Febuary 21-22: Laguna Seca: Monterey, CA

Discussion in 'Track Experience' started by StevoSRT, Jan 25, 2008.

  1. 8yourM5

    8yourM5 Full Access Member

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    I drove the new green viper do day in the rain. I could get the thing sideways as could be and it still came back around nice. but at the same time i did do a 360 once and there where alot of people spinning out. I got the best time of the day in the srt shoot out with a 21.2221 O yea it was with the caliper srt4 over the viper.
     
  2. Quick

    Quick Mgmt. - I can't help you

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    How was the weather? How many people participating? I expect there may be a few more tomorrow than today since it's Friday and people could make it a long weekend.
     
  3. Quick

    Quick Mgmt. - I can't help you

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    Hot Dam! That was fun. Yes even in the rain for most of it. I'm frankly stunned at how well the F1's grip in the rain. No, it wasn't a drag start but the lateral grip on the road coarse. Unfortunately they only let you go about 75%. I was kind of expecting to be going faster and a little disappointed when we didn't. Actually I had no idea how I'd do but, it's stupid easy when you're following the instructor. They switched people around so everyone felt comfortable and I was with some other guy that wanted to go fast and we got it up to about 75 -80% and that was exhilerating. I certainly wouldn't have done that well out in front without a LOT of laps before hand. Cool. Laguna Seca... Cork Screw! awesome.

    We had 3 modules.
    The road course (performance drive) was with Chargers, Mags, and Calibers (I missed out on the Caliber. I'm glad. I got extra turns in the others.)
    Autocross with the Caliber (not required to shift, too tight). I won something (3rd, actually 2nd but the score keeper didn't add the cones for the guy who got first. Same prizes).
    Shootout? -- like 1/4 autocross course that you start at a tree against someone doing a mirror course. Oh, yea. On both the autocross and the shootout you had a start box/tree AND a stop box. You stop the clock by stopping IN the stop box. Run through it and you're dq'ed.

    One more thing. If anyone says anything about an incident with a viper IT WASN'T ME.
     
  4. sleeper

    sleeper New Member

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    How did Noid do today?
     
  5. Quick

    Quick Mgmt. - I can't help you

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    Noid was in our group (Buttercup...). Cheatek, Noid, and me from here. I suspect 1 or 2 other guys may be on the forums too but didn't id themselves as such. Noid almost won the shootout. haha, almost got dq'd at the same time. Noid and Cheatek were in the 4 finalists and had a runoff, and another runoff, and another. all in the vipers. Noid was always leading out of the last corner into the very short straight to the stop box and just exploded every time. You just had to sort of stay on the course and cones didn't count against you. It was sort of like part of the car had to cover all or most of the course. They both blew the box once. Then Cheatek eather redlined or blew the box and Noid kind of got sideways in that last straight and then the other sideways in the same straight and then they were sort of running at him waving their arms to just stop and then they sort of told him to go. All he had to do was stop in the box but he thought it was all over so he blew threw it. LOL Would have been a great U-tube. So then they made them GET OUT of the vipers and put them in the calibers. Noid was probably one of the best drivers in our group. There was this really huge guy that was good too. Of course that's relative. One person couldn't drive a stick... They had Michelins on the vipers. They were either really hard or really crappy rain tires...

    Scott asked them how often they replace the cars. "Oh, we keep them all year. Then they're auctioned". Everybody goes "ewww". "only driven on weekends low mileage".
     
  6. ChargerGirl

    ChargerGirl Mama / DB Geek / Driver

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    Yeah, try driving them on the last weekend of the year! That was my experience at Infineon and the brakes on the magnums were about toast!
     
  7. sleeper

    sleeper New Member

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    Sounds like fun. I should of been there.
     
  8. Quick

    Quick Mgmt. - I can't help you

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    Yes, you should have. Like Scott kept saying all day. Chance to drive Laguna Seca --priceless.
     
  9. sleeper

    sleeper New Member

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    I was waiting on good news all week. Which turned into bad news. Anyway I never got signed up. I'm bummed out.
     
  10. Quick

    Quick Mgmt. - I can't help you

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    Funny, but the car I like least on the road course was the Charger. Some cars had full Mopar kits (cai, cat back, and suspension). The Mag I drove (twice) had it, that was great (and I've got one so I'm pretty comfortable in one). I'm pretty sure the 300 I drove (once) had it and the Charger I drove (twice) didn't. The Mag was wonderful then a noticeable (not large) step down to the 300 and just a little step down to the Charger.

    And WTF is up with the Chargers? I got in that and the top left of my head was wedged against the roof (no, the seat was not all the way up). I put the seat down a bit (not all the way to the floor so I could see over the wheel) and my head was only wedged a little. No problem in the Mag or 300. They make the Charger specially for short people?

    By the way, the '08 seats have way better side bolsters than my '06.
     
  11. Quick

    Quick Mgmt. - I can't help you

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    They said it looks solid that the program will be continued next year and that it looks like they got confirmation of that early enough to reserve a date at Laguna Seca again. Apparently that's why Laguna wasn't on the schedule last year. They were too late to reserve a date and they were all taken.
     
