Casualty: One Tyre Valve

Be careful, don't ever say to yourself, "I'm going to figure this out even if I break this [insert item here]". I said that approaching a corner in the Dulwich area of Kingston earlier tonight. Why that though? Why was I even in that area? Well, we'd have to go back to a blog post I attempted to make last week that got chewed by my fuddy laptop. The title was going to be The fast lane or the road less traveled? See after my performance at the last dexterity I was told by a prominent veteran driver that he believes I'm better suited to drive FWD. Actually, his words were that I'll be faster driving FWD. I don't doubt him. Even my RWD sensei agrees.

But what about the road less traveled? Acknowledging that mastering RWD will take more time means that I probably will take some losses while I learn but I'll be a much more forbiddable driver when I do master the technique. Not if, but when. I have the talent. I know it, I know it as well as I know my own name. I feel it when I drive, I feel it when I'm just sitting in the car. I feel it when I lie awake in bed at night thinking about driving the car. What I lack is technique. Initially I gave in and said to hell with it... I even lined up sponsorship for my fast lane pursuits. When all is said and done most of this agonising is based on my current inability to handbrake properly, and let's face it a FWD car is much easier to handbrake, you don't have to worry about the timing with the clutch to ensure that the driving wheels aren't engaged when you pull the handbrake. Keep all the variables you can constant, were the words of the veteran driver. And he's right. Like I said, even sensei agreed.

Here's the thing, sensei didn't become a star overnight. Neither did the veteran driver for that matter. FWD will definitely take me to stardom quicker... but with RWD, I'll be a superstar. And damnit I don't want to just be a good female driver, I want to run down the times that sensei makes. I said it to him last week that from now on I'm going to tell myself that the Lady Driver title is mine by default and I'm setting myself on being close to him and the leaders on the day. It may be a big leap, I may not make it, but as my current TA quarterly editor wrote, "If you don't aim high, you won't achieve high..." I've got to think big if I'm going to BE big. (NB Realise that in motorsports a little bit of arrogance is a good thing. I'm tired of appologising and downplaying myself anyway, I'm facing up to the reality, I need to drive as aggressively as I do with the cabbies on the road on the track by myself with the crowd. End of story).

So how did I murder my back driver's side tyre valve? I slid my car into a sidewalk, handbraking. That area has a perfect two-lane round-a-bout setup that circles a nice little distance so it's reasonably safe to handbrake because you won't slide into oncoming traffic. I'd just convinced myself to push down into the corner (as both sensei and the veteran pointed out, it makes no sense pulling the handbrake if you're not going fast enough for it to make a difference) and I'd nailed the turn too, unfortunately even though the car was in the perfect line to head back down the road, there happened to be some dirt right there in the corner, and it just carried my car - perfect line and all - smack into the sidewalk, which thankfully was more dirt than concrete. Was I daunted? Nope. I ran another lap before realising that I should actually get out and look on the car, at which point I realised the tyre was flat, so I took myself off (at less than 20 mph, hazards and all) to the 24-hour repair joint in Liguanea. Cheapest damage I've ever done to a car too, just J$190 for a new valve!

The moral of this story? Don't say or think anything to invite Murphy's Law down upon you. And always pick the road less traveled. Unlike the fast lane, you mightn't see the finish from where you start, but you'll have more fun getting there - even with the bruises - and you'll feel a lot more accomplished when it's all said and done.

• Mood: tired but decided and happy
• Music: DJ Tiesto - Breda 8 pm (DJ Montano edit)