>
>I remember helping a friend (speak up if you're still
>on this list) take all the valuable goods out of his
>Integra Type R after he was T-boned (not his fault,
>and the car was totalled). This was NOT a "ricer".
>This was a dedicated autoXer and track school person
>who bought the car because of its unnatural capabilities
>in the twisties. In the parking lot of the body shop where
>the car was left by the tow truck, we had to do things like
>pull out the shift light and pull out the hand-stamped serial
>number plate on the center console door. That was as
>much for his memories as it was because I had a feeling
>the car would be vandalized because of what it was.
Yeah that was me, and I must say thank you to Jon for helping me out in that
particular situation, the things car people will do for you are incredible,
the comraderie that exists is better than any sport I have been involved in,
I still have that number plate sitting in my house.
Jon and I have had plenty of conversations about this, I got another ITR and
love it more than a man should love a car. Since I have owned these cars I
have had the chance to mingle with all kinds of people in the car world,
from ricers to racers everybody recognizes that it is a unique machine.
Unfortunately that means it is a target for would be thieves, but thats just
a fact of life, nothing you can do to change it. The term "ricer" or "rice
boy" really originated to describe those who make cars that are all show and
no go, not really the type who would go to an SCCA event, however, there are
plenty of people in this scene who are into driving and racing and there are
plenty of them out there who want to spend money. I'm not sure the SCCA
should make special classes for them or anything like that, but they should
be welcomed at events and given a chance to learn like the rest of us. The
fact is that the general environment of most autox's isn't one that promotes
stealing or violence and in my experience the "ricers" have respected this.
But like any group that is "different" people will be prejudiced against
them, hopefully that will change.
Chris Marsh
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Street/1521/
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