How Do You Describe Your Hobby?

"We're really just a bunch of idiots who like standing around for hours to drive for a few minutes around cones in a parking lot" :p

EDIT: To be clear, I am very much one of those idiots haha

David S. Wallens wrote: Sometimes it's just easier to tell someone that you knit or shoot pool.

Actually, I do that also (the pool, not the knitting).

I usually simplify autocross to include time trials/hpdes. Sometimes I describe it by describing how modern day club racing started out on the runways after WWII and then state, "well, some of us still like to do that style where the course can change more readily for new challenges." keeping it in general terms.

The rally is a little easier to explain, honestly.

I tell folks that it's a drag race, except that you get to use the steering wheel and the brakes.

Most of 'em get it.

That's a great line.

That is an original, trademarked line that is owned by me. Hands off! ;) Thanks for the compliment though

I'm kidding though, I think it gives people the idea of the kind of crazy we are dealing with.

You think you have it rough, my roommate is one of those guys that dresses up like a Storm Trooper.

Q: isn't that expensive?

A: lets say my hobby was golf. This costume cost less than a good set of clubs.

Q: what the hell is the matter with you people?

A: ??

As for the cars, I just say that I play with cars. That doesn't quite do it, but its the simplest answer.

Q: so what do you do?

A: I build drivable art.

Q: so, you're like chip foose?

A: Not really... you know how your average hotrod shop builds good stuff on a slim budget?

Q: yes

A: And you know how there are guys like Chip Foose that build insanely awesome trailer queens?

Q: sure

A: I build hotrods with the great aesthetic design like Foose, but they are always completely practical and bulletproof -- drivable art. I don't do trailer queens, I do daily drivers that are pieces of art.

Q: (pause) So, are you more like Boyd Coddington?

A: (very long pause) You're a waste of space. Go away.

"Its like a real big parking lot and you make a small race course out of cones so there isn't really anything to hit. Usually slower second gear corners up to 50-60 mph max"

Seems to work well.

First: I bought an ~Exotic British Racing Car~ with trunnions, push-rods, carburettors, ignition points and king pins. I make sure the gudgeon pins are in good fettle, the cylinder head is de-coked and the knave plates are removed.

Then: I tithe a large percentage of my time and money so I can race it around Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, etc. against other like-minded weirdos.

Afterwards: We all drink beer and tell lies.

easy..

You go to the party...

put keys in bowl.

.............................

I just tell em I rebuild old cars, if it goes past that into the "what kind?" and "Do you race them?" Im generally as generic about as possible..last thing I want to do is try and explain timed road events and other such venues to someone who think the only competitive car events are nascar and illegal street...

walterj wrote: Don't you just love the "...so, how fast do you go?" As fast as I berkeleying can of course.

I answered that with "140kph" once (regarding a track that is probably a better fit for go-karts than cars), and it was met with collective gasps and ZOMGs from some people whose driving ranges from "grannyish" to "aggressive but slow."

Really, do people think that above 100 or so everything turns into a blur and you're suddenly going superduperfast like in F&F? Or maybe think that above the highway speed limit that protects us all from sudden fiery death your car suddenly becomes an uncontrollable juggernaut? (Well actually, given what people drive and how they drive and maintain their cars, I could see where that could come from...)

When I was racing RC cars all the time I used to tell people "I race toy cars for bowling trophy's".

I have a much easier time explaining my car hobby to the unknowing than I ever did trying to explain downhill mountain bike racing...

I answered that with "140kph" once (regarding a track that is probably a better fit for go-karts than cars), and it was met with collective gasps and ZOMGs from some people whose driving ranges from "grannyish" to "aggressive but slow."

See, it is the exact opposite for me. I've had people tell me they've done 140km/h-160km/h down gravel roads before when I tell them rallying speeds. I just kinda stop talking to them at that point. Unfortunatley my demographic is retarded, and there is truly a reason why our insurance rates are higher: most of the guys have been in a BIG accident or written off a car.

To be totally honest though, I keep a few GRMs in the seat backs of my Camry, or just floating around in my other two cars. If I'm trying to explain my hobby to the automotive illiterate, I just grab an issue and flip through it with em.

David S. Wallens wrote: Sometimes it's just easier to tell someone that you knit or shoot pool.

I find it's more socially acceptable to tell them I do heroin than to try to explain the racing thing.

