[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Harbir

What really interests me is that I have never seen another Indian at these events. I see the american kids of Indian immigrants, but never do I see immigrant Indians like myself.

Both me and Ananth have done a few. Ananth mostly autocross and me mostly shifterkarts. Highwayblaze did one autocross too.

Here are pics from one of my track day events in Gingerman,MI. Last one I did was Waterford Hills, MI.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by Harbir

GTO,

thats no PT Cruiser. That's a Mazdaspeed3. 263hp hot hatch, regarded in the US as the best car in its class (which includes the VW 2.0T GTI, Subaru WRX, etc). In the right hands, they are very fast and excellent on the track.

Seconded, the Mazdaspeed3, known as the Mazdaspeed Axela in Japan is an awesome awesome vehicle and extremely good bang for the buck. I WOULD NOT want to underestimate it.
Zoom Zoom!
Its really heartening to see that considerably humble machinery can be utilized, and you dont have to sell your house to participate.
Keenly watching this thread and looking forward to your posts Harbir! Wish you all the best! cheers:

[aah78]

Awesome! Using the car where she's meant to be used!

Originally Posted by Harbir

I hear there is a nice new track in New Jersey that I want to try out, and of course I want to have a go at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut..

Yes I think I read about the new track in the August issue of Road & Track. New Jersey Motorsports Park, right?

Originally Posted by Harbir

What really interests me is that I have never seen another Indian at these events.

I plan to sometime, hopefully, in the near future. Need to buy a second car first - if I break my current one, I'm going to be stranded.

Member Xsaraking, who joined Rehaan, Stratos & me for the NYC meet, owns an EVO9. He said he meets up fellow enthusiasts for an autocross frequently - somewhere around the Yankee Stadium, if I'm not mistaken.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Harbir

but i have learned that most people who have never been to the track think like they are close to the advanced group in their skill and speed. THey have no idea.

You can say that again. I know a lot of friends who think they are better than MS on roads and when they hit the tracks they realized how much there was to learn to drive fast.

And I completely agree to another thing you said that video games can never give a true indication of what it feels like on track. Its totally different.

@ Rush: I think you should drop by this side for the next track day. I can assure you, it will be A LOT OF FUN. Try and make it.

[HPP]

VIR is not the longest road course in America. I believe there are a few longer, but the longest I know of is pretty close to me.. Road America(RA) in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.. An AMAZING track. VIR Full Course = 3.27 miles, RA = 4.048 miles.

And like others have said, they hit the track as well. But I am one of those "American" kids born of Indian immigrants, so I guess I don't count.

[Shan2nu]

@ Rush: I think you should drop by this side for the next track day. I can assure you, it will be A LOT OF FUN. Try and make it.

When exactly is it happening? We're all waiting!!!

And I completely agree to another thing you said that video games can never give a true indication of what it feels like on track. Its totally different.

I would agree and disagree here. Agree bcoz theres no way a game/simulator can tell you anything about the feeling you get while driving on a real track (especially the fear factor of entering a corner at insane speeds).

Disagree bcoz to an extent, these racing games do give you an idea of what racing lines are and how they are supposed to be used. When i first drove on track, even though i had no prior experience, i found it very easy to learn the track. But there were other first timers like me (non gamers) who found it very diff to adjust (running off track every now n then).

Im not saying that all gamers are good on track but if you take a gamer and non game (both of who have never driven on track) with equal road driving experience and skill levels, the gamer will always be at an advantage.

Shan2nu

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

When exactly is it happening? We're all waiting!!!

Shan, the track day scene has gone down completely by the looks of it. Its come to an extent where people really don't come to actively take part. So some of us just take off to the tracks whenever we feel like. I had recently been to Chennai on one such trip. I'll keep you informed on any future events. But, I might not be able to post it up online as I hardly get time to come online.

Disagree bcoz to an extent, these racing games do give you an idea of what racing lines are and how they are supposed to be used. When i first drove on track, even though i had no prior experience, i found it very easy to learn the track. But there were other first timers like me (non gamers) who found it very diff to adjust (running off track every now n then).

Im not saying that all gamers are good on track but if you take a gamer and non game (both of who have never driven on track) with equal road driving experience and skill levels, the gamer will always be at an advantage.

Shan2nu

Shan, atleast from what little I know NO game will teach you what a racing line is. Unless you read upon what racing lines are online or a book or learn it from your friends you will not know about it. Though the predicted line on games actually does show the racing lines one has to follow, in real life it is quite tough for people to associate with it. That said, once you know what a racing line is, then it becomes easy to play on a video game or to drive a car on a track in real life.

