A Personal Treasure - Essay Example

A Personal Treasure Nothing has ever seemed so appealing to me as being a race car driver, this was after I grew up watching rallies owing to the fact that my father worked as a mechanical engineer at Shell GP and when they sponsored racing events my siblings and I got to attend. My enthusiasm grew fervently over the years and as such my father promised me a sports car if I graduated from high school with good grades; I would get to drive it with my friends to go watch a huge racing event that happened out of town every three months.

This excited me and motivated me to do well in high school and fortunately I did, therefore, the weekend after my high school graduation, my father kept his promise and gave me a sports car to drive to the racing event with my friends. Because the race was widely advertised, there was frenzy of excitement everywhere and the drive there turned into an entourage of various cars- modified for showing off and racing with amateurs. My friends and I were eager to be spectators thus we planned our trip, the drive there would take two hours and there would be at least two stops.

At the crack of dawn on Saturday my friends and I began the drive to the starting point where all drivers headed there would gather and those keen to participate in amateur racing would get tags which had numbers and initials or nicknames of the person driving. The entourage of cars set out at seven am and we positioned ourselves strategically in the line, the excitement was written all over our faces as we bonded with fellow drivers on the road as we cheered the cars we were supporting by waving scarves and other merchandise of the cars that we were supporting in the main race.

At some point during the race people would slow down and blast music from their car stereo to show off just how loud they were. Our car was a top back which made it easier to enjoy both the scenery of the surrounding landscape and the beautiful cars in the entourage. Sadly, my father was against loud music so we could not show off any sound features; however, we could show off our turbo engine by revving the car and it was quite powerful! For a moment, I had my first few minutes of ‘stardom’ as people turned to catch a glimpse of me as I drove; better yet I got attention from quite a number of girls!

All through the drive I was careful to remain focused on the road and not get distracted by charades from passengers in other cars as they cheered for their favorite cars. I wanted to ensure that my father would still be willing to let me drive there in the subsequent races. We made the first stop at about eight thirty and this was at a gas station so that people could have their cars checked, fuel if they needed to , use the restrooms and get snacks and drinks. Here, as a driver, I got a chance to meet other drivers and admire their cars as well as have them admire mine.

It was thrilling to meet other enthusiast drivers, talk about cars, feel the power of their engines and generally make friends. One of my friends, who aspire to be a professional photographer, took many photos of us in our car, in other cars, with people we were making friends with and the scenery of the mountainous area. The event also attracts dancing competitions where cars would form a circle and blast music as dancers gather in the centre and show off their moves. It was quite entertaining to watch just how talented people were and we took photos of all the dancers sure that they were bound to become famous and we would say that we knew them!

Forty five minutes later, we got back on the road and this time because of the straight road ahead the amateur racers got a chance to show off their skills. To ensure that everything was done in a safe manner, the event organizers had appointed people, along with inviting highway police officers, who would guide racers on the road and other drivers. This was probably the second most exhilarating part of the weekend as I also got to participate in the amateur race and came second earning me an amateurs’ medal.

This is a feeling I will forever treasure as all the long hours of watching and practicing under my father’s guidance had paid off. I aspired to come first in the next race and so at the second stop, I went over to the winner’s car and introduced myself hoping to learn how I could improve my skills. Luckily, the driver was quite friendly and being a bit older he offered me useful advice owing to his experience. We took a photo together one in front of his car and one in front of mine, photos which remain hanging proudly in my bedroom up to this day!

Finally, we got to the main racing event and the race kicked off at noon. My friends cheered our favorite car which was a Subaru that had come first, twice before but not in the last race. This time, nonetheless, we were not disappointed; it came first and we got to be at the finishing point when it did and my friend managed to capture the moment as it crossed the line! All in all, the weekend was overly exciting with many, different moments standing out and will forever remain ingrained in my memory.