OT: Did Steve Ritchie finally pull over?
EwJ
Steve Ritchie.
Steve Ritchie has said: "It was based on a true story. I was actually
chased by the cops at 146 mph in my 1979 Porsche 928."
Does any one know if he "got away" on that day?
Dr. Dave
along the California coastal highway.
DR
Skill Shot
Eric A.
interviews I listened to in my opinion.
Eric A.
313-268-0541
PinTed
Well EwJ,
I can't tell you form real life. But from what I remember from the
game ...
(504) Dispatch this is 504.
(DSP) 504 this is dispatch.
(504) Dispatch he got away.
(DSP) He what!
Then, the game goes into a sound and light show.
--
PinTed
MarcelG
How great it must've been designing pinball machines back then.
"Hey guys, I just got chased by the cops on my porsche.. lets make a
pinball game"..
"Hey guys, imagine a couple visiting earthquake faults..lets make a
pinball game"....
"Hey guys, lets make a game about tornadochasers..."
Marcel
TheKorn
51bfb2...@i76g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:
>> Does any one know if he "got away" on that day?
>
> How great it must've been designing pinball machines back then.
> "Hey guys, I just got chased by the cops on my porsche.. lets make a
> pinball game"..
> "Hey guys, imagine a couple visiting earthquake faults..lets make a
> pinball game"....
> "Hey guys, lets make a game about tornadochasers..."
What makes you think that formula wouldn't still work? :)
(hey, did you get that email I sent ya the other day?)
--
Have a home video that's trapped on your camera? Want to share it on the
web or on DVD?
Nick
> I think the judge gave him a break but no he didn't get away.
I think Skill Shot is correct. In the interview he mentions going to
court, but the judge was easy on him.
Definitely an interview worth listening to.
Nick
Steve
>
> chased by the cops at 146 mph in my 1979 Porsche 928."
>
> Does any one know if he "got away" on that day?
Maybe I could've gotten away, but it wasn't likely. I was driving on
I-5, making the Porsche go as fast as it could go on a clear, warm,
very light-trafficked early morning through the incredibly flat
Central Valley of CA. My Pirelli P-1 tires were nearly new, and
everything was right after waiting for months to "try out" the car as
safely as possible.
After about 15 minutes of running right around 146 mph interspersed
with a few slow-downs, we (my partner was in the car) spotted a CHP
coming at us, without lights or sirens. Did I slow down enough before
he saw us with radar??
I couldn't be sure so I slowed down to 70 mph as he was going up a
slight hill we just came down on the other side of the median/
divider. As he crested the hill and disappeared from my mirror, I
began pushing the pedal to the metal again.
About 10 miles later, a sheriff's patrol car came screaming up the
freeway with blinking lights and siren from the opposite side of the
freeway ahead of us. I slowed down hoping that he would just keep
going on another mission, but in my heart, I knew the ruckus was for
us.
Sure enough, as I watched in my rear view mirror he crossed the median
about 3/4 mile behind us, and came screaming up behind me. Then 2
other police cars from town of Lodi came screaming up the road toward
us.
The trouble was, if I ran in any direction, I could be seen for
miles. This wasn't in the big city like in the movies where you make
a series of twists and turns down alleys and drive the wrong way on 1-
way streets. I wouldn't have ever done that anyway, I don't want to
kill people or be a criminal, or even irresponsible. My partner and I
just liked to go fast, and we knew what we were getting into when we
got in the car at dawn. Short of renting a race track, the dangers
were as minimized as I could afford them to be.
Then there is the criminal act of running from the police, which is a
felony. At that moment, I was up for a High Speed ticket, but that's
a misdemeanor, not a felony. All this went through my head in a
heartbeat, and I pulled over because there was no way out, really.
Nine cop cars showed up eventually. The CHP that was eyeing us 15
minutes before, came screaming onto the dusty pull-out we were parked
in (he was the last one there and obviously humiliated in his 110 mph
Dodge POS and tried to pull me out the window of the Porsche, but I
said, "why don't I just open the door?". I think it was mostly an act
on his part, performed for all the other cops on the scene.
