Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Today was meant for a Ferrari...(Long read and F1 SPOILER)

[Robert W. Garven Jr. (rgarven]

Jim,

Multiply that times 13 years and you can understand my feelings. My  
face is deformed like the Joker from smiling constantly while driving  
the Ferrari!
You are a member of a very exclusive club, of not just Ferrari owners  
but Ferrari owners that feel a passion that runs deep, very deep!!  
The only thing that has given me more
pleasure is taking it apart and putting it back together and it still  
running! I just wish I were Italian, If I could I would sell  
everything I have give up my car and house just to sweep the
floor of the Ferrari factory..........

Glad you are enjoying the ride!!!  :-)

Pilote che gente!!!!

Rob Garven


On Oct 20, 2007, at 9:06 PM, jim wrote:

> The week was full of stuff..Rain, storms winter approaching.  A  
> tornado
> touched down not too far from here doing all kinds of damage.  On  
> top of
> that work has been a pain in the arse.  The only bright spot was  
> the promise
> of clear skies and 70deg. temps for Saturday.  This kept me going  
> all week.
>
>
>
> Friday night.  Quick check of weather.com.  Looks like a perfect day
> approaching.  In planning the day in my head, I'm thinking I'll  
> actually try
> to sleep in until 7 or so.Then take the Ferrari out and stretch her  
> legs.
>
> Enter Saturday. The weatherman didn't lie. Slept in until 8:15!!  
> Perfect day
> brewing. Checked the web for the call for volunteers to help clean  
> up storm
> damage.  Not until Sunday. Great, time to drive. The girls have a  
> "girl day"
> planned and I'm on my own.
>
>
>
> I open up the 2nd garage bay, pull the cover off to a gorgeous  
> shade of
> Rosso Corsa. I can tell she wants to run.  Something about a  
> Ferrari that
> has been sitting all week waiting for the rain to end.  It's almost  
> like she
> knows I know she knows. :-)
>
> She starts right up and while she's idling I perform my pre-flight  
> check.
> 'All systems go' I say to myself as I back out and head for a fuel  
> stop.
>
>
>
> Once she's filled up I head for US33.  Its one of only a couple  
> roads around
> this place with curves.  Long sweepers that you could take at  
> 90mph.   Some
> are marked '40mph' but that just means a flick of the wrist to 4th  
> and stomp
> on the throttle!   My route will take me northwest for about 40  
> miles to a
> small town where I can grab a diet coke, then head back southwest  
> to my
> lunch destination to watch F1 qualifying.
>
>
>
> Once on 33 I find initially that I probably slept in a little too  
> long.
> Traffic.  Drats!!!   I'm behind 3 cars moving at a snails pace, or  
> so it
> seems.  At the first little town they move off one by one until I'm  
> passing
> the last one at about 70mph.  Now we're talking.   The road ahead is
> beautiful, accented with the changing colors of the trees and the  
> clear blue
> sky.  I'm in heaven!  Rolling hills and sweeping curves are flying  
> past me,
> again so it seems.  I'm never really going over 65, but it feels much
> faster.
>
>
>
> At one point I come up on a moving chicane.   I can see a stretch of
> straight flat road beyond the small rolling hills ending in a  
> series of
> esses that I know well.  That is my target passing point pending any
> oncoming traffic.   I'm starting to dream F1.   At the last rolling  
> hill I
> make my move.  To my surprise the little Pontiac wants to play.
> Unfortunately for him, the little 4 banger is no match for the  
> little V-8 in
> my GT4 but he does force the issue down to the end of the  
> straight.   Again
> I'm dreaming F1.   Indianapolis, cruising past the line of bricks,  
> down to
> the 100meter, 50meter marks..downshift, tap the brake and turn in.   
> Stomp on
> the gas and that little Pontiac is GONE!    I'm thru the esses and  
> he is
> nowhere in sight.   I'm a good 1/8 mile down the road before he  
> appears.
> "I thought you wanted to play." I said to myself..
>
>
>
> I am all smiles as I pull into the CVS to grab a diet coke.   They  
> have the
> coldest pop around.   As I'm walking outside I hear the teenagers  
> saying
