[jfaphoenix32]

A Young Z06 Race Car Driver!!!

It looks like the Z06 addiction isn't just for us old guys.

Last weekend at Savannah Georgia's 2.2 mile Roebling Road Race Track, 16 yr old Andrew Aquilante of Chester Springs, Pa completed his first SCCA Competition License drivers School in a
T-1 2001 Z06 Corvette prepped by Phoenix Performance, Inc of Phoenixville pa..

The event was a SCCA three day double driving school and Andrew completed over six hours of track time, with half of it in the rain and fog....For a driving instructor, Andrew was fortunate to have none other than Don Knowles, a SCCA National Champion as well as long time Corvette Driver and winner of over 13 24 hour races!! Andy and fellow students John Murphy and Chuck Willyard, were treated to Don's experienced and unique approach to driving and were fortunate to have him as an instructor!!

This was a weekend of firsts for Andy. This was his first SCCA driving school and his first time at the Roebling Road Race Course... Also his first time in a Z06 at speed and his first time ever competing in the rain...

So how did he do? Pretty well is the quick answer!!

The 120 students at the school spent 3 hours on Thursday in a classroom session. On Friday morning it was off to the track for a full day of driving and learning about racing. After a couple of sessions to learn the track, he quickly moved to the top of the time sheets, consistently placing in the top three...

By the end of the practice sessions, he was turning the fastest times on the track in wet or dry over several GT1 and GT2 fully prepped race cars.

In the two practice races that capped off the event, he put the Z06 and his newly learned skills to the test. The first race was run in pouring rain, and he showed just how capable the T-1 Z06 is, by quickly slashing to the front and running away from the field and winning the race.

Starting from the pole in the second practice race held in the dry on Sunday, he put the power down again and set fast lap time of the event and won the race... Going away...

He didn't have much to say after the event, but the grin was from ear to ear... Is this better than video games? "Yeah, the walls are real if you hit them!!! How about the car? "Awesome!!!" Asked if he was eager to get back to school at Downingtown Sr high in Downingtown. Pa..on the following Tuesday we heard only a "do i have to?"

How about college? "Ok, I'm thinking about it..."

Ok, so he didn't deliver one of those Nascar type "my goodyear, budweiser, dad sponsored... Lines in a southern draw like the nascar drivers do... And this was only a school...

But it sure was fun..

And the Z06? Well it ran 6 and 1/2 hours on track at speed in wet and dry without missing a beat... Flawless...

What a car!!!


:thumbs: :party:


[Modified by jfaphoenix32, 7:24 AM 2/27/2004]