spitfires
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Re: 450 for 90

To: Craig Smith <CraigS@iewc.com>
Subject: Re: 450 for 90
From: Mark Gardner <mrgrdnr@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sun, 02 Jul 2000 18:16:59 -0700
No, but my hands were little shaky for few minutes (8^)

Mark

Craig Smith wrote:

> What about your pants ?
>
> Did they get a little wet ?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Gardner [mailto:mrgrdnr@ix.netcom.com]
> Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2000 2:35 PM
> To: spitfires@autox.team.net
> Subject: 450 for 90
>
> I was out in my '79 spit today running my Saturday errands in moderate
> suburban traffic.  I was heading to the cross portion of a "T"
> intersection.  I had a green arrow to turn left.  Wanting to make the
> light, I didn't slow down, although I was not carrying what I thought
> was excessive speed.  As I started into the turn, I accelerated to get
> that "railing through the corner" feeling that spitfires are so adept at
> delivering.  There was a small drainage channel at the corner entrance,
> al the way across the road.  It wasn't very deep, but it had about 1/2
> inch of water in it.  As I started around the corner, the rear wheels
> stepped out.  Nothing too unusual about that, I'd felt that before in
> the spit when driving in the wet.  But they just kept going.  I steered
> into the skid and eased off on the power, but it totally got away from
> me.  It finished the 90 degree turn, then threw in another 180 for good
> measure.  I didn't hit anything, but ended perfectly aligned with the
> other cars, in the lane I wanted to be in, but facing the wrong way.
> Using the spit's amazingly small turn radius, I was able to do another
> 180 in the two traffic lanes heading the direction I wanted to go.  I
> tipped my hat to all the mouths-agape spectators and continued on .
> Less vigorously.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mark Gardner


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