[geeks] Race Tracks

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 @ 20:57 -0400, Sridhar Ayengar said:

> I'd love to find a converted airfield that will let me stretch my car's 
> legs.  A 5000ft. runway makes a good straightaway, and taxiways make 
> passable twisties.

Yes, they do.

Quite a few "real" tracks started life as old airfields. Silverstone
started out a long, long time ago as an airfield, and the 24 hours in
Florida USA is on an old airfield.

> > Some are well maintained, but others are terribly rough.
> 
> Have any suggestions as to one that is well-maintained?

Well, not in your area, but I'm sure there are some. There is
supposed to be one around Richmond, VA in some old overflow airfield,
and supposedly some of the overflow fields in Pennsylvania around
Philadelphia are closed now, but I don't know if anyone races on them.

Locally people race at a couple of airfields like Fentress, but they are
getting rough, or were three years ago, the last time I heard.

Find a map of airfields and drive to them on weekends, and/or try to
find the owners and ask about using them.

There are tons of airports, freight lots, and other paved areas that
aren't on conventional maps.  You kind of just have to find them.

For that matter, there are abandoned roads here and there.

Not that I would ever put a car on one...

> > Virginia International Raceway is a 1950s club track. Membership is
> > $175/month for NC and VA residents, and $100/month for any other state.
> > Racing costs between $125 and $150 per day per group. All events at the
> > track are free for members, and there are other benefits.
> 
> Have a link?

http://www.virclub.com

> > Kind of expensive for most people.
> 
> I suppose, but many of us have dropped more than $10K on a car to be 
> used as a toy, so it's really not that big a deal in the grand scheme of 
> things.

That's why I went ahead and listed it.

VIR is a famous track, but almost no one seems to know about it.

http://www.virhistory.com/

A little bare right now, but should give you a good idea of some of its
history.

A good percentage of the best known drivers in the 50s and 60s raced
here.

A local guy said he's seen Paul Newman there with his Lister since it
reopened. Newman is amazing. A couple of years ago he drove a 16 hour
race. He was 81, and his co-driver was 21.  They were joking that the
team and both the oldest and the youngest long-distance driver.

I hope when I'm 81 I can still get my car to the grocery store! :-)

> > However, that's really not a bad price when you consider that some golf
> > memberships can be many times that.
> 
> Many, many, many.  There's a golf club here that charges $100,000/year.

True.

It comes out to $2100 per year, so it is in range of amateur racers and
small teams, and small companies who want to test car products.

Mainly, it is expensive to me right now. When it first opened I almost
got a membership because that was back in the good old days when I made
a lot of money.

I'm trying to promise myself to get out to VIR this year at least twice,
if I can manage it.  I love vintage races, especially trans-am and 
30s-60s stuff.

-- 
shannon           | There is no such thing as security.  Life is either
                  | bold adventure, or it is nothing.
                  |         -- Helen Keller