8 or 9 of us making the pilgrimage from the Chicago area down to play cars at VIR. Will I have the chance to meet anyone here? Any suggestions from the motorsports forum VIR veterans?
Thanks!
Ken

 

My personal favorite amongst the ones I know - by no means an exhaustive set - I'd put it ahead of Laguna and the Glen. Plus, not much to hit down there, it's a forgiving place.

Some very random suggestions...
- Turn 1 & 2 is like one big increasing radius turn, drive in very deep and power through the apex, you can hug the outside of the track as the turn unwinds
- Very late apex and compromise turn 4 (Left Hook) to get a good run through 5 & 6 (Snake)
- The Climbing Esses are less challenging than they feel, a lot of cars can go flat through there even if the drivers can't bring themselves to do it (just make sure you hit the apex on the final righthand turn 9)
- South Bend (turn 10) is also faster than it looks (it's scary because it's blind), and you should be on power well before the apex as cars get loose there
- Oak Tree complex puts a fast turn (11) before a very slow turn (12). Lots of people lose time here by giving turn 11 more deference that in deserves.
- Roller coaster (14-15) is straightforward except for the entry, where you can get away with very late braking into 14 if you're braking technique is good. The "brake zone" is a mild uphill lefthander, then the car lightens as you crest the hill and you have to modulate brakes back, then you settle and can brake hard to scrub the rest of the speed you'll need to make 14a.
- Hog pen is trickier as you want to get the car pointed as you crest the hill (turn 16) so you can power down to the apex of turn 17 for a fast exit. The hill bottoms out there so you have a lot of grip for that turn.

It's not my home track but I just got a lot of tracktime there on Saturday (13-hour enduro) so it's very fresh in my mind.

 

i was there to drive the bimmerworld z3...unfortunately the diff decided it had other plans...

 

Great info, thanks!

 

along with several other forum regulars...

what sort of suggestions are you looking for (other than what bioman already posted)?

Stop by and say hi, i'll be in the dark blue e36 M3 with a big wing (#275) and most likely paddocked with the wonger (lighter blue and white version of my car, #199), kj is his porsche and drew in his civic...i'd be more than happy to discuss the track (line, etc) with you...

ps. you'll LOVE vir, its an amazing track!

 

before I get there. Bioman's info was spot-on to what I was looking for. I usually take track notes on the track map after every event so that when I go back I do not have to relearn the track the first session or two. (Reference points, track camber, braking points, what is deceptively fast, where to be particularly cautious...) If you have anything that you think should be added your guidance would be much appreciated!

 

...the Bimmerworld refueling team needs a little practice. Major gasoline splashes over the pit wall into adjoining pits is not socially acceptable.

Too bad about the diff, though.

 

wish i had known you were next to us, i would have liked to have met you!

as far as the fueling goes, i can say that they arent accustomed to doing fuel stops and several of the guys there were volunteers (though it was clay and a regular crew guy doing the fueling at the first stop...i was holding the fire bottle before i jumped into the car)

 

then start working on the "tips"...i always find it easier to drive a track first before i get pointers on the line...

but definitely come by and chat! like i said, i love to "talk shop" about vir, i'm no expert but i've turned a few laps there ;-)

 

The Z3 was very quick! Sorry it didn't last. I did notice it's absence.

We didn't last either, but we made it through 12 hours which was more than enough to scratch the racing itch for a while. We qualified well and ran ~6th in SM for several hours before a car exiting the pits (!!!) punted one of my co-drivers into another zip code beyond turn 1. We spent some time in the paddock recovering. In hour 12 well lost something electrical during an off track excursion that otherwise caused no damage.

The car was fast and I was able to run 2:22s on quick laps, which is reasonably quick for an SM car.