dvandentop

i got hooked last april at out clubs annual auto x. since then have done as many auto x as possible and 2 DE at MAM.

it is like crack you cant get enough and it is expensive

LTC Z06

Go to this thread to see how I got hooked.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1010437

dvandentop

friggen sweet

RedHotBolt

I went to a SVT ONtrack Event at Texas Motor Speedway in 2001 in my 1999 Lightning. I then bought a 2003 and spent a stupid amount of $'s on it trying to run it at track days at Texas World Speedway and Motor Sport Ranch. As much fun as it is to be the only guy in a truck it's just too much in a 5000 lb brick! I will do two more events in the truck (March 5th and 6th at TWS and the April event at MSR.....both The Drivers Edge events) then in May the C6 will be here and I will wait until Oct. to run the Vette for the first time on a track. I only run in cool weather months. June, July, August, and Sept suck in Texas!

Jerry

Lancer033

My story is about the same as CPT Z06s. Got stationed in Germany and figured I might as well try out the ring while I was here. A few thousand dollars later.....

0Randy@DRM

I was very lucky and was born into fast cars. My dad used to take me to school in a different hot rod almost everyday. Sideways in third gear wakes up a kid pretty fast. It was hard to learn history when I could smell the race gas on me. I would read Hot Rod, Motortend, Corvette mags, Big Daddy's book most of the time. This didn't go over well with my teachers at all. Many of times we would have meetings after school with my parents. Lucky my parents were hard on me and I got all done with the school thing. Then I went to the best tech school in MN and learned how to weld, and fab metals. So I could build my own race cars and help out more in the shop. Now I drive something with a helment on as much as possible, and spend every waking hour thinking about or working on cars. That's how I got my start.

Randy

Red Gump

randy you may be partly responsible for my addiction! I was helping the panoz school chief mechanic with a track weekend, just working a corner when I saw a beautiful silver z06 go by with a passenger. I thought "how did that happen? how can I get a ride???" and mentioned that to my buddy. he knew the driver and asked him if he'd take me for a lap.

driver said "hop in!" I thought he'd just baby it around on a pace lap but that was NOT the case. he absolutely BUSTED it for an entire session! had the time of my life! I asked him about his car and he said it was a doug rippie special--ed braswell from the keys.

been downhill since then!

dmtnt

Went to Sebring w/ Chin Motorsports when I first got my Z06, been ever since.

bpirate

Standing between the seats of my dads 65 Mustang on I95 going to Daytona with the speedo pegged for miles and miles. I still swear I didn't sleep any on the trip down( at night) but my parents tell me otherwise. Go karts, sports cars yada yada yada.

0Randy@DRM

Red Gump,
Ed sure puts on a show down there in FL. I hear more about that car than any other. The funny thing is, the car doesn't make some crazy rear wheel horsepower number. It just runs strong, handles great, stays cool, and stops on a dime. Ed is a good driver so that helps the whole package also.

Randy

ghoffman

My Dad was a banker and financed a couple of Dragways near Detroit then part of Michigan Intl. Speedway. I got to meet Bruce McLaren, Dennis Hulme, and Dan Gurney, when I was 12 or so at a Can-Am race at MIS. Gurney drove the 3rd McLaren, had to take a provisional and start last. I was about 50 ft behind the Gurney McLaren when they started it and the sound of a full race rat motor with open megaphone exaust stayed with me forever. The 3 orange McLarens crossed the finish line nose-to-tail 1,2,3. It was very exciting for a 12 year old, and the rest is history!

BrianCunningham

Don't really know the first moment, have always been into cars.

My brother had a GTO and a subscription to HotRod. NASCAR on TV. The annual Indy500. Lot's of Muscle Cars on the streets when I was growing up.

tigerdrvr

Dirt bikes as a kid, led to my first RD350 Yamaha and AFM production racing, led to buying a Sunbeam Tiger in the '80s, led to autocross, led to vintage racing, led to Shelby Club and open track, now back to autocross for the first time in 10 years + a couple of vintage race rides a summer + open track...just a steady progression of hits on the "go fast crack pipe" (Tm CC)

RogueVette

Dad raced Porsche 928's and a sad attempt at a Lotus Esprit in the 80's. I went with him every chance I could.

Started AutoX'ing in the 80's with Turbo Dodges as soon as I turned 16, then tracked Saleen Mustangs in the early 90's and still AutoX'd Turbo Dodges. Finally got into Vette's in the mid 90's and realized that the Vette is a track car for the streets while The mustang was a street car I tried to track.

Never looked back. Though I did track a Few SHO's in the late 90's just for kicks.

yellow01

Dad bought me a driversedge.net weekend for my birthday a few years back.

One time on the track, that's all it takes.

Now I've been a fan for many many years, but that's how I got hooked on actually doing it.

Oyishdog

Went to a NASA event to check things out (neighbor at the time, Cobra4B was there) and was hooked from that moment. I always wanted to drive a race car, i had no idea HPDE's exisited until that point. now i just need more money to feed the addiction

joemoia

When I bought my '03 coupe in Jan. '03 I had no intention of becoming involved in serious performance driving. I passed on the Z51 suspension option, believing that the base suspension/EMTs were good enough for my needs. I did have a vague idea of attending a high performance driving school at some point to improve my driving skills.

A co-worker and fellow Vette owner turned me on to the Corvette Forum. Through the CF Pacific Events section I started participating in Saturday morning canyon runs in the local LA area with other CF members. I met several members who were active in trackday events and also learned about the Bragg-Smith Corvette driving school located just over the border in NV.

