- 19,623
- Alabamamania
A little over three weeks ago, a customer named Mr, Dornick stopped by my Lexus service center, and dropped off his car.
"I'd like to give the car a lube and grease, and change the filter. Can I get the '$100 Special; since I'd like a car wash too?"
"No problem", I replied, as I check the customer's history. I then checked the car's mileage, which was at about 36,400 miles or so. I checked the VIN number, and checked the car out for scratches and told him to get any personal belongings from the car while it was to be worked on. "The car's in great shape, by the way; an impeccable service history, and so few miles."
"Alright, Mr. Dornick...This will take about an hour or so. Are you interested in a cup of coffee or a complementary snack, while you wait?"
"No thanks, I'm dropping the car off while I'm away for the next two weeks", said Mr. Dornick. "I'm traveling the world with my wife, just a few stops here and there to see the sights."
"Not a problem. We have great security here, and you're car will be in the most capable hands."
"That's why I've been coming here for years." And with that, Mr. Dornick was out the door with a smile. He was after all, about to go on vacation.
Anyways, after the car had its oil changed, and a nice wash, the car was parked in the back lot. After three days, though, the service manager wondered why this car hadn't been picked up yet. After all, it was just here for an oil change. So my boss demanded that we deliver the car, since 'ol Dornick's a good customer, since he has very few warranty claims and brings his car for service religiously. He even buys the nice sports-racing tires for it, too.
I looked on the repair order, and looked up Mr. Dornick's information. He lived in a gated community, so it wasn't possible to deliver the car to his home, as the guards wouldn't let me in. So I called his home number. "I'm on vacation in Japan right now, so if you want to leave me a message, just wait for the..." So it wasn't possible to get the car delivered.
I went home that day, and looked through my mail. It turned out that all the flights I'd taken on PD Airlines had amassed a lot of frequent flier mileage. All those races I'd taken part in my former career as a driver for the Gran Turismo Foundation was worth something, after all. I had enough credits to take Mr. Dornick's Lexus to the transporter plane, and fly it to Japan. This would be the best customer service story ever, I thought!
The weather was so nice in Miami, and quite nice in our stop-over in Los Angeles (well, it looked that way form the window, at least). We were set to fly into Kansai, which would take about 12 hours. The flight went fairly smoothly, but just as we were about to land the cargo plane, we had to divert to another airport. The captain said, "Apparently, there's a large lizard battling it out with a giant moth in the city, so we're going to land elsewhere. Please stay calm."
Hmmm....this doesn't sound right. I had to see what was going on in the cockpit for myself. I was extremely annoyed to find that there was absolutely no pilot or co-pilot in the cockpit whatsoever...Holy crap, PD Airlines is B-spec-ing my flight! No wonder I got a free trip! I took a deep break, and I pressed the orange circular button in the cockpit (these planes are very easy to fly, for some reason), a giant "P" appeared on the screen.
So the plane landed right on the largest piece of paved land it could find. In this case, it was erroneously landing on the Twin Ring Motegi. A race was about to start underneath the oval, but there was only 5 cars. The GTF states explicitly in its rule book that No circuit race shall take place with less than six competitors, unless the weather deemed inclement, except in Special Conditions as stated in Article V GSR something-something the number of competitors shall always be six. Seven is right out so I promptly showed my old Superlicence, and signed up for a race. Heck, I thought; Mr. Dornick wont even know Im driving his car. Im in Japan; theres what...130 million people? He wont have a clue!
So the field was set: An orange Fiat Barchetta (the snazzy Giovanne Due edition), a blue Peugeot 206cc, and old red 85 Mazda RX-7 GT-Limited, a year-old white Honda Integra Type-R, and the latest incarnation of the Nissan 350Z, the Nismo Fairlady Z S-tune concept by GT (whew!). After I saw the Z (so this is why PD had to cut back on pilot salaries ), I knew it would be formidable competition.
During qualifying, my er, Mr. Dornicks SC300 was streets ahead of the competition. I qualified 4.0 seconds ahead of the Z. The race was another matter, though. I led the first three laps, with the Z always trying to get ahead of me. It was pressing me, giving me a tap here and there. Finally, on lap 3, he found a way by at the hairpin before the Mini courses alternate start-finish line. But I picked off the silver Z at the end of the straight, diving to the right for the downhill right-hander. I wasnt challenged the rest of the way.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+3.52)
3rd: ITR 03
4th: FC 85
5th: 206cc
6th: Barchetta
We flew back to Seattle for the second race. I was qualified 5.5s ahead of the Z. I wasnt challenged the whole way. The results were the same as the last race (as nearly every position except first and second).
