Re: I drove a Winston Cup car yesterday

In article <fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]>, "Sal V." <[email hidden]> writes:

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>Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs >International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, >which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable. For >all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the >computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with the car I >felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it >looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think about that >while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to our racing >sims.

Me=green with envy... :) Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

If you want a real rush...try full size off road racing (not the sim..or any r/c cars either). It is a real rush getting all 4 wheels in the air...and then smashing back down to earth (most cars don't land as hard as you might think)!!!! Something else that is totally kewl (something the games don't have) is the steering brakes. It is a real rush to go into a tight 90 degree corner, not hit the brake pedal, pull on the steering brake, and have the car spin on a dime. There's nothing like it....but needless to say...I wish I had gotten a chance to run a cup car, too!!!!! I kinda wish there was a way to combine the two, but it ain't such a good idea to get a cup car in the air at about 150mph!!!!!!!!! LOL "Jan Verschueren" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Cheers Sal... great post. > > Jan. > =--- > Sal V. wrote... > > <snip> > >

Sal, Was that a Richard Petty Experience or something like that? BTW awesome Post man gave me chills!! Sal V. <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs > International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, > which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable. For > all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the > computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with the carI

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> felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it > looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think about that > while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to our racing > sims. > > As always mentioned by folks in here, who have driven real racecars, the > feedback from the car is everything. I could tell what the car was doing

at > all times. Never did I feel that the car was driving me. As I went through > the corners faster, I really felt many things. The most important was how > wonderfully the car turned. Once I got it pointed in the right direction > going in, it felt as though I put it in a slot and it was stuck to the > track. What a great feeling! Now I know how the drivers fell when theysay, > "the car was working great". Put it this way, when I didn't have it in the > right place on track going into the turns, the car let me know it. Doverhas > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzy coming > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then hesaid, > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" > There is just no way for me to explain how it felt when I was in thecenter > of the corner getting back on the gas. I was being pushed into the seat, > also felt the acceleration on the way out, felt the different parts of the > seat pushing on my body, had to keep adjusting my head and hold onto the > wheel. The first thing I said when I got out of the car was "I can'tbelieve > that they do this for 400 laps!" By the way I must have been runing good > because after the 3rd lap they threw the yellow and made the guy in frontof > me pull over so I would be right behind the instructor. That made me feel > really good. The instructor kept going faster and faster and I was staying > with him. The format was 1 instructor and 2 drivers, one behind the other. > So I was started in the 3rd slot and normal passing was not allowed. They > stressed that they wanted us to keep 6 car lengths between the car infront

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> of us. Lucky for me the spotters saw what was going on and let me pass. > > Some of the questions I was asked and the answers: > > 1. Can you see the hood? Yes, but not much of it as you sit much lower in > the car than I thought > 2. Does the car pull left down the straight? This car did, but not as much > as in Nascar Heat. Dover straights are banked too. > 3. What can you hear? I could hear my lovely motor, it sounded like pure > power! On the track racing I only got close enough one time to another car > in front of me and I could just about hear it. My own motor was loud but

not

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> distracting. I used the sound to help drive it, if you know what I mean. > 4. How far do you look up the track? Well the instructor warned us not to > just focus on a small piece of track in front of us, but to look as far up > the track as possible. I did both. I looked more up the track on the > straights and more at the track in the corners. > > Other items worth mentioning are as follows: > > I sat much lower that I thought I would. > The steering wheel is much bigger than I thought and also higher. My grip

on > it at 2 & 10 was about shoulder height. > The throttle travel was very short. Didn't have to push it too far to getto > the floor. This allowed for great car control. > My vision was quite restricted by all of the things I thought wouldrestrict

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> it.(window net, roll bars and driver position) > Gearbox was very close pattern. > The car actually felt heavy but fast. With those big ass slicks you could > feel the car's foot print. > As I mentioned earlier the driver position was very low, I was a little > nervous about this when I first got in the car. > The car was easier to drive at speed then when going slow. Must have been > the setup or maybe that's why it's called a race car. > The track was very smooth for the most part but at times I could really

feel > the suspension working. (in the corners) > > Sorry for the long post but I figure some of you might be interested. Itall > went so fast that I can't remember everything > but it was well worth it. I will be getting a video from the on-boardcamera

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> in about a week. There was also a mirror in the car that was pointed at my > face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the first few > laps. > > If you have any more questions just ask. > > Sal V. > >

WOW. Thanks Sal. Hearing about this experience from a fellow sim racer means a lot. --David Cook "Sal V." <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs > International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, > which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable. For > all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the > computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with the carI

