Dave - I feel your pain. I, too, am intensely competitive. I push myself, and my car to the absolute limits, and it is very demoralizing to have 'boy racer jr.' nip you by a few tenths.
At my last event (see Stazi bar thread), I won the GS segment, but was beat by 2 TypeRs on Street Tires *sigh* It just doesn't sit right with me. I know that I am not the best driver out there, and have been humbled so many times that I have given up any pretext of being 'really good' (at least until I have had a few years under my belt), but cripes, I should be able to wail on these guys by all rights.
I mentioned earlier that it is so much harder to learn to drive better than to cheat, and, like it or not, I will learn rather than cheat, and I will get better. In the meantime, though, I will stand beside you and watch others take the trophies I feel are justifiably mine. I will go to the schools, and go to the events, and hopefully garner the knowledge to win on a good day. I guess that is all I can hope for.
I am probably going to get flamed for this...but I will say it anyway. My longing to win, to be competitive (at the very least) is so strong, and my fascination with the sport so intense, that I will likely end up selling my SVT in a year or two in favor of a more 'Autocrossable' car. The thing that kills me about it is that I LOVE this car. In the end, though, it is going to be outclassed by the Neons, 200SX SE-Rs, IS300s, and I will feel bitter, even though I know that I drove my ass off. Third place just leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