> "what the -F- is that thing?"   The youngest says, "It's a FERRARI  
> you dumb
> *ss!"    My smile turns to a brief laugh.
>
> Once back in the car I'm all business.  More road to carve and for  
> the next
> 40 miles or so it's going to be major fun!    I head south and  
> catch SR5,
> which is a much older road in need of re-surfacing, however, it is  
> 10 TIMES
> the fun!   Tighter corners, some 90+ degrees.  Bigger hills and  
> very little
> traffic.  This is the road my GT4 likes to drive.
>
>
>
> SR5 dead ends into US33.   As you head back south on 33 you hang a  
> sharp
> right, then a series of switch backs start the journey down 5. I'm  
> FLYING
> through these when I come upon an old for pickup hauling old  
> pallets which
> are tied down by twine and hanging off the back.  "Great" I think.   
> This guy
> is going to kill me.  I follow him for a couple miles, his  
> suspension barely
> alive.  He almost looks like he has hydraulics on the front,  
> bopping up and
> down as he's trucking down the road..Luckily he turns off quickly,  
> pallets
> nearly scraping the ground and I don't see another vehicle for miles.
>
>
>
> Rolling hills, twisty turns and one of my favorites is coming up.   
> A sharp
> left hander that nearly folds back on itself.   It's a 20mph corner  
> but fun
> as hell at 40.  Tires letting you know they're working and you can  
> feel the
> rear sway bar doing what it was designed to do, keep that rear end  
> planted
> and moving in the proper direction!  Through this corner I come  
> upon the big
> Harley.  This guy owns the road, I'm quite sure of it.   There was no
> passing this dude and I really had no reason to.   He was moving  
> that big
> hog around like it was a sport bike.  Nary afraid of a corner nor  
> afraid to
> get on it when the road straightened out.   He made this part of  
> the ride
> fun.   After a while I turned right and he went straight.  Thumbs  
> up as he
> rode on.   From here I was off to Todd's place for F1 qualifying.    
> Another
> 30 miles of cruising to get there but this time big rolling hills and
> straight roads with the occasional long sweeper thrown in for fun.
>
>
>
> "What a PERFECT day to own a Ferrari" I yell at Todd as I pull in  
> his drive.
> Head deep in to the interior of his 250 he shouts back, "I bet  
> you're having
> fun!"   Sure enough I was in Heaven.  This car is so much fun to  
> drive and
> the day could not be better.   "Lets grab some food before  
> qualifying."  He
> agreed.   I tossed Todd the keys and said 'you drive'.   Even  
> though he has
> a pristine 250, he looked like a kid in the candy store when I said  
> this.
> Funny thing about these cars, you never get rid of that look,  
> especially
> when a buddy lets you drive is prized possession.   We grabbed a  
> couple of
> subs and headed back to the garage, Todd driving still.   I think he's
> hooked.  Maybe I'll drag him over to the dark side of GT4  
> ownership, who
> knows.  All I can say is that he was having a great time tossing  
> the shifter
> around the gates.
>
>
>
> "YESSSSS!" we shouted as Massa took pole for the 2nd straight  
> year.  Now all
> we need is for Alonso to take Hamilton out and we'll have a great  
> year!!!
> Ok, so I don't really want Alonso to take anyone out..Hamilton  
> deserves the
> WDC, but a Ferrari driver sure would be nice!!  Anyway, the minute
> qualifying ended I was back on the road heading home.   60 miles.  
> 60 miles
> of more of the same.   Rolling hills, long sweeping turns and a car  
> that is
> running stronger than ever.   She really is putting out today. I  
> just love
> my car!!!
>
>
>
> Once home I tucked her safely in her garage space, checked her oil  
> and let
> her cool down.   Those who don't own will never know the feeling  
> after such
> a drive.  Whether it's on the track or around local roads, you guys  
> reading
> this know the feeling.   Damn its fun to drive this car!   33 years  
> old and
> the car still bring a level of excitement that few cars today can  
> match!
> Few cars today can keep up in the corners with my car.  And few  
> cars today
> have the 'Je Ne Sais Quoi" Except of course a Ferrari.
>
>
>
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