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> felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it > looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think about that > while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to our racing > sims. > > As always mentioned by folks in here, who have driven real racecars, the > feedback from the car is everything. I could tell what the car was doing

at > all times. Never did I feel that the car was driving me. As I went through > the corners faster, I really felt many things. The most important was how > wonderfully the car turned. Once I got it pointed in the right direction > going in, it felt as though I put it in a slot and it was stuck to the > track. What a great feeling! Now I know how the drivers fell when theysay, > "the car was working great". Put it this way, when I didn't have it in the > right place on track going into the turns, the car let me know it. Doverhas > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzy coming > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then hesaid, > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" > There is just no way for me to explain how it felt when I was in thecenter > of the corner getting back on the gas. I was being pushed into the seat, > also felt the acceleration on the way out, felt the different parts of the > seat pushing on my body, had to keep adjusting my head and hold onto the > wheel. The first thing I said when I got out of the car was "I can'tbelieve > that they do this for 400 laps!" By the way I must have been runing good > because after the 3rd lap they threw the yellow and made the guy in frontof > me pull over so I would be right behind the instructor. That made me feel > really good. The instructor kept going faster and faster and I was staying > with him. The format was 1 instructor and 2 drivers, one behind the other. > So I was started in the 3rd slot and normal passing was not allowed. They > stressed that they wanted us to keep 6 car lengths between the car infront

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> of us. Lucky for me the spotters saw what was going on and let me pass. > > Some of the questions I was asked and the answers: > > 1. Can you see the hood? Yes, but not much of it as you sit much lower in > the car than I thought > 2. Does the car pull left down the straight? This car did, but not as much > as in Nascar Heat. Dover straights are banked too. > 3. What can you hear? I could hear my lovely motor, it sounded like pure > power! On the track racing I only got close enough one time to another car > in front of me and I could just about hear it. My own motor was loud but

not

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> distracting. I used the sound to help drive it, if you know what I mean. > 4. How far do you look up the track? Well the instructor warned us not to > just focus on a small piece of track in front of us, but to look as far up > the track as possible. I did both. I looked more up the track on the > straights and more at the track in the corners. > > Other items worth mentioning are as follows: > > I sat much lower that I thought I would. > The steering wheel is much bigger than I thought and also higher. My grip

on > it at 2 & 10 was about shoulder height. > The throttle travel was very short. Didn't have to push it too far to getto > the floor. This allowed for great car control. > My vision was quite restricted by all of the things I thought wouldrestrict

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> it.(window net, roll bars and driver position) > Gearbox was very close pattern. > The car actually felt heavy but fast. With those big ass slicks you could > feel the car's foot print. > As I mentioned earlier the driver position was very low, I was a little > nervous about this when I first got in the car. > The car was easier to drive at speed then when going slow. Must have been > the setup or maybe that's why it's called a race car. > The track was very smooth for the most part but at times I could really

feel > the suspension working. (in the corners) > > Sorry for the long post but I figure some of you might be interested. Itall > went so fast that I can't remember everything > but it was well worth it. I will be getting a video from the on-boardcamera

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> in about a week. There was also a mirror in the car that was pointed at my > face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the first few > laps. > > If you have any more questions just ask. > > Sal V. > >

Cheers Sal... great post. Jan. =--- Sal V. wrote... > <snip>

On Mon 16 Oct 2000 06:15:55p, Sal V. wrote: >Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs >International Speedway!<snip> Thanks, Sal - great post. How I envy you - nearest I've ever got was half a lap of Donington (entirely unofficial, of course) in a Ford Sierra.... -- David. (GPLRank handicap: -5.86) The GPL Scrapyard - http://www.hillclimbfan.f2s.com "After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll, really" - Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh.

Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable. For all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with the car I felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think about that while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to our racing sims. As always mentioned by folks in here, who have driven real racecars, the feedback from the car is everything. I could tell what the car was doing at all times. Never did I feel that the car was driving me. As I went through the corners faster, I really felt many things. The most important was how wonderfully the car turned. Once I got it pointed in the right direction going in, it felt as though I put it in a slot and it was stuck to the track. What a great feeling! Now I know how the drivers fell when they say, "the car was working great". Put it this way, when I didn't have it in the right place on track going into the turns, the car let me know it. Dover has some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzy coming out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then he said, "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" There is just no way for me to explain how it felt when I was in the center of the corner getting back on the gas. I was being pushed into the seat, also felt the acceleration on the way out, felt the different parts of the seat pushing on my body, had to keep adjusting my head and hold onto the wheel. The first thing I said when I got out of the car was "I can't believe that they do this for 400 laps!" By the way I must have been runing good because after the 3rd lap they threw the yellow and made the guy in front of me pull over so I would be right behind the instructor. That made me feel really good. The instructor kept going faster and faster and I was staying with him. The format was 1 instructor and 2 drivers, one behind the other. So I was started in the 3rd slot and normal passing was not allowed. They stressed that they wanted us to keep 6 car lengths between the car in front of us. Lucky for me the spotters saw what was going on and let me pass. Some of the questions I was asked and the answers: 1. Can you see the hood? Yes, but not much of it as you sit much lower in the car than I thought 2. Does the car pull left down the straight? This car did, but not as much as in Nascar Heat. Dover straights are banked too. 3. What can you hear? I could hear my lovely motor, it sounded like pure power! On the track racing I only got close enough one time to another car in front of me and I could just about hear it. My own motor was loud but not distracting. I used the sound to help drive it, if you know what I mean. 4. How far do you look up the track? Well the instructor warned us not to just focus on a small piece of track in front of us, but to look as far up the track as possible. I did both. I looked more up the track on the straights and more at the track in the corners. Other items worth mentioning are as follows: I sat much lower that I thought I would. The steering wheel is much bigger than I thought and also higher. My grip on it at 2 & 10 was about shoulder height. The throttle travel was very short. Didn't have to push it too far to get to the floor. This allowed for great car control. My vision was quite restricted by all of the things I thought would restrict it.(window net, roll bars and driver position) Gearbox was very close pattern. The car actually felt heavy but fast. With those big ass slicks you could feel the car's foot print. As I mentioned earlier the driver position was very low, I was a little nervous about this when I first got in the car. The car was easier to drive at speed then when going slow. Must have been the setup or maybe that's why it's called a race car. The track was very smooth for the most part but at times I could really feel the suspension working. (in the corners) Sorry for the long post but I figure some of you might be interested. It all went so fast that I can't remember everything but it was well worth it. I will be getting a video from the on-board camera in about a week. There was also a mirror in the car that was pointed at my face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the first few laps. If you have any more questions just ask. Sal V.

Allow me to be the first of many to say I ENVY YOU!!! Great post. Closest I've ever been to a race car is the passenger seat of a friend's Porsche 912 that he occasionally races at Portland. That was scary enough but I'd LOVE to be behind the wheel of a true race car! "Sal V." <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs > International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, > which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable. For > all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the > computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with the carI

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> felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it > looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think about that > while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to our racing > sims. > > As always mentioned by folks in here, who have driven real racecars, the > feedback from the car is everything. I could tell what the car was doing

at > all times. Never did I feel that the car was driving me. As I went through > the corners faster, I really felt many things. The most important was how > wonderfully the car turned. Once I got it pointed in the right direction > going in, it felt as though I put it in a slot and it was stuck to the > track. What a great feeling! Now I know how the drivers fell when theysay, > "the car was working great". Put it this way, when I didn't have it in the > right place on track going into the turns, the car let me know it. Doverhas > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzy coming > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then hesaid, > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" > There is just no way for me to explain how it felt when I was in thecenter > of the corner getting back on the gas. I was being pushed into the seat, > also felt the acceleration on the way out, felt the different parts of the > seat pushing on my body, had to keep adjusting my head and hold onto the > wheel. The first thing I said when I got out of the car was "I can'tbelieve > that they do this for 400 laps!" By the way I must have been runing good > because after the 3rd lap they threw the yellow and made the guy in frontof > me pull over so I would be right behind the instructor. That made me feel > really good. The instructor kept going faster and faster and I was staying > with him. The format was 1 instructor and 2 drivers, one behind the other. > So I was started in the 3rd slot and normal passing was not allowed. They > stressed that they wanted us to keep 6 car lengths between the car infront

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> of us. Lucky for me the spotters saw what was going on and let me pass. > > Some of the questions I was asked and the answers: > > 1. Can you see the hood? Yes, but not much of it as you sit much lower in > the car than I thought > 2. Does the car pull left down the straight? This car did, but not as much > as in Nascar Heat. Dover straights are banked too. > 3. What can you hear? I could hear my lovely motor, it sounded like pure > power! On the track racing I only got close enough one time to another car > in front of me and I could just about hear it. My own motor was loud but

not

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> distracting. I used the sound to help drive it, if you know what I mean. > 4. How far do you look up the track? Well the instructor warned us not to > just focus on a small piece of track in front of us, but to look as far up > the track as possible. I did both. I looked more up the track on the > straights and more at the track in the corners. > > Other items worth mentioning are as follows: > > I sat much lower that I thought I would. > The steering wheel is much bigger than I thought and also higher. My grip

on > it at 2 & 10 was about shoulder height. > The throttle travel was very short. Didn't have to push it too far to getto > the floor. This allowed for great car control. > My vision was quite restricted by all of the things I thought wouldrestrict

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> it.(window net, roll bars and driver position) > Gearbox was very close pattern. > The car actually felt heavy but fast. With those big ass slicks you could > feel the car's foot print. > As I mentioned earlier the driver position was very low, I was a little > nervous about this when I first got in the car. > The car was easier to drive at speed then when going slow. Must have been > the setup or maybe that's why it's called a race car. > The track was very smooth for the most part but at times I could really

feel > the suspension working. (in the corners) > > Sorry for the long post but I figure some of you might be interested. Itall > went so fast that I can't remember everything > but it was well worth it. I will be getting a video from the on-boardcamera

