The weekend at Giant's Despair in review. In my first run Saturday, I managed to pick up over 2 seconds from my best time last year! Jason (my number one competitor) took a more cautious first run, ending up 5 seconds behind in his '96 VW GTI. In my second run of the day I was feeling out the limits. I scared myself a bit, but turned in a roughly 1.2 second improvement. For the rest of the day I struggled to get within .5 seconds, until the last run on Saturday, when I bested it by 0.160. A strong finish for the day! On another note, Jason managed to close the gap, but was still 2+ seconds behind. Initially I thought his weekend was over after he locked up the brakes coming into the devil's elbow (turn 2, and notorious for accidents). The tail came around on him and he crashed into the inside bank, rolling the car on its side. After a few instant replays on channel 35's tv coverage, which I watched from the top of the hill, they managed to roll it back on its wheels. The car turned out to be fine, aside from a few dents. Now it looks more authentic! Jason's father took his last run up the hill, and he was certainly relieved.
Sunday started off with a few sprinkles, but we managed to get some decent (although not record setting) times. By the third run, it was pouring. Many competitors sat out, but I got some practice in the rain. The fourth run was better, and almost on pace, as the pooling water had all run off the hill. After lunch, the hill was dry and fairly cool, so the times started coming down. I still struggled to best my saturday afternoon time, and started to push hard. I attempted to take the esses at full throttle based on some advice from an experienced racer. Unfortunately, as I crossed the crown in the road, I had both right wheels in the air. This upset the car, and I almost went in (to the woods)! I saved it, and still managed to turn my best time of the day, only .5 seconds behind my best from Saturday. Finally, on the last run of the day, I managed to put together a clean run (with a little lift in the esses), and picked up 0.080, finishing the event with a 55.040 second time, still over 2 seconds ahead of my nearest competitor. Unfortunately, the record still stands at 53.1, a tough time to beat set in 2010. I'll get it next year!
This weekend I'll be heading to Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA for a High Performance Driving Event! VIR is a fantastic track, and I expect to exceed 120 MPH on the back straight. Our next hill will be in three weeks at Polish Mountain in Flintstone, MD where I expect the Improved Touring S class five way battle to rage on as George and Dale's Mazda RX-7 returns to the action!
Sunday started off with a few sprinkles, but we managed to get some decent (although not record setting) times. By the third run, it was pouring. Many competitors sat out, but I got some practice in the rain. The fourth run was better, and almost on pace, as the pooling water had all run off the hill. After lunch, the hill was dry and fairly cool, so the times started coming down. I still struggled to best my saturday afternoon time, and started to push hard. I attempted to take the esses at full throttle based on some advice from an experienced racer. Unfortunately, as I crossed the crown in the road, I had both right wheels in the air. This upset the car, and I almost went in (to the woods)! I saved it, and still managed to turn my best time of the day, only .5 seconds behind my best from Saturday. Finally, on the last run of the day, I managed to put together a clean run (with a little lift in the esses), and picked up 0.080, finishing the event with a 55.040 second time, still over 2 seconds ahead of my nearest competitor. Unfortunately, the record still stands at 53.1, a tough time to beat set in 2010. I'll get it next year!
This weekend I'll be heading to Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA for a High Performance Driving Event! VIR is a fantastic track, and I expect to exceed 120 MPH on the back straight. Our next hill will be in three weeks at Polish Mountain in Flintstone, MD where I expect the Improved Touring S class five way battle to rage on as George and Dale's Mazda RX-7 returns to the action!