VIR

Fellow SE drivers - three of us from the frozen tundra up north are going to run VIR for the first time this March. Having never been there, a few pointers on the track line, registration, track quirks etc. would be very appreciated. Anyplace for a good in-car of VIR? Been looking at a few Speed GT vids online.

We understand this facility to be one of the best in the east and are looking forward to running with some new folks in ITS.



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BenSpeed
#33 ITS RX7
BigSpeed Racing
NNJR BoD - Treasurer
[email protected]
NNJR
 
BenSpeed

http://www.specmiatavideos.com/

Debby may be a girl but she can out drive me any day of the week. Look at her video. It’s good. It will give you an idea of where passing happens and where lines can be dynamic and still fast. (unlike a one hot lap video)

Test day is highly recommended. Several of the corners need to me addressed methodically unlike say CMP where you just do it. The high speed climbing esses, rollercoaster, and hog pen take a little practice. I have only driven VIR with a SM and an ITB car. So I feel safe in saying an ITS car will be a hand full.

Hope you run the ECR so I can see you on the track.
smile.gif


-ben
 
Ben, welcome -- looking forward to running with you.

A few items. I have some video on my computer at home in a slow S car (a Triumph TR8, although I hope to be faster this year). E-mail me at [email protected] and I'll e-mail it to you. It is about 3-4 laps, so you get more than the jumbled up start (with a nasty wreck in 1 by the way).

Also, check out www.specmiata.com and go to the videos page. I think they have complete races there, although it is in an SM and the line is different.

You should also go to www.virclub.com. There is a write up of the line around the track by Peter Krause that is very good.

Here's some quick thoughts on the track. I'm by no means the guy to be talking about the right way around, but I have gone round a few times. I'll let some of the others chime in with more detail.

Going into 1 in an S car is one of those 130 to 50 mph turns. Hard on the brakes. Your RX should be fine. I brake at about the 4.5 or the 5, you will probably go deeper.

The key to one is to go WAY in and turn in late, with a late apex to carry speed out on the short straight to 3.

3 is NASCAR bend, and is tricky. Aim at the barn, go all the way to the dirt, turn in, stay off the curb and accelerate earlier than you think.

4 is a throw away, tight corner. Stay left on exit to set yourself up for snake. In an S car, you are pretty much flat out from the exit of 4 all the way to 10 at the end of the uphill esses, so exit of 4, entry to 5 is pretty key.

The uphill esses are blast. Can be, and should be, done flat out but if you get a foot or two off line can be a problem.

10 is the left hander, sort of blind at the top of the hill after the esses. Some say they go through there flat out. I cannot. I breathe off the throttle and on the brake briefly. The tire wall on theleft I have visited -- to be avoided. If you go off, try to carry the car off straight to the right.

Oak tree is an interesting turn complex. You can carry a lot of speed into the turn at 11. Brake at the 1 or maybe 1.5, turn and then brake hard before the corner station at the tree.

This turn is the slowest on the track and dumps out on the long backstraight, so it is key.

End of the back straight is a quick left (brake briefly at the 2 or 3 in an S car, maybe the 1 in yours)then hard on the brakes befor the late apex right hander into Rollercoaster.

Stay left in the little dip in the track at the next left, there is grip there. Flatout down the short chute to 16. Stay left here, and then just clip the apex on the right into 17. This is Hog's pen. If you get out of whack, take the car striaght off to the left. Do not lift, you will spin into the inside wall.

Pit entrance is just past Hog's pen on the right.

Like I said, e-mail me and I'll send you some vid.

Jeff
 
Registration for the NCR race at VIR in March is via the Web http://www.fingroup.com/NcReg/readSupps.htm with the NCR web site at http://www.ncrscca.com/

The registration web site includes the weekend schedule and sups. Registration is inside the track on the first floor of the North Tower, this is the barn (all the buildings at VIR are barns) at Pit Out which houses Timing and Scoring, Race Control, and Medical. You should register On-Line prior to March 12 to avoid late entry fees, and to allow your driver and crew passes to be mailed. You will use your driver and crew passes to get past the entrance gate without paying.

The faculties are great, restrooms and showers are clean. Paddock is large and flat; roads are paved, with the pit areas covered in pea gravel. Be sure to bring a canopy (no shade), and ground cover to help keep the pea gravel off you hot tires and out of the inside of you car (it will help a little).

The food is very good; you could eat 3 meals a day there. The Saturday night party is well attended, and you can almost make a dinner from the heavy hor d’oeuvres that is served.

Todd
 
Thanks for the posts - most appreciated. Jeff, please send the video to [email protected] - looking forward to checking it out. Nice write-up on the course.

SuperSwift - downloading the vid as I type.

Andy - heck ya! Didn't know you guys would be there. This is gonna be a party! You guys doing a pre-season shakeout too?

I'll run the Pro Cup race and the Enduro - skipping the sprint and trailering home on Sunday. I do have the option to blow off work on Monday if I just GOTTA run the sprint.

Nice online registration process - done deal.

Looking forward to some warmer weather, the smell of rubber and brakes and clean racing!


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BenSpeed
#33 ITS RX7
BigSpeed Racing
NNJR BoD - Treasurer
[email protected]
NNJR
 
Station 9 is drivers right towards the end of the esses, if you see a standing yellow make sure to glance at the turn 10 station. Should 10 go waving yellow, 9 will automatically be backing 10 up with the standing.

