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By Seaman Matthew Bookwalter
Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek hosted the Tidewater Sports Car Club's final event for the 2008 season, Nov. 16.
The club was started in 1953 and has been providing a safe, controlled environment for people to take their cars through a timed course that will test their driving skills.
"It's a great place for younger drivers to experience car control," said Shawn Lamber, the president of the TSCC. "The top speeds are relatively low for a racing scene, only about 65-70 miles per hour, but it's all about control."
According to Lamber, the educational benefits of speeding a car through a skill testing course can be applied in real-world driving.
"It shows younger drivers what happens when their car spins out or their brakes lock up. It translates to the street and teaches them how to react," said Lamber. "It's great. It's a learning experience as well as a competition experience."
Sports cars are not the only vehicles allowed to join the club, any working vehicle will do.
"I have gone in my truck, which is my daily driver, when my car wasn't working and had a blast doing that," said Lt. j.g. Mark Haag. "It's not about having the fastest car, it's about going with whatever you have and taking it to the limit."
The club isn't only for the younger crowd, anybody who wishes to join can.
"We have people starting at 16 years old and we have people, who at their first event, were in their 60s," said Lamber.
Whether young or old, everyone can tak something away from the club. TSCC not only helps build the confidence of drivers, it gives them a safe environment to push their cars to the limit.
The educational benefits of learning to put a car through a test can benefit the entire family.
"If I were married I would mandate my wife to go out and do it," said Haag. "Lets face it, you learn how to handle a car in extreme limits. It's the same as taking a motorcycle safety course. If I hit a puddle and start going sideways, I know how to recover from it."
Legally racing in a controlled environment through a challenging course lets participants feel like an instant NASCAR driver.
"That's what makes it fun," added Haag. "You don't have to be competitive or have the coolest car to go out and have a blast."
| Date Taken: | 11.16.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2008 10:00 |
| Story ID: | 26489 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 77 |
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