I just realized I have some free airline tickets coming to me so I'm thinking about racing in California. I'd like to rent a GTS3 car but I suppose I'll drive anything with similar handling to my M3.

The front runner so far is Infineon on Sept 8/9 but I'll consider anything between SF and LA. My favorite tracks are Road Atlanta (hilly and smooth) and Sebring (flat and bumpy) so I'm sure I'll like any track I can hit out there. What's your favorite track in Cali?

Pat, you're welcome to race with/against me if you like but don't flatter yourself in thinking I'm flying out there to race you. Does anybody have a line on a RWD (preferably european) racecar for rent?

are by far the nicest tracks in CA. Buttonwillow, Thunderhill and Willow Sprints are paved places to have races in the middle of nowhere and though they have their challenges, have NO ambience whatsoever and are in generally crappy climates. CA Speedway is just...well an infield "road" course (read chicanes and short straights).

I prefer Laguna over Sears but that's largely due to nostalgia. Sears is the more challenging track.

Have you contacted Rennwerks or the local BMWCCA chapters? I would think that would be a good starting point for a car like you're looking for.

If it's well prepared and light it just might fit into my GTS3 plans. I'm using her car at Infineon and she'll use my car at Road Atlanta.

I would definitely chose Laguna over Sears or any of the other Norcal or Central California tracks. I have been to Willow Springs/Buttonwillow/Laguna/SearsPoint/Thunderhill/Spring Mtn (in Nevada)

I think Sears is a more technical then Laguna.

Nearly as technically challenging as Sears, but far far more forgiving. True, it's in the middle of the boonies with a hot dry climate. Are you coming to drive or lounge on a beach???

Sears is the most challenging but too many walls, especially for your first time in an expensive rental.

Laguna has lots of history and ambience, and is in a wonderful location. Also a fine choice, but not so technical.

Cause nearby are Carmel, Point Lobos, Big Sur, Monterey Acquarium, Cannery Row.

Sears Point is in wine country. But there are some nice wineries around Laguna too.

Pretty much every occasion.

Sears Point is my favorite track in CA followed by CA Speedway (despite what Pete says :P ). I think you'll definitely like Sears if you like Road Atlanta; the sweeping elevation changes, smooth pavement and ambiance of the track and surrounding area are definitely worth the trip. The only bad thing about Sears is that you'll probably leave a couple seconds on the table if it's your first trip out. That track gives new meaning to the importance of home field advantage.... NorCal bastids :P

Are you still going to make it out to Nationals if you run that event at Sears?

The world famous golf courses, food, hotels, coastline and race track... might go to their heads :P

I might even go so far as to plaster an orange X on the back so peeps know to stay away from me. Last thing I want to do is ball up a friend's car.

Looks like Infineon is it...I'll be using a 325 that was run in USTCC a couple of times this year. That would make it a weak GTS3 car but again I'm not trying to set lap records.

I'm definitely in for the Nationals with my own car of course. I'd fly home the monday after Infineon and hit the road tuesday morning for MidOhio.

You definitely won't regret your time at Infineon... even just motoring around is pretty awesome! I have some video that EF took, I'll see if he can't dig it up for you although there's lots of video of that track on the web.

Driving a new track will be a good warm up for Mid O. Nice timing.

<ul><li><a href="http://www.rennieclayton.com/DSRForum/Rens%20Lap%20-%20Large.wmv">6.3mb WMV</a></li></ul>

I want to support NASA with my dollars and my time.

I appreciate videos and whatnot but I'll probably drive Infineon a couple dozen times on Nascar Thunder before heading out there.

At Road ATL, you need to not focus on the walls around the track. Here, I guess you can't focus on the hills that are 5 feet off the track in places.

especially through the esses. I really miss them, got used to them as subconscious reference points.

And I wish I wish I could go through the carousel that fast :(

that lap is somewhere around there.

245hp of 1600cc powah!<ul><li><a href="http://rennieclayton.com/">http://rennieclayton.com/</a</li></ul>

of course, not being a ballar, i've not driven either laguna or sears point/thill

I will say to avoid buttonwillow, willow springs, or pahrump unless you are on a budget :)

but i did stay at a holiday in last night, and anyway laguna is teh best cali track on gt3 :P

There is a great story about Nancy James and T10. I wonder if Pete or anyone else here has heard it? I'll share if you guys want.

Here is lap in an E30 318is, first time at the track for the guy. It is more recent and is what the track looks like now. Quite a decent HPDE line for a newbie and it is so slow you get a good view of the track.<ul><li><a href="http://freshalloyclub.groupee.net/videos/Sears_Point_onelap.mov">http://freshalloyclub.groupee.net/videos/Sears_Point_onelap.mov</a</li></ul>

then again I'm a wuss ;-)

Nancy is a very, very fast sports racer driver. She held both the CSR and DSR records at Willow for ~10 years before they were broken over the past couple of years. She is a grandmother and has a grandmother look (she has recently been nicknamed Gramica Patrick). If you lined up 100 people including her, and asked folks to pick the racer, she would be the last chosen. Ted (husband) is her engineer.

She has (or had) a data system in her car that included a pitot tube for air speed. Compare that to ground speed and you know about the wind. The system was supposedly programed such that approching T10, if there was no wind, the dash showed "Go For It" and she could take it flat. With a tail wind it didn't. A 10 mph tail wind can make a huge difference as it adds 2-3 mph top speed but drops downforce by maybe 10-15%.

I think it makes a great story about Nancy and Ted.

winning a Radical race at SPA:
<img src="http://www.insideracingtechnology.com/Resources/nancy5a_1.jpg">

but that's a really good video showing the "new" track!

It looks like a cool down lap.

was taken at audi national event back in 2004 after they repaved it. Randy pobst driving my car with my daughter as the passenger.
Huge files maybe 30-40mb each.

and he was doing right around 110. Although, he even commented that that was just shy of being perfect.

He was on the gas coming down the hill T9. It was a bit hairy.

now I'm a bit bolder and even more stupid ;-)<ul><li><a href="http://www.jyoteen.com/searspointlap.mov">One lap of Sears point</a></li></ul>