Postby Red27 » Sun Jan 15, 2012 9:28 pm
Hi Craig, do stick with it, like everyone else has said. I think you just need a bit of mileage. When I got my car, I'd never driven anything like it before. Just on the basis that it was a new (i.e. different) car I knew it was going to feel funny for a bit, but I then reckoned that I should be prepared for that to increase by a considerable factor because of what it was. The day I picked mine up, I'd planned to drive a very familiar route, stop for a cup of tea, and then go back home the same way. Nice main A roads, and a journey I could do in my sleep, so that all my concentration could be focussed on just driving the car - which proved to be very sensible. As I was drove off from Tiger, down a very straight, fairly long stretch of the A47 I remember thinking, "Holy $hit", and it taking all my nerve to get into 4th! However, I had a plan. I'd booked myself on a 400 mile day trip with the local Tiger club on the following weekend, which you might think sounds a tad foolhardy, but that's me. To prepare for that, I went out on a couple of 50-ish mile runs by myself on the two days after I'd picked my car up (it was the August BH), and then drove it to work for the rest of the week (about 350 miles in all). I knew that by the time I'd got through that first week, the car would feel quite different, and that I had to get to that point to enjoy the club run. And it did, and I did. In fact, so much so that it was that which prompted me to search around for more opportunities to get out in the car with others, which lead me to SKCC. So, you are in the right place!
Now, I get in my road car (which has been rechristened "The Boat" because that's how it handles compared to my Tiger) and laugh at how funny it feels to drive, the big bowl of porridge with wooden spoon which is the gearbox and how strange it feels to be sitting upright instead of lying on the floor. One advantage I had though with this approach is the time of year. 'Tis a bit different undertaking familiarisation sessions in the summer, with longer days and avoiding the need for thermals at least, than in current conditions. Do give it some more time, and try and get out as much as you can, even if it's only for short distances. I'm sure you find you get just as hooked as the rest of us very quickly.
Linda
"Gilles was the fastest driver in the history of motor racing" - Jody Scheckter