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+4.53)
[All other positions were the same.]
Next race was at Infineons Stock Car Course. I didnt bother to qualify, as I felt I was going to be the class of the field again. Reality was, Im never much good here, no matter what the configuration. So I had to settle for second place after a trip or two (or three?) in the dirt. Im going to have to detail the car before delivering this car to Mr. Dornick, I thought.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+13.5s)
[All other positions were the same.]
Next up was Tokyo, and it was safe to assume that there never was any problem with the city to begin with. In fact, I made sure of this by flying the plane with the SC300 by myself. (Hey, its my fantasy, I can fly planes in it too, if it helps the story to have a decent transition and still keep the reader entertained.) I qualified on pole by 2.7 seconds, but was swamped on the straights by the Z in the race.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+1.5s)
[All other positions were the same.]
I drove the car to Fuji International, and felt confident that Id win the race. And for once, Im right. I qualified 5.2 seconds ahead of the Z, probably because he kept braking much earlier than I was. After all, I wasnt driving my own car, so I didnt have to pay for a brake job.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+2.3)
[All other positions were the same.]
My tires are usually toasted by the time Im done with each race; I fully expected to lose at Motorland. In fact, this is first time ever that I knew darn well that Id lose. But I had to capture 2nd place. I qualified on pole by about 0.75 sec., but I knew I was going to have to pit at some point during the 19-lap race. I pitted on lap 10, with orange tires in the front. The Z never pitted. Neither did the RX-7, although the Integra did pit as well. The Fiat and Peugeot didnt pit. Id had enough of this race by the 18th lap, and allowed myself to get lapped by the winning Z just before my last lap. This was also the only time the FC finished ahead of the ITR.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+1 lap)
3rd: FC
4th: ITR
[All other positions were the same.]
The next race was at La Sarthe. Its quite a change from Motorland, so I didnt even bother to qualify for the race. I passed the Z into the first chicane on the straight and wasnt challenged the rest of the way. Not much drama. But thats how I wanted it.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+9.3s)
[All other positions were the same as the first race.]
At El Capitan, I also do quite well. I didnt bother to qualify again. But the Z and I had a great battle, all race long. He had the legs of me on the straights, but I had slightly better braking and much better corner-entry handling. We traded the lead about ten times, to be honest. But on the penultimate lap, I went ahead into the lead on the scenic overlook 3rd-gear, blind left-hander. For some reason, the Z couldnt keep up with me at all on the last lap. Maybe it was its turn for the tires to give up grip.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+0.72s)
[All other positions were the same as the past race.]
I took the slow boat back to Japan, since I was out of frequent flyer mileage. Too bad it was a garbage barge. The inside of the SC300 stunk really badly, so it looks like this cars going to need an inside detail as well when Im done. Suzuka was the next to last round, and I qualified 0.3s ahead of the Z. In the race, the Z passed me right at the start, and was never challenged the entire time. In fact, those noxious garbage fumes prevented me from okay; Im just not a good driver at Suzuka. In fact, this whole things been a huge waste of time, since Ive yet to find Mr. Dornick anywhere in Japan.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+9.9s)
[All other positions were the same.]
So now it came down to this. If GT history has any say in the matter, then the competition wins if the series ends in a tie. So nothing more than outright victory was going to do for yours truly. And after all, since I wasnt even driving my own car, Id have to really win the series, in case I lose my job for using a clients car for racing purposes. The qualifying lap at the Ring is too long, but I knew I had to win it at all costs. I felt the car needed a little bit of weight ballast, since it seems to handle better than all the rest of the cars, 50 lbs. with a 40/60% bias to the rear. This made it handle beautifully for a 3200-lb car. I qualified the Lexus a staggering 15 seconds ahead of the Z. I took it easy through the treacherous sand trap corners after the Karusell. Theyll eat up all your time gained.
The flag dropped, and I just worked my rolling-start lead into a few seconds at just about every checkpoint. Im sweating, nervous, and worried that the Z is going to overtake me at the slightest mistake. Im going fine until the long straight, whereby the Z gets right on my tail and passes me under braking for the 4th-gear corner. I overtake him right back with a crazy move on the inside with two wheels on the grass. Im back in the lead as I cross the start/finish line again. Im extra careful not to upset the cars balance under heavy braking, and this eats up my lead gained after each flat-out portion. Im about one second ahead of the Z going down the long homestretch, and hes trying to pass me four or five times. He tries to get underneath me into braking, but this time, I covered him precisely. The last two turns are slow, so I force him to go as slow as me by taking a line in which he cant pry me away from victory. Going into the last left-hander, he tries to bump me into the Armco, but its of no use. I put the hammer down and take the checkered flag!
