[Marc A]

Sorry that this report has taken soooo long to get to the board, the dial up is at 14000 so slow doesn’t describe the speeds, plus at long distance exchange prices, this is all she wrote for now.

Friday was perfect weatherwise and track wise. The first runs of the day for Jim, David and I ended in what could be described as awe . . . . the track elevation changes, blind turns, and demand for power were unbelievable. NO video of this track can prepare you for the real thing. Bill was the seasoned veteran, having last years event under his belt, so in his usual fashion, was undaunted by this incredible track. Everyone left the track in one piece, at least in our dorki group. There was some real carnage and some stupid driving in the upper run groups, but all from participants that were out of Potomac’s membership. We all left Friday exhausted by the mental exercise that the track demanded, but satisfied that this would be an event to remember

Saturday, another perfect day for the weather. The 4 of us settled in a bit and started exploring the addition of some speed to the line that we were honing. Although the track, at first blush, doesn’t seem as technical as Summit Point, what I learned, because of the elevation changes coupled with the turns, was that placement of the car at certain points in the track is critical to running the track fast. The issue is momentum since none of us have 500hp, which BTW wouldn’t be enough for this track. One can navigate Watkins Glen without event placing the car in different places (not too far off line) and get around the track. There are plenty of straights or pseudo straights that the foot goes to the floor and stays there for a while. Put the car in the right spot and it’s a whole different animal. At critical times the track seems to rise up and grip your car just when you need a little more grip or . . . . more importantly a little more track. That is until you hit this nasty blind left hander that has an apex about 3/4 the way around the turn and lots of Styrofoam blocks staring you in the face as the car slides around this corner. The reward if done right, is an unbelievable feeling of speed and centripetal force. Unfortunately, this turn also claimed the front end of a beautiful light blue long nose track car.

Can’t post any pictures as this point, but will do so upon return . . . . . time for day 3, can only hope it as good as the last 2.