[Jims5543]

I love the prick comments. I get them all the time from my friends. Never ending ribbing because I bought a snooty car and I am known for my down and dirty RX-7 with my car friends.

Post this up for your Aston friends to read.

The thread I am quoting from:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?threadid=289192&highlight=Miami

I've been to many a DE in my day, some more memorable than others. But this past weekend was very special, and one that I'm not likely to soon forget.

The PCA Gold Coast Region and the local PBOC Club (BMW club) hosted a joint event at Homestead Motor Speedway here in South Florida this past weekend. What made the event so special was that a charity group called Kids Racing For Life was invited to come out to the track for the weekend and share the experience of high speed driving. The kids were all between the ages of about 6 and 17 and were all diagnosed with terminal cancer. These were kids whose illnesses had devastated their families, both emotionally and financially, and who were used to getting the short end of life's stick.

Now, I often hear the same lines about p-car drivers being "********* rich guys playing with their expensive toys" and the like. Sometimes it's true. I know the joke doesn't apply to me (wish I were a "rich guy", hope I'm not an *********!) But when the details started to come out about how some of these "********* rich guys" were paying the mortgages, rents, car payments, living expenses and medical bills of these cancer victims and their families, I couldn't have been more proud to be part of it all. This is truly "taking care of your own" at the local level.

But the real highlight of the weekend came when we gave rides to the kids around the track. A driver's meeting was held just beforehand, and I was expecting to be told to just do a parade lap at low speed. No way! We were instructed to drive at no more than 8/10's(!!!) and to keep an eye on the passanger to see how they were doing. The kids were given helmets and hand signals to indicate "slow down", "speed up" and "stop, I want out!". I was a bit wary of the whole thing -- i.e. being sued, for instance, should something happen -- so I asked the parent of the little girl I was about to take out on the track if they had signed a waiver or if she was concerned for the safety of her daughter, and she simply replied, "My daughter doesn't smile or laugh much anymore, and she might be gone in a year. Just show her a good time." Let's just say that through watery eyes I drove some of the cleanest laps I've ever put in, and that little girl was smiling like a Cheshire cat when I pulled into the pits.

My apologies for the long post, but I had to share what was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had, motorsports related or not. If anyone else was there for the event, it would be great to hear how your day went.