[morricus]

Last year, whenever I went to the track, I was the lone Evo in a sea of Vettes, Mustangs and Miatas. This in no way took away from how much fun I had, but it certainly would have been even more exciting to mix it up with other Evos and to see in person what other Evo owners are doing with their cars.
Therefore, it has been discussed that perhaps we could organize a track day at Gingerman Raceway, which is located in Michigan, about 130 miles away outside of Chicago.
For those of you in and around Chicago, there are certainly tracks much closer like Autobaun and Blackhawk Farms. Unfortunately, the costs of renting those tracks is significantly higher than what Gingerman is willing to do. And the main idea here is to keep costs down so everyone can have a real track day without paying $300+.
The target cost is to be around $150 for the entire day, with another $10 for lunch. To do this price, we'll have to have this on a weekday, which includes Friday. Weekend costs are far more expensive. This would include access to all Gingerman facilities, staff, maintenance assistance, opening of concession stand, corner workers, and help coordinating groups and grids
I would need to get your money BEFORE the event. If we get enough drivers, we can do the day of, but you'll be paying closer to $200. If everyone decides they don't mind paying the $200 the day off, we can't do this as I don't want to be left holding the bag if only 10 driver show up.
This is not a for-proft venture. I'd be putting the money up to secure the date for us and having Gingerman essenitally run the show. We will need at least 30 cars to even get close to making this possible. Most likely run in three groups: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. The day would start at 8 am and go to 5 pm with one hour break for lunch. But, they said they would let us go beyond 5pm for free, all we had to do was pay the extra for the corners workers working overtime. Unlike more expensive track days, there will NOT be instructors. Drivers in the beginner group cannot take passengers, unless they are someone from the Intermediate or Advanced group. If you have a fast car, but little or nor track expereince, this is not a license to go to Intermediate.
The do not rent helmets, so you must bring your own. You can share your helmet with another driver, but don't show up expecting that drivers will readily want to give you their sweaty helmet to use.
If it rains, there are NO refunds. You can drive in the rain, only lightning will close the track. Again, I take absolutely no responsibility for this or any other event that happens at the track, at all. Read this line again.
Your insurance does not cover you on a racetrack. The cost includes liabilty insurance for the track, but not for your car. Bear in mind this is a very safe track, and Gingerman only had a single car last year sustain any damage.
If we can get enough drivers, Gingerman could possibly invite Redline Photo (apparently Frankiago has experience with them) to come out for free, and take pictures that you could purchase at the end of the day.

This is NOT exclusively for Evos. Anyone can go, any car, as long as it is not your mothers 1986 Cutlass or some leaking pile of shit that is going to ruin the day for everyone. Again, the idea is to get a bunch of Evo drivers together, on a track for about the cost of day of autocross. This post is to gauge interest, not advertising that this is definitely going to happen. I am open to ANY suggestions, as I am not the one in charge of this, I want the Forum to be. The only thing I want out of this is for an army of Evos to decend on Gingerman, and maybe for my wife to get out on the track with the beginners!

here is Gingermans website:

http://www.gingermanraceway.com/

sorry if this rambles, or I'm missing something. I have not attempted to set up something like this before. Thanks!

1. Morricus +1
2. Frankiago
3. ckydici
4. trapp
5. BADABING

 

[wicked_evo11]

i actually thought about taking my car to gingerman if my car gets completed by summer.

 

[morricus]

i actually thought about taking my car to gingerman if my car gets completed by summer.

Date is completely flexible, just has to be weekday. To be honest, if this works out, I'll set these up one or twice a month.

 

[doibugu2]

Do you typically drive out the morning of or stay the night before in a hotel?

 

[morricus]

Do you typically drive out the morning of or stay the night before in a hotel?

I have not been there, I have always gone to the Autobaun. But it would be fun to stay out there friday night, as there seems to be a lot of other shit to do out there. If you're driving from Chicagoland, will take a little over two hours one way. If you have never done a track day before, you do get very tired by the end.

 

[orthojoe]

I don't live in Michigan anymore, otherwise I'd join you. Best of luck making it happen!

 

[Frankiago]

I've been to Gingerman once and I drove out there the morning of. I forgot what I calculated, but to make it in a decent tech inspect time I ended up leaving the house about 4:45am.

morricus I'll send you a PM

 

[ckydici]

You know I'm interested. I'll double check with a few friends and other evo owners I know.

 

[wicked_evo11]

Date is completely flexible, just has to be weekday. To be honest, if this works out, I'll set these up one or twice a month.

i gotta see how far gingerman is from where i live. on a weekday it might be a little more difficult for me, but i will do my best to come out on a weekday. iv only been to two types of track so far, miland dragway and waterford raceway. however i never actually participated in autocross before. im gonna need to learn the ins and out and talk to the more experienced before i even set foot on the track.

 

[DrivenFab]

its roughly a 6hr drive for me, I might be interested depending on when in the year it is. the later the better.

 

[DrivenFab]

maybe I can talk Eyler and a few buddies into making a trip out of it??