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> in about a week. There was also a mirror in the car that was pointed at my > face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the first few > laps. > > If you have any more questions just ask. > > Sal V. > >

Sounds awesome, dude! Wish I had the $$$s to get into a real racecar and do a few laps. -- ----------------------------------- Morgan Vincent Wooten GPLRank: +15.49 http://members.tripod.com/~morganv/ ----------------------------------- "Sal V." <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs [] face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the first few > laps. > > If you have any more questions just ask. > > Sal V. > > >

put some of that video up on the internet for us! ;) Sal V. <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs > International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, > which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable. For > all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the > computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with the carI

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> felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it > looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think about that > while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to our racing > sims. > > As always mentioned by folks in here, who have driven real racecars, the > feedback from the car is everything. I could tell what the car was doing

at > all times. Never did I feel that the car was driving me. As I went through > the corners faster, I really felt many things. The most important was how > wonderfully the car turned. Once I got it pointed in the right direction > going in, it felt as though I put it in a slot and it was stuck to the > track. What a great feeling! Now I know how the drivers fell when theysay, > "the car was working great". Put it this way, when I didn't have it in the > right place on track going into the turns, the car let me know it. Doverhas > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzy coming > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then hesaid, > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" > There is just no way for me to explain how it felt when I was in thecenter > of the corner getting back on the gas. I was being pushed into the seat, > also felt the acceleration on the way out, felt the different parts of the > seat pushing on my body, had to keep adjusting my head and hold onto the > wheel. The first thing I said when I got out of the car was "I can'tbelieve > that they do this for 400 laps!" By the way I must have been runing good > because after the 3rd lap they threw the yellow and made the guy in frontof > me pull over so I would be right behind the instructor. That made me feel > really good. The instructor kept going faster and faster and I was staying > with him. The format was 1 instructor and 2 drivers, one behind the other. > So I was started in the 3rd slot and normal passing was not allowed. They > stressed that they wanted us to keep 6 car lengths between the car infront

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> of us. Lucky for me the spotters saw what was going on and let me pass. > > Some of the questions I was asked and the answers: > > 1. Can you see the hood? Yes, but not much of it as you sit much lower in > the car than I thought > 2. Does the car pull left down the straight? This car did, but not as much > as in Nascar Heat. Dover straights are banked too. > 3. What can you hear? I could hear my lovely motor, it sounded like pure > power! On the track racing I only got close enough one time to another car > in front of me and I could just about hear it. My own motor was loud but

not

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> distracting. I used the sound to help drive it, if you know what I mean. > 4. How far do you look up the track? Well the instructor warned us not to > just focus on a small piece of track in front of us, but to look as far up > the track as possible. I did both. I looked more up the track on the > straights and more at the track in the corners. > > Other items worth mentioning are as follows: > > I sat much lower that I thought I would. > The steering wheel is much bigger than I thought and also higher. My grip

on > it at 2 & 10 was about shoulder height. > The throttle travel was very short. Didn't have to push it too far to getto > the floor. This allowed for great car control. > My vision was quite restricted by all of the things I thought wouldrestrict

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> it.(window net, roll bars and driver position) > Gearbox was very close pattern. > The car actually felt heavy but fast. With those big ass slicks you could > feel the car's foot print. > As I mentioned earlier the driver position was very low, I was a little > nervous about this when I first got in the car. > The car was easier to drive at speed then when going slow. Must have been > the setup or maybe that's why it's called a race car. > The track was very smooth for the most part but at times I could really

feel > the suspension working. (in the corners) > > Sorry for the long post but I figure some of you might be interested. Itall > went so fast that I can't remember everything > but it was well worth it. I will be getting a video from the on-boardcamera

Quoted text (9 lines)

> in about a week. There was also a mirror in the car that was pointed at my > face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the first few > laps. > > If you have any more questions just ask. > > Sal V. > >

Fascinating post but... > Dover has > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzy coming > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then hesaid, > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good"Vertigo? Just how high is the banking? Do you mean that the G forces were draining the blood from your head and making you dizzy? Or was it just the excitement. Maybe I'm just jealous. Nah! -- Tony Whitley GPLRank +12.8

