Rallying lessons learned
Jan. 16th, 2010 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgSupermarkets and their carparks will always provide opportunities for learning about one's self and the world. Important questions are often asked in these places: "Where the hell are you going (you moron)?" (With bonus question "Haven't you heard of indicators? Sheesh") and "Why does Coles insist on discontinuing products that I like?"
Today I found myself inside the Dakar Rally in the carpark. On foot.
One of the things that most impresses me about the driving (and riding) in the Dakar is the abilty to read the ground and choose a line. I can do that on a flat surface (it's all about the tangents), but that extra dimension of navigating over trackless bumpy country is not something I ever encounter. Or do I?
I enjoy steering shopping trolleys when the conditions are good. They're kept in much better condition these days and rarely have severely wonky wheels, and it's no accident that the shops and carparks I use most regularly are on reasonably flat land. On the downside they're bigger and more top-heavy than they used to be. In short, under good conditions I can get a little thrill from using just the right amount of push, pull, and nudge to steer the heaviest of loads. I love doing perfectly controlled 180 degree spins with the lightest of touches and shortest of steps :-)
Most people I've observed use a lean-and-heave strategy, particularly around corners. Haven't they ever spun something on its axis, or used momentum to their advantage? Guess not. Score another one for science fiction. And science I suppose, but theoretical physics was never my thing academically. Ballroom dancing and Chow Gar (Kung Fu) have also defintely helped me to survive in the real world.
Just imagine what I'd get up to if I were healthy. I could be one of those offensively over-achieving types and everyone would hate me. Looks like I dodged a bullet there.
So I've arranged my life to maximise my opportunities for having fun with shopping trolleys, but it's not always possible to avoid hazards. If I park in a certain (attractively shaded) area and have a particularly heavy trolley, there's a section of the traverse from checkout to boot that needs a bit of brute force. For me, brute force is an optional extra, offered for a limited time only.
What we have is a short footpath-to-road-level ramp. One needs to go down the ramp and take a sharp left. The roadway, however, slopes to the right and away i.e. diagonally away from the direction you want to travel. Usually what happens is that you go down the ramp as slowly as possible, and heave against all that momentum to swing the trolly around to the left. If the trolly is unevenly loaded it's at risk of rolling.
But really, it's not that big a deal. It's manageable because it's a quiet bit of carpark, and the amount of brute force required is usually available. I accept that I'm going to go a few feet in the wrong direction sometimes. Today I was giving the problem even less thought than usual, and took the most direct line to the car, sharply angled across the ramp.
The world stopped.
Somewhere in the middle of the corrective wrenching I had a sudden flash to the Dakar Rally. I was a driver and the ramp was a dune of powdery fesh fesh. The line I'd taken was suicide: I would roll. But the proper geometry and physics sprung into my head with instant clarity. I knew what to do. I could predict where every object would fall. I could see the lines of force. I could taste time...
Whoa. Matrix moment.
I can't wait to take that corner again :-)
Today I found myself inside the Dakar Rally in the carpark. On foot.
One of the things that most impresses me about the driving (and riding) in the Dakar is the abilty to read the ground and choose a line. I can do that on a flat surface (it's all about the tangents), but that extra dimension of navigating over trackless bumpy country is not something I ever encounter. Or do I?
I enjoy steering shopping trolleys when the conditions are good. They're kept in much better condition these days and rarely have severely wonky wheels, and it's no accident that the shops and carparks I use most regularly are on reasonably flat land. On the downside they're bigger and more top-heavy than they used to be. In short, under good conditions I can get a little thrill from using just the right amount of push, pull, and nudge to steer the heaviest of loads. I love doing perfectly controlled 180 degree spins with the lightest of touches and shortest of steps :-)
Most people I've observed use a lean-and-heave strategy, particularly around corners. Haven't they ever spun something on its axis, or used momentum to their advantage? Guess not. Score another one for science fiction. And science I suppose, but theoretical physics was never my thing academically. Ballroom dancing and Chow Gar (Kung Fu) have also defintely helped me to survive in the real world.
Just imagine what I'd get up to if I were healthy. I could be one of those offensively over-achieving types and everyone would hate me. Looks like I dodged a bullet there.
So I've arranged my life to maximise my opportunities for having fun with shopping trolleys, but it's not always possible to avoid hazards. If I park in a certain (attractively shaded) area and have a particularly heavy trolley, there's a section of the traverse from checkout to boot that needs a bit of brute force. For me, brute force is an optional extra, offered for a limited time only.
What we have is a short footpath-to-road-level ramp. One needs to go down the ramp and take a sharp left. The roadway, however, slopes to the right and away i.e. diagonally away from the direction you want to travel. Usually what happens is that you go down the ramp as slowly as possible, and heave against all that momentum to swing the trolly around to the left. If the trolly is unevenly loaded it's at risk of rolling.
But really, it's not that big a deal. It's manageable because it's a quiet bit of carpark, and the amount of brute force required is usually available. I accept that I'm going to go a few feet in the wrong direction sometimes. Today I was giving the problem even less thought than usual, and took the most direct line to the car, sharply angled across the ramp.
The world stopped.
Somewhere in the middle of the corrective wrenching I had a sudden flash to the Dakar Rally. I was a driver and the ramp was a dune of powdery fesh fesh. The line I'd taken was suicide: I would roll. But the proper geometry and physics sprung into my head with instant clarity. I knew what to do. I could predict where every object would fall. I could see the lines of force. I could taste time...
Whoa. Matrix moment.
I can't wait to take that corner again :-)
