Federighi

iTrader: (7)

***also posted in 'racer' section to generate interest***

Hey 8Club!

I recently came across this club while reading one of their article's online and I've been thinking about some potentially fun plans for 2022. From what I've gathered, these are very high-end events with lots of special vehicles. I personally think it would be awesome to have more rotary / mazda vehicles in attendance. Possible opportunity for brand elevation, you never know. I'll be registering as a 'grid' member.

I'd be interested in attending either of their 2 upcoming CA events. The 'Rally through wine country...' is between March 23-25th and is basically a glorified cruise from SF through wine country. Spend a day at Sonoma Raceway, ride in a hot air balloon, etc. My wife and I don't drink or party but there's always a cool piece of history to take in and the food out there is excellent.

Any interest in joining? There is also an offering for a 'Monterey cruise' following this Sonoma event; I assume in April or May. Preference of track? If I had to choose today, I'd prefer the Laguna day as it's arguably 'closer' to me and another very cool area which I frequent even less often. Comments or questions?

Thanks for looking!

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a3...track-in-2021/

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Bump! Still gauging interest. Sounds like a lot of fun to me.

speed7

Sounds interesting.. my touring build won’t be done by then. But hopefully the year afterwards it will be. I’d assume since it’s around napa / Sonoma it would be Sears point focused. Which is a fun track as well. I’ve yet to drive Laguna but have it memorized thanks to Gran Turismo. Won’t say no to Sears Point or Thunder Hill either.

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Sounds good and GL with the 'build'. I'm close enough to either track that I can drive my car without much trouble if / when needed. Both tracks will be well worth the drive. I will say that Sonoma is near completely surrounded by barriers and Laguna has a fair amount as well. It's definitely something to consider if you haven't driven in that type of environment before. In general, I've seen at least 1 car at every event who either completely 'total' their vehicle or are towed off-track very very damaged. Haven't witnessed any ambulance rides yet though, so that's encouraging. Hoping I can attend the Laguna date when it's announced.

speed7

We’ve talked on the side before…. But maybe you’ve forgotten… I race NASA.. and have been doing this since 1998. I specifically remember you saying you didn’t understand or like racing.. which still confuses me as to why you do track days. =)

The walls at Sears don’t frighten me.. same with Cal speedway. The wet grass at thunder hill does though. Saw an evo that was brand new (this was in 20006) go off and catch a wheel and cartwheeled. Every body panel was destroyed.. roof included. This “build” is my “tour the tracks build”.. not my track car. Which has to be towed. So it’ll be overbuilt but only pushed 70-80%. Goals for this car include a cross country drive to DGRR aa well as track days in mid Ohio, Road Atlanta, and VIR to name a few.

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Yeah I totally remember, you're the guy who texts me from time to time. Cool you race nasa and yes I absolutely said going to the track was like 'masterbating with a group of friends.' Still stand by it, I have my reasons. Better examples may be comparing the track experience to going to the batting cages, video game personal high scores, (fill in the blank), etc. These activities are not serious by any measure but still suffer from the normal competitiveness of any sport regardless of how non-professional it / they may be.

I swear I've seen Sears claim a car at nearly every event I attend. Laguna I've seen a hairy crash or two over the years but the crowd there is pretty regular (imo) and know the track and their vehicles well. Thunderhill has many treacherous sections and I've seen some weird things happen there on occasion (rip to the many who've perished driving here). I've always said that 'walls keep drivers honest' as most people are unable to drive outside of their given comfort zone (for learning purposes, lead-follow sessions, etc) while surrounded by concrete and tire walls. A literal 'mental road-block' for lack of a better term. I was lucky to get a start in karting as a youth so my threshold for road speed / danger is quite high. I've always said that this hobby (motorsports) is incredibly dangerous and imo every driver should come to terms with their own mortality before entering such an environment. If you have loved ones that you're worried about leaving behind / their uncertain future without a primary provider, then I'd suggest finding a safer hobby. Just my opinion. I do highly recommended driving with a HANS device (not sure if that was a nasa pre-q or not) as it will save your life.

Anyways, the track road-trip you're planning sounds like a great time! Good luck with the vehicle preparation and all the small details of traveling. I'm sure you'll get to see a bunch of wonderful places along the way

speed7

Yeah safety is number one. In the HPDE events I ran a roll bar, 6 point harness, full suit, and HANS. Only recently did the walls at cal speedway look intimidating… my speeds started to creep up and now I need a full cage. Physics don’t care who you are when things go “wrong”.