He searched me and my partner, put handcuffs on me and threw me in his
patrol car, while the other 8 cops and my partner were laughing and
searching the car. The cops thought we were running from a crime
scene or were running dope. When it was discovered that we just
wanted to try out the car, their attitudes changed.
The CHP came to the car and said "Why'd you do this?" I said I wanted
to make the car go as fast as it could for a bit. He said, "You
didn't know I was behind you, did you?" I said, "No." He took the
cuffs off me and offered me a cigarette. We both smoked, and he said
"I'll see if I can help you out in the court room, and by the way,
that's where we are going, straight to the court room. If court
wasn't in session right now, I would have to put you behind bars. You
are lucky"
Then he said, "How is that car to drive? It sure is pretty." I told
him that it was totally stable at any speed and made the driver look
good in any situation because it was easy to drive well.
We got to the court room, and the CHP testified that I was co-
operative and didn't try to run from him on the road. This turned out
to be the only reason I could leave the court instead of going to
jail. The judge fined me $250 ...I had the money on me. He charged
me with Reckless Driving, which stays on your CA driving record for 7
years. He also gave me restricted driving for 90 days, for business-
only. I drove home with my partner at normal speeds.
I didn't get away. But, there are so many times I have gone fast and
gotten away with it, that I don't care. Once I got caught. The other
thousand times I didn't. WooooooooooooooooooHooooooooooooooooo!!
Best Wishes, and Keep The Rubber Side Down,
Steve
brokenvette
That is really cool. 1 question however. Why is there a Lambo on the
game instead of a Porche.
Jigs
Wow. Thanks for all the games.
erick...@msn.com
Ya done good Steve, years ago I had just bought a V65 Magna in Santa
Barbara for a 6 pack of beer the guy was from England and was going
back. He gave me a warning about the bike "It really motors". I put
new tires on it and decided to see what it would do. My buddy who was
in his truck would fly past me, I would let him get way ahead then
blast by him. This went on for about 20 miles. Each time I went by him
a little faster then finally I went by him flat out laying down on the
tank. Sure enough the CHP was there and I pulled over. He asked me if
I knew how fast I was going and I told him I didn't know because the
speedo only went to 80 and I had buried it right after going into
second gear. I showed him the paperwork for the bike and told him I
just bought it and wanted to see what it would do and now I know what
it will do, get me a ticket it was a stupid thing to do so write me up
(he had clocked me at 131 mph).
He laughed and said since I was honest and didn't try to B.S. him he
wrote me for 79 mph and told me to slow down.
He then went up to my buddy who had also pulled over and I could see
him trying to B.S. the guy which wasn't going to fly, he had followed
us for awhile and had watched our antics, the more he talked the more
the cop wrote, bad tires, no brake light etc. he wrote him for 94 mph
and almost impounded his truck.
We went a few miles and exited the freeway and Dale was ranting about
what a prick the cop was "Look at this F'n ticket" then he laughed and
said "at least it isn't gonna cost as much as yours".
I showed him my ticket written for 79 mph and he went into his Jesus
dance, I thought he was going to have a stroke.
Honesty is always the best policy. :)
Eric
EwJ
WOW, Thanks for the great story and machine.
As I was playing my new (to me) HS game after giving her a good shop
and wax job, I was not able to make the getaway and the game kept
insisting that I pull over, so after several minutes of this I had to
know how the real story ended.
Steve Charland
got away with. ;) -S (CARGPB1)
Steve wrote:
<snipped for bandwidth>
ldnayman
>
> How great it must've been designing pinball machines back then.
> "Hey guys, I just got chased by the cops on my porsche.. lets make a
> pinball game"..
> "Hey guys, imagine a couple visiting earthquake faults..lets make a
> pinball game"....
> "Hey guys, lets make a game about tornadochasers..."
>
> Marcel
Hey the magic's still there!
"Hey guys, what movies are coming out this summer?"
"Hey guys, what movies are coming out this summer?"
"Hey guys, what movies are coming out this summer?"
ldnayman
>
> That is really cool. 1 question however. Why is there a Lambo on the
> game instead of a Porche.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
That's not a lambo - that's an "imaginary non-licensed car" I believe.
Del
Thanks for Sharing SSR !