 

[Frankiago]

Well it sounds like he's wanting this sooner rather than later. If the first one is a success, I'll bet you he'll arrange a second or maybe even third before the season's done.

As for never stepping foot on the track without some experience... bah no worries. You won't wreck at Gingerman, it is suuuuper safe. There is so much run-off you'll only end up with chunks of grass and dirt in your wheels and fenders and side skirts. Just don't go off and you won't have any of that.

I've done a complete 180 spin out at Autobahn twice, I've never gone off track at Blackhawk Farms or Gingerman. Don't know what it is about Autobahn, maybe it's the people on the track with me that make me want to :wallbash:

But back to Gingerman and safety... you'll be fine. The part where you want to feel out very, very gradually and play extra-safe is the front straight since it has a slight hill and then a sharp/90-degree left going right into a somewhat tight sweeping right. Coming down a straight, you're flyin, and when you hit this hill, your tires won't leave the track but they'll be so completely unloaded that braking does nothin for ya. You don't have the weight of the car to brake with so the tires have little traction. If you come (relatively) slowly over this hill you'll keep the car planted and you'll be able to brake and turn in.

This kind of stuff will be THOROUGHLY explained to the newbies, trust me when I say it's a safe track.

 

[morricus]

maybe I can talk Eyler and a few buddies into making a trip out of it??

I think that would be awesome. I'll call Gingerman on monday and ask them about accommodations and suggestions as to where people can go that night.

Well it sounds like he's wanting this sooner rather than later. If the first one is a success, I'll bet you he'll arrange a second or maybe even third before the season's done.

As for never stepping foot on the track without some experience... bah no worries. You won't wreck at Gingerman, it is suuuuper safe. There is so much run-off you'll only end up with chunks of grass and dirt in your wheels and fenders and side skirts. Just don't go off and you won't have any of that.

I've done a complete 180 spin out at Autobahn twice, I've never gone off track at Blackhawk Farms or Gingerman. Don't know what it is about Autobahn, maybe it's the people on the track with me that make me want to :wallbash:

But back to Gingerman and safety... you'll be fine. The part where you want to feel out very, very gradually and play extra-safe is the front straight since it has a slight hill and then a sharp/90-degree left going right into a somewhat tight sweeping right. Coming down a straight, you're flyin, and when you hit this hill, your tires won't leave the track but they'll be so completely unloaded that braking does nothin for ya. You don't have the weight of the car to brake with so the tires have little traction. If you come (relatively) slowly over this hill you'll keep the car planted and you'll be able to brake and turn in.

This kind of stuff will be THOROUGHLY explained to the newbies, trust me when I say it's a safe track.

I certainly will set this up again, assuming its a success. Paying for wife and I to drive costs over $600 a session for the two of us. We actually discussed becoming members of the Autobaun, but the costs still are way too high for how often we would go. This is a much more economical and potentially fun alternative. I suppose there is enough interest to start locking down a date. Would April or May be preferable? The only issue I can see with April is the higher likelihood of rain.
I'll also start making a list on the first post of this page with members who are interested. If you know of a friend that is also going to go that doesn't have an evo, let me know as well and I'll add a +1 ect to get an accurate count. I'll be getting wristbands to identify drivers vs passengers as well. Remember, if you have little or no track experience, do not come with a car load of noobs and expect to have them drive along. The thought of two kids in a 350hp evo flying along on a track, not knowing what they're doing is horrifying.

 

[trapp]

Last year, whenever I went to the track, I was the lone Evo in a sea of Vettes, Mustangs and Miatas. This in no way took away from how much fun I had, but it certainly would have been even more exciting to mix it up with other Evos and to see in person what other Evo owners are doing with their cars.
Therefore, it has been discussed that perhaps we could organize a track day at Gingerman Raceway, which is located in Michigan, about 130 miles away outside of Chicago.
For those of you in and around Chicago, there are certainly tracks much closer like Autobaun and Blackhawk Farms. Unfortunately, the costs of renting those tracks is significantly higher than what Gingerman is willing to do. And the main idea here is to keep costs down so everyone can have a real track day without paying $300+.
The target cost is to be around $150 for the entire day, with another $10 for lunch. To do this price, we'll have to have this on a weekday, which includes Friday. Weekend costs are far more expensive. This would include access to all Gingerman facilities, staff, maintenance assistance, opening of concession stand, corner workers, and help coordinating groups and grids
I would need to get your money BEFORE the event. If we get enough drivers, we can do the day of, but you'll be paying closer to $200. If everyone decides they don't mind paying the $200 the day off, we can't do this as I don't want to be left holding the bag if only 10 driver show up.
This is not a for-proft venture. I'd be putting the money up to secure the date for us and having Gingerman essenitally run the show. We will need at least 30 cars to even get close to making this possible. Most likely run in three groups: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. The day would start at 8 am and go to 5 pm with one hour break for lunch. But, they said they would let us go beyond 5pm for free, all we had to do was pay the extra for the corners workers working overtime. Unlike more expensive track days, there will NOT be instructors. Drivers in the beginner group cannot take passengers, unless they are someone from the Intermediate or Advanced group. If you have a fast car, but little or nor track expereince, this is not a license to go to Intermediate.
The do not rent helmets, so you must bring your own. You can share your helmet with another driver, but don't show up expecting that drivers will readily want to give you their sweaty helmet to use.
If it rains, there are NO refunds. You can drive in the rain, only lightning will close the track. Again, I take absolutely no responsibility for this or any other event that happens at the track, at all. Read this line again.
Your insurance does not cover you on a racetrack. The cost includes liabilty insurance for the track, but not for your car. Bear in mind this is a very safe track, and Gingerman only had a single car last year sustain any damage.
If we can get enough drivers, Gingerman could possibly invite Redline Photo (apparently Frankiago has experience with them) to come out for free, and take pictures that you could purchase at the end of the day.

