As most of the SW Forum knows, Second Creek Raceway (SCR) in Commerce City, CO is closing soon. What was just announced is that the organization that ran SCR, the Colorado Motorsports Council (CMC), will have FREE track days just prior to the track being dismantled and shut down in November.

This means that any member of a CMC club (SCCA, ZCCC, Porsche, BMW, vintage, etc.) can run the track from November 3-6th! They're calling this "Christmas in November" in reference to the week after Christmas that was usually open to CMC members in the past. This a unexpected bonus to all the wonderful years of racing that we've enjoyed in the past.

Need I say it again- it's FREE to any CMC member! And if you're not, maybe NOW is the time to join the SCCA or ZCCC and start enjoying all that your Z can offer! So let's set up a group and head out to 88th and Tower Road in a few weeks. If the weather is good I may go more than once, but I'd like to plan for Friday (11/4) to say goodbye to that twisty bit of Colorado motorsports history.

 

OK- it's time to revive this thread and try to generate some interest in one more Colorado Z get-together before SCR closes. How about next Saturday morning, 11/5/05 at 9:00? We could run the track together, watch the other groups (particularly if it's crowded) and bench race a bit before the snow well and truly hits!

I'm also planning to sneak away on Thursday (9/3/05) and run some laps at SCR with Darrel and some of the older S30's before it gets too crowded. Either day- please post here if you plan to get out for some FREE laps at SCR. What better way to see it out?

 

I will be in Albuquerque for my brother-in-law's wedding. I hope there is a good turn out of 350Z's before this track is gone forever. It is well worth the experience for anyone who has not been.
Will

 

That's just great Will we
go to albuquerque you stay here, now we stay here and you go to albuquerque. Tell em to send you a video!! ;-)

 

LMAO!! this is especially funny since my wife and I were just talking about doing just that, but I couldn't disrespect him like that.
Will

 

Will-

Glad you're going to the happy day, but you should have gotten your bro-in-law to time his wedding with the Sandia track day back in September-LOL! Those Advans will be crying out for some additional FREE track time (wait- do I hear a SICK DAY beginning to develop? Make it Thursday- BTW)

We'll miss you down at SCR!

 

I'm going to make it out as many days as possible between the 3rd and the 6th, so I'll plan to be there early Saturday morning for a few last sessions.

 

So, besides GaryM05 and Darrel, NODODY else is interested in going to SCR next week? I was hoping we'd have one more small 350Z get-together before the snow flies.

 

I was reading this at work and planning my sick day for Thurs., and then remembered my brake pads are shot and I haven't actually accrued any sick days yet. Sorry, gents- it looks like the three of you will be the only ones. On the plus, the track might not be so crowded and you're sure to have a blast even if it is. I'm envious,
Will

 

I might be there, I will keep you posted. If I do go it will have to be a weekend day as my schedule is full this week already which makes calling in sick a big problem.

Mudd

 

How about coming out Saturday morning and joining GaryM05 and myself?

 

I should be there. What time are you guys meeting up out there?

Mudd

 

There should be at least 3 possibly up to 6 1st gens out thursday morning about 9am.

 

Brian- We should be out there at about 9-9:30 am on both Thursday and Saturday (11/3 & 5/05). I'll be going out to Brighton several times this week to work on the race car!

 

Although it was windy today, SCR was the scene of some serious speed and some diverse cars. There were a passel of WRXs, some STIs, older Porsches (914s, 911s and a 944 and 996), E36 M3s, Z06s, VW GTIs, new and old model Vipers, Honda S2000, Civic and Prelude, Evo 8, Corvette C6 and Z06 and both the first and last model Zs! Maybe 25-30 cars, tops. Lots of free track time and not much organization as far as run groups.

It was a great time and it's fair to say that the Z held it's own with any of the cars on-track! Only downside was a slightly blistered shoulder on my LF which curtailed any afternoon running. Just had the front tires switched, remounted and balanced, to better use the entire contact patch. Now I can't wait for Saturday and more play time!

 

Are you planning on going out to the track Saturday? If so what time? This is Jim, my wife and I sat across from you at cinzettis for the got-z meet. I am trying to complete the entire line of Z drawings for my website www.smithautomotiveartwork.com, and would like to do a little photo shoot of a track Z. I shot some pictures of Davids...but after looking at them I thought it would be better to have one with the stock wheels. No offense David

 

Jim,

I should be there by 9 to 9:30 in the morning. Come on out and have some fun, take all the pics you want.

Brian

 

OK I'll see ya there...I was out on the track all day Thursday so I wont drive the Z.

 

Cloudy skies and chilly temperatures greeted us Saturday at SCR. Imagine my surprise when I had to flick on the Z's wipers to the intermittant mode, as rain began falling a few miles from the track. We were about to get a typical Colorado day: rain, a little snow, wind and sunshine were all in the mix. There were only three Z coupes that made it out to the track: GaryM05's SS, (Brian) Mudd's LeMans Sunset and my Redline.

The first session was tailor-made for VDC: full wet track, but not a lot of puddling. Time to use caution and straight-line braking into the fast corners. A very quick black Audi sedan (S6?) wanted by, as I gave him the point-by on SCR's front straight. The ABS and VDC were plenty active and I caught the 'ice' warning on the digital gauge as temps continued to drop. After several laps, it was time to pull into pit lane.

As we stretched and chatted in the paddock, the dark clouds and windy conditions began to abate. Temps began to rise and within a 15-20 minute period we were transported to what appeared to be completely different climactic conditions.

TO BE CONTINUED (or someone else can pick it up here)...

 

What a great weekend, and a good way to send out a memorable track. I went out 3 of the 4 days, and got lots of good track time for FREE, got to share the track with a lot of fast, well-driven cars, and got to meet some great people in the process. Some highlights were:

- a supercharged Mini that was faster than any car that size has the right to be

- a Formula Mazda that would seem to come out of nowhere onto your bumper and fly-by (after being pointed by) just as quickly

- getting passed by a Z06 and being in awe of the sheer speed of that car through the corners and down the straight

- very few (if any) on-track incidents...most drivers I saw were fairly courteous about letting faster cars by pretty quickly (with the exception of the Camaro that I had to take under acceleration down the front straight and braking into Turn 1 in the snow/rain in my wife's grocery-getter Audi station wagon...I don't think the Camaro driver liked that very much)

- spending time with some great people

Of all that time and all those cars, there were only 3 350Zs on track all weekend. It was great to see dkmura and Mudd out there and share the track with old friends, but I wonder where all the other Zs were? I would have thought that the free track time, great weather (with the exception of snowy Saturday morning) and an on-track experience that was better than we normally get at Second Creek (and better than we'll ever get again there, obviously) would have brought more out.

The only other downer of the whole weekend was the realization that this was the last chance to drive this track, and the end of close-in, convenient track days. With the distance of the tracks in Pueblo and La Junta, combined with the fact that they are already booking up for next year, I'm afraid we're going to have to get used to a decrease in the number of track days from about 6 per year, to just 1 or maybe 2 per year

This is one weekend I'll remember for a LONG time.