[leftcoastman]

Recently I went on my first BMW CCA event, a Spring Drive. By and large, it was a great time and I learned about a few amazing curvy roads near my home. I was a little uncertain about going, just in case there were some "insecure overachievers" amongst the group.

Sadly, from the very beginning of the drive, I could instantly see who the a$$holes would be. Here are the three incidents, all with the same vehicle type. I will let you all guess what vehicle type I am referring to.

1) A red specimen, tailing me constantly despite there being 20 BMWs in front of me. Literally maybe 15 feet off my rear bumper. I would be in the left lane, it was on my bumper. I'd floor it and take off, it'd chase after...then be on my bumper. After getting sick of being tailed (what if I saw a cop and slammed on the brakes?), I moved to the right lane. It immediately followed and tailed me in the right lane, despite no traffic in the left lane.

Then we got to the curvy section and those who know me, know I love curves. I don't consider myself Schumacher or anything near it, but I can hold my own. If someone is keeping up with me hard on the corners, then I know they are fast and will NOT floor it on the straightways so that they can pass. I expect the same out of others. In our curvy section, the following transpired:

2) A group of 4 of us broke from the pack. The "A" group took off and their speed through the curves astounded me. A fellow in a 330 embarrassed the M series. Goes to show the difference driver skill makes. An 1998 model year specimen was leading our 4pack. He was going reasonably fast and tailed by a pair of 2004'ish model year specimens, both right on his ass through the turns. Mr. 1998 was flooring it on the straights, however and no one could get by him safely.

3) One of the 2004 specimens, complete with add on front lip, etc. I was tailing him hard on the curves. He would try to floor it on the straights, but ahem, 390 ft. lbs is hard to escape. I would have to BRAKE mid-curve because he was so slow in the twisties. This specimen would not let me pass either and would speed up in the straights. Unable to pull away from me, he proceded to swerve outside of the "tracks" and kick dirt and gravel up at me. The swerving, of course, made it impossible to pass.

By no means do I believe that all drivers of this type of vehicle are like this. In fact, the 4th vehicle in our 4pack was a 2005 model and did not tailgate and let others pass when they proved to be faster in the curves.

I now, without a doubt, understand why non-BMW drivers think we are arrogant, self-centered a$$holes.

***Rant Over****