I just know how to Drive things. I don’t really think I know how to do much else. Most other things I try and do feel like I’m always stumbling a bit, but Driving always seems to just flow naturally. I don’t really even have to think about it, I just do it.
Most other things I’ve learned how to do, I’ve done to Drive more. It’s really the only reason why I ever learned to be a mechanic or build things. Was so that at the end, I can Drive.
I don’t really want to do many other things either. To be honest, I have to convince myself every day that I should be doing something other than Driving. But it’s ok, because the moments I’ve gotten to do just that, worry about the Driving, worry about operating a vehicle and that’s it, have been some special moments.
About a year and a half ago I got the fortunate opportunity to Drive the MotorTrend Camera Car while filming Chris Forsberg in his drift car on Decker Canyon Rd, in Malibu.
The MotorTrend Camera Car is a Subaru STI with a camera rig on it to mount a Black Arm. I think it’s got a slight tune, but it’s all STI. 6 Spd Manual, Turbo Flat-4 with a nice bit of Turbo lag, AWD set up for rally stages. Not exactly what you would consider the best Camera Car.
Decker Canyon Road, if you don’t know, is a windy bit of tarmac that stretches through the Malibu Hills. The section nearest the coast is quite dangerous now that I think about it. Textbook hairpins with canyon drop offs, ending with some flowing narrow turns with a rock wall on one side. Can’t imagine it would look pretty if you got it wrong.
I’m not exactly sure how you would ever know if someone was qualified to do this. It’s not like you get a certificate for Driving canyon roads, while pushing an STI Camera Car as hard as it would go, while a current Formula Drift Champion is sliding sideways with everything he and his car have got, breathing down your neck, tires blazing, smoke billowing. And all this while the Camera Operators and the Directory of Photography are trying to maximize the shot they get.
To be honest, I had never Driven a Camera Car before. Except for that one time I made a rig to mount my DSLR to the front of my GTI and drove on some windy roads near my house.
I just get it. I don’t really think it matters what it is anymore. My goal back in 2013 was to Drive anything, anytime, anywhere. I think I’m getting there, but I’ve got a long way to go.