Club Outing to VIR for Grand Am Races April 23-25, 2010

[fordmax]

As promised, here is the run down on the proposed Club outing to VIR:

>$35 3 day ticket ($15 saving)
> Special Car Corral parking area (in the paddock on Sunday!)
> Touring Laps for each club behind a pace car
> Each club participant entered to win additional prizes from VIR and sponsors
> Photo session with the VIR Girls
> One meal coupon for each participant good for breakfast or lunch at the Pagoda Grill on Saturday and Sunday
> 10% discount on Karting (and preferential reservations)
> Meet and greet with select Grand Am Drivers
> Clubs will be Judged for special prizes
> One member will be entered for Friday Nights Camp Boggy Creek Benefit Pro/AM Kart Enduro (rubbing fenders with Patrick Dempsey ladies...?)
> One member per club entered in VW Gymkhana to represent club for additional prizes
> Special prize for most entrants
> Special Prize for Club that travels the furthest

So...here is what you got to do:
1. Got to http://www.virnow.com/2010-events and click "Buy 3-Day Ticket"
2. Enter the coupon code GAFVW10 in the field below Number of Tickets
3. Pay with a Credit Card and make sure you enter "Blue Ridge Region-SCCA" in the Business/Group field that is included in the Personal Info area at checkout. (This is how they will track number fo participants)
4. Print out your three tickets (one for each day).

I don't really know where the majority of you live, but I would propose that we meet either in Roanoke or Lynchburg and caravan to the event. We can discuss these options on the thread...and feel free to reply to this once you get your tickets so we can see who all is coming.

Looking forward to it...

[rennen]

Ford -

Thanks for posting. I'll be there and hopefully bringing a few guys from work as well.

-Greg

[LynnCombs]

Ford,

I will be coming down 29 from Fishersville...

[slowblackwagon]

If I can get the miata ready in time can I cruise with you lynn? Guess I should look for a trailer and hitch for the car too.

[LynnCombs]

If I can get the miata ready in time can I cruise with you lynn? Guess I should look for a trailer and hitch for the car too.

10-4.. we will most likely pick up Mick and Ray along the way. We will get the start time as we closer to the day.

[slowblackwagon]

If I can get the miata ready in time can I cruise with you lynn? Guess I should look for a trailer and hitch for the car too.

10-4.. we will most likely pick up Mick and Ray along the way. We will get the start time as we closer to the day.

Awesome. If this miata deal works out,then I'll have the cash to run more events and a few track day/HPDEs.

[DLingenfelter]

You'll probably see the Lingenfelter brothers there Saturday, we'll be the guys bowing down in front of the Stevenson Motorsports Camaros in the Paddock chanting "WE'RE NOT WORTHY, WE'RE NOT WORTHY!"

[Scott]

My brother and I will also be in a Miata caravan heading down

[slowblackwagon]

Yea,So I wont be making it to this one. BMX contest that my sponser is throwing. I'll riding and partying. Kindof bummed.

[fordmax]

So is anyone interested in caravaning from Roanoke, or am I going to cruise over to Lynchburg and meet up with the Miata crew...if they will have me and my VW of course?

Let me know,

Ford

[mseal]

Lynn, I'll meet up with the 29 S. caravan at the substation at Rt 6 or at Woods Mill (6 & 29). We'll talk. Ray could probably do 664 and meet at the substation too. Sorry, no "road" miata anymore so I'll have to rely on a less sporty tourer. All non'miatas are always welcome. Of course you'll have to put the magnetic MAZDA on the rear quarter.

[fordmax]

I am good with flying the magnetic SCCA labels, but don't think I can do the Mazda thing...especially if a "less sporty tourer" is refering to a beige MPV!!!

[drum3]

We will be there Friday and Saturday , coming up 29 from Greensboro. So not much time to join the caravans , we could meet you guys around the airport some where.

[fordmax]

Just a friendly reminder...if you are planning on using this discount code, you have to buy your tickets by the 15th of April. Still looking for some caravaners from Roanoke...thinking of meeting at Tanglewood mall around 7:30 on Saturday morning, but would be welcome to suggestions.

Can someone bring a pop-up sunshade to set up for some shade in our paddock? If there are any BRR-SCCA ones out there they would be super cool! I will be bringing some homebrewed "Blown Cone Pale Ale"...

See ya then,

Ford

[DLingenfelter]

tickets purchased! Where's everyone parking and hanging out Saturday?

[fordmax]

Hi all,

Just wanted to pass along an FYI...I have been talking via facebook with folks at DGTrials.com who ran the Gymkhana at the Bosch Ocktoberfest at VIR last October, and it looks like they will be running another Gymkhana type event at VIR on Sunday (Apr 25th) the day following the the Grand Am races. If you are curious, take a look at this video from one of my runs last year...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx4xzy0hOsE

It was really a lot of fun, especially when I was way faster then all the guys that saw "Gymkhana" and let their inner Ken Block run wild. I won the FWD class on Saturday (3rd overall) and had FTD on Sunday. There are professional races to watch on Sunday as well...Mustang Challenge, Playboy Cup and Star Mazda are all running...and I think the Car Club Parking on Sunday will be in the North Paddock.

While I don't know any of the specifics yet...but last year it was only about $25 to run the Gymkhana both days, and while they only officially time your first 4 runs, they will let you run as much as you want.

I am considering camping out at the track Saturday night, so that I can hang out and burn up my fenderwells some more on Sunday...anyone interested?? Don't know about hotel availability yet, but that could work too...

