Its 6am, cool, and windy. i'm walking out to the car park and wankR, which i havent driven properly in ages, is sitting there with its roof on, looking unloved and uncared for. I'm feeling awake, my body is telling me i still have 90 minutes before it will collapse. Time to get the roof off and go for a blast.
Roof off, hat on, and off we go. The first wee bit is boring motorway, but i'm far from bored. I'm back on road tyres for the first time in a long while, and the sense of feel and delicacy in the steering is keeping me occupied. Its not a long blast to stirling, then onto A roads for a bit. I start to pick up the pace a touch, with wankR in 6th and not using the brakes, i'm getting back into my road run mentality. No heavy braking, just smoothly rolling off the accelerator, running into corners on a trailing throttle. The steerings responsive that way, on road tyres it shows up bad technique, and wankR understeers on wet bends if i'm doing it wrong.
As we get onto the B roads, its down to 4th for me and wankR, and start to stretch it out. Its good to blow off the winter cobwebs. I'm getting grit blasted in my eyes, and i take a mental note to clean the car, as the floor is filthy, and the wind is whipping it up into my face. Through Port of Mentieth and the b roads are getting good. Its a touch damp in places, just on the hidden apex's of corners. i'm still awake enought to keep on top of the twitchy tail but make another mental note to calm down a bit on the way home.
We're heading into aberfeldy now. Time to take the bulky jacket off and get comfy. We both know whats ahead. I'm starting to remember the roads now. Its been far too long since i've been out on road runs, and these roads that i once knew like my own backyard are still unrecognisable in places. Hopefully i still remember which way the pass goes.
And so it begins. As we wind our way out of town and onto the empty dukes pass, i snick it down into 2nd, and blast past the derestricted sign. Up through the gears and were doing 100 tuts in no time. The first hairpin is arrivng fast, and its all flooding back to me now. Back down to 2nd, turn in, gently off the brakes, rear goes light, back on the power, and the tail swings round. Theres a huge smile on my face now, up into 3rd for a spell, before back to 2nd for the next hairpin. £rd would be quicker here, but i'm enjoying it too much to care.
Past the david marshall lodge, and the fun slow hairpins are gone. Its tricky from now on. The roads still damp and the car,albeit on road tyres, is still set up for the track. Stiff springs and aggresive geo dont match with potholes and bumps.
WankR is getting wrung out in 2nd, 3rd and 4th to the limiter. I've lost my bottle a bit though. I remember going through the bends a gear higher last year, now i'm overbraking, and being a bit too cautious. I'm loving the experience though. The run from north to south is almost over, i just have the Scotty Hairpin (TM) to go round, slowly, then its time to burl round and have a rematch.
The run back over is just as frantic, and i'm really enjoying myself, although still overbraking on the damp corners. I forget just how good an elise is, but i'm well aware of taking liberties on cold damp corners, especially when i have been up all night.
As i pass the david marshall lodge again, i switch the stereo back on, stick it back in 6th and go back to road run mode. Even the last part of motorway isnt getting me down. I'm smiling, awake, buzzing with energy, wondering how i'll sleep when i get in. I cant after 100 miles of fun and games.
Thats why i'm sitting here now, knecking a pint of irn bru, writing this, whilst its all still fresh in my mind. No doubt i wont win any prizes for short story of the year, but if you cant share these experiences on here, where can you eh?
right, enjoy your sunday amigo's, i'm off to bed.
