After finishing our runs at 3Com, Navid and I headed over to Altamont.
We made it just in time to start the afternoon session. Cars were
gridded on the 1/2 mile course, on the straight away that runs along the
spectator bleachers. Cars headed clockwise, down into the 1/4 mile
section and tripped the lights. Then instead of continuing up the
banking along the straight (which is where the grid was located), cars
did a hairpin turn left, putting them onto the 1/2 mile banking. Cones
prevented us from running any higher than 1/2 way up the banking. We
accelerated up to 3rd gear until reaching the middle of the track.
There was a very open chicane there that required just a little bit of
braking. A little further on was a series of tight chicanes. Right
after that we headed into another hairpin to put us back onto the 1/4
mile infield oval to trip the lights again for the finish.
There was a real variety of cars on hand - from an original Mini to an
Elise S1. Dennis looped it on the fastest part of the track, sliding to
a stop just a few feet from the wall. And sadly, a young man who had
built up an old Ford Thunderbird into a track car lost it in about the
same place. He hit the outside wall pretty hard with the RF of the car.
Fortunately no one was hurt.
Unlike 3Com, Altamont was smooth and grippy and conditions were much
warmer. Navid put his considerable NASCAR-viewing skills to work and
set fastest time of the day on this unusual oval/autocross course.
Joe
180 ESP
www.joe250.com
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