I did that with the Petty Experieince down at the Disney tri-oval speedway a year ago. I had pretty much the same impressions as you. Additional thoughts from a "first timer": Very nervous beforehand, thought too much about driving someone elses expensive racecar on a tight fast track with concrete walls Steering effort less than I anticipated, very easy to maneuver, even in corners Not much low end motor torque at all (for a 600hp engine) compared to your typical "street" V-8, cam didn't really come alive till over 3-4,000 rpm Per above, needed to baby the clutch to keep from stalling it in first ,which seems to be easy to do (and no, I didn't) Rear end gears make almost as much of a racket as the motor (N3 sound captures this a bit better than previous versions) Took a while getting used to going into a corner at over 100mph without fear of wipe out (street car grip limitations don't prep you for the lateral Gs you can pull on slicks and a clean concrete track) Takes a conscious effort to settle down, relax your hands and body, have faith in the chassis, and let the car do what it can do. Ended way too soon, but it was worth every penny, cause its sandblasted into my memory. Mark Sal V. <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs > International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, (clip)

"Sal V." wrote: > > If you have any more questions just ask. Gotta ask the obvious one: how were your times? Was this the Petty thing or somebody else's? Ready to cringe ... how much did it cost? Sounds like a groove... BB

Just a quick comment (at the risk of starting another of those torque vs. horsepower threads). The peak torque value of race engines are not all that different that the peak torque value for a street engine. In common American units, the torque in ft-lb is numerically close the engine displacement in cubic engines (just coincidence, no engineering reason). When an engine is race prepared with a big cam and appropriate carburetor and manifold, the peak torque value occurs at a higher engine speed. Since horsepower is torque x rpm/constant the horsepower increases dramatically when the rpm is increased, even though the torque value doesn't change much. All bets are off with supercharging, by the way! At any rate, thanks for the original post -- always fun to get involved with the "real thing." Bob On Mon, 16 Oct 2000 20:30:55 GMT, "Mark Watkins" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>I did that with the Petty Experieince down at the Disney tri-oval speedway a >year ago. I had pretty much the same impressions as you. Additional thoughts >from a "first timer": >Very nervous beforehand, thought too much about driving someone elses >expensive racecar on a tight fast track with concrete walls >Steering effort less than I anticipated, very easy to maneuver, even in >corners >Not much low end motor torque at all (for a 600hp engine) compared to your >typical "street" V-8, cam didn't really come alive till over 3-4,000 rpm >Per above, needed to baby the clutch to keep from stalling it in first >,which seems to be easy to do (and no, I didn't) >Rear end gears make almost as much of a racket as the motor (N3 sound >captures this a bit better than previous versions) >Took a while getting used to going into a corner at over 100mph without fear >of wipe out (street car grip limitations don't prep you for the lateral Gs >you can pull on slicks and a clean concrete track) >Takes a conscious effort to settle down, relax your hands and body, have >faith in the chassis, and let the car do what it can do. >Ended way too soon, but it was worth every penny, cause its sandblasted into >my memory. > >Mark > >Sal V. <[email hidden]> wrote in message >news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... >> Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs >> International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by Ricky Craven, > > >(clip) > >

"Tony Whitley" <t o n y . w h i t l e y @ nStPlAwMorld.com> wrote in message news:2kIG5.8045$[email hidden]... > Fascinating post but... > > Dover has > > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzycoming

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> > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then he > said, > > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" > Vertigo? Just how high is the banking? Do you mean that the G forces were > draining the blood from your head and making you dizzy? Or was it just the > excitement.

I bet it's the G-forces. I get the same dizzy feeling at the Ring going thru Fuchsrohe at 230kph on my bike, or in the Carussell. And that feeling is like a drug .. once you've experienced it you want more! :) Hena PS. Thanks Sal for the post!

> Gotta ask the obvious one: how were your times? The first thing the instructors mentioned in the drivers meeting was that we were not going to time the laps or try to break the track record. They stressed safety and wanted us to have fun. The information kit stated that only 5% of the drivers would get up to 120 mph at a the end of the straight. The real nascar drivers get up to 170 mph just as they lift. I didnt look at the tach at that point because I was setting up to go into the turns. I'd like to think I was doing 120mph as it sure felt like it. My goal however was to get through the corners fast. When we first arrived at the track we took a few laps around it in a van and this is when the instructor said it's not about mashing the throttle down on the straights and getting on the brake going in. He said we should roll in and out of the throttle and keep up momentum. I do plan to try and time my laps once I get the on-board video. > Was this the Petty thing or somebody else's? > Ready to cringe ... how much did it cost? If you go to www.monsterracing.com you can get all the info you need including pricing. Sal V.

I drove a WC car at Texas last year. I agree with all you said. It was totally awesome. I think I got up to 160 mph. What a rush....I am gonna take the class where I get to drive with 2 and race and stuff. There were 10 cars on the track at the same time, but I could only pass on the back stretch. Was a blast...Thankful of all the laps at TMS in N3. It really helped... -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----

In article <n0ZG5.53240$[email hidden]>, "Sal V." <[email hidden]> writes: >> Ready to cringe ... how much did it cost? > >If you go to www.monsterracing.com you can get all the info you need >including pricing. > So many opportunities - so little money... :( Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

In article <8sh8pt$oc9$[email hidden]>, "Hena H�kk�nen" <[email hidden]> writes:

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>I bet it's the G-forces. I get the same dizzy feeling at the Ring going thru >Fuchsrohe at 230kph on my bike, or in the Carussell. And that feeling is >like a drug .. once you've experienced it you want more! :) > >Hena > >PS. Thanks Sal for the post!

