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Posted by: BMXerror Aug 30 2008, 10:52 AM

Yesterday I was taking a dirt road to bypass a very jammed up section of the freeway (Labor day weekend traffic). Of course, though, there was nobody out there and I was messin' around a bit in my Eclipse. There was a couple of tight corners towards the end of the road before it rejoined the main road; a right, then a left immediately afterwards. I hand brake cornered through the first one, and tried to swap it around the other way for the left hander, but the thing just plowed. And, well, you can see the results! lol



The stupid thing is that I didn't know the road. I've only been on it once before. Plus, I don't REALLY know how to drive quickly on dirt. I think we all mess around a bit, and I don't even think that there's anything wrong with that, but I was driving way above my abilities on dirt! Dirt has a way of humbling you rather quickly!
Within about 10 minutes, three or four cars had already stopped to help get me out. We couldn't just pull it out because the pinch weld was sitting on a big rock just behind the front tire. We had to dig out from under the rock to allow it to move, and then when they pulled the car I turned the wheel to make it climb up onto the rock. Otherwise the frame would've slid off of the rock and it would then just be resting on the front suspension member. It actually came out pretty smoothly once we figured out how to do it. Took about 20 minutes total.
I'll get under it today, but I looked it over pretty well on the side of the road, and from what I can tell there is no serious damage. It did blow the radiator, and that's $150 I didn't want to spend today, but that's the price of doing something stupid I guess. I called my dad and he helped me limp it home with a blown radiator (5 minute epoxy rules!) I showed him the same pictures on my phone while we were waiting for the epoxy to dry, and he sarcastically stated, "Oh, I never did anything like that when I was young!" lol I'm lucky that nothing was damaged worse than my ego. That's okay, though. Maybe my ego needed some damaging.
Mark D.

Posted by: hot_shoe914 Aug 30 2008, 11:07 AM

Glad you're okay. As long as you had fun and learned something from it then no harm done. Chalk it up as a learning experience and remember to practice more often. PRACTICE GETS YOU CLOSER TO PERFECTION!

SHOE

Posted by: BMXerror Aug 30 2008, 11:13 AM

Is that really the advice you should be giving me right now? lol Oh lord! Slits is gonna have a field day with this!
Mark D.

Posted by: ConeDodger Aug 30 2008, 11:27 AM

that'll buff right out! Nice!!!

Posted by: Bruce Hinds Aug 30 2008, 11:27 AM

Dirt is good, as is snow and ice. It will teach you the true handling abilities... that's why we love the teeners.....
Bruce

Posted by: ws91420 Aug 30 2008, 11:46 AM

With BMX in you name you think you could handle dirt oooops now I see it also has error

Posted by: BMXerror Aug 30 2008, 01:01 PM

I rode freestyle BMX; dirt, ramps, street... anything! I started on dirt and was pretty good at it, but that's also where I got all my worst injuries. Broken arm (two plates holding it together now) broken collarbone, two torn ACLs, stress fractured L5... hmmm... maybe just should just stick to the paved stuff!
Mark D.

Posted by: HeloMech Aug 30 2008, 01:04 PM

That's a silly a$$ed place to park! lol

Posted by: dw914er Aug 30 2008, 01:17 PM

those inclines are for jeeps, not a mitsubishi lol.

glad everything is ok though

Posted by: SirAndy Aug 30 2008, 03:10 PM

I have done a few "stunts" myself when i was younger ...


Glad you're OK, besides the Ego thing ...
Andy