DetroitStyle
Club Member
Bright and early in the morning... starting up the SRT8 for the first time in weeks... it's filthy, but I'm using the garage at the moment for the GSXR project
It's early for those of us who work afternoons...
Gotta make it look halfway decent
Breakfast of Champions!
Two miles of asshole truckers doing 60mph side by side
Aaaaaand, see ya!
Arriving at MIS!
2011 Mustang Pace Car:
SRT Signs!
This must be the place! These are the cars of the other participants
Oh my!
Watching into videos
Part 1... auto-x in a 2010 Charger SRT8. First event of the day. The "professional" instructor went out and threw down a 27.5 but hit one cone. Cones were a 2 second penalty. I was nearly the last to go in my group of 30. One other guy was really fast, 26.something, but he hit 3 or 4 cones. He was a Viper engineer and drove there in a SOM Viper. He was fast, but sloppy. We got 2 laps. My first was a 28.? with one cone hit. Second lap... 27.7 CLEAN! No cones hit, fastest lap of the day by anybody in the SRT8 Charger!
Vid of my second lap:
Like a bauce:
Getting ready to head out for "Driving Dynamics" which was a slower speed into to the road course. It was my first time ever on anything of the sort. We went in packs of 3, with an instructor leading two "students"... It was intended to show braking points, apexing, smooth transitions, etc...
I drove a new Challenger SRT8 392 which was FUCKING AWESOME. A truely amazing car. It's size and weight seems to disappear on the road and it pulls like a freight train.
I also drove a new 2012 Charger R/T with the handling package. Basically a SRT8 without the 6.4 engine. This was PROBABLY the most impressive car of the bunch for the price. The new Charger is a WINNER all the way around. Huge improvements across the board from the last generation.
After the road course, it was back to the cones for the "head to head" Challenge. This was where the day got interesting. We were driving Challenger R/Ts head to head against another person who started on the other side of the course.
And yeah, second lap out, things got a bit more fun than they were supposed to. Either the Challenger has the loosest traction control system ever, or mine got switched off somehow, but going around the keyhole circle at the top of the course, I roasted the tires all the way around, spewing smoke and cones as the ass end swung around. At that point, I figured fuck it, might as well have fun, and got all kinds of sideways around the next turn, with the front of the car pointed at the tent full of people and I could see the intructors NOT HAPPY with me as they flagged me down to stop. Yeah, disqualified from the event, with all eyes on me. I swear I didn't shut it off, but I also didn't let off the gas when I felt it get loose:
Unfortunately I don't have pics/video of this, but the other guys in the group came up to me and said "That was awesome. You were BILLOWING smoke from the wheelwells around the loop." The love it, the instructors did not.
But, they relaxed and gave me another go and I did fine
Then we went back to the road course to finish the day and saw these Fiat 500 EssEss Abarths
But we didn't get to drive them.
We got to drive the same SRT8s (2010 Charger SRT8, 2010 300C SRT8, 2012 Charger R/T and 2012 Challenger 392 SRT8) at higher speeds. I know it won't seem fast to the Youtube warriors and professional drivers out there.... but to me, it felt like we were really hustling. Tires were squealing, ass ends were kicking out, tires were hitting the edges of the pavement and kicking up dirt. It was a fucking BLAST. I loved it and can't wait to do it again.
After we were done driving, we got a "Hot Lap" where we rode along with an instructor. I got pretty lucky, as most of the guys agreed that my driver "Dane" was the fastest guy there. I guess he's a part time Craftsman Truck Series guy. He took me around in the 392 Challenger and any notion I had that I was going fast myself were SHATTERED. In the right hands, it was INSANE. Late braking, perfect apexing, smooth on the throttle, etc. I have a bruise on my shoulder from the seatbelt from the braking.
Oh, and those lucky enough to have scored well in all events got a ride in this:
I would have been right there, had I not gone apeshit in the Challenger and eliminated myself. Watching that car head off onto the track, and brake into the first corner and go around it like it was on rails was impressive enough... but everybody who got out of the passenger seat of the ACR had a Cheshire Cat grin.
