135i vs. Taxi & Civic

[ktdw]

I'm sure similar scenarios have been discussed from one perspective or another. This isn't a "kill story", but about protecting my lane, or as I told my wife "I'm not racing. I didn't floor it, or even turn of the traction control!"

Last night, while driving home through the city, we pull up to a red light on a long block with 3 lanes. A taxi pulls up on my left, and a honda is on my right. I note that further ahead the left lane turns and the right lane is blocked by a double parked car. Of course, both cars want to get in my lane.

The honda keeps inching up, WTF! Maybe I'm thinking about track & Field here, but I'm thinking the movement at the line is illegal

Taxi's a different story. The cars are crap, but the drivers have great reaction time! Ever try to beat one accross an intersection? It's easily done, but it definetly outside the normal launch speed.

Green light! I spare my clutch a little (and avoid some smoke), but still get a decent start. The honda tries to keep up through the intersection, but quickly gives up. Good choice. I would have done the same.

The taxi, though, was undeterred! It would have been a photo finish at the cross-walk, but we still had 1/8 mile to go. Into 2nd gear, I'm now comfortable knowing that I can "at will" put bus lengths on this POS. But what's the fun in that? I decide to let him stay on my tail, giving him the false hope that he will be able to take down the beast.

He tries one more push, but our little 1/8 mile stretch is coming to an end. I let him pull up, fender to fender, then I had lay down the pwnage. Sorry dude, but you knew the friggin' lane was going to turn left...you should just got in the correct lane to begin with!

Not 5 minutes later the same deal happened with a BMW 750. I knew he wanted to turn right, but he somehow thought he could save two seconds and pass me in the 50-75 yards remaining until the turn. Instead, I had to embarrass him when he's trying to impress his date. A fellow bimmer owner should have known better!

[ChrisK]

I still consider this street racing.