This is NOT exclusively for Evos. Anyone can go, any car, as long as it is not your mothers 1986 Cutlass or some leaking pile of shit that is going to ruin the day for everyone. Again, the idea is to get a bunch of Evo drivers together, on a track for about the cost of day of autocross. This post is to gauge interest, not advertising that this is definitely going to happen. I am open to ANY suggestions, as I am not the one in charge of this, I want the Forum to be. The only thing I want out of this is for an army of Evos to decend on Gingerman, and maybe for my wife to get out on the track with the beginners!

here is Gingermans website:

http://www.gingermanraceway.com/

sorry if this rambles, or I'm missing something. I have not attempted to set up something like this before. Thanks!

Having been to Gingerman many times I can also say it is a blast. I ran a Evo X and a Vette. Another option would to go on a CGI driving school on a monday. I do believe its about 210.00. They would have instructors for the beginners which I feel is very important for those beginning...Most accidents are caused by first/second timers not having the basic knowledge needed at the track. I was there a few years back (not a CGI event) when they had to helicopter a Evo driver to the hospital. During CGI's history they have NEVER had any accidents. The controlled enviroment of a driving school is much safer for everyone. I telling you from experence...you don't want to be on the track with people that have no experience. I also paticipated in the AMS event at the Autobahn. Lots of Evos and GTR's. It was fun except for a few GTR's that thought it was a real race......so who you run with makes it fun...
During the CGI school your track insurance is included...your car is your own risk. But since it is a driving school some car insurances would cover your car in an accident. (check with your agent)
I have run Gingerman every year for 4 years straight..it is a VERY SAFE COURSE. It has tons of run off if you spin out or go off the track....
Very few tracks have this openness......most have walls that could be hit easy...

Here is my Evo X and Vette back to back entering the track on Gingerman

Here is the track (front view) on vette

Here is my instructor in front of me in his car.....he just couldn't hang with the evo in front of him...I was pushing him from behind..in my vette

Evo x overtaking M3


I'm in if anyone's going...

 

[BADABING]

Unless I'm traveling with work you can count me in - I'll be driving from Des Plaines. Anyone know what the E85 availability is like at or near Gingerman?

 

[Frankiago]

Here's the time I went on a damp, drizzly day:

I'm taking a casual stroll for most of it because I ain't no Senna, rain scares me. It's pretty boring, but at least you can get a slight idea for what the paddocks is like, track entry, some turns, etc.

The supercharged BMW I pass at 6:30 is an example of one of the racer guys. After I passed him, either later that lap or sometime the next lap he goes off track bad and slides through a few hundred feet of slippery grass. After we all get off the track because of him, I walk over to his car as they're inspecting for damage, asking him what happened, etc. When I turn and walk back to my car, he yells out to me "I almost had you!"

...le sigh :waiting:

 

[Frankiago]

Unless I'm traveling with work you can count me in - I'll be driving from Des Plaines. Anyone know what the E85 availability is like at or near Gingerman?

At? No. Not that I recall anyways...

Near? Well, I was looking to go E85 before my trip there and I looked up stations on the way and the last hope was in the corner of Indiana just before entering Michigan. I planned on filling up the tank and filling up about 40 gallons worth of 5-gallon jugs. Do you have a 93 tune?

Here I pulled up a map, you're screwed

 

[morricus]

I think May might be best vs April. Better weather, gives everyone time to plan and get their cars together. On monday, I'll see what Fridays are open and let everyone know. I'm assuming it will be much easier for everyone to commit once there is an exact date.

 

[morricus]

A weekend date of Saturday June 30th or Sunday July 1st has opened up. This will cost more, but if we get 30 drivers, will still cost under $200. Is this more appealing? I was hoping to get a date set up in May, but weekends are booked. For May, there are two Fridays available....May 18 and 25th. Hopefully a few more of you guys respond and let me know you're intersted soon, as I have to secure on of these dates relatively soon. I know thru a bunch of my friends around here I could most likely get the amount of drivers I need, but I really would prefer to stock this with Evo drivers. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[ckydici]

Let's see some more people join in on the event! Will definitely be a fun time. Will be nice to see what a bunch of other Evo drivers are doing to their cars.

If people in the area are interested as well, I think it would be fun to set up a group meet one weekend in Spring and cook out or something.