We had the Whole Track to Ourselves
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From: Roadcourses of SoCal
We had the Whole Track to Ourselves
I went to Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Calif. (90 miles north of Sacramento) on Sun. and Mon. (Aug. 14 & 15, 2005) with TracQuest. Great (but expensive) event. Lots of track time, especially on Mon. when there were only 30 cars.
But that's not what this post is about. I was planning to drive home on Tuesday, but extended my vacation when one of the Tracquest instructors told me that he was going to a driving school event at Reno-Fernley Raceway (30 miles east of Reno, Nev.) on Tues. and Wed. of that same week. The Tracquest instructor was a student at this event.
There were 4 students and 1 instructor. 5 cars total. We had the whole tracK to ourselves for 2 days. It was AWESOME. No run groups, no flaggers, no bozos, no hassles. Just unlimited track time and excellent instruction. All that for $195 per day on a 2.4 mile high speed road course. I improved my driving skills and had a blast doing it.
The instructor was a NASA racer, and said she can run the track in 1:30 in her race-prepped Miata. I ran a 1:37 in my EVO. Sure, an EVO is a lot faster than a Miata in the straights, but her Miata handles great and as long as she doesn't lose momentum, the Miata goes damn fast. Being within 7 seconds off the instructor's time ain't bad for an old guy like me.
The other 3 students all drove BMWs. Two E36 M3s (husband and wife) and an M Coupe (315 hp). The Tracquest instructor who was a student at Fernley had a 440 hp supercharged M3, and being an instructor himself, was pretty damn fast, although I never really raced him. I raced a lot with the M Coupe and handed him his hat. He was about as fast as me in the corners, but in the straights I pulled away like he was standing still. I was the only one who brought timing equipment (Hot Lap timer), so I don't know the other student's times.
They are adding two miles to the Reno-Fernley track this fall or winter. It is now a high speed track, so they are adding some technical stuff (i.e., tight turns) and some elevation changes that look terrific.
I plan to go back and take the driving course again after the full 4.5 mile track is available. Hope there are very few students again.
But that's not what this post is about. I was planning to drive home on Tuesday, but extended my vacation when one of the Tracquest instructors told me that he was going to a driving school event at Reno-Fernley Raceway (30 miles east of Reno, Nev.) on Tues. and Wed. of that same week. The Tracquest instructor was a student at this event.
There were 4 students and 1 instructor. 5 cars total. We had the whole tracK to ourselves for 2 days. It was AWESOME. No run groups, no flaggers, no bozos, no hassles. Just unlimited track time and excellent instruction. All that for $195 per day on a 2.4 mile high speed road course. I improved my driving skills and had a blast doing it.
The instructor was a NASA racer, and said she can run the track in 1:30 in her race-prepped Miata. I ran a 1:37 in my EVO. Sure, an EVO is a lot faster than a Miata in the straights, but her Miata handles great and as long as she doesn't lose momentum, the Miata goes damn fast. Being within 7 seconds off the instructor's time ain't bad for an old guy like me.
The other 3 students all drove BMWs. Two E36 M3s (husband and wife) and an M Coupe (315 hp). The Tracquest instructor who was a student at Fernley had a 440 hp supercharged M3, and being an instructor himself, was pretty damn fast, although I never really raced him. I raced a lot with the M Coupe and handed him his hat. He was about as fast as me in the corners, but in the straights I pulled away like he was standing still. I was the only one who brought timing equipment (Hot Lap timer), so I don't know the other student's times.
They are adding two miles to the Reno-Fernley track this fall or winter. It is now a high speed track, so they are adding some technical stuff (i.e., tight turns) and some elevation changes that look terrific.
I plan to go back and take the driving course again after the full 4.5 mile track is available. Hope there are very few students again.
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