Terry bought a very sporty Porsche. There is little reason to have such a fast car unless you want to drive super fast. Since getting the car she has been taking it to time trials to test her limits. The track was way out on the west side of town up near Mount Dora. The “track” was actually a large open parking lot next to a shooting range. As we approached we could hear the constant sound of fire arms being discharged. It added to the sense of reckless danger.
Cones were set up in the lot to outline the many turns on the test track. Everyone walked the track to get a feel for the layout. Since Terry didn’t have a number for her car, she put a single strip of Blue Duck Tape on the door for the number 1. A sophisticated timing system was set up to keep track of each drivers drive time. Only one driver was on the track at a time. Since this was Terry’s first taste of a time trial, an experienced driver went with her to coach her on how to attack the track. Beginning drivers were first on the track.
When Terry got on the track, the announcer joked that she was certainly having a leisurely Sunday drive. Each time she got on the track however, she improved her time. Her best time 54.031 seconds was less than half the time of her first attempt. She made slow and steady progress. One guy lost control and spun off the track. She smartly pushed herself without going past the breaking point. Driving helmets were required. Her car is in my sketch. It is the silver Porsche with the black soft top convertible roof. Apparently if the car were to roll over, there are support braces that would instantly rise up behind the bucket seats to protect the roof from crushing the drivers head.
After the time trials all the drivers gathered for a Subway‘s catered lunch on the picnic tables by the gun range. There were some very serious drivers who clocked some amazing times that day. Between rounds the drivers would have to wait an eternity for their next turn at the track. For that reason Terry isn’t a great fan of the time trial process. She is still looking to improve her time and push her car to it’s limit. For me it was a relaxing weekend sketch opportunity.