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+0.76)
[All other positions were the same.]
Final Points:
1st: SC300 86pt
2nd: Z 76pt
3rd: ITR 39pt
4th: FC 34pt
5th: 206cc 20pt
6th: Barchetta 10pt.
In any case, Im jet-lagged, my boss is wondering where I am, and Ive got a car to deliver back across the Atlantic. Mr. Dornicks going to be very angry so much for that customer service award! So I save the game, and wake up from my dream. Im running late for work because I played too much GT4 last night. No time for coffee, so I kiss my wife goodbye, and head out the door.
In my driveway, though, is a brand-new Opera Performance S2000. I hop in, pull out my key chain, and realize theres about 120 keys on the key ring. How the heck do I fit this key fob in my pocket? And ouch why does my butt hurt? I feel around and pull out a wallet with 296,000 credits in it! What in the heck is going on here? In fact I dont want to know whats going on here, Im just going to enjoy it!
Anyhow, I get to work, and everyones looking at my new car. Of course, the boss is wondering why I bought a Honda, and why in the heck did I paint it like that but I dont care. I check my voice mail, and hear that ol Dornicks back from vacation, and going to pick up his car. I feel cold, and I drop the phone.
Quick To the key room! I look for his keys, and they are still there, right were the valet put them. I grab the keys and run to the black Lexus SC300. I find it in fine shape, and the mileage is just what it read when I check it in a few weeks ago. The car smells fine, and it doesnt need a detail. No door dings, no scratches. Perfect.
Now Ive calmed down. I walk back to my office and put the phone back on the receiver. It was all just a dream, I thought. Just a mix-up between your illusions, fears, and little dose of reality as viewed through a video game. Nothing to worry about.
A few minutes later, Im checking in a dark blue Lexus GS300. The owners inside my office, and I notice another car coming into our service drive. Its not a Lexus, so it naturally catches my eye.
The cars a silver Nismo Fairlady Z S-tune. Its driven by Mr. Dornicks wife. She drops off her husband at the front of the drive.
How was your vacation, sir? I asked.
Okay .Ive had better. How are you doing? he said as he was about to hand me his credit card.
I held out my palm to him and smiled. No charge, sir.
"I'd like to give the car a lube and grease, and change the filter. Can I get the '$100 Special; since I'd like a car wash too?"
"No problem", I replied, as I check the customer's history. I then checked the car's mileage, which was at about 36,400 miles or so. I checked the VIN number, and checked the car out for scratches and told him to get any personal belongings from the car while it was to be worked on. "The car's in great shape, by the way; an impeccable service history, and so few miles."
"Alright, Mr. Dornick...This will take about an hour or so. Are you interested in a cup of coffee or a complementary snack, while you wait?"
"No thanks, I'm dropping the car off while I'm away for the next two weeks", said Mr. Dornick. "I'm traveling the world with my wife, just a few stops here and there to see the sights."
"Not a problem. We have great security here, and you're car will be in the most capable hands."
"That's why I've been coming here for years." And with that, Mr. Dornick was out the door with a smile. He was after all, about to go on vacation.
Anyways, after the car had its oil changed, and a nice wash, the car was parked in the back lot. After three days, though, the service manager wondered why this car hadn't been picked up yet. After all, it was just here for an oil change. So my boss demanded that we deliver the car, since 'ol Dornick's a good customer, since he has very few warranty claims and brings his car for service religiously. He even buys the nice sports-racing tires for it, too.
I looked on the repair order, and looked up Mr. Dornick's information. He lived in a gated community, so it wasn't possible to deliver the car to his home, as the guards wouldn't let me in. So I called his home number. "I'm on vacation in Japan right now, so if you want to leave me a message, just wait for the..." So it wasn't possible to get the car delivered.
I went home that day, and looked through my mail. It turned out that all the flights I'd taken on PD Airlines had amassed a lot of frequent flier mileage. All those races I'd taken part in my former career as a driver for the Gran Turismo Foundation was worth something, after all. I had enough credits to take Mr. Dornick's Lexus to the transporter plane, and fly it to Japan. This would be the best customer service story ever, I thought!
The weather was so nice in Miami, and quite nice in our stop-over in Los Angeles (well, it looked that way form the window, at least). We were set to fly into Kansai, which would take about 12 hours. The flight went fairly smoothly, but just as we were about to land the cargo plane, we had to divert to another airport. The captain said, "Apparently, there's a large lizard battling it out with a giant moth in the city, so we're going to land elsewhere. Please stay calm."
