Pace With Grace!

 

There is a reason Jaguar Mk2 was the getaway vehicle of choice for bank robbers and other villains in the UK ;-)

 

And I have surprised many a BMW driver with my Mk 2...oh, oh....now I am feeling the urge to comment on the fact that BMW does not equip their cars with turn signals as standard equipment. So few of them seem to have this option....

 

Hit 155 on Fuelrun in a V8, but around this speed it stops being fun and take 150% of your concentration.

 

Funny... time stamps say I sped for about 40 seconds.

So here we go.... I realize I only typed this out to a few friends, and not completely, because I wanted to not be dumb. Speaking of that....

This is why a dashcam is dumb as bricks. But, I got a ticket, so.... (timestamp link didn't work.... the ramp up to speed is at 1h12m57sec

I never speed or drive fast like a jerk. The fastest time was on a completely empty two lane road in Montana. Zero cars, went 120 for less than 10 miles, more than 5.

This, as you can see, was me waiting forEVERRRRrrrr til I got to a point where I a) wasn't blowing past anyone, being rude, and b) didn't have *ANYONE* in danger in ANY way but myself. You can see I get up to 110 here. But the cop clocked me at 100. You can see him here, on the other side of the highway, I think he's already lit me up, time stamp didn't work, it's at 1h13m17sec:

Re-watching, I did pass the burgundy truck around 87 or so, which is too fast.... but I saw the opening. Nothing until a big rig a mile down the road or so.

So you see the cop coming at me.

I see him light me up in my rear view, and I see he's 1/2 mile from an overpass. I'm not in a movie, although it occurred to me, as you can see after I am clocked, that I have 2 exits I could take advantage of..... but you know what? No. It didn't seriously cross my mind... so I slowed down behind that big rig and just waited.

I never play the victim. I was in the wrong. I'm not the "evade the law" guy, and wasn't going to endanger anyone. I really hadn't considered he clocked me over 100, honestly, nor the idea I might go to jail. That didn't cross my mind at ALL. Not sure the range on the CHP front facing radar, and I even wondered if they had front facing radar. They have side facing radar too. LOL

But I knew I was in the wrong, and in my youth, in my first traffic school (the one you went to the dumpy hotel and had a great human but failed comedian trying to be funny... but Bob Newhart started as a traffic school guy, so there's that).... I remember learning that cops will give you credence for being honest. I also remember a story about a guy in a Porsche on the 280 in SF Bay, who was way over 100, and saw flashing cop lights in his rear view, *disappearing into the distance*.

The Porsche owner didn't speed on. He pulled over, got out, spread eagle with his hands on the back of the car, and put his license in his mouth. The copy showed up, parked, ran his license, and let him go. That's an urban legend if I ever heard one, but I sort of took a lesson from it. I didn't have a safe place to pull over, so I just drafted behind the big rig til he caught up. Because of youtube's licensing issues with songs I was playing, I couldn't keep the audio track of the officer. It was, in all honesty, hilarious.

First, he must have been doing 150mph to catch up. I can't imagine how many miles passed between him clocking me and pulling me over. I am sure I could watch and figure out the exact, precise speed.

He got out, SUPER ADRENALIN MAN. Super CA CHP John cop... like Chps John, blond hair, blue eyes, blond moustache. The car is low, so I only ever saw his face once. He knew my wife was pissed, and sort of intimated that I would have to deal with her next, but that I should actually be locked up right now.

I super reacted shocked and was like "OMG DERrrr"

He said "Man... you really, really slowed down there". I told him I saw the lights, and assumed it was for me. He immediately calmed down, and realized what I had done. I'm nice, calm, and a REALLY sheepish dude when I'm ashamed. lol That's where I got the "pass" on any serious nonsense. I also said I've never done it, but only did it once, and when it was totally safe.

He asked me how fast I was going. I said "Maybe 15 over the limit?". He internally laughed, got serious, then said, "Okay, man, honesty, with me, for real, no joke, will get you a LONG, looooong way here. Honesty changes everything, so I will ask again, how fast were you going?"

I said, "mid-90s", obvious meek and embarrassed, and he said "yeah that's pretty close, but I clocked you at 100". Then I asked how, he explained front facing, side facing, radar, and I was like "OH WOW THAT'S REALLY COOL". Lol. I wear my enthusiasm transparently, and my heart on my sleeve.

