The art of driving fast on public roads in the 21st century: A how-to

For quite a lot of people, driving is a chore, something they have to do to get to work or the grocery store. And for those drivers, a car is just a tool. But for others, driving is something to be enjoyed. However, it’s getting hard to be a responsible driving enthusiast. There are a number of factors at play here. For one thing, it is becoming more and more socially unacceptable to speed on roads. Cities nationwide are implementing 25mph speed limits, and the evidence coming in shows that does in fact have a measurable effect on pedestrian casualties. But even out of town, the open roads aren’t so empty anymore.

That makes it frustrating for other drivers—who don’t want to contend with Ricky Racer and his Miata pinned to their bumper for miles and miles—and frustrating Ricky, who just wants to have some fun. So the prospect of an Sunday-morning drive through the country starts to become less and less appealing.

My favorite roads

At the same time, most of have a road or two that lives in our memory. For me, it’s my old Californian drive to work through Rancho Santa Fe and the epic backroads that shadowed the 5 as one headed towards La Jolla from North County. Even better was the “Californiaring,” a triangular route of 26.7 miles (44.4km) that took you up Mt Palomar’s 270-degree, hairpin-filled south face then down the faster, flowing east side before taking SR-76 back to start it all over again.

Back in the old days—probably before they even built South Grade—I reckon you could have persuaded the powers that be to let you close the roads for a Californian equivalent of the Targa Florio. A couple of hours from LA, you’d be guaranteed a young hotshot actor or three on the grid, and it could have the makings of a tradition.

In the 21st century though, it seems implausible that you would be allowed to close 28 miles of public highway for a week to run a race where—lets be honest—the chances are someone could get really quite hurt are a possibility.

But I’m wondering if there’s a solution on the way thanks to a combination of autonomous vehicles and racing sims. Now I know what you’re thinking: autonomous vehicles are anathema to the driving enthusiast, taking over the driving completely and leaving the passengers to stare out the window as the scenery goes past. And for those people for whom driving is a chore (or something they can’t do, like the blind or infirm), that’s good.

Racing sims to the rescue?