shotgunslade
10-17-2007, 06:16 PM
Havent posted much about my motorsports activities this summer, although there has been a lot. :cool: Perhaps the best was my 3-day visit to the Panoz Racing School at Road Atlanta. It was marvelous. :D
It is an official 3-day SCCA license qualifying school, with lots of track time driving their Panoz GT-RA cars. These are a 2500 lb., tube-frame couple with a 302 Ford V-8 making about 250 hp. Live rear axle, unassisted brakes with racing pads, and R-compound slicks. Very stable, mostly understeering (power oversteer is quite possible). Great stable car to learn in. A little difficult to get into, though, with very shallow doors and a full roll cage
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00652svx.jpg
We started off with some wet skidpad work, and an autocross. These cars are really fun in autocross. Power on and you get some very good but controllable rotation. I had a blast. Could do a week of that stuff.
The on to the track. We were soloing right away. They station instructors at every corner totake notes and to review with you after every track session. Road Atlanta is a big fast race course. Hit over 130 mph on the back striaght, then into a sharp 90 degree left-hander, up and over the hill and down through a sweeping curve onto the main straight.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00655svx.jpg
Some good head to head (not wheel to wheel) driving.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/541_4184svx.jpg
One of the last activites is a really fun requirement for the SCCA school. We have to complete 3 successful starting exercises, where we come onto the main straight lined up by twos, they wave the green flag, and we tear off down the straight toward the first turn and battle for position through the turn. Amazingly no contact. First Start, I even picked up two positions through timely shifting, getting to the inside, and being insistent through the turn.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00660svx.jpg
Great experience. Unfortunately, Panoz has been bought by Skip Barber, so the classes will now all be conducted in MX-5's or Formula Mazda's. No more big, loud V-8's. Oh well, progress.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00671svx.jpg
It is an official 3-day SCCA license qualifying school, with lots of track time driving their Panoz GT-RA cars. These are a 2500 lb., tube-frame couple with a 302 Ford V-8 making about 250 hp. Live rear axle, unassisted brakes with racing pads, and R-compound slicks. Very stable, mostly understeering (power oversteer is quite possible). Great stable car to learn in. A little difficult to get into, though, with very shallow doors and a full roll cage
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00652svx.jpg
We started off with some wet skidpad work, and an autocross. These cars are really fun in autocross. Power on and you get some very good but controllable rotation. I had a blast. Could do a week of that stuff.
The on to the track. We were soloing right away. They station instructors at every corner totake notes and to review with you after every track session. Road Atlanta is a big fast race course. Hit over 130 mph on the back striaght, then into a sharp 90 degree left-hander, up and over the hill and down through a sweeping curve onto the main straight.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00655svx.jpg
Some good head to head (not wheel to wheel) driving.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/541_4184svx.jpg
One of the last activites is a really fun requirement for the SCCA school. We have to complete 3 successful starting exercises, where we come onto the main straight lined up by twos, they wave the green flag, and we tear off down the straight toward the first turn and battle for position through the turn. Amazingly no contact. First Start, I even picked up two positions through timely shifting, getting to the inside, and being insistent through the turn.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00660svx.jpg
Great experience. Unfortunately, Panoz has been bought by Skip Barber, so the classes will now all be conducted in MX-5's or Formula Mazda's. No more big, loud V-8's. Oh well, progress.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa83/shotgunslade/DSC00671svx.jpg