Racer's Story

Ooooh, the itch to modify.

I’m feeling it again.

You know you’ve got it bad when you’re up late cruising the internet every night, searching for exactly the right mod. Before you go to bed you imagine how cool it would be to drive the car with that awesome new part. You agonize over the decision of exactly which one you want, endlessly comparing the details of what’s best and what’s cool.

Even though you know you don’t have the money for it now, you call up the manufacturers and bombard them with questions about the potential upgrade path. Calm down! You haven’t even bought Stage One yet!

So here I am, scouring the internet, searching for my next mod. For the past few months I’ve been lusting over a Bride Exas III bucket seat. I’ve been saving, squirreling my money away, and I know I’ll be ready to buy it next month.

So what am I doing?

Looking for the next project.

That’s how it is with these damn cars. There is always something to change or modify. You have to accept this. Accept it as a project, and treat it as such.

The part of having a project car that I really enjoy is the anticipation of the new thing. I look forward to the fun of learning about and eventually installing some new product. I do think about how it will change the way the car drives, but the emphasis is on the process of “tuning.”

After all, what would the fun be in having a car you didn’t get to mess around with? If it was perfect and you never had to touch it, would that be any fun?

Maybe it would be fun for a while, but wouldn’t you start to ask yourself what you were going to do next? I know I would. Maybe you’re a rare bird who is able to stop when they’ve had “enough.” Good for you. Stop while you can. I’m in it for life.

I know two months ago when I couldn’t get the thought of Bride seats out of my mind, all I could think of was, “If only I had them, that would be so cool. I wouldn’t need anything else.”

But here I am, on the verge of buying them (just a few short weeks away!), and I’m already looking for my next project. They aren’t even in the car! Isn’t it pathetic?

In a way it is, but I’ve come to accept it. I enjoy spending money on my car, tuning it to my tastes, playing with it and turning it into something wholly mine, wholly cool.

It, like me, is constantly evolving and changing. Just accept it. Don’t fight it. Enjoy the process for what it is without feeling guilty or like you should stop.