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by HPP

VIR is not the longest road course in America. I believe there are a few longer, but the longest I know of is pretty close to me.. Road America(RA) in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.. An AMAZING track. VIR Full Course = 3.27 miles, RA = 4.048 miles.

VIR Grand East is 4.2 miles. but I meant to say "one of the longest", not THE longest.

knowing the line and being able to drive the line are two very very very different things.

[danlalan]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Well, Gran Turismo Planet has made a wish list of all the tracks they would like to see in GT5 when its released in 2010. This track is on the list. I really hope the GT guys give it a serious thought coz it would be an awesome experience for people who can't make it there for real.

Shan2nu

Gran Turismo 5 is very tough. You get penalised for even the smallest mistake. 2010..??? i thought it was the october

[Harbir]

more pictures from VIR

[HPP]

Originally Posted by Harbir

VIR Grand East is 4.2 miles. but I meant to say "one of the longest", not THE longest.

knowing the line and being able to drive the line are two very very very different things.

Interesting, they don't even note the "Grand East" layout on their site. I had to Google/Wiki VIR Grand East to figure out where the 4.2 came from.. That is very impressive.

[Harbir]

THe Dark green line is the grand east layout at VIR (click on the image below to make it larger).

It is absolutely a wicked course and I mean that in a good way and a bad way. VIR has just huge elevation and camber changes. This 2D map can't convey just how extreme and how rapid the elevation changes are. THe track is almost ALWAYS climbing or dropping steeply, through all the curves and straights, except from turn 1 at the end of the front straight (not the one thats off the back straight) through to turn 7. thats the only part of the track thats remotely flattish. the rest is all hilly. If you are in the North paddock area and you look up to the top of the hill where turn 14a is, it is SHOCKING to realize how much the cars are dropping as they come down the hill. Its named the "roller coaster" very aptly.

If you look at the back straight, that U turn there called "bitch", thats its real name and its well deserved, I can assure you. Its an off camber decreasing radius turn feels like it will tear your head from your shoulders. From there to the "spiral" marked turns 4,5 and 6, thats a steep blind dropping corkscrew and very challenging. its very fast, needs a lot of steering input, under very high g loads. Then there is another mini spiral between turn 6a and turn 8 that is not numbered, but thats a spiral in the bottom of a narrow deep ditch and you can't see it. You just come barrelling into the ditch and suddenly the tarmac flicks right/left/right just as it drops away steeply. its NASTY. Then from there into turn 8 through to turn 12 is uphill but mostly blind because the tarmac waves up and down, and you can't see anything except the tarmac, and its accelerating hard through there but if you nail it right turns 11 through 12a are just heart poundingly exciting. and then of course you're back on the main course and turns 14 through 17a are just phenomenal, dropping steeply, like a roller coaster before bottoming out in a ditch at the begining of the front straight.

Its a phenomenal track!

I will be at VIR for three days this coming Saturday through Monday with a chapter of the Porsche Club of America. On saturday and sunday they will run the south course only (Back straight, the bitch, the spiral, the turn 7 into the "climbing esses" instead of going onto turn 8, and back around through south bend and oaktree to the back straight. THen on Monday we will run the full course, which is the back straight from "Oaktree" straight through to turn 14 and all the way around the track (and avoid the whole infield section from the Bitch to turn 12a).

It should be fun!

[Harbir]

I was asked about my lap times. I was at VIR Full course today and was running 2.32-2.33

[jassi]

excellent thread Harbir! really enjoyed reading your detailed experiences on the track!
GTO - thanks for pointing out this thread :-)

[1Day]

Hey buddy, nice writeup and great pics, wish I had the concentration and determination to setup a thread this big about my track days this summer. Been to 4 different tracks with 7 different track configurations, about 20+ days so far and still got about 5 odd days to go.

In my car it gets so expensive so quickly that I doubt I will be able to keep this pace for too long. Gone through 10 oil changes, 3 transmission and diff oil changes, 3 brake pad sets and will be on my second set of tires. But its the best money one can spend, it puts a smile from ear to ear...

I have been wanting to hit VIR for such a long time now. Will probably try to hit it next spring, if I keep the car.

I guess I could post up my pictures and skip on a lot of writing, cuz I get bored of writing too quickly.

I will be going to Road America this weekend, looking fwd to it. May be I will create a thread and post up some of my pictures.

Some of my forum buddies that go there run around 2:15 to a little under 2 but thats with a terrific driver, suspension mods, some serious power mods and slicks.

I wonder how I would do there, you posted a good laptime..

How many track days have you been to so far? What run grp are you running?