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P f., , it..., h <br /> eJE. iAi ; sio1oLy <br /> of Acceleration <br /> Getting off on speed, and other thrills. <br /> BY JOHN JEROME o <br /> n <br /> m <br /> • When I was on the staff of C/D, back those parts of you that make contact the inner ear. But these seemed to me n <br /> in the mid-1960s, acceleration puzzled with the accelerating vehicle—and of to be awfully minor neural hardware to 0 <br /> me. In those days I was a member of a minor disturbances to the balance generate the kind of sensation you get x <br /> kind of loyal opposition to generally mechanism of the semicircular canals of from a large engine attached to a short m <br /> available technology. (We were the ones ` <br /> who knew we would lose on the <br /> straights but were still talking about <br /> catching up on the turns.) I followed <br /> road racing rather than drag racing, <br /> finding handling more interesting than :. ,' <br /> all that zero-to-sixty stuff. But the guar- ��� It, <br /> ter-mile sport had a powerful if unac- ,yam , s <br /> knowledged effect on the way all of us <br /> thought about automobiles. <br /> It wasn't that I was prejudiced against �, ,tacceleration; I just thought it was a bit <br /> simple-minded. I was comfortable / \ (7\; <br /> ✓fl <br /> enough with its technical aspects. I un- y <br /> derstood its uses,and definitely relished <br /> li r„using it. I loved that surge as much as / <br /> anyone. At C/D we were just beginning �.rJ <br /> to get interested in motorcycles, and I ` .'tt!j <br /> was perfectly willing to admit how much \ , iYi a., , f <br /> fun they were. Most of that fun seemed ' a••to have to do with their vigorous accel- �� 4,. <br /> eration. I wondered whythat sensation <br /> was so stimulating, but I could never ' <br /> quite figure it out. , <br /> We were also fascinated by pure pow- <br /> er and the,control thereof. Hand over ft; ' <br /> control of a running engine to someone <br /> and, I guarantee you, he will blip the I. <br /> • throttle. He will press the pedal, work <br /> the control, toy with the power surge. 1 �;`• f <br /> But speed alone turns out not to be . <br /> enough, We get jaded; we want the <br /> push of acceleration, the rising curve. ; <br /> I suffer from a reductive turn of mind. , <br /> Looking at. motorcycles, for example, I A <br /> always discounted noise and wind as <br /> mere side.effects. (Acceleration in quiet, <br /> enclosed..vehicles is also fun.) There- iii <br /> fore, d thought, the pleasurable sensa- <br /> tions of acceleration had to be a product <br /> of the stimulation of the pressure recep- <br /> tors in the butt—the sense of touch in <br /> MAY 988 <br />