Questor
2020-11-19 21:17:34 UTC
Hung & Chee:
"Are you going to change gears?"
"I'm just going to leave it in first."
LOL. That's one way to deal with having to drive a car with a manual
transmission. With the decline in manual transmissions, some of the associated
lingo is also less likely to be known. "Four on the floor" is still widely
recognized, but how about "three on the tree?" At first I thought that was what
the Trabant used. Then I happened on this one-minute video, which demonstrates
its shift pattern. It's actually a four-speed, and unlike anything I've ever
seen:
Using Trabant Gears - The Basis (0:55)
If memory serves, this isn't the first time that teams on the Amazing Race have
had to drive Trabants. My dim recollection is that a couple of teams had a lot
of problems with their cars in that episode.
Shifting gears myself, I'd really like to see a race where the teams are
forbidden from sharing the answers to the puzzles, etc. with each other.
Teams should stand or fall based on their own ability, not whether they're
temporary friends with another team. Otherwise, what's the point of having the
tasks? If a team's strength is making friends, then make friends with taxi
drivers and locals who can help you with directions. The roadblocks and detours
are part of the race, and being able to complete them successfully and quickly
is just another necessary skill for racers, the same as reading a map or driving
a stick shift.
"Are you going to change gears?"
"I'm just going to leave it in first."
LOL. That's one way to deal with having to drive a car with a manual
transmission. With the decline in manual transmissions, some of the associated
lingo is also less likely to be known. "Four on the floor" is still widely
recognized, but how about "three on the tree?" At first I thought that was what
the Trabant used. Then I happened on this one-minute video, which demonstrates
its shift pattern. It's actually a four-speed, and unlike anything I've ever
seen:
Using Trabant Gears - The Basis (0:55)
If memory serves, this isn't the first time that teams on the Amazing Race have
had to drive Trabants. My dim recollection is that a couple of teams had a lot
of problems with their cars in that episode.
Shifting gears myself, I'd really like to see a race where the teams are
forbidden from sharing the answers to the puzzles, etc. with each other.
Teams should stand or fall based on their own ability, not whether they're
temporary friends with another team. Otherwise, what's the point of having the
tasks? If a team's strength is making friends, then make friends with taxi
drivers and locals who can help you with directions. The roadblocks and detours
are part of the race, and being able to complete them successfully and quickly
is just another necessary skill for racers, the same as reading a map or driving
a stick shift.