Has anyone been before? I might be going with some coworkers...

http://www.virnow.com/news/Annual-Holiday-Laps-508

11/7/2011 2:35:00 PM

I've been twice, in 2005 and 2006. It's pretty fun as long as you don't get stuck behind some ass clown in a Silverado or something. Get there early, before it opens up. During the middle of the day is when most people go out there and you will have the least fun.

11/7/2011 3:44:32 PM

How do they space out the drivers? Do you just show up, pay, and roll right out onto the track?


We may not be headed there until noon unfortunately.

11/7/2011 4:01:00 PM

They line everybody up and tell you when to go. There won't be that much space between drivers. They have a front and rear pace car. When I first went in 2005 they didn't have a rear pace car so people tended to fall back a little bit and do things the way they wanted to.

I'm not sure what the pace car will be this year. In 2005 it was a mini cooper. In 2006 it was a CTS-V. In both cases the cars usually left everyone in their dust (except maybe during certain straights), considering their vehicles were track-prepped and the drivers had plenty of skill.

Unless something has changed they should have the entire course open. It's pretty crazy if you've never driven it... getting used to the braking zones for example. The hardest part to me (and my track time is pretty limited) is the braking.

11/7/2011 4:05:35 PM

is it north, full, grand east/west? I wouldn't mind going just to see the grand layout. They don't let bikes ride that layout

11/7/2011 4:16:55 PM

can you pass at all?

I always figured that it was pretty much just parade laps, and you wouldn't be able to go fast enough for it to be any fun.

11/7/2011 4:20:36 PM

It's the whole course. Everything in a continuous session.

11/7/2011 4:20:48 PM

You can't pass. The amount of fun depends on who you go with. That's why I said the middle of the day is the least fun and most crowded time to be there. Best thing to do is to get there early and stay the entire day.

In 2006 I was behind the CTS-V pace car in my turbo Rx-7 (had stock turbo at the time, which is honestly better for this). I had a LOT of fun with that.

[Edited on November 7, 2011 at 4:23 PM. Reason : pace car]

11/7/2011 4:21:41 PM

I really just want to hit the straightaway after big oak....

Also, will they have the skid pad open for some extra fun?

11/7/2011 4:26:00 PM

that straightaway is fun but scary.

11/7/2011 4:32:56 PM

What the hell is scary about a straightaway?

[Edited on November 7, 2011 at 4:53 PM. Reason : or really even all that fun, for that matter?]

11/7/2011 4:53:36 PM

LOL Vipers can't turn

11/7/2011 4:55:22 PM

bullshit, vipers can turn like a mad dog!

11/7/2011 4:57:54 PM

Quote :

"What the hell is scary about a straightaway?"

It goes up a somewhat blind hill iirc, and then you hit a braking zone and have to drop your speed down very quickly, like 120+ mph down to say 50. There is a braking zone at the end... for best times you hit the brakes near the end of the zone while trying to keep control of the car as you rapidly decelerate. Then you have to go through a series of sharp turns. If you fuck up you can easily wreck your car at the end of the straight. I saw it happen one of the times that I went. The guy lost control at the end and wrecked.

11/7/2011 5:04:15 PM

holiday laps was fun.. then i did a real track day.

holiday laps is no longer fun.

11/7/2011 5:07:43 PM

^^ Oh ok...but then we're not talking about the straightaway--we're talking about the corners at the end of it.

11/7/2011 5:13:05 PM

Chances of being able to hit 140+ on the straightaway...?

11/7/2011 8:40:06 PM

/\ 135mph in a GTO before the top of the first crest in a DE a few years ago. Wasnt my car; didnt want to go faster.

11/7/2011 9:17:21 PM

Quote :

"What the hell is scary about a straightaway? [Edited on November 7, 2011 at 4:53 PM. Reason : or really even all that fun, for that matter?]"

What's fun about the back straight at VIR full is all the folks that either don't know the track or are scared to hammer it into a blind section, so they brake at the hill while you keep it pinned right passed them and their asshole puckers There's an absolute ton of a track after the hill crest to brake before you have to turn to setup for roller coaster. Never done it in a car but you'll go from 160ish down to 100 then down to 75ish at the start of the roller coaster.

Quote :

"Chances of being able to hit 140+ on the straightaway...?"

If you have enough grip to hammer it properly outta hog pen or can get the right line/gear outta oak tree, 140 should be trivial in a 300+whp car

11/8/2011 1:34:23 AM

you just better make sure you have stability when you are coming down from that kind of speed. A lot of the suspension setups people are running on modified cars would be prone to loss of control if you aren't careful.

11/8/2011 8:07:34 AM

its fun once.

then its "is it worth going up there for 20 mins of going slow"

like its been said before, if you get lucky with spacing, it could be worth it. but chances are even if you have enough room, you arent going balls out. you'll be too scared

11/8/2011 1:59:21 PM

I had a great time, we only got 4 or 5 laps in... but for my first time on a track it was a combo of insane, scary, & fun. I somehow managed to get stuck behind an old Civic that didn't seem to be able to go faster than ~70mph. I sucked at taking the turns and had no idea where the apexes were, how to position myself, and how much grip I actually had. The back end kicked out a little bit here and there, but I don't think I touched the accelerator very much while the wheel was turned. I learned that I will never be a racing driver

I was really trying to hang back in the turns leading up to the big oak so that I could nail it on the straightaway, but halfway down it I would be up the Civic's ass and had to break hard. I hit 105 twice then immediately had to break down to 75 and cruise the rest of the straightaway behind the dude (Each time I one hand on the wheel, resting my head on the other in frustration). So I didn't get to hit the speeds I wanted too, but also I am sure I was horrible in the turns (you can see the VW behind me - he would catch me in rollercoaster everytime). BTW, the back "highway" roads leading into the complex where possibly more fun than the track... and higher speeds where reached on them when we left




[Edited on November 13, 2011 at 11:17 AM. Reason : img]

11/13/2011 11:10:03 AM

Quote :

" BTW, the back "highway" roads leading into the complex where possibly more fun than the track."

