Janni
Enthusiast
Saturday we held what we hope will now be an annual event - Snake Charmer School. The Tarheel Sports Car Club ( http://www.thscc.com ) put on this great school and autocross for us. We had 15 Vipers attend and 14 of them participate on the course. We also had 2 rental Neons and one Stratus. (Side note - only time I asked NOT to be upgraded at a rental car place...)
The site is 2 old concrete airstrips in Maxton, NC. Weather was great - lot to mid 80's with a decent wind. Rain came after we had all packed up.
In the morning (after a rocky start caused by one of the instructors blowing past our convoy on a gravel laden road and causing some damage to 2 snakes. GGRRRRR...), we split into 2 groups for instruction. The areas were set up for a giant slalom and section of threshold braking, sweeping turns, etc. After about an hour, we switched sides and practiced more.
Lunch arrived and we all plotted our strategy for the afternoon on the full course.
The full course was about 1 mile in length and it was comprised of some of the practice areas along with a few new features. We ran again in 2 groups with each driver taking three passes, then switching. A few off track excursions (Henry, Jesse, Seasnake, etc..) but nothing major. Timing began and things heated up. Spouses squared off against each other, parents challenged kids, instructors cheated death
After it was all over, we had awards for Master Snake Charmer, Mistress Snake Charmer and Jr. Snake Charmer.
This was a great, safe event. A fun way to learn the limits of the car, get everyone some seat time, get the entire family involved, etc. Lots of folks that have no desire to go on a raod course were captivated by how much fun you could have in second gear and some are already talking about competing!
As soon as I get some more pics, I'll post them.
The site is 2 old concrete airstrips in Maxton, NC. Weather was great - lot to mid 80's with a decent wind. Rain came after we had all packed up.
In the morning (after a rocky start caused by one of the instructors blowing past our convoy on a gravel laden road and causing some damage to 2 snakes. GGRRRRR...), we split into 2 groups for instruction. The areas were set up for a giant slalom and section of threshold braking, sweeping turns, etc. After about an hour, we switched sides and practiced more.
Lunch arrived and we all plotted our strategy for the afternoon on the full course.
The full course was about 1 mile in length and it was comprised of some of the practice areas along with a few new features. We ran again in 2 groups with each driver taking three passes, then switching. A few off track excursions (Henry, Jesse, Seasnake, etc..) but nothing major. Timing began and things heated up. Spouses squared off against each other, parents challenged kids, instructors cheated death
After it was all over, we had awards for Master Snake Charmer, Mistress Snake Charmer and Jr. Snake Charmer.
This was a great, safe event. A fun way to learn the limits of the car, get everyone some seat time, get the entire family involved, etc. Lots of folks that have no desire to go on a raod course were captivated by how much fun you could have in second gear and some are already talking about competing!
As soon as I get some more pics, I'll post them.