Let me know...

Ford

[Scott]

tickets purchased! Where's everyone parking and hanging out Saturday?

hanging w/ the Mazda guys until after the touring laps on Saturday, then who knows....

[n33d4sp33d13]

I will be down there all weekend. If DGtrials runs another Gymkhana like they did last october i will be bringing the 84 colt turbo down to run.

[fordmax]

That is the deal...I have spoke with Eric Jacobs of DGTrials and they are running the Gymkhana on Sunday only...one of the ways VIR is struggling to keep folks around buying hotdogs and BBQ all weekend.

I'll be running for sure...Hope to see you guys there!

Ford

[LynnCombs]

I am going to be camping at the track for Friday, Saturday night.. will arrive during the day Friday to set up camp. where will everyone be camping to set up the BRR compound?

[fordmax]

Lynn, I usually camp in one two places...

1) down in the woods near the Pond (left of the Ferrari/prancing horse statue)

2) in the Family area at the bottom of the Rollercoaster turn. To get there follow the gravel road to the left just past the Patriot Course Paddock. It will loop around past the barn and around the woods and come out at the top of the Rollercoaster turn. If you follow the road back down the hill there are some flat areas at the bottom of the hill.

These spots are great cause they both offer easy access to the two public shower houses, one near the pond and the other one near the False Grid in the North Paddock. Of the two I was planning on setting up the tent in the woods near the pond this time...closer to the skidpad and Sundays Gymkhana.

Ford

[n33d4sp33d13]

I just Recieved a email promoting the races this weekend sent out by VIR and in the email it mentions the Gymkhana. In parenthesis it says 20$ PER RUN!!!!!!! I think the VIR marketing department made a mistake when they sent this email out? Isnt it more like the entry fee is 20$? Thats how it was last october atleast. Anyone know anything else about this? Hopefully it will be like last october when i payed 20$ or 25$ then ran as much as i wanted.

[drum3]

Ok , so i've got my tickets , How do we go about getting all the perks that are suppose to come with it ? The meal coupons , paddock parking pass , Meet and Greet stuff , etc , just wondering how we get these.

[mseal]

Good question!

[fordmax]

So today I passed these questions on to Josh Lief the General Manager at VIR. Here is what I learned:

1) Our Group will have a package of food tickets, wristbands, schedules of Touring Laps, driver meet and greets, and other goodies waiting at the Will Call/Registration trailer. We need to designate someone to pick them up and I will pass that persons name along to Josh. I am planning to arrive around 9:00 Saturday morning and will be happy to pick it up unless someone is going down Friday and wants to pick it up.

2) Next we will need to meet somewhere so that we can pass out the goodies. We are supposed to get Car Club Parking as part of our package. In the past this was located in the area around "The Gallery" which is the Big Barn in the field to the left just past the Patriot Course Paddock. If that changes this year, make sure to ask one of the security/parking guys where you should go. I would propose meeting there to take care of business around 10:00, but please be prompt as the TDI cup race is supposed to start around that time and if you have never seen those youngins run, it can make for some pretty "entertaining" racing...lots of rubbing, spins and two wheel action as they beat each other up. Also the Car Club Touring laps are scheduled for 11:00...we will likely need to line up in the South Paddock NLT 10:30 to play in that. There are also touring laps scheduled for Sunday if you stick around.

3. As far as the Gymkhana goes, Josh said that it will be run on Sunday only, and it will cost $20 for 10 runs. Last year you had to register and pay to play at the Registration/Will Call trailer if you want to drive your own car, and the DGTrials guys let you run whenever you wanted to (no Heats). The course will be closed for the official VW Gymkhana from 11-12 and from 3-4 on Sunday...our group will have someone selected (not sure how) to represent our group in this event which is run in VW GTI's. Last year the prize for FTD was a VW logoed electric Guitar...I got 4th.

Hope that answers some of your questions...please let me know who will be picking up the package...if it is not going to be me.

Thanks,

Ford

[drum3]

We are scheduled to be with some of our friends that are driving in the TDI Cup so hopefully some one can grab Suzannes and my stuff and we can catch up to you after the TDI race. I will be there on Friday but not sure exactly what time we would be there sat .

[LynnCombs]

Ford,

I can pick up the packet.. I am going to arrive Friday Morning and I will be camping all week-end. Look for a 5th wheel camper flying a white Corvette flag.. I guess I can try to find the BRR Banner which is blue and fly it also. Currently I do not know where we will be camping ... best available when we arrive... Jane will also have her Black Corvette C5 coupe there.

See you there....

[fordmax]

Sounds good Lynn...I will pass you name along to those in charge.

Do you still want to meet the group in the car club parking area? I will let you make the call on the meeting place, since you will have the lay of the land upon arrival.

Thanks for the support!

Ford

[LynnCombs]

The BRR compound is to the left of the Gallery Building... look for the Corvette and BRR flag. I have the packets....

[DLingenfelter]

Good times, weather held out just long enough on Saturday! Great racing, but hard to keep up with who was where unless you were near the speakers, and the guy announcing the Continental Challenge Race (host of Dreamcar Garage) spent more time yacking about unrelated things than the actual race.
Great to see the cars and drivers up close and feel the dust from the dropped wheels. I rate the Continental Challenge race as #1,thrilling and very close!

[LynnCombs]

Wanted to let the group know that Dave O'maley from Triad drove in the Race Driver/Club kart race at VIR Friday night and represented Blue Ridge... he was 4th..fastest non race driver.