Your Taurus, Sir, Is No Miata
Tuesday, Jun. 24, 2003

Ok, I thought of something interesting that happened last Friday on my way home that you�ll want to hear.

So, I�m on my way home, I have about a day and a half until I�m on a flight to Mexico and I�m approaching the cloverleaf that takes me from Memorial Parkway north to 565 west. I used to really like taking that cloverleaf at 50 back in my Saturn. Now that I�ve got the Miata, I seem to be cursed and have only been able to have no slow-moving bovine traffic on a few occasions.

But this time it was clear. Clear clear clear. Nothing was going to keep me from taking that cloverleaf at around 55 mph with the cruise on.

Now, with that kind of setup, it doesn�t take genius to figure out that it�s forshadowing something screwing it up. Well, that would be the Ford Taurus SHO flying up from behind me.

He changed out of my lane and was about to pass me at around 65 when I sped up. I knew he had to slow back down to make the turn. We stayed steady for a while until I slowed to let him over, since he was actually coming over on me and would hit me.

My car weighs about 2400 lbs with me in it. He was a little portlier and his car was definitely heavier. With him and his car, it�s about 3500 lbs. We were going the same speed when we entered the turn.

Long ago, there was this fellow named Newton, and apples or not, there�s this thing about momentum which, despite throwing baseballs and wads of paper in his lifetime, the Taurus driver just didn�t understand.

I slowed for the turn. He wasn�t able to. He went into an oversteer, corrected into an understeer which sent him toward the wall, then oversteer again to SMACK the wall with the corner of his car.

By this time, I�m nearly stopped behind him, watching the bouncy car show. He limps his now slightly bent car into the center. I pass.

By the time I�m on 565 I�m going 75 mph.

Doh!