GTM’s newly christened Mountain Region is off to a great start this year, adding a few new members in recent weeks, and kicking off our season with a Happy Hour at Vanish Brewing Company in Leesburg, VA. Our first happy hour was a small turn out but a nice one. In attendance we had current region members: Matt Y, Brian Y, along with my coworker Jarrell and our newest recruit Matt W with his wife Stephanie and son (pictured above).
The brews and the views at Vanish were awesome, and we hope to return for more events there soon and we hope you can join us for our next event too.
As for the rest of the weekend, it was time for the Mounties… is that what we’re calling ourselves now? … To saddle up and join our brethren in GTM NorthEast for an event with HookedOnDriving at Pocono Raceway. Unfortunately, I didn’t get many pictures from the event as I was busy running around the entire day. I was surprised by the turnout, this event was packed with a lot of people on track during each session. We had a decent turnout of GTM members: Mike C, Chrissy C, Steve F John C, Ken E, Gordon B, Kerwin W, Matt Y, Judd G, Harry B, Logan E, and I’m sure I’m missing others that may have been there as well!
The day started out at a cool sunny day and got to a warmer than expected by midday but that made the track nice and sticky. Most vehicles held up very well throughout the day. Judd G was finally successful at being in good enough shape to drive home with his car – HOORAY! But I have to admit his car is a good bit faster than mine, and yet, Jettadiah held up just fine and the nankangs lasted another event! Mike and Chrissy had some shifter cable issues in the Beetle, and Kerwin blew a head gasket during his first session. Gordon corded a tire and most everyone else in the group didn’t had any issues. Lunch was at a local restaurant which consisted of sandwich or sub items (Turkey/Ham), breaded chicken, salad, potatoes, pasta salad, and a few other various sides.
There were a lot of fast cars this weekend and some eye catchers as well. One being a ’67 Camaro on a custom chassis, running a big block with a 5-speed putting power to a 10-inch rear. It was set up with coilovers and sounded amazing! – Turned out Gordon B was their instructor for the day and I was able to speak with the owner and his family. The son drove the first half of the day and the father drove the 2nd half.
During one of our conversations the son asked about any local clubs, naturally we want to keep growing the Mountain Region, so I marketed GTM and gave him one of our new flyers! #masterrecruiter. They expressed interest in going to Watkins Glen with HOD and mentioned some of us should be there… so we look forward to seeing our new friends again soon!
Just like the last time I went to Pocono, the day ended with torrential downpours … many of us that opted to not do the full NASCAR tri-oval loop at the end of the day were already loading up when the skies opened up. The rains made the drive home hectic as numerous semi-trucks had wrecked along the way causing a ton of traffic. Overall – a great day at the track but more importantly an awesome weekend!
See you next time!
More photos available in the Vault!