He told me, "Man, I became an officer because I love cars, and I love driving fast. I never get the opportunity to drive that fast...." and muttered how fast he got to. I thought he said 165, but I doubt it. He also looked the car up and down and was obviously impressed with the car. I assume he gets a bunch of people running weed through that county, so he probably isn't dealing with speedsters vs cautious jalopies (that would be a good band name). Anyhoo... "It's not about your driving skill, it's about using turn signals, or", and I totally interrupted by accident "I use my turn signals!"

He said "No, it's about other cars, and other people's skills. If you trust your skills enough to drive that fast with your wife, that's your business. But it's not about you, it's about everyone else".

He made it clear again that sort of driving would typically have me end up in jail, but considering I did it on an open, empty stretch, and slowed down, coupled with the capabilities of the car itself, he understood, but "DO NOT EVER SPEED, if you can help it, AND DO NOT EVER SPEED IN MY COUNTY, EVER AGAIN". Yes sir.

He did seem happy crazed, ie hopped up on speed and adrenalin in a way that turned out safe and ok. He would have shot me if I was an aggressive idiot. That's not me, I tend to diffuse situations quickly. I also kept apologizing for the part of the road we were on, blocking the right lane, and having cars whip past him. I feel bad for even the mundane, normal safety issues those guys deal with.

So I won't be recording or posting any other videos that aren't at speed limit, but I did get the ticket for that one video. It's unlisted, so don't share if you don't mind. But I also won't be speeding for 18 months, and I have to end this ramble to do my online traffic school.

So... pulled over once in SF, got a ticket, and fought it, and won. Pulled over in Sonoma by a nice cop, he let me go even though I was speeding and went forward through a right turn only sign. LOL Then one time I had parked and was out of my car by the time the CHP caught up off the highway, and screamed into the commuter lot. He was SUPER PISSED. So 4 pull overs, 1 ticket.4 out of 9 lives down. eek.

I've slowed way down, and now just play with the torque getting up to the speed limit. I will be a good boy.

 

Thanks for sharing your story. It really sucks that you crossed paths right with the CHP right when the road opened up. In this case, I don't think even a radar detector would have saved you because if he was running his radar he would have clocked you at over 100. Anyway, I think you should have been let off with a warning since the road was empty and you did pull over.

 

For what it's worth, he noted that it was at 100mph, but only wrote me in the box for 75mph in a 65mph. =)

 

That's nice that he only wrote you up for 75 but as the video shows you really were being really safe by going fast (but not insanely fast) on an empty stretch of road so I personally don't think it's a big deal. By Autobahn standards, your speed wasn't even that fast and the car can definitely handle it.


On another note, the Jag must have been super nice on that road trip! I have yet to take mine up the California coast north of SF. I did take it up 80 to Tahoe and the Jag handled the big sweepers like a champ. You really have to watch your speed because the faster you go the more stable it feels!

 

Well Uncle Fishbits, you shut me up. Heck of a story. 10 mph over was better than expected outcome. You certainly have skills.

 

Seems I killed the thread, too! =)

 

Perhaps - and this is just my opinion - it's like asking me how often I make love to my wife. It's a rather intimate question, one which I would hesitate greatly talking about never mind answering [it] in public. Hence my nebulous response earlier in the thread. My actions do the talking or, in this case, driving.



I did, however, "enjoy" your story, as much as one can enjoy any story about speeding. Rather ticketing.

Cheers!

 

Not likely...but it was a good story. Maybe other V6 speeders will come clean and post their story.

 

An apt metaphor. I definitely wouldn't admit anything if I hadn't been caught. =) The non pulled over vids don't see the light of day. The dashcam is supposed to protect *ME*. lol

 

Now if I was speeding and having sex at the same time*/**...that's something worth writing about! (Just kidding of course. There are three kinds of people in this world...those who kiss and tell, those who kiss and don't tell, and those who don't kiss but say they did. Put me in the second category.)

*Ah, the good old days.
**The F-Type not exactly conducive for doing so. Now my old NSX...

 

So am I getting this right, you guys go OVER the speed limit?

Buncha hooligans

 

I'm quite sure you didn't mean to make maligning and disparaging remarks about your fellow F-Type Forum members, did you Greggbhill? Certainly not. Especially since 11-12 members will be gathering together - driving together - soon for the 2017 Jaguar Lobster Run!

We know where you live...

 

Sorry RickyJay52, Only the non-law-abiding ones :-)

If you want to extend the Lobster Run out to where I live, I'd be happy to make it up by buying you all lunch.

 

I abide by the laws of physics, Murphy's Law, and the law, life, and philosophy of Cosmo Kramer.

Best regards,
RJ52