Test Drive

Welcome to chapter nineteen, hope you all enjoy.

Thank you all for reading, and please review!

~~~~~~Test Drive~~~~~~

Inuyasha had reunited with Sesshomaru in Nurburg.  Thankfully, he was understanding of the fact that his younger brother had arrived in a factory owned Zonda instead of his Huayra.  They checked into the hotel suite Sesshomaru had reserved and promptly hit the bar for a bite to eat and a number of German beers.

A few hours later they were falling into the king sized bed to get a few hours sleep and rested until the next afternoon.  Rousing from their shared sleep the two inu showered and got dressed, heading across town to the infamous, beloved, utterly notorious Green Hell, the Nurburgring.

“You’re actually accompanying me on this run aniki?”

“We’re on an actual track this time otouto.  Nothing illicit about me enjoying a pure German sports car on the ultimate German race track.”

“True enough, though it begs the question if you can essentially race in this event, why aren’t you?  Feeling more confident in my abilities than yours?”

“Oh otouto, I can come out to play a bit, but associating with such racers would still be less than advisable.  Now, how about we get a bit of practice in, you might want to use the GT3 for your first few laps, until you begin to get the hang of the course.”

“Sounds good, I’ll follow you in the GT2?”

“Not needed, I just took delivery of a new Carrera S, which will be more than enough for you to deal with.”

“Oh really, you think you can walk me in a GT3 in a regular Carrera S?”

“Let me put it to you this way otouto, if you pass me this lap, you can mount me tonight.”

“Confident, that or you want to be bent over by your little brother.”

Inuyasha laughed and made for the GT3 as it was rolled off the trailer Sesshomaru had arranged for their outing.  The Nurburgring Nordschleife, or north course, was a legendary race track infamous for its length, number of turns, and challenging layout. 

One lap was roughly thirteen miles long, consisting of hundreds of corners, from tight hairpins to super high speed sweepers, and featured over a thousand feet of elevation change.  The road was relatively narrow, not all that smooth, often under heavy shade, and had almost no run off room between pavement and the barriers on either side.

And it was legally a German toll road, open to the public.

Firing up the GT3 RS, Inuyasha rowed the hefty shifter, pulling the car out of the way of the GT2 RS and Sesshomaru’s new Carrera S.  Warming them, they pulled up to the toll queue, and waived their passes.  Then, Sesshomaru let the clutch out with some gas and pulled off, Inuyasha setting off in pursuit after him.

“Alright, let’s go big brother.”

On the straights, Inuyasha had it on the lesser 911.  Five hundred horsepower to four in cars that were almost entirely unique in parts but almost identical in design, though it wasn’t going to be a complete walkover. 

Inuyasha had played enough Xbox to know the general layout of the course, but the game couldn’t translate the sharp dips and crests, the bumps and rough, wavy sections of road.  Sesshomaru on the other hand had experienced all of these firsthand, knowing how and where to push hard and where to back off the rear engine sports car.

As the road began its meandering, winding path the two sports cars started overtaking the other drivers.  Other Porsche’s, Mini’s, M3’s, various S and RS Audi’s, Corvette’s, Golf’s, etcetera all fell by the wayside as they charged through the sweeping bends of the crazy, dangerous, beautiful race track.  As the road rose and started to bend right Inuyasha got a glimpse of Sesshomaru’s true talent.

The road crested and immediately turned to a sharp right, a vicious corner that could catch even good drivers out.  The hill wasn’t that steep and it had a long run, plenty of time to build up a strong head of speed.  The crest lifted the cars and sent them generally setting back down on the pavement, right into the turn.  It was surprisingly tight, far sharper than it looked through the windshield.

“Oh, fuck!”

Inuyasha had to brake harder than expected, and the car went a bit unstable through the bend, clipping the grass on his way while Sesshomaru landed the Carrera and guided it through perfectly.  A series of winding little bends ensued, odd angle corners working the chassis of the two Porsches.  Inuyasha was doing admirably well for a first timer, both to the track and the car, but Sesshomaru was obviously the seasoned veteran.

The new but softer edged 911 kept the hard edged, track duty GT3 RS solidly in its rearview through the entirety of the course.  Through each meandering bend, each sharp corner, each sweeper, each crest and dip and bump in the insane road Sesshomaru managed to exploit more of the Carrera’s potential than Inuyasha could of the four liter RS.