Cool story & a good Read , I've only "tried" to Getaway 2 or 3 times &
always got caught & the last time I almost got away in a 300 ZX twin
turbo, I out-ran the HP behind me, but couldn't out run his radio, I
came to a 4-way stop sign & Yeap, They were waiting for me Gun's drawn
& everything, I wont go into deeper details, but I did spend a few
days in Jail &
about lost the Car , I miss the good ole days =)
Pin-Del,
cargpb28
kirb
I love hearing that story...reminds me of when I was arrested for
stealing my own car. The situation wasn't as fun, but it's still fun
to tell:
Fresh out of college in '94, car was stolen (honda civic VX), state
cops found it 45 min away, I picked it up same day, state cops forgot
to remove it from the stolen car list, pulled over 1/2 block from the
house by a local, 5 cops with guns drawn, same tough guy BS:
"what's your name"
"Jo....."
"SHUT UP!" (pokes 9m to back of head kinda hard)
"who's car is this?"
no answer
"ANSWER ME!" (another gun poke)
"Mine...."
"SHUT UP!" (pokes gun in back of head again)
After we cleared the whole mess up with a simple check of my ID (wow,
those other 4 cops left in a hurry)
Took the FJR out this weekend...why did my Garmin max speed indication
read 156mph? Must have been an error.....
Kirb
Steve
Hey Eric,
That's a helluva story!!! You are like me!!!!! There are only a few
of us that love speed enough to take a chance and become younger in
the process, (uh....well, according to Albert Einstein.) But wait,
there's MORE:
Holy Frikken WODLEES, I had a V65 (actually TWO of them---) my first
was stolen from the Roscoe St. entrance of Williams; it was cabled up
{remember the stock cable and built-in alarm system??} (It didn't
work worth a damn...the thieves used a dent puller to yank out the
entire lock and reached in with a little finger to release the cable)
to the steel stanchions mounted in the walkway concrete, 10 feet from
the doors...they then took the cable and wrapped it through the big
door handles on the factory so even the guard couldn't get out of the
building using that exit!!!
George Petro (programmer of Taxi, and other Willy pins as well as
founder of Play Mechanix, (the guys that brought you the Big Buck
Hunter franchise) walked into the very back area (by the river) of the
factory where Eugene Jarvis (does he need an introduction?..keyboard,
vocals) my brother Mark Ritchie (bass guitar and background vocals and
some good pins!), Mike Terrana (alias "Wally" [behind his back]) on
drums and yours truly on guitar and vocals, were rehearsing for a gig;
walked in holding the cable in his hand and looking at me. I knew
instantly what it meant..my bike got ripped off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The cool thing about a Honda V65 Magna (and I did it every time I got
onto the Kennedy Expwy at the Addison ramp) was that you could leave
the bike in first gear and accelerate up to 65 mph *IN FIRST GEAR* (no
sweat...and taking less than 3 seconds!!!), then hold the clutch in
and shift up click-click-click-click-click to 6th (overdrive) gear.
This was a very fast (for it's time) V-4 engine with lethal power in a
frame that wobbled like it had hinges under the seat. It was a
wallowing pig in the turns, but straight line acceleration was
phenomenal. High Speed motorcyclists in the day had to have either
the V-65 Magna or the V-Max, another extreme motorcycle (Yamaha) that
was even faster and had a bigger V4 motor with "Vee Boost". Don
Hassler, the production engineer at Williams at the time had a V65
also. Anyone who owns a V65 like High Speed travel!! We used to
laugh about the click-click-click-click-click and you were at 65
mph!!!!!!
The fact that you got your V65 Magna for a 6 pack is an amazing story
that makes me jealous.
I sold my second insurance-replaced V-65 to buy a '92 Honda ST1100
which wasn't as fast, but still, had a V4 with amazing lean angles and
comfort at any speed (OK--153mph once).....but that's another story.
Does it have anything to do with pinball? Yes. Men who design and/or
program pinballs and experience adventure make better pinballs :<))
George Gomez has a monked-on Dynan Beemer M-3, and fast
Corvettes..same with Lyman. Pat Lawlor likes to race cars...my
brother is a fast dude, and has the same disease expressed on dirt
bikes and his Harley, Dennis Nordman used to race dirt bikes, and
sometimes ON ICE!!!!, John Borg is a BMX guy (still active, and a
jumping maniac), and I am sure there are many more stories from the
guys at Bally, Gottlieb, and Stern.
