Fast Cars at PIR!

[Rupert]

I'll give a much better write-up with pics as soon as I get them developed. The digi-cam is way to slow to catch a Porsche zipping past, let alone the fast cars! (I do have a few on the digi-cam that I'll put up in the next week).

In short, we got to PIR around 1:30, and by the time we were checked in (VIPs, doncha know B) ), the Spec Miatas were about to start. Saw them, the Formula Mazdas with RX-8 engines (well, some Maxda Rotary), and the ALMS race. Four classes were on the track at once: P1 (fastest open cars; two Dyson Lolas, two factory Audis, and one slower than dirt Maserati), P2 (second fastest open car; a bunch of slower Lolas), GT1 (fasest GT cars; two C6 Vettes, one C5, a Viper,  and a Saleen S7), and GT2 (second fastest GT cars; a bunch of Porsches, two Panoz Esperantes, and the C5 Vette and Viper may have been in this class). Basically, the C6s kicked ass, one Dyson car ran out of gas, there was a crash big enough to take out one of the Audis on the back stetch (didn't see it, but I have more info), the Maserati (remember, P1 class) got passed by the C6s, and in the last ten minutes of the 2:45 race, the remaining Audi (who was in third) passed both Dyson Lolas (before the second one ran out of petrol) for the win.

More to come with photos before next weekend.

[BMWDave]

You saw a Porsche GT1 :o :o  I've always wanted to see one! Cant wait for pics :)

My bro saw a Indy 500 racecar driving behind an Indy 500 marked trailer last week, on the road!  Sadly, he didnt get a picture

[Rupert]

Porsche GT2, not the GT1. Still very cool. Pics are imminent.

[BMWDave]

Porsche GT2, not the GT1. Still very cool. Pics are imminent.

Still cool B)  There were only about 6 GT1s made for certified road use, so to see one is extremely, extremely, rare.

[Rupert]

I never would have paid the $45 to see the races, since I don?t have that kind of money. Luckily for my dad, my uncle, and myself, we were able to get VIP passes through a high school friend of my fathers. Regis is a photographer for the Audi team (among others) and he seems to hold quite a bit of sway among the other photographers. He?s very good, and if you?ve seen shots of Audi?s race cars taken in the last few years, they probably came from one of his $8000 cameras.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the gates was the ridiculous concentration of extremely expensive cars. There were some Ferraris and a huge number of Porsches from the last 30 years. I had never seen a Maserati before, but there was a pile of them at PIR. I also saw a Saleen Mustang from the ?80s, a Lotus Elise, a bunch of WRXs, some nice older ?Vettes, some nice newer ?Vettes, and did I mention the Maseratis?

The first race we saw was the Spec Miata race. We found seats right at the chicane on the back straight, so we could watch them slow down really fast, then deftly navigate the curves. They were fairly aggressive, and quite loud. These cars are surprisingly stock, costing about $15,000 to build, including the car. Springs and shocks, wheels and tires, and some intake/exhaust mods, as well as a full cage, and a hardtop are typical. I really like the idea that with $10,000, I could have the same thing.

Next on the schedule was the Formula RX-8 race. I guess they use the same engine as the RX-8, but they look more like an F1 car. They were very loud and extremely aggressive. The race was timed, and about a third of that time was spent under a yellow flag. We were still seated at the chicane. The inside curve of the chicane is defined by a red and white striped raised bump. About half way through the race, a couple of cars spun out at the chicane, and one of them ended up on the curve defining bump, with both back wheels nicely off the ground. He tried to get off, but with no luck. If you think it funny to watch a stuck-in-the-mud pick-up spin its tired, you?d love this! They had to bring out the yellow flag and a couple of guys to push it off. Because of all the yellow flags, the cars were kept fairly close through the race. It?s quite a sight to see all 35 (?) cars speeding past at once!

In between the Formula Mazda and the ALMS (that?s American Le Mans Series) races, all the cars that were going to race in the ALMS were brought out on the track so the spectators could get a good look at them. If it weren?t for the herd of people blocking the cars, it would have been great. I managed some decent pictures anyway.

Then the big race, set to run for two hours 45 minutes, began. Four classes were on the track at once: P1 (fastest open cars; two Dyson Lolas, two factory Audis, and one slower than dirt Maserati), P2 (second fastest open car; a bunch of slower Lolas), GT1 (fasest GT cars; two C6 Vettes, one C5, a Viper, and a Saleen S7), and GT2 (second fastest GT cars; a bunch of Porsches, two Panoz Esperantes, and the C5 Vette and Viper may have been in this class). The Audis were favored over the Lolas, and the Maserati was expected to be slow, but sexy (which it was). It amused me that the supposedly slower GT1 Corvette C6s both managed to pass the big Maserati. I think the Maserati had to put in a lot of weight, for one reason or another. It was very difficult to tell what was really going on due to the long track. Most of the track is actually out of view, so all I could do was try to remember who was in what class and who was in front of who as they whizzed by. At one point, one of the Audis decided to see what happens when you try to wrestle with a Corvette in a chicane. Both drove away just fine, but a few laps later, out of my view, the Audi lost the back half of the body work, and pretty much lost control. I think someone else lost it trying to avoid the Audi. The Audi was out of the race, leaving one Audi still in. For the first two and a half hours, the Dyson Lolas had the lead over the Audi(s). But in the last ten minutes, the remaining Audi got really aggressive, and basically pushed it?s way past the second place Dyson car. Then the lead Dyson lost fuel pressure, leaving the Audi to win the race. Apparently, the Dysons are actually faster cars, but the Audis are much more durable, so the Audis usually win.

I managed to only get a little sunburned, but don?t even ask about traffic on the way out. (I?m on my way right now to post an Imagestation album, the link to which will be posted ASAP).

[Rupert]

Pics are here!

[JYODER240]

Nice pics! I never realized just how small the Elise is until I saw it next another car. It must of been amazing getting to see those S7's and C6's go at it.  

[giant_mtb]

Sweet pics Psilos!  B)  

[BMWDave]

Very nice pictures!!

[Rupert]

Thanks! I wish I had had more film so I could have taken more pics of the cars. My dad actually had a photographers pass that let him go on the infield. That would have been sweet for the photos...

[Raza]

Nice!