Not if it had been a real track day!

Seriously, owning a Viper and not tracking it makes no sense whatsoever. You're not using it for the one thing that it's actually good at, aside from looking cool. Hell, I've never driven one, but I can only imagine that it sucks at everything except for those 2 things that it happens to be really good at!

11/13/2011 11:50:37 AM

I will track my second one... this one is my baby and I don't want to see any bad things happen to it.

Quote :

". Hell, I've never driven one, but I can only imagine that it sucks at everything except for those 2 things that it happens to be really good at!"

On the contrary, It is very good at getting groceries in nice weather on Sundays... so bleh!

11/13/2011 11:57:28 AM

Bad things are happening to it right now--it's being resigned to the mundane sort of life that belongs to Honda CR-Vs and Toyota Camrys.

11/13/2011 12:10:08 PM

I've done track days and I still think Holiday Laps are a blast. Sometimes you can get on it, sometimes you can't. Go up there with some friends, shoot the breeze when you are off track, ride with each other on track. If I get in a slow session, I practice offline and no braking. Good to get that in going 5/10ths when everyone else around you is slow too, and everyone else's lines are so terrible you don't look too stupid. It'll never be as fast or fun as a track day, but you won't get the red mist either, it's a day off work, and it goes to charity.

It's also really fun looking at all the abysmally slow cars (unless you get behind one). Who knew a Lamborghini could double as a road block.

11/13/2011 1:41:07 PM

Quote :

"Bad things are happening to it right now--it's being resigned to the mundane sort of life that belongs to Honda CR-Vs and Toyota Camrys."

Agreed. Why do people think "bad things" will happen when they track a car? IMO you're more likely to get sideswiped driving down I-40 by some retard than to have a track accident. To each his own of course...

11/14/2011 8:22:52 AM

there are no drunks, people on cell phones, road debris, animals, a whole lot of other dangerous shit on a track

11/14/2011 8:30:27 AM

I got about a millimeter long smudge/scratch on my front fascia from the track (car kicking up a pebble probably). TOO MUCH DAMAGE!!!

11/14/2011 10:44:29 AM

Quote :

"I got about a millimeter long smudge/scratch on my front fascia from the track (car kicking up a pebble probably). TOO MUCH DAMAGE!!! "

too bad you're serious.


le sigh. gayrage, I AM DISAPPOINT.

11/14/2011 10:58:29 AM

BAHAHAH mildew... i saw you friggin tailgating a dumptruck heading west on 40 last week

maybe that's where the scratch came from..


(btw i almost took a picture and posted it but apparently you actually only drive 65 on the highway)

11/14/2011 12:06:40 PM

I was caravanning with some coworkers and had to hold up for them constantly and get behind some vehicles that I otherwise would avoid

11/14/2011 12:08:36 PM

10-4 I know I got hit by some stones from that truck maybe you did too.

11/14/2011 12:28:52 PM

This friday (3/30/2012):

http://virnow.com/2012/02/07/charity-laps-to-benefit-ronald-mcdonald-house-charities/

3/28/2012 1:45:15 PM

Not worth taking time off from work.

3/28/2012 2:52:03 PM

I may have to agree with you, they are only doing the North course for this one instead of the full course.

Still, the drive up can be fun

3/28/2012 3:42:06 PM

Are these events open for motorcycles as well, or is it cage-only?

3/29/2012 6:50:34 AM

cage only? Unmodified street legal cars are welcome.

3/29/2012 8:31:26 AM

cage only, fender. car guys should be happy about north. don't have to worry about oak tree and no worries of a high side in 7!

3/29/2012 10:18:26 AM

^^ not a motorcycle guy

3/29/2012 10:40:19 AM

Nic is using "cage only" to refer to a "car", which is stupid but he picked that up from the crotch rocket boys. Yes, VIR is cool w/a car that has a roof (as in a coupe or sedan) for a regular track day.

Also, I don't understand how a "holiday lap" would be any fun after an open track session, they're not comparable in any way. Since my first track event, I haven't gone out during the "no passing" sessions a single time in maybe 10 years except to show a student a particular nuance... Maybe.

3/29/2012 11:12:13 AM

For someone like me, with little-to-no car knowledge and track experience, would a public track event be a bad idea to participate in? I ain't got no fancy car.

3/29/2012 6:09:02 PM

There was a minivan out there last year

3/29/2012 8:12:23 PM

Quote :

"I got about a millimeter long smudge/scratch on my front fascia from the track (car kicking up a pebble probably). TOO MUCH DAMAGE!!!"

Don't be a bitch. It's just a machine. If you need to have the lip resprayed every few years so it looks perfect, then so be it.

No car is going to remain pristine if you drive it, and getting mothballed in a museum or trailered to shows and wiped down 5 hours per day is a sad existence unless it's legitimately a true rarity.

If you're willing to drive it to the grocery store, you should be willing to drive it on a track.

3/29/2012 11:56:43 PM

Nah, grocery store runs and cruise-ins are just fine for my bitch ass.

Going on a nice scenic cruise tomorrow to get some bbq instead of the charity laps.

3/29/2012 11:59:37 PM