A Morning at VIR
Earlier in the month, I took my kids to the Double SAARC/MAARS club race at Virginia International Raceway, or VIR, near Danville. I’d attended the annual springtime event before, thought not in years, but it was much as I remembered it: $10 cost of entry for a ton of racing action, all different classes of cars, free and easy access to the pits, drivers and teams, and wide open areas of the infield for the kids to run around in. I bought my dad along, too, and they all loved it.
The free parade laps of the track at lunchtime were a definite highlight. The kids loved spiraling down through the Rollercoaster and up through the Climbing Esses. It was great fun.
Various portions of the circuit can be open or closed to create 5 different track configurations; for the race I attended, VIR was configured in the classic “full course” layout. We had excellent views of the Rollercoaster and Hog Pen (turns 14-17) and Horseshoe through the Snake (turns 1-6).
The craziness than is a Spec Miata race.
A couple of views of the “False Grid,” where the run groups line up before being deployed out onto the track. Race cars literally within arms reach.
“Wings ‘n Things” going through Hog Pen.
A couple of GT1 racers going through the same corner. These guys were fast and loud.
By far my favorite bits of the event centered around the presence of a number of racing Z-cars. This one is racing in the GT3 class.
A 280Z resting in the pits after its qualifying session.
A Z-car racing in E-Production going through the Left Bend.
We made friends with the team in the pits. The wife of the driver plopped the helmet on my daughter before she knew what to do with it.
My son had a bit more luck.
All in all, a great morning of racing.
Those were the days. I have many fond memories of VIR, both on track and off. It would be nice to get back there one day. Racing a Z-car looks like it would be a lot of fun.
(More typos than you can shake a stick at, but what can I say…four posts a week probably has you frazzled. :-P )
Z’s were the track car to have back in the ’70s and early ’80s. If you had raced 35 years ago, you would have been behind the wheel of one, most likely.
Possibly…after I had gotten tired of running a heavy ’69 Camaro that wouldn’t turn. The speed would make it all worth while, but after several years of it (the Camaro) I probably would have had some time to mature and consider the finer points of racing. Then I would possibly have moved on to something like the Z…and promptly have it equipped with some sort of turbo/super charger. ;)
Racing Zs had/have a turn of speed to them…if nearly 700 hp would do.
Wow…your kids are getting so big!
:) As I’m sure yours are. 8 and 4 (almost 5)!