itsaz
02-22-2011, 6:38am
AKA the Big Bend Open Road Race is set for April 23rd this year. This is the event that the Corvette was made for. 118 miles on a closed Texas highway at any speed you have the cajones for and you're being cheered on by state troopers and sheriff's deputies who have a radar lock on you. Obstacles include buzzards, deer, javelina, skunks and jackrabbits just to keep things interesting.
It's not a straight road either. There are 59 turns and elevation changes in the last 50 miles that will tighten the ole' sphincter. We've seen .74 lateral G's at 130 MPH! The idea is to come as close to your preselected target speed as possible. Often the margin of error is less than .001 MPH. Contestants use stopwatches, GPS, accelerometers, computers and luck to gain any possible advantage.
This is no "run what you brung" event. Cars have to meet strict safety standards and driver's need up to date helmets, fire suits and the like. We use a harness bar with a 6 point belt system including arm restraints. It can take 10 minutes to get all buckled in and ready to go.
Registration opened right after the 1st of the year and hit the 160 entry limit within days. The waiting list had 39 on it the last I checked. The interesting thing is that the Lone Star Corvette Club has 24 cars that made the list. That's 15% of the field.
Bunny rabbits & Corvettes don't play well together:
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc141/itsaztb/Wabbit.jpg
That's rabbit remnants on the REAR bumper!
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc141/itsaztb/20090425_36.jpg
It's not a straight road either. There are 59 turns and elevation changes in the last 50 miles that will tighten the ole' sphincter. We've seen .74 lateral G's at 130 MPH! The idea is to come as close to your preselected target speed as possible. Often the margin of error is less than .001 MPH. Contestants use stopwatches, GPS, accelerometers, computers and luck to gain any possible advantage.
This is no "run what you brung" event. Cars have to meet strict safety standards and driver's need up to date helmets, fire suits and the like. We use a harness bar with a 6 point belt system including arm restraints. It can take 10 minutes to get all buckled in and ready to go.
Registration opened right after the 1st of the year and hit the 160 entry limit within days. The waiting list had 39 on it the last I checked. The interesting thing is that the Lone Star Corvette Club has 24 cars that made the list. That's 15% of the field.
Bunny rabbits & Corvettes don't play well together:
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc141/itsaztb/Wabbit.jpg
That's rabbit remnants on the REAR bumper!
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc141/itsaztb/20090425_36.jpg