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Lance Snyder
Atlanta Region F&C

RIP Dimebag- August 20, 1966 to December 8th, 2004.
 
You're funny Ben, and getting closer at Road Atlanta. Look forward to seeing you and the Robertson Family at VIR.
Debby
 
Yeah - Road Atalnta and the ARRC. If I can win one in the NE I just might make it this year! Hell, gimme a couple of podiums and I might make it. Maybe I can hookup behind Nick and draft him around the place.

Cheers,

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BenSpeed
#33 ITS RX7
BigSpeed Racing
NNJR BoD - Treasurer
[email protected]
NNJR
 
Debby - just figured out that was you in the video. Smoking race! Looks like you nailed third after a hotly contested battle. Just loaded your vid on the laptop to bring with me on the trip.

You kick butt-nice driving.
 
Looking forward to getting out of the great white north also,and seeing all the KKRR bunch at VIR.
Derek Lugar
Rob McCabe
Vantage Motorsports
Nova Scotia.
P.S. Can someone do a little explain of the "Carlina cup" race
 
The Carolina Cup is a 45 min. sprint race with a MANDATORY 2 minute pit stop. You can do anything except add fuel during this stop (including a driver change). There is a purse and contigency sponsors for this race as well as a series points fund. In order to be eligible for these awards you must register for the series and pay a $20 reg. fee. All of this can be done at the track. For a complete look at the series and its rules go to www.carolinacupproseries.com Hope this helps.

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David Murphy
Murphy Motorsports
ITS 240sx
www.murphymotorsports.net
 
Hey Andy, meant to e-mail you. Tell Nick I meant to stop by and introduce myself, wasn't being rude -- but worked on the TR8 constantly all weekend.

Unloaded Friday and had an electrical problem. Changed MSD, coil, tracked wires, finally found the bad wire mid-Saturday (Ron did actually). Went out, a few laps into qualifying, heard a ticking noise and saw oil smoke. Came in, breather tank full...bad sign...took of the valve cover, broken rocker shaft....raced back to Raleigh, got the spare, got back Sunday, ran the ECR enduro in a Miata and then put the rocker shaft in and....same truck like noise and no.8 cylinder full of oil. Done.

Helped Ron prep for the SARRC race that afternoon in the 260Z, and then went to watch it.

MAN -- Nick learned VIR QUICK. Tell him we were all duly impressed. He and Steve Echerich (who has a FAST RX7) really duked it out. One of the best ITS races I've seen.

You guys should come down more often...that blue 04 was fun to watch.
 
The report I got Saturday night was a bad one. Entered the Pro race and had a tranny let go. Spare didn't get in in time for that race.

Some brake tweaks didn't pan out for the Enduro qualifying and the car needed some attention. So far, 2 races, about 2 laps of track time...yikes...luckily the guy he drove down with decided to come in and share the car with him so he could get a look at the track for a while. 35 minutes of PRECIOUS looksies.

Qualed 4th and had a great race. Feedback on the track was awesome. I asked about the TR8 and all he said was SMOKE...sorry to hear that.

Free beer for you guys if you make it up to LRP.

AB

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Andy Bettencourt
New England Region, R188967
www.flatout-motorsports.com
 
Yep, smoke. Oh well. Back to work.

More on teh SARRC. Nick started 4th behind Steve E., Shane Kleinpeter in a Bimmerworld 325 and I think Kent Thompson, another fast RX7. He was behind Steve in 2nd for the first 6-7 laps, and they went at it. I didn't talk to Nick, but STeve said they went around each other several times, and went up the uphill esses side by side once -- no small feat.

About two laps from the end, Nick got by and Steve finished maybe a car length back. A great race.

VIR is a hell of a lot closer than Atlanta. Come on down sometime.

LRP, I will race that track sometime in the next couple of years. And I'll take you up on the beer when I get there.
 
It was great to see the New England crowd make it down for the weekend, although I didn't get the chance to meet any of you either. We were late to the track after a last minute motor change and then we left just after the CCPS. That was one of the most intense races I've ever been in. We had a great four way battle going for 2nd until my pit stop. All was well until I was exiting. I was held at the end of pit road for an ambulance returning. By the time I got on track I was too far behind those guys. I ran down one of them to finish 4th. It was a great event, great weather, and the only other thing we could have asked for was to see that TR8 live up to it's potential.

Steve Parrish
ITS 57 Silver Z
 
Steve,

Thanks for letting me have a look at the Z - that helped me figure out the bad wiring problem that manifested itself in the TR8 between Ricky's body shop and VIR. Stuff happens I suppose.

Our Oddball 260Z is not perfect, but it is running well, once we re-did the flattops, and pulls very strongly. I drove it as a rookie over the weekend but it was hard to do, it has no camber (which we didn't realize til it was too late) and washes out in any corner, so it was a tough drive. Best I managed was a 2:27:45 in the car but it can do a lot better with some camber I think. Plus, I suck so that is most of it.

No fire though, good weekend!

I really enjoying coming out and meeting a lot of you folks on the board, I had a great time. Next VIR I'm NOT working on cars the entire weekend - I'm sitting in my chair, enjoying some sun, and having some beer in the evenings - I'll have plenty so come by!

R

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Ron Earp
NC Region
Ford Lightning Tow Beast
RF GT40 Replica
Jensen-Healey ITS
1/2 a 260Z ITS - Zero

[This message has been edited by rlearp (edited March 22, 2005).]
 
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