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View Full Version : Since DKMINI introduced me...


Kamakura kid
02-15-2006, 04:06 PM
:D Hahaha, yeah right (gray hairs give me away :rolleyes: ). I think Tom B. and I are around the same age. The newer Super Lap guy Bill Y. (103R Miata) is the same age as I am and graduated from Yokosuka HS in Japan (my HS's archrival).
Speaking of the devil...

This is Bill Y., driving the 103R Miata. As Dirk mentioned, I also grew up in Japan. Graduated from the Nile C. Kinnick HS (home of the Red Devils) at Yokosuka Navy Base. Even though the school has the name of a Heisman Trophy winner, Dirk and his Panthers always managed to spank us in football. Except for Homecoming my senior year (1981) when via some fluke of fate YoHi prevailed 33-18.

Moved to Seattle for college (Univ of Washington), where I first particpated in motorsports in the form of Time/Speed/Distance rallying. Great fun! Nothing like trying to make up lost time by careening down dark, tree lined roads in the middle of the night, usually raining, hand out of the window holding a hand held spotlight, trying to find some obscure road sign that marks the next turn. My buddy and I took turns driving and navigating. I usually get car sick if I read in a moving car, but when the adrenaline is high, no worries. Never hurled on the clipboard.

After that, 20 years in the Navy. Didn't get to do much with cars. To this day I regret giving up my 1976 Toyota Celica Liftback in favor of a 4Runner, but the 4WD was much more practical. What little spare time I had after wrok/being at sea, I was on a motorcycle.

When I moved to Hawaii during the summer of 2002, one of my high school buddies talked me into autocrossing. Which naturally led to Superlap.

I've been wanting to Superlap for about a year now, but seems like every time there was an event, I was off island or had some commitment I just could not get out of.

Unfortunately, I'll only be here until May of this year. Retired from teh Navy last June, and I'm going back to grad school. I cannot justify staying out here when I can do the same much cheaper in Seattle. Fortunately, there are 4 racetracks within a 3 hour drive of Seattle so hopefully I'll be able to get some track time.

As the goal for my Hawaii car was autocrossing, the low power of the Miata really didn't bother me. However, having done a couple of SLS now, I can see I need MORE POWER!

A turbocharger ought to fill the bill quite nicely. Now, how to scrape together the cashola...

ArchangelX
02-15-2006, 05:04 PM
Yepz...the Seattle area has TONS of tracks and opportunities for racing. I used to live in Tacoma, the armpit of WA. :bigteeth:

Welcome to the board! :wavey:

dkmini
02-15-2006, 05:23 PM
Hey Bill! Good to see you here too.

I can't believe I called it Yokosuka HS - damn old age! :crazy2:

Kamakura kid
02-15-2006, 08:04 PM
Yepz...the Seattle area has TONS of tracks and opportunities for racing. I used to live in Tacoma, the armpit of WA. :bigteeth:

Welcome to the board! :wavey:

Tacoma isn't the armpit anymore. They got rid of the paper mills, so the famed "Aroma of Tacoma" is no more. Since Seattle was stupid and demolished the KingDome, a lot of first rate music acts are skipping Seattle altogether and playing the Tacoma Dome instead.

They really prettied up the downtown section of Tacoma, too. The former Union Station is a historical museum, and the industrial brick building area across the street has been bought up by the University of Washington and is now that school's Tacoma branch. Its pretty neat, the outsides of the buildings remain the same and most even retain the faded sign of the former tenants, but the interiors have been gutted out and renovated. The names of the buildings reflect the old businesses that used to be there, for example the activites building is named Mattress Factory.