So, this is the information post for all who might be attending the March NASA event.

NASA Rocky Mountain will be having their first event this season, at Pueblo Motor Sports Park, in Pueblo, CO, on 15/16 March.

Check here for event details and registration.

Again, like I and others have said, even if you have ZERO track experience, NASA has run groups for you, with in car instruction. And if you have previous track experience, you can always contact Dave Balingit, the NASA RM regional director and ask him what class you should fall in. All you need is a car in good working order, a helmet, and a full tank of gas! There is a really good group of people with NASA, and as this event is the first of the new season, Dave B is trying to get this one to be a great time, more so than normal.

I will be there, GaryM05 will be there debuiting his racing career in his Porsche 944 SPEC, I believe DavidM will be there in his car, and I'm sure plenty of other VQ35 drivers will be there.

If you've attended and passed one of David M's Pueblo classes, you should easily qualify for HPDE 2, and probably be able to do a check ride for HPDE 3.

If you are worried about weather (especially getting to Pueblo), NASARM is really good about passing on the credit towards the next event. Not a refund, but full credit for the money spent to be used at the next event of your choice

Cost is $250 for the weekend, and you get 4 20-25 minute sessions each day, along with full safety workers (corner workers, flaggers, an ambulance and a tow truck) as well as high quality instruction, including an in car instructor for HPDE 1 (and other groups, if you want an in car instructor and there are enough to go around)

You do have to sign up for a NASA membership, which is $40, and includes a subscription to Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, a mag all about autocross and road course racing.

Looking forward to seeing as many as possible of the Z crowd out there!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Dave

 

One correction: it looks like NASA memberships have gone up to $44 for 2008. Currently, I'm planning to debut the Nissan Sport 350Z T2 racer at the March NASA event, so I hope to see a lot of Z bros there!

 

one question i have, and maybe you guys aren't the people to answer, but NASA's website says rollbars are required for convertible cars. There are quasi-roll bars behind the seats of a ZR, but not a true rollbar like you often see on a cobra or miata.

Have you guys ever seen a stock ZR at one of these events?

 

I have not, but I there are few enough Z's there anyways.

And I'm not qualified to answer whether it is allowed or not. I'd ask on either the NASA RM forums, or directly to the NASA RM director, Dave Balingit.

 

I'll keep you guys company. I just renewed my membership and will register for the March event soon.

Joel

 

I should be there. I am going to register here in the next couple of days. The last event was particularly frustrating because we got past the getting enough people, then for me, the weather did not cooperate. So barring weather, I will be there.

 

They will cancel the event and credit (or return) your entry fee if the weather does not cooperate. That happened once last year, so I wouldn't stress about it.

Joel

 

Awesome! I wasn't sure if you were going to make it or not, so I didn't to say anything.

 

Yep, that's correct.

 

Dave- the problem here is not engineering; it's liability. Nissan (like most car companies today) does not want the liability of calling the rear hoops "roll bars" because that would imply they provide rollover protection. And while they most likely would support the ZR's weight, they're not designed to keep your head and neck safe in the event of a rollover.

I've been to NASA events in Colorado, Arizona and Ohio and haven't seen a 350ZR on the track. The only verts I've seen are Spec Miatas or other vehicles with dedicated rollcages.

 

I wasn't worried about that as much as just making it out to the event. So far, I am 0/2 for Pueblo HPDEs. I just wish there were some events closer here.

-Joe

 

Prepare yourself Joe...

Who's turn is it for the "We're so fortunate" speech?

 

I emailed Dave Balingit but haven't heard back. if i don't hear anything soon, i'll post something up on the NASA board.

 

He should get back to you pretty quickly, within a day or two. He might have also passed off the question to the cheif HPDE instructor, Kevin.

As for the weather, even if the event isn't cancelled, but you personnally can't make it, for wahtever reason (weather, personal issues, vehicle issues, etc...) they will give you credit to be used at the next event. Which, for NASA RM is at Pueblo in May, so there should be no weather issues there.

 

LOL, Being in Colorado is nice. And honestly, the drive is actually not bad since it's nice and very scenic. In fact, I enjoy the drive. But I just got hit with a string of bad luck. I think eventually, I will move back to the Denver Metro area. I do miss it alot! Living in Grand Junction isn't as enjoyable for me as it was when I lived in Orange County, CA or Denver. I miss having more things available for me to do. Where I live, there is definitely more interest in Off Road trucks here than road racers.

 

My nose just became a water cannon. Thanks a lot, Joel!

 

LOL! I don't say much in the forums, but when I do I try to make it count!

 

For a slightly shorter drive, you could come to the NASA weekend at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City in June. Registration is already open, and that is a FUN track to drive in the Z!

 

I'll be at the March event racing the 944 if I can get it race-prepped in time, or Time Trialing either the 944 or the Z if I can't.

I can't wait to kick off another great NASA season, and attend the final event with Pueblo's Turn 10 in it's current configuration before the re-profiling work begins on that turn the Monday after this event.

 

At our recent David M Pueblo track day, we put the cones out where the new corner for turn 10 is going to be, and it is a LOT slower.