Camaraderie: where is it?

Do you make it a point to at least give a fellow SCCA/PCA/BMWCCA, or any other club member a thumbs-up, or even just a nod of acknowledgement when you drive by, or notice each other in the streets? It's easy to notice the cars that have been worked up for HPDE/AX.

The reason I ask is because for a few months, I've been noticing this nice GT 5.0 around base and on it's rear driver's side window he has an SCCA sticker along with a sticker of a local race track that recently opened. I was wondering when I would get the chance to meet the owner so we can talk "cars" and I can invite him to our Auto-x on base.

Friday, I see the car in the commissary parking lot again as I'm leaving the commissary. I head home, and as I'm crossing the bridge, through my rear view mirror, I notice this GT 5.0 about 100 yards behind me. I slow down to about 40MPH allow him to pull up beside me. It's the dame car. He does, I try to make eye contact... Nothing... He's stern, looking forward. This goes on for about 200 yards. I'm prepared to give the guy a nod, or even a thumbs-up, maybe roll down the windows and chat.. Nothing... He proceeds to downshift and weave through traffic and I lost him.

Does that ever happen to you? I can understand if the guy was in a hurry, or late to an appointment.. etc.. Just a few seconds of your time would have been nice to ensure we keep the Motorsports camaraderie alive.

There's no way he could have missed my club stickers, SCCA/Turner/AIR FORCE/Hawk.. etc.. that were on my pass side window.. Plus, white, lowered E30 on D-Force's and a plate that says "THESTIG" is not hard to miss.

Oh well.. My rainy sunday rant...

We see lots of cars headed to/from sebring around here. I always wave.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if I came up on modded e30 while driving a "performance" car, I'd avoid eye contact as well. Unfortunately, the wannabe racer types the we often associate with Hondas often drive e30's. He may have trying to avoid a potential street racing episode. You may get a more pleasant response if you can wrangle him in a parking lot.

Or maybe he's just a prick...

I say this as an e30 owner as well...

Ian F wrote: Please don't take this the wrong way, but if I came up on modded e30 while driving a "performance" car, I'd avoid eye contact as well. Unfortunately, the wannabe racer types the we often associate with Hondas often drive e30's. He may have trying to avoid a potential street racing episode. You may get a more pleasant response if you can wrangle him in a parking lot. Or maybe he's just a prick... I say this as an e30 owner as well...

I think he was just a prick!.. This was not the first time he noticed my E30..

Plus, SCCA folks don't street-race.. right?

Agreed, if a modded car pulls up next to me in traffic I assume there's some sort of penis length contest coming. Unless I already know the driver.

Leave a note on the car inviting him to come out.

Keith wrote: Agreed, if a modded car pulls up next to me in traffic I assume there's some sort of penis length contest coming. Unless I already know the driver. Leave a note on the car inviting him to come out.

True, he proved his length by swerving to traffic in the light rain just to catch up to me.. Oh well..

I'm guilty of "powering off" in a situation similar to this. I was in my C-stock RX-7 and I saw a Supra making an effort (a polite effort) to catch up to me in traffic. When he made it to about my drivers side door I dropped a gear and left.

Ricer idiots were always chasing my car, and powering off. I figured this guy to be another ricer. When he pulled in to the pick-n-pull parking lot about two minutes after me and introduced himself, I felt like the idiot ricer...

I figure your guy (in a GT 5.0) has gotten buzzed by his fair share of idiots, so maybe it was just a case of "didn't see your stickers"?

I always give interesting vehicles a thumbs up or a wave when I'm driving around. I don't get too many back, but the ones that do reply make it worth the effort.

I dunno if other folks do this, but I tend to beep the horn to get someone's attention if they aren't looking.

unless otherwise required, this is all I sport on a street ride ...

subtle is good

I'm seeing less of it off the street, too. SCCA used to be a more of a club than just a sanctioning body. The workers knew who the drivers were (some even followed the points championships), everybody hung out together afterwards. I'm seeing more "arrive and drive" guys with someone else taking care of their car, a lot of guys who kind of know everyone in their class/run group, but not much of anyone else.

I have my suspicions about the reasons why, but I'm trying not to have a GOML moment here.. Long story short: racing is expensive and the economy's in the toilet. The atmosphere at an autoX or a crapcan race is much more like Club Racing was 10-15yrs ago. Maybe things will change if the economy comes back to us.

I admit I have tried to wave to other car type guys and gals. Sadly I am rarely driving a car that would ID me as friend rather than foe (state issued F250's do not scream I am a Car Guy). Case in point I see a subtle RX8 with small SCCA sticker on it every so often around my small town and have often tried to find a chance to speak to the driver to no avail. I say try to get a chance to meet the driver of the Mustang outside of his car and it might go better.

I'm with the crowd that wants to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and think he was trying to avoid a street racing contest.

That, or maybe he was just shy.

I don't generally acknowledge "racer-looking" cars on the street.
If the driver waves or does thumbs up, I'll respond but I don't initiate.
Not trying to be stuck up, but I don't want to get involved in some "show-off" / street racing thing either.

My Miata has SCCA / NASA stickers on the roll bar. Once in a while a Miata will pull up next to me and give a wave to thumbs up (and then I wave back), but I think that's more of a Miata-thing than racer stuff.

