Past, present, future

Let me just give a brief summary of the first few events in the year of motoring.

Week 1 (Feb 16th, 2008): Mini Sno*Drift RallyX
I don't get scared easily. When I went to walk the course at Bob's Family Raceway in Clarsville, MI, on this beautiful February morning - I was scared! The course consistent of a very icey surface with mud-holes, and scary looking chunks of solid ice extracted from said holes. I was glad to have my skid plate on. Despite my initial reaction, the day went smoothly, nobody broke anything, and it was a lot of fun - definitely the most sliding I have ever done at a rallyX. The slippery surface did not keep me from taking the PA lead during the first half of the day. When the surface thawed a bit in the afternoon, however, the Blizzaks started showing their hatred of mud, while the Nokians (I want some!) on Jen's and John's cars kept going strong. Destroying 4 cones after the finish on my last run placed me solidly in 2nd. This just goes to show once again how consistency is the #1 requirement in rally racing.


Week 2 (Feb 21th - 25th): Trip to NC, VIR, NASA, and all sorts of fun
A few weeks ago I went to visit my buddy Ryan in North Carolina, as well as shake off the winter blues off a bit with some VIR (Virginia International Raceway, one of the best 'real' race tracks in the country) action. The road trip down South from Michigan is in itself a motorsports event. The freeway winds its way through the hills of South East Ohio through the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia. I could not resist taking my usual US52 scenic detour up Big Walker Mountain - incredible!
The event at VIR was a full blown NASA race weekend, with not only a circuitcross and HPDE's, but races for pretty much every type of racing NASA does... short things like stage rally. The first day was spent at the skid pad, followed by lots of walking around the paddock and the infield, watching everything from spec Miatas going at it like an angry swarm; to swapped 240's and AE86's drifting sideways at 70-90mph down the hill on the Patriot course.
As for the racing itself, I placed 5/22 in NASA-X E , which I am happy with, considering my very limited on-track experience. The Patriot Course itself is very interesting and challenging. Aspects like drastic elevation changes and the blindness of most of the major corners make it very technical.
The only downside to the trip was having to come back to Michigan, and as if to drive this point home, I-75 was closed in the middle of Detroit due to construction (In the middle of the winter? What are they thinking?!), forcing me to drive around some very much questionable neighborhoods.

Week 3 (March 1st, 2008): Ice Racing on Saginaw Bay

To everyone who has ever driven around looking for a parking lot to do donuts in after a big snow-storm (which I think is about 90% of Subaru owners out there) - find an ice run even near you - NOW. Imagine a huge parking lot - no poles, no curbs, no cops. I don't know why I have never tried this before, it is brilliant, absolutely brilliant!