THSCC Forums

Boy have the max speeds at L'burg changed (for the better). I remember an event where an 80 mph TOP gear resulted in a couple of hundred feet of rev limiter time twice per run before and after a full lock first gear turn around in my 115 HP car. Courses like that on that site are part of the reason I stopped attending L'burg events with the formula car. The slightest driving error could have been fatal. I also recall a Triad Danville event where I went through the finish (with a long, safe shutdown area) at about 90 mph (obviously with a different gear set).

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

Wow that must be nice. My M3 suspension appears to be highly tuned from the factory for competitive Boulevard Pimping.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Watching that suspension rise and sway as you threw it around in Sanford opened my eyes to what good tires can do. Not downplaying the driving or the handling of the beemer, but damn...

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Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

Is the Viper event open to non Viper club members? I thought it was a closed school that THSCC runs for them under contract?

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SPIN or WIN!
there's no glory for going slow.

Chuck,

It's my take that the Viper folks will try to fill the school and then any openings are up for grabs. However, I'm not involved with setting this up and don't really know. But, based on this info from the Viper thread I'd say that there is the possibility that there are openings:

So you want to attend the school rather than instruct/volunteer, here are the details:

1) $50 for the day, includes lunch
2) $12 extra if you want a shirt
3) You will get more seat time/instruction than you can imagine
4) You don't have to shag a cone all day Smile
5) You get to run with the Vipers during their autocross towards the end of the day

If interested, contact Debbie Cade (VP of NC/SC/VA Viper Club) at: Deb78@aol.com

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Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

How is that possible? Are they retractable when they get knocked over?

This is correct.

Part of the Viper deal is that they dont shag cones. That's what the THSCC volunteers do.

If there is room and you are lucky enough to sign up for the event, you don't have to work (i.e. you don't have to shag cones). That's what they are paying THSCC to do. All you do is drive the course again and again and again......

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Rob Harvey
919-697-5485
1997 BMW M3
1992 Acura Integra (Simon)

I've been to Laurinburg events probably 10 times in the last three years, and the only time we've seen third in the Miata was when Eric designed the course at a T&T so we'd need third on purpose, and even then, we didn't need it for *long* (just long enough to get some work up there). I don't recall an actual Laurinburg autocross where I've needed third. It may have (and probably did) happen once or twice, but even if so it wasn't for very long. Sure, the FF is gonna get there faster and may be going faster than my poor little Miata, but I still don't recall any courses that were any more open in significant ways than National courses.

I'm sure people *used* to do that, but it was before my time with Tar Heel.


--Donnie

Let's not go get all irrational here.

The slightest driving error CAN be fatal at ANY speed.

That risk just increases the higher the speed is. And it probably increases exponentially, since stored energy goes up as the square of speed.

I just don't want anyone to feel that autocross is risk free at 60 MPH and completely dangerous at 80 MPH. It's a sliding scale.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Donnie,

You are too new. The event mentioned was 3/26/1995. I actually Pax'd 1st (rare for me even then) and even more rare I beat David Frye in his S2 (Sports 2000 Race Car which is also a C Mod car). David must have had older tires or had a bad day since he usually beat me on fast courses.

Mike,

I agree. However, L'burg's runway, especially in its pre Land Speed Record "configuration" had a LOT of ways to "lose it" at high speed with even less opportunity to scrub off speed prior to hitting something nasty and/or flipping an open wheel car. Courses in those days tended to use a lot of third gear for even Stock 5.0 Mustangs, etc. and would have high speed "kinks". In those days a car like Miles' Vette would have needed third gear on many courses (i.e. over 60 - 65 mph).

Edit to add: Part of the "problem" of higher speeds for lightweight cars on slicks at L'burg was (and is) the fact that so much of the "raceable surface" has all sorts of pavement irregularities, loose concrete, sand, gravel, grass, etc. that can change traction "instantly" and the "runoff" areas are even worse. Think F1/champ car skating across a gravel trap compared to the normal ability to scrub off speed in a slide.

As I said, the lower top speeds at L'burg are "for the better".

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT