Motorsport Ranch

May 12th, 2006

My first trip out to Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, TX. I was invited by David who's the Director of Racing for the North Texas Viper Club to go out with him and others to the club. I'd be an idiot to not take him up on his offer.

We left at 6:15 AM and headed out to Cresson. Once there, I was oriented by Motorsport Ranch orientation discussion describing the rules, safety, etc. Once that was over, we waited for our first session. I was both nervous and excited all at the same time. There were plenty of cars like Porsches, BMWs, Vipers, Corvettes, Panoz, open-wheels, and even sport bikes. My goal was to stay on the track and stay out of everybody's way. I was successful at both for the most part.

The first session I rode with David for a few laps just to see how things worked before I got in my car. I pinched the seat with my but cheeks and held on tight. David is an aggressive driver for sure. After a few laps, he dropped me off at my car in the pit and then said he'd follow me. Hmm... Anyway, I was off. At first it was scary, but then it started to flow.

First session is over. Now we wait for the next one. I needed the rest because my adrenaline was pumping and my arms were shaking. The next session came along and David rode with me to give me some pointers. He helped me tremendously by pointing out points on the track where I needed to be to get the best line through the turns. After the second session, I was 100x more comfortable with my car.

Later, Charles' Panoz sheered the bolts of the right rear rotor and he was done for the day. But, he rode with me for a couple of sessions and also drove my car a number of laps. It's good to ride with and have as a passenger a much more experienced racer. You can learn much more than just going out and trying it for yourself. Thanks to David and Charles, I learned a lot on my first day.

We ended up doing 5 sessions of 30 minutes each and we did about 15-20 laps per session. I figure I drove about 125-175 miles on the track. I now know that to do this regularly, I need a new set of wheels and slicks. I can keep them at the club and have them switched out when I get there and before I leave so that I won't be destroying my street tires and also get better traction on the track. I also need a 5 or 6 point harness to hold me tighter in the seat. Throttle steering, what little I did of it, was a blast. To feel the car in a controlled skid is loads of fun.

Anyway, it was a great time and I can't wait for my driver training on June 18th out at MSR with Apex Driving Academy to become even better at handling my car. Getting back on the street after racing was quite strange. Doing 80 seemed so lame but there were a lot of cops out and I received a $263 ticket only a few days before. Oh well, it's back to the real world for now.

Waiting on a Viper GTS and a Panoz to show up...	Following Charles' Panoz out to Motorsport Ranch.	Waiting to get my tires and wheels checked.
Tires and wheels are ok for the track. Notice those wheels stacked in the background. Those came off David's GTS when he swapped out with slicks.	Waiting for our next 30 minute track session.	David's GTS.
Oops! A Z06 wiped out big time. I didn't get my camera up in time to get him doing a 360 through the field. He looked like a comet. :)	Well, Charles had a problem with his Panoz. Here are a few pics.	The bolts holding the rotor where sheared completely off.
		This is one sweet car. It's a purpose-built road racer. 435 HP and 430 torque and less than 2700 lbs. It will scoot.
	Ok. Waiting for another session.	Roger's Z06.
Notice Charles' Panoz is back on the trailer. It's not street legal so he trailers it to/from the track.	My Viper and Roger's Z06.	My Viper and 3 Z06s
	Chewed up front tire. The rear tires are even worse but more difficult to shoot for the pic.
A rear shot. Those are 345/30R 19s on the rear and 275/35R 18s on the front.	Side shot. The car was covered in dust and road debris.	Wheel shot.
David in his GTS and ready to go back home.