Corse Clienti event at Road Atlanta: | FerrariChat

Corse Clienti event at Road Atlanta:

Discussion in 'South Central - USA (TN, MS, AL, GA)' started by Gatorrari, Mar 15, 2018.

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  1. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Feb 27, 2004
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    Jim Pernikoff
    Molto bene! Today is the most fun I've had at Road Atlanta in some time. For a change we didn't have to play second fiddle to Corvette, Porsche, Mazda or Nissan - today it was all Ferrari, all the time.

    For the record, there were 15 XX cars and 7 F1 cars performing, and they had three sessions, one in the morning and two in the afternoon. (Tomorrow they start earlier, so it is two and two.) In each case the XX cars went out for 45-50 minutes, then after a short gap the F1 cars went out for 35 minutes.

    After getting delayed in typical rush hour traffic, and then having to stop at Chateau Elan to pick up my guest pass, I arrived just in time for the first session, which I duly watched under good lighting next to the turn 11 bridge, and here are some of the shots of the XX cars. Note there were two variations of the FXXK (LaFerrari based), one with a full-width rear wing and one without. Although the cars were generally quite spread out, I was lucky to catch one shot of 9 of the cars coming down the hill into 10A.
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  2. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 30, 2007
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    great shots!
     
  3. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Feb 27, 2004
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    Since 50 minutes is a long time for a session, I wandered around the hilltop and took a photo of the vendor village area as empty as I've ever seen it. (The only available food concession was the Paddock Grill on the end of the garage building on the outside of the track.)

    Then it came time for the main attraction, seven F1 cars, ranging from 2001 thru 2013, all V-10 or V-8 powered. What sweet music! I described it as an Italian opera with seven tenors!
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  4. elgin328

    elgin328 Formula 3

    Apr 11, 2004
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    Mark
  5. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    This happened just as I was leaving. He must not have hit it too hard, since the car appears undamaged.
     
  6. SAT4RE

    SAT4RE Formula Junior

    Dec 5, 2003
    573
    Blairsville, GA
    I'm going tomorrow! Taking my son and daughter. Can't wait!! Great photos!
     
  7. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
    14,244
    Thanks for the pictures everyone! That accident looks terrible...it appears to be an F2004. :(

    How did you guys get into the event? Did they end up opening it up to the public? Or expand to include FCA members? Or just Clienti and dealer invitations still and you got one that way?
     
  8. SCFerrari

    SCFerrari F1 Rookie
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    Jun 30, 2013
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    I think it’s open and anyone could get in for $20- I was lucky enough to get a pass for the pit area - so much fun it’s hard to go to sleep tonight !
     
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  9. SCFerrari

    SCFerrari F1 Rookie
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    Jun 30, 2013
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    And the F1 and driver are ok- should be back out tomorrow -
     
  10. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
    14,244
    That's good to hear. I wish it was over the weekend. I would've driven in to attend, but I have to work during the week. :/
     
  11. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    One advantage of my knowing Bud Moeller - he let me sit in his 312 T5 at Watkins Glen 20 years ago - is that I was able to get a Pit Wall credential, and these first photos were taken from just that, the pit wall! The tents for the participating cars were erected right in pit lane, right where permanent F1 garages would theoretically go, though they're obviously not set up for GP-style pit stops.

    The best way to distinguish between very similar-looking machines is by the chassis number, the small 3-digit number on each car's nose. In the second photo, the unfortunate F2004 #234 is backed into its stall after blowing an engine and coming in deadstick and smoking. In the next 2 photos, the oldest car there, F2001 #213, goes out for another run. The next two are of yours truly sitting in Bud's F2003-GA, #228, which to me was a tighter fit than the T5, though in retrospect I should have taken my jacket and sweater off. Bud then consented to pose with his gallant steed. The last three are of the newest cars there, representing 2008, 2011 and 2013. (And, IMO, getting uglier and uglier.)
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  12. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Even though the tents that the participating cars were in seemed rather basic, the other buildings erected in the paddock seemed more substantial, though the Pirelli folks were doing their thing in another tent. There were tons of tires on hand. Interestingly, the F1 cars all had a set of their original rubber (grooved Bridgestones in Bud's case) but that was just for show; they all ran on modern Pirelli slicks.

    One place my pass did not get me into was the hospitality chalet; I stuck my head in and the food smelled awfully good. But I took the bridge over to the old reliable Paddock Grill behind the press tower and had a decent turkey provolone hoagie. (At least the cheese was Italian!) On my way there I snapped a nice F12berlinetta. And I can't resist checking out the prices on the track's gas pumps.
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  13. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
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    Thanks for the pics.

    Sucks about 234. That chassis won 5 races that season. 213 won Spa that year.
     
  14. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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  15. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Also, while I was on the pit wall, I tried my hand at shooting the F1 cars as they went by on the front straight. Shooting cars passing that close and going that fast is not easy; this was the best I got. Notice how the back end of the car is sharper than the front end!
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    I'll have some more pics tomorrow.
     
  16. ATLdoghouse

    ATLdoghouse Formula Junior
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    Sep 3, 2016
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    Cody L
    Jim, thank you for the great photos. I enjoyed spending a few minutes with you yesterday at turn 10. Enjoy today !!
     
  17. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
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    oy vey.... great stuff Jimmy.
     
  18. piratepress

    piratepress Formula Junior

    May 18, 2009
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    Chip A.
    Great pics and thanks for sharing! For those of us who couldn't make it, it's the next best thing to being there! :)
     
  19. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    After lunch, I drove to the skidpad area to get shots at one of my favorite spots, the braking zone for turn 7, which was my recommended spot for anyone who did not have paddock access to see the cars up close. The lighting would have been better in May or June, but it still wasn't too bad.
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    A note about these FXXKs: there are two different versions here. No. 15 is one of the original cars; nos. 27, 44 & 61 are the new FXXK Evo, which was introduced last weekend at COTA, with a full-width rear wing between the uprights and revised front-end aerodynamics. Look at some of my earlier photos and you'll see the differences more clearly.
     
  20. LMPDesigner

    LMPDesigner F1 Rookie
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    1:01.2 lap in a 2003 F1 car!
     
  21. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
    14,244
    Thanks again for the photos!

    Was #240 there and went off the racing line? I noticed you said 7 F1 cars showed up, but I only saw 6 chassis numbers posted and in photos (213, 228, 234, 266, 288, 301). I saw this posted in the other thread: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/145876056/
     
  22. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    #25 Gatorrari, Mar 16, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2018
    For yesterday's last session, I drove over and walked over to the most iconic view at Road Atlanta - Spectator Hill, a vista recognized worldwide. I always like to get multiple cars coming down the hill but that wasn't easy with the relatively few cars running in each class. But I got a few.

    I drove back to the paddock to find that the session had been stopped while the stricken car was removed from under the bridge (see above). Since there was still time remaining, the drivers stayed in their cars. These two photos show the relative simplicity of the 2001 car compared to the already ridiculous complexity of the 2013 car, particularly in the front wing. Personally I prefer simple; I think the 2001-2004 cars look better from most angles than the newer cars.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Then I left, quite happy, and want to say mille grazie to Ferrari, Road Atlanta, the owners and drivers, and (in my case) to Bud Moeller for making the long trip completely worthwhile. Now let's see everyone add today's photos to this thread!

    (And if anyone cares, to avoid as much of the gnarly evening traffic as I could, I headed to Kurt's Bistro in Duluth for a nice plate of veal parmigiana, er, jaeger schnitzel. Kurt was happy to see a Ferrari 328 decorating his parking lot. The plan worked - I had a smooth ride back to Marietta.)
     
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