Is anyone on the site planning on participating in the Silver State Classic this Sept 2017? My son and I are going and I wanted to see if there was anyone else that might be participating that can lend some insight.

This is the first year I will be participating and am really excited. I was reading that Corvettes comprise appox 60 to 70 percent of the entries. Would love to talk to all that have had the chance to participate. Thanks and hope to hear from ya.

 

You have a roll cage and 5 point harness? Double check everything, wheels tight and have fun! Thats insane, you guys are going to be hauling ***.

Leave some gas on the other side with a friend? Superspeederrob ran out of gas, got lucky and rolled into the gas station in his video.

My dad has an old vhs of this event, with big red and a vette blew a tire and the guy died... These days stuff I think is built better. But I mean, ya know, check stuff out...

Still, roll cage and 5 point.

 

Yeah, I saw his video when he ran out of gas and coasted in to the gas station, that was amazing he made it as far as he did to make the pumps.

I've heard about the driver and Navigator that died a couple of years ago when a tire blew and they were killed as a result.

I've got a brand new set Michelins going on tomorrow, new suspension, new rear wheel bearings, my car has 153K of hard run miles so it was time. Trying not to leave anything to chance for this event.

No roll bar yet, but I just installed two new Simpson 5 point harnesses, new full face helmets and fire suits.

 

Good luck with your adventure. Be smart be safe and go fast.

 

in for the story of your run...always wanted to do that.

 

Yeah, I have been waiting for this a long time, I am really excited!!!

 

If this is your first time running you most likely will have to run in one of the touring classes 95-110 mph. With a Vette, you have to run Y-rated tires because those are the rated tires that came with a C5. We showed up with brand new NT-05 W-rated tires and did not pass tech. After some discussion, we were allowed to run the lower 100-mph class and told never to come back with non-Y-rated tires. We ended up putting rear 18" Z06 wheels all the way around with new Y-rated Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

As long as you are not running a convertible, you don't need a roll bar, can use stock seat belts and don't need a driving suit (helmet required), etc. Convertibles require a roll bar.

Get the rules online and go over everything very carefully. They are pretty serious going through tech and checking tires. They need to be because most of the race deaths have been due to tire failures and roll over crashes.

Have fun,

Rod

 

Thanks, I have downloaded the rules book and am going through it. I am going in the Touring class and am registered for the 110 MPH.

I just bought a brand new set of Michelin Pilot Sports in a ZR rating, so they will not let me run a tire that is over the classification of the tires that came on the car? Did I understand you correctly?

 

ZR rating is even lower than W-rating so that's a no-go. Although ZR is rated at 149 mph and W is rated at 168 mph, they require you to have a Y-rating of 186 mph even if you are running in the lower speed touring classes. Look in the rules on tires and it says something about the tires need to be at least the same rating that came with the vehicle. If the tire sticker on the driver's door says it came with Y-rating, that's what you need.

You have enough time before the event, so you can e-mail your questions to the tech inspector and be all prepared so you won't be surprised when you get to Ely. Also, unless you have some form of competition license that they will accept, you will have to pass the driving qualification course in Las Vegas on the Thursday before the race. As a first timer, normally there will be a driving tour Thursday afternoon from Las Vegas to Ely where you drive the course backward and they stop at various places to give you some driving tips. Be prepared for at least a 3 to 4-day event with a required car show, driving parade through Ely (bring candy to throw at the kids) and a few mandatory meeting for the driver and co-driver).

The 110 mph class is the most competitive and normally has the highest number of entrants. You can run a stock car in the touring class, but the higher classes start to require race seats, harnesses, roll bars, race driving apparel, etc.

Rod

 

I lost all interest in this race after seeing this
Cruising at 110 mph is boring on wide open roads. Sure if you spend the money and years to work up to a higher class then it would be fun.

I drove across Texas on the 10 and we set the cruise control at 99 because we didnt want a ticket doing over 100. We were getting passed all day long and that was a boring day and we never saw any highway patrol. I couldn't imagine paying to go 110 across Nevada. There is no real sense of speed when the land is that open and you are in overdrive just cruising along.

 

When I worked for a government agency many years ago, there were complaints about lack of radio coverage on about a hundred mile stretch of two-lane highway in Eastern Nevada. I was asked to run it and call in a radio check every mile post. A technician was recording it.

When I got to the destination and walked into the office, the senior law enforcement officer told me I was under arrest, because he had been timing me every mile post. He and the office staff got a big laugh out of that.

 

Good luck with the event. Please do post up how the event went and a video or pics would be great.