The track is almost a half mile track, with 28 or so turns. There is almost no straight section long enough to matter. The entrance turn to the last turn is an off-camber turn that gets a lot of people. Most people run above 60 seconds the first time at the track. Running a 60 second lap means that your average speed is 24 mph. not very fast, but a lot of fun.
The Cars:
F50 Minis: These are GoKarts. Kids, if they are tall enough can drive them. They have small Honda engines, and can help a youngster learn to drive.
Virage Cars: These are miniature Formula cars. They have about 24 horsepower. These are for adults or specially qualified people as noted above. Top speed is about 60 MPH if you could get them on a straight road.
Grand Virage: These cars are the same as the Virage cars except they have a passenger seat. They are heavy. They also steer very heavy. They will go almost as fast as the Virage cars.
VFX: This is the special, fast car that everyone wants to drive. The car has several features that make it a better car. It has about 35 horsepower. The tires use a softer rubber compound to give you more traction. The shocks are slightly different giving you better control. The engine will rev a little higher than the Virage cars. It has 4 wheel disk brakes, though, once you learn how to drive it you almost never use the brakes. To qualify to drive the VFX, you must drive a Virage car two laps in a row, at 55.50 or better. If you drive one qualifying lap, make sure the starter or one of the other track guys knows about it. They do not always watch everyone's times. They will almost never take your word for it. Your qualifying laps must be clean laps. If you hit a lot of the berms and bounce the car around, they will not allow you to qualify.
One additional note. Qualifying for the VFX means that you do not have to wait in the normal line to drive. If there are no other VFX drivers waiting, you can tell one of the track attendants that you are a VFX driver and would like to drive the VFX.
Be kind. We VFX drivers often are lurking around talking to other drivers, not standing in line. We may be taking a break. Ask the track guys if there are other VFX drivers waiting. They know most of us, and will gladly point us out. Personally, I will let anyone drive in front of me. We all just try to be friendly. Yeah, you might call it a kind of a club, though very unofficial.
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Fred Guymon
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