This post was originally called "Penance"
As I mentioned to Fhox while I was on briefly Saturday morning, I kinda ticked off Ape. So Friday night after Coraline (3.5 of 4) and Krisky Kreme (nom) we went to bed early. Saturday night? Early bed.
Sunday I plan to be on in the afternoon but right now (as I type this even!) we’re all headed to her school for another Open House. Since it’s a private Catholic school they have to fight for enrollment and with things the way they are, the numbers don’t look good. This is the second open house in a month trying to build interest for next year.
My weekend was not uneventful however. Saturday morning my dad and I headed out to the European Rally School in Keystone FL. I haven’t done a lot of Car Talk here but come March 21st, I may break character a bit. See, if all goes well and I can obtain a dispensation from my boss, I will be racing Shiroma on ERS’s 2-mile Bradford road course.
The facility has a wide array of automotive programs: Rally, off-road/SUV, pocket bikes and go-karts, and of course sports and race cars. They’re about to host a NASA (not that NASA) racing event and they sell club memberships ($$$ +1) where a group of motorheads can basically buy a timeshare of the track.
What my dad and I will be doing is called an Open Track Day. Show up, pay about $300, get inspected, have a driver’s meeting, and then race. 7 total track hours are available, split among 3 ability classes. If cars in a class don’t register that day, those slots go to the remaining classes.
Yesterday there were seven drivers. All were in the beginner’s class despite rolling up in some serious machinery (more in a bit). Since no one was in Intermediate or Advanced, these guys could come and go on the track as they pleased. My dad and I camped out on the back stadium complex (map) and got to see and hear some fantastic action. Which hopefully we’ll be part of in a few weeks.
The cars… The cars… I don’t know who among my friends is into cars, but see if this list rocks your boxers like it did us: Nissan GTR (x2!), Nissan 350Z, BMW M3, BMW 3-something, and BMW 135.
If you follow cars, you must be wondering about two $80k supercars at a track day. So were we. Turns out ONE GUY owns both. His and hers. Sweet. He lent his wife’s to a good friend. That is some trust there. Kind of on the level of someone lending me a K-club for Maat ^^
At least two of these fellows were part of a Tampa-based speed shop and after today the owner plans to set up a 20-30 man raid on the track!
And since these guys were from Tampa, all the crap in their cars was piled up on the edge of the tarmac. Kinda funny actually.
During the drivers’ lunch break we were loitering around the staging area gawking at the GTRs with their open hoods. Beautiful machines… While we ogled, a truck pulls up and a headphone-equipped man asked us how we were doing. Turns out he wasn’t security, he was the owner, Ivor Wigham (link). He graciously took us on a track tour in his truck, driving the long and short courses and pointing out various facts about the design or the plans for further enhancements.
We left at about 3 with plans to return ASAP.
. . .
Sooo, sometimes things don't go as planned ^^ I got back in around 4 and at about 5:15 Fhox expressed interest in doing another RDB level 10 party. However, he was helping our newest member Carlabrownie (from France) level THF. Once Carla dinged 10 he called us together but it was nearly 6:30. I had said in shell that I had to leave near 7pm but Fhox missed it. He was caught off guard when I said I had to leave. Ape was riding me a little hard over the Amazing Race dinner party she was throwing.
I'll have to meet Carla later.
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