My First Road Course Experience - Gingerman Raceway
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Wounded Warrior Escort '11
My First Road Course Experience - Gingerman Raceway
I recently participated in a track day at Gingerman Raceway in Michigan. Although I've had the oppotunity to drive my car on a number of tracks including Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Kentucky Motor Speedway, I've never run on a road course before.
This was the perfect opportunity since the event is intended for people with little or experience who want the chance to run their car at speed on a dedicated road course. The only requirement was to wear a helmet. Participants were limited to about 50 cars of all types and were divided into four classes depending on experience level and type of car. I was placed in Class B (second highest) because of the capability of the C5. I ran with about 15 other cars including Corvettes, Camaros, WRXs, EVOs, etc. For a rookie I think I did OK. I wasn't pushing it too much because the last thing I wanted to do was go off course and damage the car. Mission accomplished since I kept all four wheels on the track and drove the car home in one piece! One thing's for sure... I used up about a years worth of brake pads!
I also took my Mini Cooper S and ran it in the afternoon after getting a good feel for what my C5 could do. ALthough it wasn't as fast on the straights, it was a lot quicker and nimble through the twists and turns.
Bottom Line - It was a blast to run either car on a safe, dedicated road course.
This was the perfect opportunity since the event is intended for people with little or experience who want the chance to run their car at speed on a dedicated road course. The only requirement was to wear a helmet. Participants were limited to about 50 cars of all types and were divided into four classes depending on experience level and type of car. I was placed in Class B (second highest) because of the capability of the C5. I ran with about 15 other cars including Corvettes, Camaros, WRXs, EVOs, etc. For a rookie I think I did OK. I wasn't pushing it too much because the last thing I wanted to do was go off course and damage the car. Mission accomplished since I kept all four wheels on the track and drove the car home in one piece! One thing's for sure... I used up about a years worth of brake pads!
I also took my Mini Cooper S and ran it in the afternoon after getting a good feel for what my C5 could do. ALthough it wasn't as fast on the straights, it was a lot quicker and nimble through the twists and turns.
Bottom Line - It was a blast to run either car on a safe, dedicated road course.