I don't know about the 'dizzyness' factor, but I'd *love* to be able to drive Laguna Seca again....<sigh> Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

On 18 Oct 2000 12:34:12 GMT, [email hidden] (EldredP) wrote:

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>In article <n0ZG5.53240$[email hidden]>, "Sal V." ><[email hidden]> writes: > >>> Ready to cringe ... how much did it cost? >> >>If you go to www.monsterracing.com you can get all the info you need >>including pricing. >> > >So many opportunities - so little money... :(

Come on Eldred, you surely must have $1500 lying around somewhere... Andre

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>Eldred >-- >Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 >Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett >GPL hcp. +49.67 > >Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you >with experience... >Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

On 18 Oct 2000 12:34:12 GMT, [email hidden] (EldredP) wrote:

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>In article <8sh8pt$oc9$[email hidden]>, "Hena H�kk�nen" ><[email hidden]> writes: > >>I bet it's the G-forces. I get the same dizzy feeling at the Ring going thru >>Fuchsrohe at 230kph on my bike, or in the Carussell. And that feeling is >>like a drug .. once you've experienced it you want more! :) >> >>Hena >> >>PS. Thanks Sal for the post! > >I don't know about the 'dizzyness' factor, but I'd *love* to be able to drive >Laguna Seca again....<sigh>

Again? Tell us the whole story Eldred... Andre

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>Eldred >-- >Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 >Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett >GPL hcp. +49.67 > >Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you >with experience... >Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Andre Warringa) writes:

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>On 18 Oct 2000 12:34:12 GMT, [email hidden] (EldredP) wrote: > >>In article <n0ZG5.53240$[email hidden]>, "Sal V." >><[email hidden]> writes: >> >>>> Ready to cringe ... how much did it cost? >>> >>>If you go to www.monsterracing.com you can get all the info you need >>>including pricing. >>> >> >>So many opportunities - so little money... :( > >Come on Eldred, you surely must have $1500 lying around somewhere... > >Andre >

<checks pockets...> Nope, not at the moment. :( Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Andre Warringa) writes:

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>On 18 Oct 2000 12:34:12 GMT, [email hidden] (EldredP) wrote: > >>In article <8sh8pt$oc9$[email hidden]>, "Hena H�kk�nen" >><[email hidden]> writes: >> >>>I bet it's the G-forces. I get the same dizzy feeling at the Ring going >thru >>>Fuchsrohe at 230kph on my bike, or in the Carussell. And that feeling is >>>like a drug .. once you've experienced it you want more! :) >>> >>>Hena >>> >>>PS. Thanks Sal for the post! >> >>I don't know about the 'dizzyness' factor, but I'd *love* to be able to >drive >>Laguna Seca again....<sigh> > >Again? Tell us the whole story Eldred... > >Andre

Oops...I hadn't mentioned that here...? :) Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Thanks. No, it wasn't the Petty Experience. Check out www.monsterracing.com Sal V. "David Thirion" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:39eb7e8b$0$[email hidden]... > Sal, Was that a Richard Petty Experience or something like that? BTWawesome > Post man gave me chills!! > Sal V. <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs > > International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by RickyCraven, > > which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable.For > > all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the > > computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with thecar > I > > felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it > > looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think aboutthat > > while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to ourracing > > sims. > > > > As always mentioned by folks in here, who have driven real racecars, the > > feedback from the car is everything. I could tell what the car was doing > at > > all times. Never did I feel that the car was driving me. As I wentthrough > > the corners faster, I really felt many things. The most important washow > > wonderfully the car turned. Once I got it pointed in the right direction > > going in, it felt as though I put it in a slot and it was stuck to the > > track. What a great feeling! Now I know how the drivers fell when they > say, > > "the car was working great". Put it this way, when I didn't have it inthe > > right place on track going into the turns, the car let me know it. Dover > has > > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzycoming

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> > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then he > said, > > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" > > There is just no way for me to explain how it felt when I was in the > center > > of the corner getting back on the gas. I was being pushed into the seat, > > also felt the acceleration on the way out, felt the different parts of

the > > seat pushing on my body, had to keep adjusting my head and hold onto the > > wheel. The first thing I said when I got out of the car was "I can't > believe > > that they do this for 400 laps!" By the way I must have been runing good > > because after the 3rd lap they threw the yellow and made the guy infront > of > > me pull over so I would be right behind the instructor. That made mefeel > > really good. The instructor kept going faster and faster and I wasstaying > > with him. The format was 1 instructor and 2 drivers, one behind theother. > > So I was started in the 3rd slot and normal passing was not allowed.They

