Not-so-fast & Furious!

Despite having been interested in cars fer a long time, me has never been active in any motoring club. But this morning, wifey & meself made the effort to roll out of bed fer our maiden Ulu Yam run. Don't know why, but the Italian bug has bitten hard & has certainly given a fresh twist to weekend activities (goodbye lingering hangovers, hello teetotal morning drives!).

Bout 20 other enthusiasts (or lunatics depending on yer standpoint) gathered at Batu Caves fer the flag off & we were soon to experience yet another glorious chapter in this so-called midlife crisis of mine. The twisty, bendy B-roads leading to Ulu Yam certainly makes fer challenging driving & with most of these guys seasoned veterans of the route & having fooking throttle-heavy feet, it was quite the adventure especially fer novice (& conservative) drivers like meself!

But hey, as the participants were keen to stress, biar mati eksyen, jangan mati accident. Safety first & we was repeatedly reminded to enjoy ourselves & to drive at our own pace. Easier said than done when most of the cars start zipping past ye & disappearing off into the horizon!

Pix above demonstrate the quirky demands of our beloved rides as most took the scheduled breaks to give the engines a little breather. Don't really think ye sees the Porche/Beemer/insert-appropriate-reliable-marque having fag breaks with their fooking hoods up! But therein lies the charm of these wonderfully idiosyncratic machines. Unreliable they may be & even expensive to maintain, there's something bout them Italian breeds that just makes us obsessive (think Cameron Diaz in Something About Mary & ye gets the picture).

Me has longed heard of Italian car owners waxing lyrical about their rides despite spending most of their time in garages & have often wondered wot is it bout these cars that engendered such fervent passion & pride. This trip has made it even clearer. Despite the mystery "sounds" that emanate from various crevices, the dodgy temp gauge ("how hot was yer car?" was an oft-asked question during the run) & being at the arse end of the contingent, me still emerged feeling exhilarated, thrilled & pleased-as-Willie-fooking-Wonka-in-the-choc-factory.

Fun, camaraderie & the simple pleasure of taking yer ride out on some nice winding route. Fooking brilliant!