  12. StevoSRT

    StevoSRT Moderator

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    at least you'd get them for cheap!! hahaha...would be good if your gonna build up the car with like a 426 or somethin haha

    Jeeze man how tall are you? haha...first time i heard that...even with my helmet on im ok with head room

    The new seats are awesome...i wish they didnt do away with the real SRT8 emblem on them though
     
  13. Cheatek

    Cheatek SRT once, SRT always

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    I think it was just his big butt, lol! J/K Dave!! Seriously, we're about the same size and I didn't have a problem, if anything Dave is smaller than me in the rear end area so I don't know what he's complaining about. He probably just didn't lower the seat all the way the dummy, lol! And hey Dave, GREAT meeting you and driving down together (we'll have to meet up some day just to sit around and talk shop).

    Alright, I see Quick (Dave) has posted up on yesterday's TE already and I'm here to clear up his lies and give you all the real facts!!! Lol!! First off, YES, Dave was the first of our group to SPIN OUT IN THE VIPER no matter what he says (it was great, lol!). Now he did go in planning on doing that so he did accomplish one of his goals for the day. Congrats Dave!!! :good: Hahahahahaa!

    Seriously, we ALL spun the Vipers. Let's see, 600 horse, tight autocross course with a drag race start. Oh yea, in the RAIN too. Yep, everyone was out of control in the Vipers, it's was a blast!! (so don't feel bad Dave).

    Oh, and yea Noid (Mike) and I had a great run off in the Vipers (apparently we're both equally inept drives, lol)!! Thing is Dave and anyone else listening, we did that on purpose. We were doing it for the crowd! Anyone can have a plain old ordinary run around the track, that's boring, we added excitement (you're with me on this one right Mike, lol!). It was a little embarrassing to be told to get out of the Viper and back into the Caliber though, kinda like being sent down to the minors but heck, everyone was laughing and having a great time so it was worth it!!

    The best part of the day by far was driving the road course (I can die a happy man now). Just to be on that storied race track driving an SRT was INCREDIBLE!! Like Dave said, it was kinda surprising how well the cars stuck in the rain, I was shocked. The F1s REALLY grabbed well and not until the very end did I ever notice even a wiggle from the rear of any of them ... and I was powering out of all the turns well before the acceleration cones (hey, those cones are just "suggestions" anyway right? Lol!).

    And Dave's nuts about the Chargers. All you with Chargers out there I'm a little jealous cause that's the car I enjoyed most. Yea the 300s and Magnums are all pretty much the same but there's something about the Chargers that I really enjoyed (plus I was lucky enough to get 2 turns in them). And my first time out was in the Mopar modded Torred Charger (Torred Stevo, Torred, I loved it!), and that thing plain out MOVED!! It was FAST!! Since I have the mopar cai, catback and coilover kit on my maggie I felt right at home in it and even in the pouring rain I was dying to go faster.

    Yea like Dave said, they kept us to 75-80% maybe and that was cause of the rain, I'm sure of it, they would have taken us faster without it. In the hot laps at the end it had dried out and I was with a guy in one of the regular Chargers and I was right with him all the way. By that I mean I felt I could have driven that fast, or pretty close to it, had I been following along I just know it, wish I could have driven that fast earlier. Oh well, there's always next time.

    Anyway, it was a great time with great cars, great people and a great track. Thinking back on it I think maybe they used the Caliber a little too much. I understand they tailor each Experience to each track and Laguna Seca has very little area to do anything extra (there's only the paddock area really) so I understand and enjoyed the autocross and shootout events, I just think they should have used the Jeeps (or another car) for the shootout along with the Vipers and not used the Calibers again (I had my fill of the Calibers for the day). Otherwise it was great! Great meeting everyone and if you get a chance to go to LS for the TE do it, you won't be dissapointed! :rock:
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2008
  14. Cheatek

    Cheatek SRT once, SRT always

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    Oh hey John, they timed you for the shootout?? They didn't with us, it was just first to the box wins.
     
  15. Cheatek

    Cheatek SRT once, SRT always

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    Oh yea lastly I forgot ... the "corkscrew" ... :mouth:

    It's one of the most insane things you'll ever experience. One of the instructors told me it's a 7 story drop!! First time over it my reaction was "HOLY FU@#$%^ SH!T!" (I can't wait to get my dvd, lol!) Do Laguna Seca just to experience it.
     
  16. sleeper

    sleeper New Member

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    Oh I wish I would have been there.
     
  17. Zelly

    Zelly New Member

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    meee too that would of been awsome...... how long till u get the dvd?? u guys gonna post some clips of it?
     
  18. Cheatek

    Cheatek SRT once, SRT always

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    Yea, anyone that lives in CA really knows the history of Laguna Seca and how special it is (Andretti corner is an AWESOME turn!!) so I feel for you guys not being able to go. Remember, the TE is open to anyone for $500 and I'm seriously thinking about doing it again. They said they're gonna try to keep going back there so keep an eye open for it (it won't be till next year at the earliest though).

    They said 6 weeks to get the dvd but Noid said it took like 12 before he got his so we'll see. And yea, I'll try to post up some vids. They're supposed to have audio too so I'll only post up my "PG-13" clips, lol!!
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2008
  19. Zelly

    Zelly New Member

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    well feel free to PM me those " R" rated vids lol..... i almost took yesterday off and drove down ...... but that 500 is the money im spending on mods so.... yay me
     
  20. Cheatek

    Cheatek SRT once, SRT always

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    Lol! I know there's plenty of "R" rated language on mine, hahahha! I finally remembered I was being videod after a while and altered my "narration" (or tried too, lol!).

    I hear ya bout the mods. I want that Predator and that's $400 right there. Dang, gotta win me the lotto, hahahahaha!