Hmmm....this doesn't sound right. I had to see what was going on in the cockpit for myself. I was extremely annoyed to find that there was absolutely no pilot or co-pilot in the cockpit whatsoever...Holy crap, PD Airlines is B-spec-ing my flight! No wonder I got a free trip! I took a deep break, and I pressed the orange circular button in the cockpit (these planes are very easy to fly, for some reason), a giant "P" appeared on the screen.
So the plane landed right on the largest piece of paved land it could find. In this case, it was erroneously landing on the Twin Ring Motegi. A race was about to start underneath the oval, but there was only 5 cars. The GTF states explicitly in its rule book that No circuit race shall take place with less than six competitors, unless the weather deemed inclement, except in Special Conditions as stated in Article V GSR something-something the number of competitors shall always be six. Seven is right out so I promptly showed my old Superlicence, and signed up for a race. Heck, I thought; Mr. Dornick wont even know Im driving his car. Im in Japan; theres what...130 million people? He wont have a clue!
So the field was set: An orange Fiat Barchetta (the snazzy Giovanne Due edition), a blue Peugeot 206cc, and old red 85 Mazda RX-7 GT-Limited, a year-old white Honda Integra Type-R, and the latest incarnation of the Nissan 350Z, the Nismo Fairlady Z S-tune concept by GT (whew!). After I saw the Z (so this is why PD had to cut back on pilot salaries ), I knew it would be formidable competition.
During qualifying, my er, Mr. Dornicks SC300 was streets ahead of the competition. I qualified 4.0 seconds ahead of the Z. The race was another matter, though. I led the first three laps, with the Z always trying to get ahead of me. It was pressing me, giving me a tap here and there. Finally, on lap 3, he found a way by at the hairpin before the Mini courses alternate start-finish line. But I picked off the silver Z at the end of the straight, diving to the right for the downhill right-hander. I wasnt challenged the rest of the way.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+3.52)
3rd: ITR 03
4th: FC 85
5th: 206cc
6th: Barchetta
We flew back to Seattle for the second race. I was qualified 5.5s ahead of the Z. I wasnt challenged the whole way. The results were the same as the last race (as nearly every position except first and second).
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+4.53)
[All other positions were the same.]
Next race was at Infineons Stock Car Course. I didnt bother to qualify, as I felt I was going to be the class of the field again. Reality was, Im never much good here, no matter what the configuration. So I had to settle for second place after a trip or two (or three?) in the dirt. Im going to have to detail the car before delivering this car to Mr. Dornick, I thought.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+13.5s)
[All other positions were the same.]
Next up was Tokyo, and it was safe to assume that there never was any problem with the city to begin with. In fact, I made sure of this by flying the plane with the SC300 by myself. (Hey, its my fantasy, I can fly planes in it too, if it helps the story to have a decent transition and still keep the reader entertained.) I qualified on pole by 2.7 seconds, but was swamped on the straights by the Z in the race.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+1.5s)
[All other positions were the same.]
I drove the car to Fuji International, and felt confident that Id win the race. And for once, Im right. I qualified 5.2 seconds ahead of the Z, probably because he kept braking much earlier than I was. After all, I wasnt driving my own car, so I didnt have to pay for a brake job.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+2.3)
[All other positions were the same.]
My tires are usually toasted by the time Im done with each race; I fully expected to lose at Motorland. In fact, this is first time ever that I knew darn well that Id lose. But I had to capture 2nd place. I qualified on pole by about 0.75 sec., but I knew I was going to have to pit at some point during the 19-lap race. I pitted on lap 10, with orange tires in the front. The Z never pitted. Neither did the RX-7, although the Integra did pit as well. The Fiat and Peugeot didnt pit. Id had enough of this race by the 18th lap, and allowed myself to get lapped by the winning Z just before my last lap. This was also the only time the FC finished ahead of the ITR.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+1 lap)
3rd: FC
4th: ITR
[All other positions were the same.]
The next race was at La Sarthe. Its quite a change from Motorland, so I didnt even bother to qualify for the race. I passed the Z into the first chicane on the straight and wasnt challenged the rest of the way. Not much drama. But thats how I wanted it.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+9.3s)
[All other positions were the same as the first race.]
At El Capitan, I also do quite well. I didnt bother to qualify again. But the Z and I had a great battle, all race long. He had the legs of me on the straights, but I had slightly better braking and much better corner-entry handling. We traded the lead about ten times, to be honest. But on the penultimate lap, I went ahead into the lead on the scenic overlook 3rd-gear, blind left-hander. For some reason, the Z couldnt keep up with me at all on the last lap. Maybe it was its turn for the tires to give up grip.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+0.72s)
[All other positions were the same as the past race.]
