Vintage races @ Pacific Raceways

[ZfrkS62]

Over the weekend, Phil Smart Mercedes sponsored the Historic races at Pacific Raceways. These are the same guys that put on the Historics @ Laguna Seca in Monterey California.

I spent all day Saturday there and was absolutely blown away but some of the cars there.

The races themselves were incredible. While they may not have been pushing the way they did when they were new, it was great to see them out getting some exercise :D

First off, the track map. Pacific Raceways is a 2.25 mile, 10 turn road course. The first half of the straight runs along side the drag strip and rejoins in the run off strip after the turn 10 kink. The only turn you can't see form any part of the spectator area is turn 7, but there is talk of changing that.

You can see turn 1 and most of 2 by standing at the far end of the straight against the fence in the infield. Turn 2's exit is at the top of a hill for a run into turns 3A and B which you can see by walking down a hill behind you where you can stand above the turn in point to 3A and watch them slip through the Esses before disappearing behind an embankment.

In order to see them come out of turn 4, you have to be standing above the entrance to turn 6. Here you can watch them exit 4 and come through 5. The grandstands on the infield side of the dragstrip give you a great view of turns 8 and 9, the first half of the front straight, turn 10, start/finish and into turn 1.

Due to the heavy foilage around the track, the sounds of the cars reverberates in ways you can't imagine. The rumble of the Trans Am cars was insane from the grandstands.

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/13/1/9/b/19bcc7eaa51cdbc56545f0cf43de9b140_large.jpg

Out of Turn 2, downhill to 3A
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/15/6/2/c/62c56a1f5894387cde7310d82944bc770_large.jpg

3A and B
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/15/0/5/6/056d3dc0c00bb5b0c1c5fbbfc32889170_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/15/5/c/2/5c2db60717ea700204cd43ff7f4b26d70_large.jpg

Exit 4, Turn 5, Entrance 6
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/15/a/8/d/a8d73bb939ad334390badf92d1d0cab40_large.jpg

Turns 8 and 9:
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/15/1/6/b/16b920e5a654b99e03d92fea0d8e920a0_large.jpg

Straight, Turn 10 and if you look hard enough, Turn 1
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/15/3/e/3/3e328ac4485bec29a041a4d37e2f36140_large.jpg

Now for the cars:

BMW:

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/12/d/d/f/ddf3e9a20044523d9e22629b153b02220_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/12/d/a/f/daf75af1ee783abf830c39798dd90b930_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/12/c/b/f/cbfe9b322dc1c505b372a029d09c7d6d0_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/16/1/8/f/18f374a4b2a42837eddb0fb30eab02a50_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/16/f/4/7/f47ce5c73c21fa2ac8f4923550a6254f0_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/16/0/9/b/09b919332087241a153af829d13c252d0_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/16/7/3/2/7325abe2676947c1097efd394d1443b10_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/16/e/0/5/e052dd271d5ebfd301d35514d1dd41740_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/16/8/2/8/8288eb9d9c74a609beaabb6948385d8b0_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/16/e/c/6/ec61cb3a168125a12cee800449c99e4b0_large.jpg

(i need to do a little work on the others, will post the rest soon)

Vids:
Pacific Raceways Historics - YouTube Trans Am cars from the grandstands

Pacific Raceways part 2 - YouTube from turn 2/3A, multiple classes

[ZfrkS62]

coming up is Porsche, Ferrari/Maserati, and Datusn. Don't know what will come after that

[ZfrkS62]

hey have you EVER seen a '2002 Turbo' in the USA? do you know if there are any?

there a couple floating around the country but they were never officially sold here. i don't know how many examples there are but they are all grey market cars.

couple of vids posted. Not great quality thanks to the shit camera i was using. It doesn't do the sound of this justice.