My '09 Chevy tow van has lots of ID stickers on the back window (SCCA, NASA, SVRA, AMA, PVGP, etc) and I occasionally get "looks" from guys in cool cars but I don't recall any waves. I imagine it's the stickers since a white Express cargo van ain't exactly a swish ride. I did catch another white Express one day which was also sporting an SCCA sticker. I honked as I passed him and he honked back.

Of course, everyone and their uncle waves if we're towing the race-Spridget. I think that's why I still like open trailers.

My street '69 MGB get a lot of acknowledgment too. Truck drivers, little kids in mini-vans (and yes, ricers) seem to acknowledge it. The other day a random lady pulled into my driveway to tell me how much she likes it.

On the way to a race weekend - when overtaking an enclosed trailer with SCCA/BMW/PCA/NASA stickers or an open rig with a race car... there is a look and a nod when the cabs pull even.

I completely ignore kids in lowered cars with decals all over them. It's a 90% hit rate on them being complete douchebags.

Have you ever been amazed by a car you beat from stoplight to stoplight? I've told a story or heard a story about cars that I "whipped" or tried to "whip" me when I was younger....most times, the "loser" of an impromptu street race wasn't even aware he was racing anybody.

My point? You are building up a whole character profile of someone who may have the wrong idea about you from your car's appearance. You may be building up a whole profile on someone who may have BORROWED the car you were travelling near. There is a whole spectrum of what-ifs and maybes that you might not be aware of. Give the guy the kind of "break"/comraderie you want in return.

BTW, one of the 1st cars I owned was a '68 Mercury Cyclone. A few guys in my first Navy squadron thought I was into drag racing...because of my car. I bought it because I wanted a Cougar and couldn't find one, and when I saw this car I really liked it.

I was coming home the other night in my E36 M3. Some middle-aged guy in a full sized Cadillac pulls away from the light with me, and then floors it. (I was accelerating at a normal rate) We get to the next streetlight and he yells over at me "your car is slow!"

Me--laughing- "I didn't know we were racing"

Him-- "doesn't matter....you lost anyways"

He then preceded to haul ass away from the light.....poor Sedan Deville!

Some folks out there are a bit "touched" no sense poking them....

Joe Gearin wrote: I was coming home the other night in my E36 M3. Some middle-aged guy in a full sized Cadillac pulls away from the light with me, and then floors it. (I was accelerating at a normal rate) We get to the next streetlight and he yells over at me "your car is slow!" Me--laughing- "I didn't know we were racing" Him-- "doesn't matter....you lost anyways" He then preceded to haul ass away from the light.....poor Sedan Deville! Some folks out there are a bit "touched" no sense poking them....

Odd you mention this..I used to have the worst time (in the Corrado) from folks that owned those V6 Pontiac Grands Prix. (the early FWD cars). It's like they saw the VW badge on it and thought, "..now here's someone I can beat!!"

Ugh.

I've noticed that the Corvette community is rather nice. I have people waving at me all the time, sort of the same way they do on motorcycles.

All the 3rd gen Camaro owners I see usually give a thumbs up or a wave when I pass them.

The Neon owners around here are old bitties that are heading home from church or bingo or the supermarket. There is one kid that waves to me though, only because I sold his brother a set of tires and we both own red Neons.

I guess in the spirit of Full Disclosure, I should admit..

I drove BMWs back in the day when we'd flash our headlights at each other when you saw another one coming down the road. No "space" for me!

In reply to friedgreencorrado:

Nice color for that wall; full disclosure, my living room walls are nearly identical.

I passed a tarted-up EK Civic at the pump this afternoon. My Prelude (in all its' bad-paint glory) was only slightly less rattier this his car. Not a hint of recognition for a fellow Honda guy and I'm not sure anything would have changed had I been in my Civic.

In my Civic if anyone tries to race me, I just barely accelerate just cause.

I have an SCCA Club Racing sticker on the Tacoma tow rig/garbage scow. Zero notice in a year.

When I had my '02 ep3 Civic hatch (lots of suspension, Jackson/ Eaton supercharger/intake/header/exhaust, real JDM rear lip) I'd be droning home on the DC beltway and some kid in a raggity-ass Civic would pull along side, demonstrate his blow-off valve, then mat it and drive away from me, pausing when they were a 20 lengths out to flash their 4-ways to indicate their claim of a "kill". This happened all the time.

When I got an M3 - an e36 - it still happened. Oddly enough though, when it became a dedicated track car w/ a license plate; low, loud, uncomfortable, and with Cobra Suzuka seats, a roll bar and 6-point harnesses - they stopped messing with me.

I've even suckered a couple into following me into off ramps at what were for me, truly sphincter-puckering entry speeds w/o braking. A little stupid on the street, yes. But fun.

I dunno about you, but I'd rather people pay attention to the road instead of looking for club stickers on cars to see if they have to wave at anyone.

Not really being a dick about it, but this wasn't what I was expecting when I came into the thread. Not entirely sure what someone waving or honking at you has to do with comraderie either. You have comraderie with your comrades, you know, the guys you know and hang out with, not some guy who's possibly in the same national club as you.

Seems odd to me I guess, but what do I know, I'm not in any clubs or nothin.