Alright, so let me tell you about this whole “best driver” thing I messed around with today. It all started when I got a hold of this weather forecast:
“Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. A low pressure system will combine arctic air and moisture that is expected to bring snow to cities.”
Man, that got me thinking. I had this crazy idea to figure out who’s the best driver when the weather’s all messed up like this. It’s one thing to zip around when the sun’s shining, but throw in some rain and wind? That’s a whole different ball game.
So, first thing I did was to call some friends. My friends Jack, Tom, and Mike are all over-confident drivers, and I wanted to see who is the best of them. I got them together. We hopped in my car, a beat-up old sedan, and hit the road. We drove around town, and there was this big, empty parking lot – perfect for some “experiments.”
We started with some basic stuff. See who could do the tightest turns without knocking over cones, who could parallel park the fastest. Jack, was a disaster, almost took out a whole row of cones on his first try. Tom, was pretty good, but he wasn’t really fast. But Mike, damn, that guy was smooth. He was gliding around like he was on ice, but totally in control.
Then, I wanted to up the ante a bit. Remember that forecast? “Slight chance of a rain shower.” Well, I had a few buckets of water and a hose. Time to make our own rain! I hosed down a section of the parking lot, turning it into a slippery mess. Now the testing is getting serious.
- First up, Jack. He spun out almost immediately. Zero points for him.
- Tom did better, managed to keep the car moving, but it was ugly. He was fishtailing all over the place. Got some points but not very good.
- Mike, though, he was something else. He took that corner like a pro, just a little drift, kept the speed up, no problem. He really did a good job.
The Final Result
After a few more “tests” – I might have gotten a little carried away with the hose – it was clear. Mike was the best driver of the three. He had that, you know, that feel for the car, knew how to handle it when things got slippery. Jack and Tom, well, they need some practice, it appears that they are not really qualified for driving. I will never ride with them in the future.
It was a fun day, a bit silly maybe, but hey, I learned something. And I got to confirm that Mike is indeed the best driver among us when the going gets tough. And most importantly, I stayed away from being dangerous and put us in trouble. I think I will do this test again when it really gets tough outside.
