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| Great elevation changes and lots of camber in
the corners are sure to make this a great high speed rollercoaster
of a track. My son and I walked the North Course together and
it reminded me a lot of Mid-Ohio. The view looking down the
esses toward the pits is a real sphincter tightener. The serpentine
curves leading back to the bridge should also be a real romp.
Can't wait to take them at speed, especially if Phil is breathing
fire in front of me. Photos at http://www.mindspring.com/~scott4/vir/virclub.html |
Scott Crawford |
| I was very impressed by two things this weekend. First was the smoothness of the new surface. You'd expect to have a brand new surface to be smooth, but there were no seams even left to right on the track where the two "lanes" met. The second thing that impressed me, was the transition lines both onto and off of the North / South cut through. The connecting pavement themselves are wonderful pieces of racetrack and not just pieces of track to get you from point A to point B. WELL DONE to the prep / paving crew and to those who designed the cut throughs. | Glenn Long |
| I was very impressed. I am now seriously considering membership. I was imaging myself driving my car the whole time on the track! | Pat Ricotta |
| Holy Cow!!!...Now that's what I call, "Cookin' with gas" Keep on truckin', VIR | Charley Weill |
| VIR will set the standard for club friendly tracks. I was very favorably impressed with the attention to detail and to the focus on excitement (the wonderfully challenging track) and safety (lots of runoff and no armco or concrete walls). Mike Rand, the track manager, seems to be eager to accommodate the various driver schools and I did not get the impression that we would be second class citizens to the many race venues. The actual track layout is like a virtual reality, in your dreams track, and it is actual reality. You just cannot imagine the scale and complexity without being there. If the rest of the facility matches the track it will be awesome. | Joella John |
| VIR is a VA boy's dream come true. Having heard of this place for years and never having seen it, it is overwhelming to think we have one of the finest facilities in the country right here. My only concern is the layout of the North Circuit for school use. The distance from the entrance onto the crossover road to the pit straight without a passing area may develop some seriously long trains, with folks having to brake on the downhill esses enough to unsettle cars. Patience will be as important as at Roebling. | Richard John |
| I had seen the presentation of the proposed track
about 18 months ago at Korman's in Greensboro, checked-out the
website and seen track maps, but all of that was poor preparation
for what I saw Sunday. I was truly impressed with not just the
track layout, paving quality and the challenges awaiting us
drivers. No, what got me was the details, the elements that
make a good track a great track. Every corner, from the slow
tight ones to the wide sweeping turn after the incredibly long
straight, each one had a well thought-out and planned run-off
area (except for one, which I'll get to). After several schools,
off-road excursions and accidents (as a witness and participant,
both) at several local area tracks, I'm really starting to appreciate
the thought that goes into track preparation and particularly
track run-offs. The beginning of the pit buildings for both
the North and South tracks had ample plumbing in place for what I assume will be 20th century bathroom facilities (not to be confused with Port-a-Johns), the hot pits for the North course will actually be covered (!!) to keep us out of the hot sun, and everything really seemed to be done first class. Personally I can't wait to get out there! Only one turn, a turn from the straight onto the connector to complete the South course has a steep drop-off that in it's current state is sure to cause numerous rolls; this turn will have some type of barrier installed. Hopefully a gravel trap will also be installed to prevent any shattered fiberglass or crumpled metal. Other than that, the connector sections may actually provide more excitement than the original track. Be it the full track, South course or North course, this will be a fun place to drive! |
Michael Bird |
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VIR is going to happen in a big way!! A number of local trackheads
trekked out to Milton on Nov 21 in response to rumors that
VIR has now been paved. It has, and we were all amazed at
the difference the paving makes. Although we were only being
driven 'round the track in minivans it appears that the paving
is first-rate with no discernible joints obvious. Folks, this
is likely to be THE track on the east coast, or should I say
tracks, since VIR is really 2 separate tracks. The 2.2 mile
North Course contains, 'lots' of elevation changes and some
downhill esses that look 'challenging'. I glad to see that
tons of earth has been moved to ensure plenty of save runoff
areas. The 1.6 mile South Course contains the famous 'Oak
Tree' turn that has also received major attention to ensure
Both the North and the South courses have a flowing feel to them and are likely to keep us busy for quite a while trying to discover their respective secrets. I witnessed one of the first 'lines' being developed riding around the track in a minivan driven by Peter Krause (the tires only squealed one or twice....). Rumor has it the current minivan lap record is just under 3 minutes for the full track! The paddock area has been designed for some 600 cars, and for those July and August track dates there is a covered false grid area. Race and Regular fuel will be available by credit card purchase from self-serve pumps. Also heard at the track that Bertil Roos and Skip Barber driving schools will be very active at VIR, and that there will be a fleet of Caterham Super 7s in SCCA race trim available for rent. The first event is scheduled for March 2000, and something like 30 weekends have already been booked by various clubs. Eventually the track area, comprising some 1200 acres, will
contain various other amenities such as a club house, tennis,
swimming pool, |
Peter Reinhart |
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As someone who has had their hopes alternately raised, then dashed by the numerous rumours of VIR's reopening, I can't tell you how extraordinary it was to see the changes wrought by the venture headed by Harvey Siegel, Connie Nyholm and Mike Rand. I first saw VIR in August of 1998 when trees were growing through the pavement and electrified fences kept the cows from taking "laps" themselves...When Dick Lee, Harvey, Mike and I walked the cut-throughs for the North and South Courses, no one could have told me that they would flow as well as they do. The biggest single difference the weekend of November 20-21 taught me was how it is impossible to convey how incredible this course is by looking at a flat pice of paper or pictures on a screen... When we take part in Driver's Ed events, we all too often get caught up in how many passing zones there are, or how we can get in a group without "trains"... What Driver's Ed is all about is improving your own skills, and this track, in all three configurations, will present a challenge for decades to come. The South Course presents the greatest challenge and perhaps the greatest reward for getting it right. The North Course is just plain FAST! But don't read these words, get a helmet, get your car teched and GO to VIR! |
Peter Krause |
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