“Holy shit he’s fast.  No wonder he’s the fucking reigning champion.” 

Inuyasha spoke to himself more than anyone else as they returned to where they’d started.  Sesshomaru continued on, class still in session as he showed Inuyasha the proper way round, using the newer 911 to show him the proper braking points, the right line, spots where he could go hard on the power.

The track was a tricky one; so many of its corners were banked wrong, sloping down away from the corner, so many were relatively blind, and so many were deceptive in their angle and altitude change.  It was pretty much standard that newcomers tended to misinterpret the numerous, numerous bends at first, braking way too early for the fast corners and coming in way too hot into the slow ones.

It was a good thing then that Inuyasha had Sesshomaru.  The older dog was getting each bit of the traffic perfect, knowing just when to brake, timing all his shifts and pedal actions perfectly to keep the car moving forward very fast with very little drama.  Inuyasha was a fast learner, and within a few laps he had become acclimated with the real, non-pixelated Nurburgring.

He had become acclimated to the car as well, and it was sensational.  Porsche 911’s were essentially the benchmark sports car, and a drive simply without rival.  The rear engine, flat six layout and Porsche build quality produced a totally different car to drive and own, one that was more demanding of the driver but more rewarding in almost every way. 

It could bite, easily, with the weight over the rear, poor braking in a corner would bring the ass round in a heartbeat, and especially in the earlier models of the sixties through the eighties common parking spots for the 911 included trees, lamp posts, and ditches.

But, driven properly, the 911 could corner more aggressively, get its power down sooner and in stronger measure than almost anything else on the road.  And when you got a corner right, it was addictive.  The RS was no exception, the steroidal example obscenely aggressive in the bends of the Nurburgring.

It was a bit unlike most 911’s in the sense that it lacked finishing.  The 911’s M.O. was Spartan, but clean and well executed, tirelessly reliable for a sports car.  The GT3 was reliable, but a bit rough round the edges. 

The clutch chattered badly at low speed, the suspension was almost painfully low and bone breakingly stiff, there was a roll cage where two rear seats would normally live, sound deadening and insulation had been removed for weight savings, air conditioning and stereo had been deleted, and the car lacked even proper door handles instead offering only a couple of light fabric straps.

That all made it unlike a 911 on the street, but on the track it all made perfect sense.  The GT3 RS was incredibly poised and composed, with its massive wing and chin spoiler and various other down force adding body features.  Its stiff suspension, super sticky tires, roll cage and big brakes making the steering hyper quick and perfectly balanced.  The stripped down curb weight, uprated naturally aspirated motor, and aggressive manual gearbox made it insanely quick, especially out of the bends.  It was truly…perfect.

Following the other very traditional, purified 911 Inuyasha quickly began to draw in the gap.  Within the few laps they ran together Inuyasha went from a long way behind to right on Sesshomaru’s rear bumper, if anything looking for a good spot to overtake.  But, before he could get that brave they pulled into the pits and back to the trailer.

“You’re learning fast little brother, very fast.  Given that the brakes are just about cooked in this one, you’d pretty much have me next lap.”

“So you pull over just in the nick of time.”

“Hmm, funny, but no.  I think it’s time to step this up, I’ll take the GT3 you take the GT2.”

“I close in on you and you give me another hundred horsepower to work with.  Glutton for punishment huh?”

“I’ve conceded a hundred, but have gained a hundred.  And I’ve gained a strictly dieted car, roll cage, stiffened suspension, and largely fade-free brakes.”

“Oh, not a glutton for punishment, just afraid of getting shown taillights by your little brother.”

“Oh you’ll have your work cut out for you baby brother.  On a serious note, do be careful.  That extra power comes at a price; the GT2 is an ornery beast.”

“I think I’ll be fine, you just make sure to slide over when I go to pass.”

~~~~~~A Few Short Minutes Later~~~~~~

“SHIT!!!!”

Inuyasha jammed the clutch in and pulled the car into neutral as he stomped on the brake pedal, hoping simply to slow the car before he hit something.  The GT2 slid ass backwards across the grass, the hanyou having the good fortune of losing control at one of the few open areas of the course.  As it turfed the lawn, the 911 slowly slid back round and came to a stop…inches from the steel retaining wall.

“Well that was just a fucking festival.”