Earlier this week, I removed the license plates from my track car. The time snuck up on me and the registration was set to expire by the end of this month (March 2018). As I walked in to the MVA location down the street today, I couldn’t help but have a bittersweet moment of reflection on what I was about to do.
I bought Eddie (aka “the Triple 6”) back in March 2014 with the hopes of taking him on adventures around local race tracks and getting myself back into the performance driving world. I found him on Craigslist after searching for a few months and having countless conversations with Eric M and others about what would be a good beginner track car. I had a 2001 GTI 1.8T and a 2004 GTI VR6 previously so it was safe to say I was familiar with the chassis (especially since I autocrossed the 2001). I knew a GTI would be a good platform for me, I could fit in them for one, and they were fairly inexpensive to maintain and run at events. I bought the car from a young kid in Germantown, MD who really didn’t do anything to it except poorly wire a stereo system and break off the passenger side mirror. With only 89k miles the car didn’t need much to be road worthy and for the price I think it was a great find and a great starting point for my future obsession.
Admittedly, I was conflicted at first. I wanted the car to be a nice streetable ride but I also wanted it to be able to handle weekend warrior duties. Little did I know that I would jump head first down the Golf, err Rabbit-hole towards full-on track car in a matter of years, no matter how hard I fought the inevitable. The car was relatively untouched by the time I signed up for my first event.
Mods started with a tune up, new plugs, coil packs, timing belt, hoses, pulley kit, fresh fluids, and other age-related maintenance. Other than that the car was as-is for my first time on track. Our first event was with PCA Potomac on the SP Shenandoah Circuit. I ran in green group (obviously) and had a long time PCA instructor as my passenger. That weekend was rough for many reasons that I won’t go into here, but needless to say after that event I had to take a step back and ask myself if this was something I really wanted to continue doing.
I didn’t sign up for another track event until almost a year later. In that time I picked up some hand-me-down parts from Eric M – thanks to his extensive experience and history with the MKIV platform. I also upgraded my brake pads and bought a really cool digital boost gauge. I removed the stereo (the wiring was awful and it needed to come out anyway #weightsavings) and bought some new wheels at a steal of a price from ECStuning.com along with new tires.
I was set, ready to hit the track (this time with ACNA on SP Main) and get back at it. My instructor this time was someone I knew and someone I was comfortable with, which really helped. The weekend was a success – for the most part – except for an issue with brake fade and rear brake pads essentially destroying themselves. By the end of the weekend, I had that *moment* where I knew this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to hit the track, and I wanted to get better.
From that moment forward, things changed quickly. The more track events I did, the better at driving I became, and the more and more I could feel and see the weaknesses in my current set up. Couple all that with a job change, which would help propel me and Eddie into new territory.
Used coilovers, Upgraded front brakes (Porsche/Brembo) with racing pads, completely gutted rear interior, new-to-me wheels with R-comp tires (thanks again to hand-me-downs from Eric M.) and I was killing it. I was having so much fun and the car was becoming a blast to drive.
Sadly, this was the beginning of the end for Eddie’s streetability. With each new modification I added, the car became less and less comfortable to drive on the street. I even blew out a coilover driving on the road. An entire winter and spring went by where Eddie didn’t touch the road except to drive to events (if the event was too far away the tow dolly and my Jeep would handle that duty).
By spring, I had a new set of coilovers, new tires, new control arms, new sway-bars, new sway bar end links, camber plates, the suspension was re-tuned and track ready. The last thing I wanted to do was drive it on the street and risk breaking something even more expensive than the last. At the same time I was also becoming a better driver, more confident, more comfortable, and also less risk averse. #goingfaster. This meant that I ran a higher risk of breaking something out on track. The definitive step in taking Eddie off the street was the decision to buy a trailer for the hauling duties. (it helped that I got a smokin’ deal on the trailer from a then-club member).
For all of 2017, Eddie was either on track, or on the trailer. There wasn’t any in between. And the more time Eddie spent on the trailer, the more I realized that I was wasting money by having him insured and registered. I made the decision early this winter that when his tags were due for renewal, I was removing them and turning them in. Fast forward to January 2018 when Eric M decided to return his silver GTI back to stock and I again received a gracious bounty of upgraded parts to include a hood with louvers and painted headlights. At that point, the nail was in the coffin, there wasn’t any way I was going to be able to drive Eddie on the street again. It was over. Removing the engines aging emissions related components, didn’t really help much either.
In the last two months I’ve dealt with a bit of sadness and melancholy. Of course the times we had a nice day and the weather was just right the first thing to come to mind was to ride up to my dad’s place (where Eddie is being stored) and take him around the block or down the highway for a couple *spirited stints* before putting him away again. Only, I realized I wasn’t able to anymore. Gone were the days of antagonizing “yo-boys” at traffic lights only to watch them scream off while I laughed hysterically. Gone were the days of taking the backroads to nowhere just to hear the exhaust and feel the wind rush by as I drove briskly through the open countryside. Gone were the days when I would wake up early on a beautiful Saturday morning to drive to Katie’s and grab a burrito while checking out all the hot rides at the Cars and Coffee event, only to walk by Eddie and think, “damn, I love my car.” Gone were the days… just gone.
Now, here I am, back at the office after returning the tags. I just logged off my insurance company’s website after removing him from coverage. I can take comfort in that I will be able to save a few hundred dollars a year, which I can turn around and put into track events and parts.
And what’s next for Eddie? … or should I say “Geddie” (recently renamed after Rush bassist Geddy Lee). He and I can most certainly move into this new chapter of our adventure together, but I can’t help but still feel sadness for those earlier days. #reflections #thefeels.
In the words of the great ’80’s band Cinderella, you “Don’t know what you got, till it’s gone.”
#merrymotoring.