Well, one thing led to another; I attended Bragg-Smith, upgraded to Z06 suspension/tires, and started going to trackdays in Jan '04. What's great about SoCal is all the tracks/events available. Locally we can run at Cal Speedway (ROVAL), Willow Springs, Streets of Willow and Buttonwillow. Within 1 day travel are Laguna Seca, Sears Point, Thunderhill; and Spring Mountain and Reno-Fernley in NV. If I had the time and $$$ I could go to a trackday event just about every weekend throughout the year, instead of the 1 per month I currently run.

John Shiels

I was about 15 and started with motorcycles. We would read all the mags in 1967. I had a Honda Dream 90 cc and then on from there more and faster bikes. One of the original Sport bikers I had a 1975 900 Kawasaki punched to 1100 cc with a cam, ported heads, some suspension work and a full race fairing and it did close to 170. Cars were not really fast enough for me then.

Growing up on the water I had a boat when I was 15 worked on it all winter and destroyed it in two days when I knocked the bottom out and it almost sunk. Then my father bought me a 14' Chrysler boat. I got to be friends with the dealer and he took me to the races all the time. This was small outboard hydro's which did 100 MPH. I loved to watch. Beat the hell out of the Chrysler taking it out whenever the were storm warnings in the bay. The motor was stolen a 55 Evinrude and the boat sat and I sold it a year later. I started with another a pleasure boat in 1984 then went to Key West to watch the World's. I was running down the beach and taking pictures in disbelieve. In 1986 I started club racing a 25' checkmate twin 200's. Then had a purpose build boat made 28' Checkmate twin 2.4's Merc's. Then with a partner we went to Skater catamarans and he was a dealer. 24, 32, 36 all triple engine outboards. We some World Championships and I also raced with others if we were getting a boat built. Ran a 32' inboard boat with 1800 HP which did 145 MPH but to short for the class. The canopy equipped boat stuffed one day and we travel 150' feet 6' feet under entering at 95 to 100 MPH. Water knocked the canopy lid in and the water pour in like a fire hydrant. The boat resurfaced in Lake Ponchetrain LA half full of water and on its way down. We got the bilge pumps running but the motors hydraulic after ingesting water. Rolled in another 32 Skater boat in the same lake few years earlier. Partner let off the throttle in a corner then applied it and the cat dug it and flipped. People ask me "When did you know you lost it?" I replied "When I was flying through the air and there was no wheel in my hand". Boats ended in 98.

Then I was on my way to the dentist and my 95 Caddy Seville's lease was ending. I stopped to look at Corvette which I did many previous years. I usually said to small not really fast. I stopped in during a mid life crisis I guess and looked around. In 96 they were cheap as the 97 was coming soon. I looked at a GS and said who would drive that with those red seats Well he said it has 30 more HP and fatter wheels. I said I'll drive it and 15 minutes later it was mine. I picked it up the next day. It was going to be a stop gap till the C5 but I couldn't get rid of it. I was hanging out with the Vette Doctors when they first opened the shop after leaving Ramp Chevrolet where I bought the GS. There was a ZR-1 sitting there. I ask what happen to the white paint Carmen said the guy road races it and the brake dust embeds into the paint. I said cool where does this happen? Some how I found PDA and went to Lime Rock to watch. I thought I was nuts driving 165 miles to watch even though I travel the eastern half of the country with the boats. I said I have to try this to my friend. I then find out the last/next event at Lime Rock for the year was experienced only. I watched again in horror. Then I was ready for the next year 2000. Again to my disbelieve it was experienced only for the first event at Lime Rock. I went to my first session at Pocono thinking this is great, cheap just a helmet, no crew as in boat racing. Got passed by a Honda in disbelieve. Found out the guy had 70,000 in this gutted little car. As I got comfortable things got worst. I wanted to go faster, I said one day I’ll run in the Black or top group. There was no real fast Corvette’s in that group. Porsches seem to dominate which pissed me off. Being competitive and wanting to smoke the Porsches the worst has happened. It has led to one mod after another but I got all the Porsches the past few years. There was a 1800 lb / 350 HP one which was faster but he always spun sooner or later. I only saw him one year but hope he returns. I think I would have him now. Constant battle between financial sanity, work, time consumed, and speed desired. After all it’s not even real racing. Thank godness Edith loves it too. She helps prepare at home and at the track. She would go for a 500 mile trip at midnight for a part if I ask. That's what really tops it off for me Edith. Sorry for the I have extra time on my hands this time of year as you can see. Why don't I like golfing. Now there are a bunch of fast Corvette which makes it more fun.

Jim 47

Great story John.

My hook was and autoX with the Brandywine Sportscar Club in Wilmington Delaware in 1972. I had a new Vega GT wagon and finished 2nd to their champ in my class. Most everyone was shocked that a Rallye driver could go that fast in a Vega. After several years of working, raising kids, and being totally domesticated with all the usual home/family responsibilities, I finally got back to a "real" race track at Summit Point in 1991 with a Mitsu Galant VR4 with the Car Guys organization. I've been doing the 'track thing' ever since. I'm now instructing for Car Guys, PDA, CVCC, and the Audi Clubs. My car is a stock 2004 Z06 with the usual enhancements for safety, handling and braking.

I have a great time running with John, Gordon, Grant,Tom, Keven, Joe, Bob, Bill, Evan, Joel, David, Jody, Chris and others. There is a real great bunch of guys and gals at all of these HPDE events and it has been my pleasure to be associated with them over the past several years. Hope to see you all duing 2005.

Jim

John Shiels

Jim no wonder your so dam fast you been doing this since before I was born I wish i was that young. See ya soon! There are a bunch more real fast Vettes lately and all great people!