VIR TRACK DAY 31 MARCH

VIR has its own climate.


It doesn't matter what it's doing as close as Milton, VIR can have something totally different - even on opposite ends of the track, as anyone who's been there with any regularity knows.


Chuck Hawks,
Facilitator, Pro-Driver, Instructor & Coach
DreamsFulfilled, LLC & rEvolution Performance Driving System ©

 

OK guys, tell us the stories of the oak tree, esses, and super fast straights. Pictures as well.....

 

Bob and Ron,
Thanks for a good track day inspite of the awful weather. Bob, thanks for the use of your helmet for my co-driver! Having never tracked a car in bad rainy and wet weather, it was quite an experience.
Chuck, you are a great instructor, always giving good pointers to the driver...and, of course, helping to save drivers like me when we make stupid mistakes...but heh we stayed on the track after our 360 spins after turn 10!
Peter, thanks for your patience, overseeing everything, and making sure all of us drivers are focused and not driving above our abilities.
Lots of great cars, at least 3 430s, F40 (yes a F40 that did go out on the track, may have had a spin as well), a few 360s, 550, 355s, 348s, 328s, Dino, Vettes, Miatas, BMWs, Mustangs, etc.
Look forward to our future events!
Scott

 

Thanks for everyone(esp. Peter Krause) who helped me today! Gotta give a huge thanks to ROAR Racing and the whole Whitener crowd for getting my car on their trailer and back to Statesville!!!

The weather today was horrible, the track was great other than the asphalt sealer in some turns, and add in horrible rain tires.....walla.

I did enjoy seeing everyone, and hope the day went good for the rest of you.

 

And here I thought the weather was bad, but in the end, it was the best weather I could have hoped for! I never realized how much you can learn in the wet. Fantastic day, great instruction, could not ask for more.

Oh, and since most folks exited early, I was able to lap virtually uninterrupted from 2:30 to 4:00 - with no more than 2 other cars on track! I say again, how could it get any better!?!?!

Now if only the sound of Mike's 355 cracking up shifts on the front straight would stop haunting my dreams...





Everyone close your eyes and chant with me... the Lotus is a great car, the Lotus is a great car, the Lotus is a great car...

Nope, the sound is still there...

 

I echo thanks to Bob Snow, Peter Krause, Chuck Hawks, and everyone else responsible for another good day at VIR. Here are a few pics- I'd love to see anyone else's they took.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Oh my god, that F40 just lost 175,000 in value..it got wet.................Kudos to the owner for doing what Enzo Ferrari intended!

 

Kudos to Ralph for doing a nice job in one of the most exhilarating cars in the world to drive in the dry, I can't imagine in the wet! His whole family was there and driving.

In spite of the mist and damp in the morning and the bottom dropping out shortly after lunch, the sense of community, camaraderie and friendship was terrific. The driving wasn't bad, either. Thanks to all who made it a safe event. It was great to put faces with names.

A special thanks to Ronnie Rumple and Bob Snow, who did all of the work behind the scenes to get this thing going, and particularly the instructor corps, arranged by Kevin Nierle consisting of "gofasteddie.com" Gramisci, "manager of exceptional talent" Chuck Hawks, star of Speed TV's "Setup" Mike Skeen, the indefagitable April Curtis, Paul Tillery, the Whitener clan and my good friend Holland Hale. Kudos to them and the drivers that took advantage of their knowledge and experience.

J, you get the "Aquaman" award. All we have to do now is paint the Lotus shimmery green and glue a mermaid tail on it!

 

Lotus IS a great car! And hey, the last car off the track at the end of the day was a Lotus - so they are endurance cars too!



Great day for learning and all my hats are off to all of those who brought their precious machinery out in the wet to drive them on track. Speaks volumes for your commitment to the sport and using the cars you own that are made for it in the fashion in which they were made! Major Kudos!

For instance - an F40 and a 550 in the rain on-track!! Awesome!!

Oh, and we can't leave out TW reminding us what a 'dry line' into T1 looks like (see pic) :


Thanks to all for a great day, all the kind words here, and Bob, Ronnie and Peter for all their efforts!
Looking forward to next time!
C

Chuck Hawks,
Facilitator, Pro-Driver, Instructor & Coach
DreamsFulfilled, LLC & rEvolution Performance Driving System ©
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I just want to echo the sentiments of all the others that posted before me. It was fantastic seeing everyone out there, and having some fun out on track. The drive back up to Maryland was tough last night. Even with the rain, I didn't want to leave the track.

The corner workers there really are fantastic... staying out there in that Weather until the very end. Also for not black flagging me when I decided to have some fun going around many of the corners sideways... probably one of the few times you can go around south bend sideways and keep on going (albeit in the grass).

Thanks to Bob, Ronnie, and Peter for putting together the great event, it was great seeing both of you again.

It was also great to see Chuck and Eddie again, I'm sure everyone really appreciated you guys being there to help out.

Hopefully I will be able to wrangle some vacation around again for one of the future events... it was fantastic being out on track when I should have been at work!

 

That is just mad!

I see alot of courage and bravery there, props to you all

 

I'd like to thank all of those who helped put the event on...Bob Snow, Ronnie Rumple, Peter Krause, the instructors, etc.

I also enjoyed meeting many of y'all for the first time and look forward to next time.

And before I forget...I better thank Ferrari for ASR. I never use it at all but yesterday's track day would've been far more dangerous on my worn-out Michelins without it. There were a few turns that were just plain scary in those conditions.

 

It isn't mad!
I have to say that is what I like about the NC chapter of the Ferrari club...people drive their cars!! These people at the track don't buy these cars for garage art. They know they may die tomorrow...and then who will enjoy these cars? All are very down-to-earth people. All of this was evident on Monday.

 

Hear Hear-I'll second that!

 

Hey hey! Just published some pictures of Monday's fun. I was the photographer there in the green vest shooting away. Took about 300 pictures of the day. Enjoy!

http://pics.jbaz.net/thumbnails.php?album=100
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Hey Jbaz!

There are some great pics in there! I love all of the pics with the water just spraying everywhere. Really goes to show just how wet it was at some points out there.

BTW, Welcome to Ferrarichat. If you ever see ROAR racing at the track again, feel free to stop on by and say Hi.

 

Also, I'm not too sure, but I met a Cary man there and I think he drives the #4 Ferrari. If he's a regular here, someone could chime in as I want to get a nice environmental portrait of him. I might do a feature on him for Local print.

 

#4 Ferrari here but not from Cary. Both the red 430 coupes are Cary guys though.

 

2 quick videos I got....one of the RS4 and Black 355

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVRRSW1QrA&feature=user

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAnezYg4mKc&feature=user

 

Awesome! That RS4 was the car to have but my next car WILL be a 355 Coupe... abarthracer's, as a matter of fact!

Thanks!

 

Amazing shots, and what a spectacle!

To all who braved the rain and risked their precious toys on a wet track....You are my heros.

Congrats on getting the most out of a tough day at the track.

Wow!

 

Spectacular pictures.........