Monday 17 June 2013

Embarassed Driver Coming Through!

Linking up with Kristy of My Home Truths for I Must Confess...This week it's all about embarrassing moments.

Embarassing moments are a plenty with me. It’s almost difficult to choose one. It's even embarrassing to let you know that there are quite a few. I’m just that sort of person. However....there is one I will share with you.

My dad was involved in motor racing and when I reached 18, I started to take an interest as well. I would go with him to all the race tracks and take my place in the pitts surveying all the action. I loved it. It was soooo much fun. Not to mention it was heavily male dominated and at 18, it was a wonderful smorgasboard for me to look at. I proudly wore the team uniform. Now, don’t get too excited, it was a pair of overalls covered with sponsors’ badges. Male overalls, in case you were wondering. King Gee didn’t make a female pair back then. I remember having to go up a size because overalls weren’t quite made for hips. Hippy hips at that.  

As we were always based in the pitt area, Dad always drove in and parked next to the team’s area. With any motor racing team, there is an amazing amount of equipment and vehicles. Trucks, buses, mobile workshops, trailors, this car and that car. Given the huge amount of vehicles, they were parked in like sardines. It was always inevitable that some vehicle needed to be moved. Remember that conversation from The Castle,
Darryl Kerrigan: Ay Steve, can you move the Camira? I need to get the Torana out to get to the Commodore.
Steve Kerrigan: Sure thing Dad, but I'll have to get the keys to the Cortina if I'm gunna move that Camira.
Darryl Kerrigan: Alright mate, just watch the boat

 
 
On this particular day many years ago, out at Oran Park (now a housing estate), vehicles needed to be moved and rearranged. Dad asked me if I could move our white commodore station wagon and park it under a carport. I particularly hated it when Dad asked me to do anything like moving the car out at the track. Every one watches and it feels like all eyes are on you just waiting for you to make a mistake.
I grabbed the keys and got into the car. Adjusted the seat and mirrors and started the engine. I put the car in reverse and proceeded to move the car backward and turn it into the new spot undercover. I didn’t have to move it far, the same distance as reversing out of a car spot at the shopping centre. Reverse out, turn and reverse a little more. It really wasn’t a complicated manoeuvre. It’s just I probably wasn’t completely concentrating and I was probably a little anxious from all the eyes watching me.

It’s embarrassing to say but I didn’t see the pole in the middle of the car port and reversed straight into it. I didn’t just catch the rear headlight or rear corner of the car, it wasn’t a little bump or dent but I clearly misjudged the WHOLE thing and the pole hit the back of the car, right in the middle. Everyone was watching. I mean EVERYONE. All our team which was about 20 members. There were also members of the public walking past. (I didn’t mention our team’s location was right in the middle of a main thoroughfare, the public had, HAD, to walk past.)
 
 
I wanted to die. Really!! Curl up and stay in the car forever. Evaporate into little particles and float out of the car then put myself together a million miles from there. Anywhere but be where I was. Of course, I still needed to get out of the car. Worse still, a million times worse was I had to face Dad. He even looked embarrassed as well. The most cringe-worthy part was he then told me off in front of everyone and asked me how I could I not see the pole. To make matters worse, I didn’t tell you but the pole was fairly small. If you join your thumbs together, join your pointer fingers together, they should form a circle, that was the size of the pole.

So...the only saving grace from this embarrassing situation is at least there was only a small dent in the back of the car and having a Dad that repaired race cars (considering the crashes they have) meant it wasn’t really all that bad. Dad was over it by the time we got home later that night.
 
Me.......my pride was very dented for weeks to come. It’s fair to say I missed the next race meeting, I think something important came up. Or did it?
Do you have an embarrassing driving story??? I’d love to hear it!!!

Jen xoxo


3 comments:

  1. Oh no! I feel your pain on this one! I've taken out a pole while in front of an audience too! Took out the side of the car with it! Was so embarrassed I didn't even get out of the car to check the damage - just drove away! :)

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  2. I'm glad there is someone else out there with a similar story. Mortifying!!!! At least we can laugh about it now :)

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  3. Oh you poor thing!! Things like that always happen when everyone is watching..

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