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> > stressed that they wanted us to keep 6 car lengths between the car in > front > > of us. Lucky for me the spotters saw what was going on and let me pass. > > > > Some of the questions I was asked and the answers: > > > > 1. Can you see the hood? Yes, but not much of it as you sit much lower

in > > the car than I thought > > 2. Does the car pull left down the straight? This car did, but not asmuch > > as in Nascar Heat. Dover straights are banked too. > > 3. What can you hear? I could hear my lovely motor, it sounded like pure > > power! On the track racing I only got close enough one time to anothercar > > in front of me and I could just about hear it. My own motor was loud but > not > > distracting. I used the sound to help drive it, if you know what I mean. > > 4. How far do you look up the track? Well the instructor warned us notto > > just focus on a small piece of track in front of us, but to look as farup

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> > the track as possible. I did both. I looked more up the track on the > > straights and more at the track in the corners. > > > > Other items worth mentioning are as follows: > > > > I sat much lower that I thought I would. > > The steering wheel is much bigger than I thought and also higher. My

grip > on > > it at 2 & 10 was about shoulder height. > > The throttle travel was very short. Didn't have to push it too far toget

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> to > > the floor. This allowed for great car control. > > My vision was quite restricted by all of the things I thought would > restrict > > it.(window net, roll bars and driver position) > > Gearbox was very close pattern. > > The car actually felt heavy but fast. With those big ass slicks you

could > > feel the car's foot print. > > As I mentioned earlier the driver position was very low, I was a little > > nervous about this when I first got in the car. > > The car was easier to drive at speed then when going slow. Must havebeen

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> > the setup or maybe that's why it's called a race car. > > The track was very smooth for the most part but at times I could really > feel > > the suspension working. (in the corners) > > > > Sorry for the long post but I figure some of you might be interested. It > all > > went so fast that I can't remember everything > > but it was well worth it. I will be getting a video from the on-board > camera > > in about a week. There was also a mirror in the car that was pointed at

my > > face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the firstfew

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> > laps. > > > > If you have any more questions just ask. > > > > Sal V. > > > > > >

In article <8spqp8$ksnmq$[email hidden]>, "Murchman" <[email hidden]> writes: >Not sure if you guys know about this but you can drive an open wheeled CART >style car on an oval. > >http://www.driving101.com/ Oh my... :) Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Not sure if you guys know about this but you can drive an open wheeled CART style car on an oval. http://www.driving101.com/ -- Jeff Murchison (Murchman) [email hidden]

Not another one... first Tom, now Eldred leaves us hanging. RAS'ers... bastards! -All of 'm! ;-)) Jan. =--- Andre Warringa wrote... > <snip> > Not as far as I know... so, what's the story? > > Andre

On 19 Oct 2000 22:45:24 GMT, [email hidden] (EldredP) wrote:

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>>>I don't know about the 'dizzyness' factor, but I'd *love* to be able to >>drive >>>Laguna Seca again....<sigh> >> >>Again? Tell us the whole story Eldred... >> >>Andre > >Oops...I hadn't mentioned that here...? > :)

Not as far as I know... so, what's the story? Andre >Eldred

I've done the MonsterMile, Petty Experiance in Richmond (don't waste your money on that) and now own/drive a Late Model Stock Car. By far the MonsterMile is the best experiance of driving a car other than owning your own. Highly recommended. Think of the price as a once in a lifetime experiance and worth every penny. btw - you get used to the g forces quickly. Especially when you have your own seat that fits well. After about a 100 laps of practice you don't even think about g forces anymore - it's just a LOT of fun. The heat is a differant story <g>. Sims should have a furnace blowing hot air on you the whole time you're driving then a 2x4 should jump and smack you when you hit the wall. That's force feedback...;-) "David Thirion" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:39eb7e8b$0$[email hidden]... > Sal, Was that a Richard Petty Experience or something like that? BTWawesome > Post man gave me chills!! > Sal V. <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:fJGG5.51975$[email hidden]... > > Well, I did it. I drove a Winston Cup car for 10 laps around Dover Downs > > International Speedway! The car I drove used to be driven by RickyCraven, > > which is the #41 Kodiak Chevy MonteCarlo. It was totally unbelievable.For > > all of you Nascar sim racers in here, it is quite different from the > > computer. However, once I made a few laps and got comfortable with thecar > I > > felt a connection (all be it very small) from what my view was to how it > > looked on the computer. I really didn't have much time to think aboutthat > > while driving. I'll try to list a few things now that apply to ourracing > > sims. > > > > As always mentioned by folks in here, who have driven real racecars, the > > feedback from the car is everything. I could tell what the car was doing > at > > all times. Never did I feel that the car was driving me. As I wentthrough > > the corners faster, I really felt many things. The most important washow > > wonderfully the car turned. Once I got it pointed in the right direction > > going in, it felt as though I put it in a slot and it was stuck to the > > track. What a great feeling! Now I know how the drivers fell when they > say, > > "the car was working great". Put it this way, when I didn't have it inthe > > right place on track going into the turns, the car let me know it. Dover > has > > some serious banking and I really felt myself being pushed down into the > > seat. On one of my last few laps, I got slightly disoriented/dizzycoming

