Brian,

While I was up at VIR, I was looking at some VIR literature, and it said "Grand East 4.2 miles, Grand West 4.0 miles". So, for what that's worth, sounds like there are two different versions. Hmm???

Sean

 

nick,

i don't think our student groups had nearly as many cars as your instructor group (which makes sense), so i didn't experience many traffic problems whatsoever. i even had a couple of sessions where i was pretty much alone for a good portion of the time.

sean

 

Wow, that is great. What group were you in? I had students in B and D. The D group was especially congested with 'pack rats' as I call them. We could go into the pits, hang around for more than a minute, and then still catch back up in less than a lap. I know there were some true novices there, and I'm not blaming them for their speed at all, it was just hard to overcome when you have such a long course, and so few laps to get each turn right. Not sure how they could solve that problem, however.
As I said, other than that one inconvenience, the entire weekend seemed given to us by the Track Gods, including the weather.

 

Interesting.... I'll be working there Saturday so I'll see what I can find out.

 

i was in C group, so that may be the reason.

 

Hey, check this video out from the VIR event. THIS IS WORTH CLICKING!

http://jeffsweb.net/viperattack.php

 

WTF was that????

That does not look like VIR. I'm having a real hard time placing that video at VIR and, believe me, I know that track very well.

Please explain.

Brian

 

It starts at the end of Roller Coaster, goes through Hog Pen, and then out onto the main straight. The Viper has issues after the kink, at the dip, I'd guess, as that is where my car becomes so unstable.

 

OK, yeah, not sure why I couldn't place it. Maybe it has something to do with the time of night when I watched it or maybe it was "how the h*ll could that car go off-track right in front of you in the middle of the front straight?????"

 

It is pretty disturbing, isn't it? But, I can certainly relate, because like I said, at the speed that I'm going down that portion of the track, my car is extremely unstable due to the stock suspension and lack of rear aero aid. I have to lift before the kink, until after the dip. If I didn't, my outcome would be the same.

I just am glad I wasn't the E30 owner at that time....

 

Scary, very scary. My student emailed me mentioning that his friend in the E30 M3 got some footage of a Viper shooting right in front of him...

I had a similar situation happen to me at Road Atlanta, except that it was by a slower car that gave a line of Vettes and myself point-by's, and in the braking zone at 135mph, he swerved right into my line. Not a fun experience...

 

If I'm not mistaken... the 'west' configuration would have taken out the uphill esses... basically, you'd cut UP the north-course cut through, take the left at the top of the hill onto the short shute on South course and take Spiral downhill and then run fish-hook onto big bend (like South Course is normally run)...

This would bring BACK into play the full legnth of the back straight, but you lose the esses. It probably is .2 miles shorter that way.

-Stacy

 

Sounds interesting, but I'm not sure I'd want to lose the esses, as they are part of the true character of the track, to me. I like the idea of Grand East, where all you lose really is a bit of straight line, but gain so much fun with the addition.

 

Yeah - thats why I don't think you'll ever see the 'west' config - no one wants to part with the esses.

We've considered running the grand config for our Feb event - but I'm a little wary of it for a few reasons from an orginizer standpoint:

a) eveyone else is running grand course, why not run the classic original circuit
b) cost - it would increase our entry fees by at least $100 a person (guesstimate)
c) # of laps - since we only run 30-minute run groups, it would seriously reduce the number of laps someone would get at our events.

-Stacy King
Track Events Coordinator, Triangle Z Club/Tarheel Sports Car Club

 

I've only run VIR once, but IIRC this is the stretch of track where the instructor emphasized not lifting or you could easily loose control of the car. Wonder if that's what happened here?!

 

It's amazing how much that little kink in front of pit out can screw you up.

 

From what I've heard, it was a foolish move involving a jerk of the wheel at the dip to pull out and pass while under power. The car slid for a while in the grass, but hit nothing.