Seven Days at The Glen….

I ran a total of seven straight days at Watkins Glen this past week. Three events total - David Murry Racing, Ferrari Club of America, and Chin Racing. All were fabulous.

The 458 Challenge ran hard and proved its worth on track - it is a phenomenal car.

I had zero issues other than going through a set of Hankook slicks in the first three days.

The David Murry event was insane, the Trans Am Racing team was there with five cars, incredible to watch them come up and pass by at speed. It was open track, so I got in about 4-5 hours each day. Definitely an advanced run group overall.

Closing in on 25 track days since I purchased it in February. I’ll probably do two or three more events this year, maybe Road Atlanta, VIR and Daytona.

 

Peter, yes, I’m afraid I agree with you….but that was the plan all along, lol…..great seeing you, thanks for participating!

It was an adventurous trip! I always enjoy seeing friends at these events!

 

I am approaching 2:00, my best time was 2:01. I wish I’d brought two sets of slicks, the second set was the Hankook RS4s, which are a combo street/track tire.

 

Strong advice, you are absolutely correct in your analysis. I’m topping out at 157 coming into the Bus Stop and I’m lifting a bit after 1 and into the Esses. I know places where I’m losing time, and that’s ok - it’s all a work in progress for me. Still learning the car and my skills.

Yes there is a world of difference between mid - high 1:50s and low 2:00s. I have purposely not been paying too much attention to lap times, and further it is not often to get a clean lap. One minor hiccup adds seconds to a lap.

Thanks again!

 

The Glen has bit to be one of the three top tracks in the US. I wish it were my home track, but it’s 1,100 miles from my home.

It isn’t so much the ball buster aspect as the close surrounding blue armor walls and lack of run off space. If you drop a wheel or two, chances are you’ll hit one. And since it’s NASCAR owned, you’ll get a bill for the repair. Even dropping oil can cost $$$.

It’s a grippy track and the camber is good in many turns. A true driver’s track. Perfect for the 458 Challenge.

The bus stop was put in after one of the racers was killed going into the carousel (it was probably sorely needed anyway), but even that is dangerous and there are still frequent incidents there.

Turns 6 and 9 are epic, late apex turns, 9 being off camber.

Lots of fun and I make two pilgrimages a year.

 

Laguna is on my bucket list, it’ll be an arrive and drive due to distance.

There are so many great tracks here in the east, each one with its own nuance. The shocker for me was NCM in Bowling Green. I found it to be one of the most technically demanding tracks to date, and requires patience, patience, patience…….

I’ll keep posting my track exploits. Road Atlanta is coming up soon, and the car is in the shop as we speak. The downside of tracking is the expense and time commitment.

 

Peter, I’m signed up with Chin for Road Atlanta Oct 7&8, I’m really trying hard to work out the logistics to get to VIR the following weekend. To be fair, I’ve been tracking quite a bit this year already, we’ll see.

I’ve done VIR a bunch of times, and yes, it’s one of my favorites. Nothing beats the shear terror of the Esses, and T10 at the top.

I think I saw you there last time I was up…..

 

Smoked as in BBQ’d it? Jeez, that’s major. Complete rebuild? And how many miles/track hours did you have?

I’ve been giving them Fords hell on track. Unless they’re full on race machines, I can get just about all of them. 1:30 and change at Road Atlanta last weekend with Chin. And I’m in the red group now.

I’ve become enamored of late with the Radical. There was a guy driving a 600 turbo, incredible car. Posted a YouTube video. He finally caught me at 5:30, but it took him a while.

https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+rasical+heavy+traffic+road+atlanta&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:d041dd4a,vid:jSeBnuPxzug,st:0

But I’m fine with the 458, it’s been a joy to own and drive.

 

Agreed 100%. That thought came to me last weekend when interacting with them at RA.

What I’m thinking is to get one dedicated to The Motor Enclave, where the track is much smaller and there may be a limit to the size of equipment. The track is too small for the Challenge car, it’ll eat tires alive and probably won’t be much fun anyway.

We shall see, in any event I’ll be keeping the Challenge for the other tracks and continue to run.

Thanks for the compliment in the red progression. The car together with the number of times I’ve tracked (and taken instruction) has really helped.

 

No, that is not good.

Been lucky so far, I’m sure with the frequency and intensity of the way I’ve been running, my day is probably not far behind. Hope not, but wouldn’t be a major surprise.