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> > out of turn-2 as I got back on the gas pretty hard. > > I asked the instructor about that and he said it was vertigo, then he > said, > > "that's good, it means you were getting through the corners pretty good" > > There is just no way for me to explain how it felt when I was in the > center > > of the corner getting back on the gas. I was being pushed into the seat, > > also felt the acceleration on the way out, felt the different parts of

the > > seat pushing on my body, had to keep adjusting my head and hold onto the > > wheel. The first thing I said when I got out of the car was "I can't > believe > > that they do this for 400 laps!" By the way I must have been runing good > > because after the 3rd lap they threw the yellow and made the guy infront > of > > me pull over so I would be right behind the instructor. That made mefeel > > really good. The instructor kept going faster and faster and I wasstaying > > with him. The format was 1 instructor and 2 drivers, one behind theother. > > So I was started in the 3rd slot and normal passing was not allowed.They

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> > stressed that they wanted us to keep 6 car lengths between the car in > front > > of us. Lucky for me the spotters saw what was going on and let me pass. > > > > Some of the questions I was asked and the answers: > > > > 1. Can you see the hood? Yes, but not much of it as you sit much lower

in > > the car than I thought > > 2. Does the car pull left down the straight? This car did, but not asmuch > > as in Nascar Heat. Dover straights are banked too. > > 3. What can you hear? I could hear my lovely motor, it sounded like pure > > power! On the track racing I only got close enough one time to anothercar > > in front of me and I could just about hear it. My own motor was loud but > not > > distracting. I used the sound to help drive it, if you know what I mean. > > 4. How far do you look up the track? Well the instructor warned us notto > > just focus on a small piece of track in front of us, but to look as farup

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> > the track as possible. I did both. I looked more up the track on the > > straights and more at the track in the corners. > > > > Other items worth mentioning are as follows: > > > > I sat much lower that I thought I would. > > The steering wheel is much bigger than I thought and also higher. My

grip > on > > it at 2 & 10 was about shoulder height. > > The throttle travel was very short. Didn't have to push it too far toget

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> to > > the floor. This allowed for great car control. > > My vision was quite restricted by all of the things I thought would > restrict > > it.(window net, roll bars and driver position) > > Gearbox was very close pattern. > > The car actually felt heavy but fast. With those big ass slicks you

could > > feel the car's foot print. > > As I mentioned earlier the driver position was very low, I was a little > > nervous about this when I first got in the car. > > The car was easier to drive at speed then when going slow. Must havebeen

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> > the setup or maybe that's why it's called a race car. > > The track was very smooth for the most part but at times I could really > feel > > the suspension working. (in the corners) > > > > Sorry for the long post but I figure some of you might be interested. It > all > > went so fast that I can't remember everything > > but it was well worth it. I will be getting a video from the on-board > camera > > in about a week. There was also a mirror in the car that was pointed at

my > > face reflecting it to the camera. That should look funny on the firstfew

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> > laps. > > > > If you have any more questions just ask. > > > > Sal V. > > > > > >

In article <[email hidden]>, Andre Warringa <[email hidden]> writes:

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>On 19 Oct 2000 22:45:24 GMT, [email hidden] (EldredP) wrote: > >>>>I don't know about the 'dizzyness' factor, but I'd *love* to be able to >>>drive >>>>Laguna Seca again....<sigh> >>> >>>Again? Tell us the whole story Eldred... >>> >>>Andre >> >>Oops...I hadn't mentioned that here...? >> :) > >Not as far as I know... so, what's the story? > >Andre

Nothing much - I went to the Skip Barber school at Laguna in June.<g> I got my 'certificate' on my birthday. :) It was a great experience, and now I wish I could afford to enter races in the Barber Dodge series. I can't. :( Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

In article <It6I5.46422$[email hidden]>, "Joel Brown" <[email hidden]> writes: >I've done the MonsterMile, Petty Experiance in Richmond (don't waste your >money on that) and now own/drive a Late Model Stock Car. By far the >MonsterMile is the best experiance of driving a car other than owning your >own. Highly recommended. Think of the price as a once in a lifetime >experiance and worth every penny. You don't recommend the Petty Experience? That's surprising. So, why not? Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.