VvvrrROOOOMMMM

Today was my first day back at Pacific Raceways for Park Place Motors LLC first track day of the year. (They do two) The last time I did this was in 2006 right after I first purchased the car. That's my car to the left. His name is Stitch. I have NO freaking clue why I did not follow up on such an amazingly fun sport, but I did not. Duah and duah and duah again. Seriously, this is just insanely fun. You roll out onto the track giving the car ahead of you plenty of room. You want to get up to speed quickly and also get into position to nail turn 9. Hit the apex of turn nine correctly and your in 4th gear heading into the straight. The car is within inches of the apex as you blast past at 90mph. Let the car wind out to 8k rpm's and hit 5th. Now if you have done it correctly your at 110 on the straight with what looks like a mile of road. At 120 that road is gone and it took seconds to happen. Your at the beginning of turn one and you hit it's apex still going 120. It's only a slight turn, but turn two isn't and at that speed the world is a blur. Your hearts pounding and your trying to remember to breath. Nothing is wrong here your just flying down a road towards turn two. Smoothly mashing the breaks as HARD AS YOU CAN as you approach. Down shift to 4th, then 3rd and re-apply gas and ease into the turn. Now your only going 65 around a wide sweeping arc. The cars weight is on the outside and you can feel the tires on the road begging you not to make the slightest mistake. Keeping the wheel tight and not making a single motion the car hits the apex and you give it more gas. Now your coming out of that turn and the speed is picking back up. By the time you hit the end of the turn your front left tire is an inch away from gravel and your flying again. 4th gear now and heading down hill with acceleration that has you pinned to the back of the seat. Up ahead is turn 3A and B. Switchbacks, and your going 90 again. Gently MASH THE BREAKS INTO THE FLOOR and get into 3rd gear. Wait for it. Do not turn that wheel too soon or you will be out of track. Now you turn hard hard right and give it gas as you pass the apex. Ease the wheel out and keep giving it more gas. BREAK HARD again for B and turn a whiplash left into the next apex and give it more gas. The cars weight feels like a rocking ship and you know how stiff that suspension is. There is no where to go here. Please don't spin please don't spin please don't spin. Now, accelerating out of 3 nice and wide, using every bit of track there is your on the back straight. It isn't actually straight, it's turn 4, but you make it that way by riding the edges of the inside corners all the wile the gas peddle is firmly pressed to the floor and your heading towards 5th gear again. You won't make it there because turn 5A and B is on you and it's time for respect. This is the most fun part of the track and the most deceiving. Breaking hard and down shifting to 3rd your going to blast in and out of the corners without doing anything but steering. Don't give it extra gas on that slight straight or you will be kissing dirt in the blink of an eye. You swing right to set up for A. The car rocks right as you speed left past apex 5a. The car naturally drifts right from the speed. Get back to the left for the end of A and beginning of B and turn firm back to the right for apex B. The car rocks out to the left and the G forces are throwing you into the sides of the seat. Hold it hard to keep close to the right to set up for the apex of turn 6 and give it gas as you pass. As your rocked to the right again your grinning ear to ear. Now you drift to the far far right and your giving it all the power you can. It's an up hill slight turn into 7 that slingshots you into 8. If you do this right you will exit turn 9 doing 90 and letting the car go for all it's worth back into that straight and heading back up to 120. Turn 8 is wide, but your going to make it wider in a nice gentle curve to get into 4th gear and hit 9 just right, putting the car within inches of that apex and the inside wall. Let the car relax out of 9 wide to the left and ride 4th gear out until the engine is screaming at you. 5th and 110. Time to relax. Your shoulders are locked up and somewhere in 5 A and B you stopped breathing. 120 blasting, flying past the blurry grandstands. Shake out each hand. Take deep breaths and feel the car as it rides that 120 again rocketing down the straight back to turn 1. Here we go again.Note to self. Do not try to go fast. Fast happens all by itself. Work on nailing the apex and exit of each turn. Use the whole track. Be smooth, be fluid. Above all else, be calm.
To see a full sized immage of the track and the lines (as best I can remember them) click this link.