Sheer Driving Pleasure

The bedside clock alarm goes off. 5 AM, Sunday morning.

Time to get ready to test the limits of my recently acquired toy.

We meet at our spot at 6 AM for a breakfast run.

The air is cool, the wind nippy - good for intercoolers and turbochargers.

Some moisture in the air would be better but this will do.

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The key inserted into the slot, a click releases the steering lock.
Something stirs.

She still sleeps, but is about to come to life.

A little above the key, a button glows. Clutch pedal in. The button beckons me to press it.

Finger placed on the button, it offers some resistance as I apply pressure.

It clicks in. The beast growls with a throaty zest as she awakens from her slumber.

She lives, and she growls unevenly, beautifully as the idle adjusts and the occasional pop
emanates from the exhaust. I'm already smiling.

Engage 1st gear. Slowly apply pressure to the right foot.
Her tone increases slightly with the pitch.

Slowly release the clutch, and she begins to move forward gently.

Softly, I press the accelerator as she climbs to 3,000 rpm.
Apply a fair amount of pressure while holding back the right foot - clutch in.

Engage 2nd gear and release gently, timing with the engagement of the throttle.

Eager to please, she obeys. After some time, she's warm...

Next stop. Disengage clutch as before. Engage 1st. Revs up a little, gently release clutch.

Take her slowly to 4000 rpm, disengage clutch, engage 2nd gear, engage clutch.

2,500 rpm. She growls softly. She taunts me to press the accelerator.

I succumb.

As I apply pressure on the accelerator, she hesitates ever so slightly,
then a plethora of roaring fury is unleashed!
The roar coming from the two pipes at the back is furious.

The force presses me into the seat.

As I hold the steering more firmly, the traction control light flickering on the dash,
I feel her unable to completely transfer the abundance of power to the road surface.
She wriggles in an attempt to remain composed.
The turbos whistle ever so slightly as they excitedly generate boost.

I change quickly to 3rd. Again, fury unleashed. She climbs in speed at a phenomenal pace.

I can feel the bumps and inclination through the steering, the feedback particularly informative.

4th gear. Climbing still. Fast. I feel fused with the monstrous beast under me.

5th gear. The speed increases as I listen carefully to the audible heaven coming from the engine.

6th gear. Now we're moving. Exhiliration flows through my veins.
My smile wide. I glance at the dash.

260km/h. Her ECU is no longer governed. There's a lot more to go, but I'm getting nervous.

Navigator informs me of our turn approaching to the left - fast.

Time to tap off .

The brakes respond incredibly as she slows down rapidly, well composed.

The turn approaches quickly.

The speed is immense. This one's not going to be easy. Still too fast.

In a split second, it's decision time - go straight and miss the turn, or push the limits. Is it safe?

Analyse, look around fast. No oncoming traffic ahead. None after the turn either.

Ok, we push it. The only way now is a racing line.

To the right first while we shed more speed and take it wide before turning left into the 80-odd
degree corner. Ok, let's do this.

The brakes are released.

She turns in, the brakes now waiting for my foot, ready to shed more speed if needed.

Not wise braking hard through this turn.

Traction control and Stability Management flickers. Passengers white-knuckled.

The tyres screech loudly in reluctance as I alter her course rapidly.

Some understeer. Curse. A squirt of throttle to counter, but her systems only allow a little.

Still well composed, the line is wide but manageable.

I wait for the right moment to engage throttle to correct, tyres still wailing.

We're through - almost sidweways, approaching the limits of the line.

Engage throttle fast.

The rear twitches as the monster eats the road up in front and the understeer corrected

as she whips back into line.

Satisfied, I revert to a more relaxed drive.

Sheer. Driving. Pleasure.

Finally - A commendation for service!

I recently sent an email of commendation to my insurance brokers.

That, alone, is not something we see or hear of often.

We all take the time to lodge complaints or moan when things don't meet our expectations, but I felt perhaps I should make an effort to improve the frequency at which I commend good service.

After all, commending people for good service - telling them what we like - will motivate them to do the same in future for other clients.

And, in turn, by confirming that good service is not actually a myth will result in you, the reader, receiving good service at some point.

From ordering a burger at McDonald's to applying for a financial facility, let's face it - we all have to deal with the service industry at some point.

In fact, many of us are responsible for providing a service of some sort and we know all too well that it can often be a thankless job.

Although my last blog post was a tongue-in-cheek view on public service (or lack of),

this one is honestly aimed at commending my insurance brokers on awesome service.

There are numerous larger companies that sell the concept of having no "middle man" as a good idea.

In my particular case, dealing with my broker proved very efficient and actually a pleasure.

To be honest, I was dreading calling my insurance company to report an accident and lodge a claim.

Since it was a 3rd party claim, I was still liable for a refundable excess payment, and, after the stories I've heard, I feared a huge battle trying to get my excess payment refunded.

The refund took place within 1 month. Not only on a single occasion, but twice.

My claims were settled painlessly and without me having to follow up and chase people.

From car hire (which I can highly recommend) through to liaising with panel beaters was arranged or initiated by my brokers.

All I had to do was pick up the phone when it rang and give a few details.

I didn't need to spend hours on the phone trying to sort my life out.

Follow-ups were frequent and timeous.

To quantify my case: how many times do we call a company for service, and the person dealing with our "important" call has about as much professionalism as someone working for the fish & chips corner cafe down the road? And display so much interest, you'd be better off talking to the dial-tone?

All of the people I dealt with within this company are competent, professional and efficient.

Furthermore, there was none of the typical "please hold while I transfer you for fourteenth time" frustration.

What really impressed me was the fact that after sending a simple email to my brokers to arrange insurance cover for a recent purchase, I was contacted within a very short time frame since I had not provided much detail about the vehicle itself.

The lady that phoned me didn't ask me for the details...

No, instead, she simply asked for a name and number at the dealership so that she could liaise with the relevant parties and acquire the relevant details.
Still the same morning, I was copied on an email containing the insurance certificate.

I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I was bowled over!

If you're living in South Africa, and you're looking for awesome service and competent professionals, take a look at CLJA Financial Services: http://www.clja.co.za or email them: insurance@clja.co.za.