[philip]

great photos. thanks

[ZfrkS62]

Datsun:

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/17/b/5/8/b5808eb0d520c169da5080d39a65b9310_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/17/a/4/6/a465b9fcd03e6cc2c2020cecf9bfd7870_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/18/3/6/5/365054bcdc4d862357ca31e592b380500_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/18/c/7/9/c794de0d34180b4c782a0a2064b7a7610_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/18/3/3/8/338bd895a27c57b77ef55b9f76eeefaf0_large.jpg

and my personal favorite:
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/7/e/f/7ef686f907b9d5429ffe9f22f57b41f70_large.jpg

Porsche:

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/17/c/8/d/c8df9b1c514c1ad7968adb997e2451e60_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/13/3/2/0/320e8202d5584001aac7726ecd1479410_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/8/9/a/89afadaeadf9d5c232c9255922fa15690_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/6/a/c/6acee9e11b4a03dda7171df29af6271d0_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/d/e/5/de5f8cc11351ed97d7297ed4aceaab030_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/e/7/0/e70b4b9ebbf51e0a89529a7b574e64bd0_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/c/1/3/c132f7c4c7b952623bf240073648deb70_large.jpg

Ferrari/Maserati

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/13/d/6/b/d6b6248e1d6a926a85b239f6aa55c4450_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/21/a/4/a/a4a220326c0883cb61f28396d0d21c5a0_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/21/9/c/c/9cc59ec4dbe325277c12e8233c73b6e60_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/15/1/3/1/131d7a227c54906eca8422d63a7564310_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/9/d/9/9d9d733c3e77623895142f9ebdc1aec40_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/1/e/5/1e5bf1f426ba6bb6dadb7bfe83f00bc30_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/9/0/9/909872da117e6b3fdf7a4e0b9475ad120_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/8/3/e/83e8478628ffa042d2ddb064fa4608ab0_large.jpg

not sure what kind of Maserati this is, but it's got some history

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/1/6/3/163f885363836e19c79c3f525b91498c0_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/20/3/7/4/3744d9d703da895d7be968b4257ffa060_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/21/7/7/8/7783a6dfb9ff9c5de4fbd2339b7194200_large.jpg

[nthfinity]

Nice... very nice Z :)

hey have you EVER seen a '2002 Turbo' in the USA? do you know if there are any?

Man, there's one in Birmingham that is at the AZ a few times a year ;) I've got photos of it somewhere...

[ZfrkS62]

the facility itself really isn't that great. The paddock was just well organized. The track is mainly used for it's drag strip, though they are currently getting ready to build a shifter kart track (i suddenly felt $15,000 vacate my wallet when i heard that's what it was).

There isn't a pit lane to speak of. The owners would have to spend voocoo bucks to bring that place up to standards to even host a Petit Le Mans race.

[silentm]

wow that track looks lovely. can you drive it on weekends? or is it drag strip only?

[ZfrkS62]

wow that track looks lovely. can you drive it on weekends? or is it drag strip only?

there is a driving school that runs on the off days and is open for afternoon lapping:

www.proformanceracingschool.com

check the schedule for more info if you're heading this way

[chest3r]

^^ That track reminds me the Ring !! :D

[ZfrkS62]

There was a 512 Boxer there too but my batteries died after the F40 shots. By the time i located a stand selling batteries, the 512 slipped away.


Strangest car there: Abarth cabrio....

I'm not organizing these anymore. They're so random in the file it'll take forever

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/22/1/4/9/14926705f339cca9b9b60519c9bcbdb80_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/22/4/6/9/469010b7190be95c1cd5e5450b7906610_large.jpg

One of the Mustangs met the wall at turn 10 on Sunday and i think it was this one. Fortunately i didn't see it. I would have cried. One of the Javelins missed turn 1 that day as well. Not sure how bad the damage was on that one.

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/22/9/6/4/964b565225e8dab7a32735ea31e93d780_large.jpg

Lancia and the Abarth (i honestly have no idea how many Abarths are in this country. I only ever saw them in GT4.)
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/9/6/a/96a0ab3ae5aa7260ec33ad2564b14f270_large.jpg

couple of old motorcycles for the bike nuts

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/1/3/5/135b790a9bde61e54d83fd8bd766d8cf0_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/7/d/b/7dbaafd9c40ce639430c9f2fa62163ff0_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/01/18/b/9/2/b9271b9c874e57597b99f6853ef870270_large.jpg

and since i know you saw them in the background of the bikes:
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/1/9/d/19d2dd5870704789d9cf0e2d8eaa259a0_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/1/b/5/1b5a05a8600090566558b56b1c736a800_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/d/e/6/de62b7933f4ca3b424ac2b25b680ec5b0_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/3/1/1/311e69c7bbc764bdeb21f03686ffb4d90_large.jpg

http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/f/9/7/f97093eaba3ed6f4bd3e8852af9d58260_large.jpg
http://images.orfay.com/i/photos1/2007/07/03/23/3/a/0/3a0b2b690bb96d64751ebb07f60b44ed0_large.jpg