I will upload a few more vids tomorrow. I'm pooped.
It's early for those of us who work afternoons...
Gotta make it look halfway decent
Breakfast of Champions!
Two miles of asshole truckers doing 60mph side by side
Aaaaaand, see ya!
Arriving at MIS!
2011 Mustang Pace Car:
SRT Signs!
This must be the place! These are the cars of the other participants
Oh my!
Watching into videos
Part 1... auto-x in a 2010 Charger SRT8. First event of the day. The "professional" instructor went out and threw down a 27.5 but hit one cone. Cones were a 2 second penalty. I was nearly the last to go in my group of 30. One other guy was really fast, 26.something, but he hit 3 or 4 cones. He was a Viper engineer and drove there in a SOM Viper. He was fast, but sloppy. We got 2 laps. My first was a 28.? with one cone hit. Second lap... 27.7 CLEAN! No cones hit, fastest lap of the day by anybody in the SRT8 Charger!
Vid of my second lap:
Like a bauce:
Getting ready to head out for "Driving Dynamics" which was a slower speed into to the road course. It was my first time ever on anything of the sort. We went in packs of 3, with an instructor leading two "students"... It was intended to show braking points, apexing, smooth transitions, etc...
I drove a new Challenger SRT8 392 which was FUCKING AWESOME. A truely amazing car. It's size and weight seems to disappear on the road and it pulls like a freight train.
I also drove a new 2012 Charger R/T with the handling package. Basically a SRT8 without the 6.4 engine. This was PROBABLY the most impressive car of the bunch for the price. The new Charger is a WINNER all the way around. Huge improvements across the board from the last generation.
After the road course, it was back to the cones for the "head to head" Challenge. This was where the day got interesting. We were driving Challenger R/Ts head to head against another person who started on the other side of the course.
And yeah, second lap out, things got a bit more fun than they were supposed to. Either the Challenger has the loosest traction control system ever, or mine got switched off somehow, but going around the keyhole circle at the top of the course, I roasted the tires all the way around, spewing smoke and cones as the ass end swung around. At that point, I figured fuck it, might as well have fun, and got all kinds of sideways around the next turn, with the front of the car pointed at the tent full of people and I could see the intructors NOT HAPPY with me as they flagged me down to stop. Yeah, disqualified from the event, with all eyes on me. I swear I didn't shut it off, but I also didn't let off the gas when I felt it get loose:
Unfortunately I don't have pics/video of this, but the other guys in the group came up to me and said "That was awesome. You were BILLOWING smoke from the wheelwells around the loop." The love it, the instructors did not.
But, they relaxed and gave me another go and I did fine
Then we went back to the road course to finish the day and saw these Fiat 500 EssEss Abarths
But we didn't get to drive them.
We got to drive the same SRT8s (2010 Charger SRT8, 2010 300C SRT8, 2012 Charger R/T and 2012 Challenger 392 SRT8) at higher speeds. I know it won't seem fast to the Youtube warriors and professional drivers out there.... but to me, it felt like we were really hustling. Tires were squealing, ass ends were kicking out, tires were hitting the edges of the pavement and kicking up dirt. It was a fucking BLAST. I loved it and can't wait to do it again.
After we were done driving, we got a "Hot Lap" where we rode along with an instructor. I got pretty lucky, as most of the guys agreed that my driver "Dane" was the fastest guy there. I guess he's a part time Craftsman Truck Series guy. He took me around in the 392 Challenger and any notion I had that I was going fast myself were SHATTERED. In the right hands, it was INSANE. Late braking, perfect apexing, smooth on the throttle, etc. I have a bruise on my shoulder from the seatbelt from the braking.
Oh, and those lucky enough to have scored well in all events got a ride in this:
I would have been right there, had I not gone apeshit in the Challenger and eliminated myself. Watching that car head off onto the track, and brake into the first corner and go around it like it was on rails was impressive enough... but everybody who got out of the passenger seat of the ACR had a Cheshire Cat grin.
I will upload a few more vids tomorrow. I'm pooped.
