A friend of mine jumped on a great deal at Bondurant for an "Advanced Driving Experience". So a group of us Cob** guys did it along with about 200 other enthusiasts. We got to do a couple of hot laps with a pro driver in a very fast Corvette (500 +hp, I think). I could have gone home happy at that point. We did the go karts. I could have passed on that but still OK. Then we got to the Skid Pad simulating driving on slick surfaces. That was probably the most educational for me. I've done black ice and snow for years but getting real time feed back from a pro is helpful. Next we did the Accident Avoidance course which was a Hoot! It's harder than it looks not to put on your brakes. Then the final challenge was the AX. I had about as much fun as you can have with your cloths on.
I think I may be hooked on the AX. This was a very short course and probably nothing like what I will experience in the roadster but it was fun. We drove Cameros with about 400 hp and traction control. There was a long lead in to the first curve where the time started. There were only three curves but they were hair pins that were more than 180 degrees each. So the first was sort of wide radius that decreased rapidly into a very tight finish. Then there was a very short straight and then a 45 to the right. Another straight came where you could get a little more speed and then a tight hair pin (190 degrees) then a short straight and a mirror image of the last turn. Finally, the real challenge was to out smart the traction control to get some speed to the final cone. I couldn't figure that out so I lost a bit of time there. My practice run was lousy but I did better on the first timed and beat that by 1.5 seconds on the second one. My driving buddy got the best time in the group at 24.35....... and I was right behind him at 24.50..... The best time of the day was 23.8...... So it looks like I finished sixth or seventh. I could do that again in a heart beat! All day we kept commenting on how different it would be to do these courses in the roadsters. I missed the opportunity to do hot laps there when they had Cob** roadsters. I could have had first hand experience to compare the differences. Bob B did some of the hot laps then. I think he was still making cameo appearances. I think that's the only thing that would have topped the hot laps I did in the Corvette.
Got some good advice about how to hook up with the AX experience. There are some active clubs in the area that will allow guests to bring their cars when they have an event. I think that's where I will start. This experience was a good teaser as it gave me a feel for the format and some ideas on things I will have to do to prepare my car. I haven't had that much fun in a while!
See ya,
WEK.