The smell of change

Well, tomorrow will herald in a change in my life. One that is a big deal to me, but may not be a big deal to anyone else. I took up the hobby of road racing in 2005 and it has consumed most of my free time for the last 2+ years.

I started out in a humble '90 Acura Integra that I bought with a blown motor for about $900. Of course that was only the beginning of the money pit that would consume my disposable income for the next two years. It went from being a normal car, to just short of being a full race prepped car in that time. It was a fun ride and I loved that car. Things are about to change.

Last September I bought a new car, one that came from the factory with a little more power and all wheels driven as opposed to just the fronts on the Integra. Its a sexy beast with an appetite for domination. Tomorrow is the day when I will let go of my former race car, and commit to the new.

The new (a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX RS - yes a lot of names) is all kinds of fun to drive and gets a little more street credit due to its initial power and performance numbers. This is the kind of car that gets "thumbs ups," and people staring - at least people in the know. Of course it also attracts less desireable attention, the boy racer in his WRX that knows he has the fastest turbo car because of his boost controller and neon glow lights underneath. But its all fun and games.

Tomorrow I will make the final preparations to make the Integra ready for sale, and it is a sad day. There is little else I have put the work and man-hours into during my life. My wife would agree, and is probably less saddened by its passing. So this is the tribute and farewell to my former race car.