Seriously, this came up in a job interview yesterday. (Interviewer was very chatty for some reason.) And then you have to explain what "road racing" is and how much money you don't win and then comes the inevitable question -

"How fast do you go?"

Now, the standard answer varies anywhere from "163 MPH" to "plaid", (I race a Spec Miotter) but this was a freakin' job interview, fer chrissake! What was I to do?

The same thing I did for the rest of the interview. In for a dime, in for a dollar.... I lied like a rug!

I used to try to explain motorcycle enduros. Basically it's like a TSD rally but over very rough terrain. You have to maintain a 24 MPH average. So people would look at me and say, '24 MPH isn't very fast'. Uh, I said 24 MPH AVERAGE. That means if you spend 3-4 minutes doing 4 or 5 MPH in a really snotty tight section, once you get out of that crappy tight stuff you have to do 50-60 MPH ASAP to get back on your minute. I have hit the 'highest speed' button on my Moose enduro computer and had it flash '84 MPH'.

Like a TSD, being early is as bad as being late, in fact it's worse. Up to 5 minutes is one point per minute, after that it's 10 points per minute (or at least it was with SETRA rules). 60 points accumulated at any one check is known as 'houring out' so it is really easy, if you aren't paying close attention, to arrive early and then get disqualified.

Unlike MX or hare scrambles, you ride the course once only, so you have to constantly be picking lines etc over new terrain. You learn quickly not to follow the more common lines because if they made a mistake you'll make the exact same one which could very well wind up with you stuck in a mudhole as the seconds tick away.

You try to explain all this to someone at a party and you can see their eyes glaze over, then they start looking around for a way to escape.

In the past I have listed Sports Car Club of America Racing and Sailboat Racing as my hobbies on my resume.

In applying for sales jobs they like to know that you are into competition. I also figured that if the hiring person had similar interests you would get a call for sure.

I also know from hiring people in the past that the interviewer likes some tips onto other topics to either break the ice or really get to know who you are.

I really like your explaination, Jensenman.
From that hobby I would think that you are a "big picture" man who sees the whole project while still being able to adapt and welcome change.

Your hired

You guys have it easy.. you just try and miss cones as quickly as possible. Try and explain bracket racing to your average yokel/yuppie. Er.. it's like Top Fuel but it lasts a three times longer and I actually have to hit a time that I choose beforehand. Nevermind, I bowl on Tuesdays, you?

Jensenman wrote: I used to try to explain motorcycle enduros. snip...

Damn. That sounds like fun.

When I was racing DH, it sometimes seemed like my best runs were on my first practice run of the course... when I was riding purely on instinct rather than trying over-analize what line I should be taking... Unfortunately, if the course had blind 6 '+ drops, you simply had to stop and look to make sure where the landing was... which would have cost way too much time during a race-run.

Oh, enduro is a blast. It's tough and demanding both physically and mentally. I mentioned a 24 MPH average, if you ever saw a route sheet with 18 MPH that was a REAL bad sign.

The average enduro lasts about 4 hours and can cover anywhere from 55 to 100 miles, on average. Motocross is a hoot too, the main difference is that MX usually lasts 20 or so minutes and circles the same course over and over so even though it's tough and demanding as well, the skillset and mindset are much different. I used to see motocrossers come out to run an enduro for the first time who would be bragging about their abilities while we were waiting for the start and by the gas stop (usually at the halfway point) their tongue would be wrapped in the front spokes and they'd have that 'deer in the headlights' look.

Hare scrambles/GNCC is like a cross between MX and enduro, it's usually a 7-10 mile circular course though the woods. Those were the most fun I ever had racing motorcycles.

Autocross has nowhere near the physical demands but the decision making skillset is a lot like enduro, you have to be able to plan your lines quickly and be ready to correct at an instant's notice. It helps to be able to visualize a few different possible lines, too

wreckerboy wrote: "How fast do you go?"

"Hopefully a little faster than the other guys."

Wowak wrote:

wreckerboy wrote: "How fast do you go?"

"Hopefully a little faster than the other guys."

The other one is the "is your car fast?" - "Compared to what? In what situation?'

And there's also the "how fast have you gotten it up to?" - "At a race track? I don't know. When I'm going that fast, I'm not paying attention to the speedometer any more."