“Cold tires, cold tires, cold tires” was the mantra of the weekend – particularly Saturday – and the constant reminder paid off with no real incidents from any GTM members all weekend. This of course didn’t mean there may or may not have been some cold tire agricultural excursions, but what’s a little landscaping among friends?
How cold was it? – Cold enough for Mike C to buy ^that^ sweater (above)… LOL. Many of us arrived before the 5:30 gate opening, which meant spending time at South Paddock chit-chatting outside before being let in. Fantasies of going to VIR’s kart track were burst, so instead we settled for dinner at the Oak Tree Tavern after unloading all the vehicles.
Temperatures dropped Friday night into Saturday morning to a brisk and refreshing 24 degrees, with day time temperatures just reaching shy of 50 degrees in early afternoon, before dropping back down to 30 degrees overnight into Sunday. Brrrr! Bellies were warmed Saturday morning when member Brad N’s portable griddle was fired up and a round of over easy eggs with cheese and Canadian bacon breakfast sandwiches were whipped up. Yum! The sandwiches were enjoyed while basking in the heat of member Brett S’s portable propane heater – now a must have for any future cold weather events.
First session of the day was blue group which meant members Mike C (aka “I registered too late for any other spot”), Max S, and Tania M (#rideshare) were the first GTMers to brave the cold track. The first session was pretty sketchy due to the low temps, and was just the beginning of what felt like a ‘cold mess’ of a day for me.
It was a tense session, during which I drove very prudently. Warm up the brain, warm up the tires, warm up the car – note my lap around VIR (above). Grip was definitely lacking, but the run group managed to keep themselves on track and there were no real incidents – hoorah! Later sessions were better, but ambient temperatures were still low and exercising caution remained the wise choice. #theterribletoad.
Temperatures did creep up at about midday, just enough to sway GTMers to swap R-comps for slicks. What did this mean for me? – New tires… cold tires… tires I have limited experience with… ergo more prudent driving. In fairness, “grip” could be found during the afternoon sessions but obviously nothing compared to a hot day at VIR.
Late afternoon reports were that grip was falling off lap after lap as the sun faded and shadows crept across the track. As the sun was setting in my last session, the urge to reach for the nonexistent sun visor to block the blinding sun was strong.
Novice students who were stuck with running in the last session of the day were actually driving just after twilight with their headlights on. This was a challenge for both the students and the coaches. Needless to say VIR gets dark quick. Note: pictured above is Mike C in the tech line at North Paddock, local time: 6:30pm.
With Day 1 laps safely behind the group and any cold related tensions dissipated, the traditional Saturday night festivities of Aunt Millie’s pizza and Forza racing could begin. The VIR Forza runoffs got fancy this year thanks to the use of member Tom W’s sweet portable racing rig. Thanks Tom, now I want one! – In the end, Tania M clinched the victory by half a second against brother Eric M in the GTM Turbo NC Miata. In keeping with tradition, the lap times were officially recorded on the back of a Millie’s pizza box (bottom, right). #proof.
The entire weekend had no real life incidents, but the same can’t be said about virtual life. “It’s fiiiine” says Nick C (above, center).
Day 2 was a beautiful day. It started off almost 10 degrees warmer than Day 1 and promised to get to 62 degrees, which it did! Grip could be reliably found on the track all day serving to increase my comfort level dramatically and allowing me to start pushing a little harder. As is typical of Day 2, the crew started to thin out early with Max S, Mike C, and Brad N being the first to call it a successful weekend.
We were sad that this years DE Champion Judd G fell ill right before the event… it would have been really cool to see all the MK4 variants together on track. Nonetheless we did a fair job representing this niche group in GTM. #gtmmk4vws #getwellsoon.
Like any track weekend, you never know what is going to show up at an event. And this year was no exception. Tom W (Southern States Region, represent!) took some phenomenal pictures from the event, not many, only about 1,200 or so he says. You can peruse all of this weekend’s photos via the Vault, but in the meantime, enjoy the sampling below.
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Despite a frigid start to the weekend, the camaraderie of GTMers always manages to warm you up inside and put a smile on your face. Southern States hopes to see ya’ll back at VIR again next year! Until next time!
I personally love VIR and look forward to going every year. Whether its hot, cold, or raining – it never disappoints!
More photos available in the Vault!
 HPDE event at VIRginia International Raceway.){kind=link}