I took the slow boat back to Japan, since I was out of frequent flyer mileage. Too bad it was a garbage barge. The inside of the SC300 stunk really badly, so it looks like this cars going to need an inside detail as well when Im done. Suzuka was the next to last round, and I qualified 0.3s ahead of the Z. In the race, the Z passed me right at the start, and was never challenged the entire time. In fact, those noxious garbage fumes prevented me from okay; Im just not a good driver at Suzuka. In fact, this whole things been a huge waste of time, since Ive yet to find Mr. Dornick anywhere in Japan.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+9.9s)
[All other positions were the same.]
So now it came down to this. If GT history has any say in the matter, then the competition wins if the series ends in a tie. So nothing more than outright victory was going to do for yours truly. And after all, since I wasnt even driving my own car, Id have to really win the series, in case I lose my job for using a clients car for racing purposes. The qualifying lap at the Ring is too long, but I knew I had to win it at all costs. I felt the car needed a little bit of weight ballast, since it seems to handle better than all the rest of the cars, 50 lbs. with a 40/60% bias to the rear. This made it handle beautifully for a 3200-lb car. I qualified the Lexus a staggering 15 seconds ahead of the Z. I took it easy through the treacherous sand trap corners after the Karusell. Theyll eat up all your time gained.
The flag dropped, and I just worked my rolling-start lead into a few seconds at just about every checkpoint. Im sweating, nervous, and worried that the Z is going to overtake me at the slightest mistake. Im going fine until the long straight, whereby the Z gets right on my tail and passes me under braking for the 4th-gear corner. I overtake him right back with a crazy move on the inside with two wheels on the grass. Im back in the lead as I cross the start/finish line again. Im extra careful not to upset the cars balance under heavy braking, and this eats up my lead gained after each flat-out portion. Im about one second ahead of the Z going down the long homestretch, and hes trying to pass me four or five times. He tries to get underneath me into braking, but this time, I covered him precisely. The last two turns are slow, so I force him to go as slow as me by taking a line in which he cant pry me away from victory. Going into the last left-hander, he tries to bump me into the Armco, but its of no use. I put the hammer down and take the checkered flag!
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+0.76)
[All other positions were the same.]
Final Points:
1st: SC300 86pt
2nd: Z 76pt
3rd: ITR 39pt
4th: FC 34pt
5th: 206cc 20pt
6th: Barchetta 10pt.
In any case, Im jet-lagged, my boss is wondering where I am, and Ive got a car to deliver back across the Atlantic. Mr. Dornicks going to be very angry so much for that customer service award! So I save the game, and wake up from my dream. Im running late for work because I played too much GT4 last night. No time for coffee, so I kiss my wife goodbye, and head out the door.
In my driveway, though, is a brand-new Opera Performance S2000. I hop in, pull out my key chain, and realize theres about 120 keys on the key ring. How the heck do I fit this key fob in my pocket? And ouch why does my butt hurt? I feel around and pull out a wallet with 296,000 credits in it! What in the heck is going on here? In fact I dont want to know whats going on here, Im just going to enjoy it!
Anyhow, I get to work, and everyones looking at my new car. Of course, the boss is wondering why I bought a Honda, and why in the heck did I paint it like that but I dont care. I check my voice mail, and hear that ol Dornicks back from vacation, and going to pick up his car. I feel cold, and I drop the phone.
Quick To the key room! I look for his keys, and they are still there, right were the valet put them. I grab the keys and run to the black Lexus SC300. I find it in fine shape, and the mileage is just what it read when I check it in a few weeks ago. The car smells fine, and it doesnt need a detail. No door dings, no scratches. Perfect.
Now Ive calmed down. I walk back to my office and put the phone back on the receiver. It was all just a dream, I thought. Just a mix-up between your illusions, fears, and little dose of reality as viewed through a video game. Nothing to worry about.
A few minutes later, Im checking in a dark blue Lexus GS300. The owners inside my office, and I notice another car coming into our service drive. Its not a Lexus, so it naturally catches my eye.
The cars a silver Nismo Fairlady Z S-tune. Its driven by Mr. Dornicks wife. She drops off her husband at the front of the drive.
How was your vacation, sir? I asked.
Okay .Ive had better. How are you doing? he said as he was about to hand me his credit card.
I held out my palm to him and smiled. No charge, sir.
Nice races and nice write up!
I am encouraged to see it open ended too- Means there might be a few more fau reality stories yet to come.
