doubt he has massive liability insurance, with a huge umbrella policy.

 

I instruct for the Tire Rack Street Survival program and seeing what some of these kids have for driving habits is flat out scary. We work hard trying to curb the cell phone useage & other habits while teaching how to properly handle a car by doing several maneuvers on a closed course as well as a classroom instruction. One of my favorite excercises is taking them on the wet skidpad and having them loose control... admittedly, some loose confidence and get scared. We then have them doing it again and again until they demonstrate how to control the car successfully and we get thier confidence restored. The common thing most all the graduating students have is newfound respect for the privillege of driving and how dangerous it really can be.

For kids I get that like to have a bit 'too much fun', I'll pitch SCCA to thier parents-hoping to at least keep it off the streets. One of my students last spring was a few weeks from having turned 16 and his dad got him a 450+ hp new Mustang for that b-day. That was too much car for this kid, but dad didn't see it that way because it was a well-to-do family of gearheads with muscle cars. The first time the kid spun the car out on the skidpad, I saw the fear of God in his eyes and he almost crapped his pants. We had a productive day (and I had a good talk with his father), he learned alot and found respect for the power of that car. I'm glad he saw the reality of what he drives and to the best of my knowlege, he & his dad go to autocrosses and they & the car are going well... as is his driving record.

Anyone that has a young driver in the family or as a friend, I'd recommend this to!
Tire Rack Street Survival

 

My autocross club provides the instructors for the Street Survival school in our area. I have instructed several times. It is a class that ALL teens should have to take. They learn what it feels like to lose control of a car in a controlled environment instead of on a twisty road in the woods or an interstate between 2 semis. I had a 16 year old girl student who was so tentative that she would be unpredictably dangerous on the streets. Her parents reinforced this by telling me how bad a driver she was in front of her. By the end of the day, she was controlliing the car around the skidpad and asking for more. It was valuable for her and very rewarding for me. If you have young drivers in your family, sign them up.

 

I like that Kid. Considering he is flying at an altitude most of us could never relate to we should give him a break and wish him well.

I was in Helsinki a few weeks ago and he happened to be playing there. you should have seen all the Girls there... Mothers, Daughters, sisters, Aunts I think all of them.
I'd be dead already if I was him.

 

LOL!