After I finished my work today on the butys for game "X" in the late
afternoon, I tool out my Suzuki DL-1000 for a 143 mph ride (for a few
moments) in the boonies south of me here in Hollister. I still love
the adrenalin rush.....I am a lucky man to live in a place where this
can happen with minimal risk and minimal traffic. I encountered 2
pickup trucks in a 118 mile ride (!!!)...lots of twisties and mountain
2-lane roads as well as a 7-mile straightaway through wilderness.
Pinball and Speed go hand in hand. It is good to be alive, making
pinball and going fast now and then.
Steve
PS: Man, are you right about being honest with cops. They KNOW how
fast you were going. Lying about it is STUPID. It is ALWAYS stupid
to argue with cops. It is ALWAYS better to admit your mistake, and/or
inject some humor, or tell him that you weren't paying attention to
your speed, but you were paying attention to your driving, and have
your license, registration, and insurance card hanging out the window
of your car with BOTH hands, especially at night. I even turn on the
interior lights at night as they approach my vehicle. I want to
impress upon them that I am not going to shoot them, and it is always
appreciated.
I haven't always gotten off with a warning (however, lots more
warnings than tickets!) with this practice, but it never fails to get
me the minimal consequences. Show the cops a little respect. They
put their lives on the line every day. They have to deal with the
scum of the earth daily. We can be a refreshing change for the cops,
and they often respond in like if you behave like a decent human
being. Besides, there's always traffic school...I have to go to one
next month!!! It beats having the conviction on your driving
record!!
If your tires are bald or your brakes are bad YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS
driving fast. Everything must be right to drive or ride at supra-
legal speeds or you risk putting yourself and others in danger. I
have to be "right in the head" to even get on a bike, and there are
days where I just won't do it. If I have been drinking, I won't drive
or ride. I take pride in keeping my running gear in order. Who wants
to live with killing someone? I just want to have fun and watch other
people have fun. It makes the world a much better place to live in.
Steve
Hey Kirb,
That was no error. You, too, know what true freedom feels like. As
soon as get our SL500 out of the body shop (now there's a story, and
it was a freaky thing....the hood almost blew off the car at 50
mph!!!) on Tuesday, I will be doing some "velocity testing" again. I
will in truth let the paint harden first. I'll wait til Wednesday.
Steve
erickit
I have had a few bikes, I started when I was 7 on a Mini Trail.
750 Honda, Yamaha 1100, Kawa 1000 Eddie Lawson ( wish I never sold
that one )
That Magna was just friggin' spooky, blow the fenders off any of the
1100's at the time.
I had it up over a buck fifty comng down 138 above Silverwood it gets
shaky right before 100 but once you get through the wall it smooths
right out I let off once the road started pulling in from the sides
and I could hear the voices. The bike would have gone faster, I was
just starting to get it on the pipe when I shut it down. Coming back
through the wall was anus clenching.
Now I just ride in the dirt I have a 650 XR with a White Bros. exhaust
and it is Baja kitted.
Some things never change. :)
Eric
Lloyd Olson
:>)) LTG :)
"Steve" <kin...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:d0c9ea2c-33df-4969...@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>
> Does it have anything to do with pinball? Yes. Men who design and/or
> program pinballs and experience adventure make better pinballs :<))
>
> >
> Steve
>
> PS: Man, are you right about being honest with cops. They KNOW how
> fast you were going. Lying about it is STUPID. It is ALWAYS stupid
> to argue with cops. It is ALWAYS better to admit your mistake, and/or
> inject some humor,
Cops have already heard every story, boring them will get you no where fast.
Be straight with them, and oft times they will cut you some slack. :)
Del
>
> - Show quoted text -
Oh Boy !!!
This could be good !!, Anyone game for a HS3 ? where he Does really
Getaway =)
Pin-Del,
cargpb28
Lloyd Olson
LTG :)
"Del" <delma...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:294c3314-8f85-4bc5...@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...