IM on Road America?

A ton of fun!!!

Marty,I have had the opportunity to drive both road courses at the New Jersey Motorsport Park in Millville,NJ in Ruby. If you follow a Pace car, then they will lead you around the track at an ever increasing rate of speed as you acclimate to the configuration of the track, until you reach the predetermined set speed. It is very safe,and as long as there are no crazies that slow down and fall behind, only to go as fast as they can to catch up. You'll have a great time. Enjoy! Take pictures.

It should take you 3 minutes and 25 seconds to lap the course. Considerably slower than these guys: http://www.cbssports.com/nasca...america/road-america

"It is very safe,and as long as there are no crazies that slow down and fall behind, only to go as fast as they can to catch up."

 

Al must have been out there with us "crazies".

 

if you've never been on a road course, it's like a 2-lane wide road without center lines.  The "curbs" on the side of the road only appear on corners and then look corrugated, like an accordian.  Stay off those.  The pace car will increase speed to about 60 mph so as to insure nobody goes nuts out there.  You don't have to worry about on-coming traffic as there isn't any and everyone is supposed to stay in line and not pass.  Pretty safe environment.

 

Now, "Hot Laps", OTOH.........pure fun.

Chris and his "diamond star" (Mitsubishi) friends went out there one year for a Mitsubishi "shoot out".  The trip out and back was almost more fun than the track - We all finally got on the road to get there around 9:30 pm in Massachusetts and met a few of the NH, VT and CT guys out around Albany, NY around Midnight and the whole group headed west.  So picture a convoy of 6-8 diesel pickups all hauling cars on trailers and all heading west on I-90 at about 100 mph in the wee hours of the morning.  Nothing radical, just cruising along....hauling their cars.....changing drivers every other hour or so.  You only do this stuff when you're young, right?  (I guess I'm still..........ahhhh, "young".)

 

After we were there a day, one of the other guys blew a transmission (at about 1,000 hp to the crank - Ya think?) and he and three other friends did a tranny rebuild either in the motel parking lot or in his room (they moved inside when it looked like rain).

 

And you thought we were crazy at Carlisle!

Weather looks horrible.  I emailed the leader, code name "The Driver"  and we are still on for Sat.  Thank God I have real windows.  Wish me luck that me tub does not float away into Elkhart Lake.  

 

Here's a photo of me doing some parade laps at the Historic Races that our local track runs each year. 

 

 

BYE MARTY, VINCE WILL LOOK AFTER SANDY

Well. I had a busy week at work but Sandy had time to put together a Video From this past Saturday/Sunday Fall Cruise into WI.  I invited Rich to come meet us but he did not make it. I don't blame him as the rain and thunder Saturday was pretty scary.  I was thinking on bailing out of the drive but I felt bad for the organizers as this sort of thing takes weeks of planning.  Only the brave came out to play.

I have to admit that WI has come a long way with their food and all of the places we ate at were top notch.  I was thinking on getting the Elk for dinner but Sandy made a funny face at me and I switched to a beef tenderloin(yummy).
Elkart Lake is a cool little town and I want to get up there for the Vintage races next summer.  The Osthoff resort is well maintained and its right on the Lake.  The Lake is a really beautiful and the water is crystal clear.  I had a mishap with my wiper blade and only got in one safe lap around the track.  It was raining way to hard not to have the wiper working so I pulled over and got escorted off the track.  I fixed it but it was too late.  It was only a sunset cruise so I did not miss much with the weather being so poor.  The Road America track is friggen awesome.  Sunday morning the weather cleared and we had an incredible spirited drive home through some great county roads. The trees were also beautiful.  I am saving the route for the future.