DeTomaso Mailing List: January 98, Message #559
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SAN DIEGO PANTERAS Presents 2nd ANNUAL TRACK TECH & TEST DAY AT H.A.I.R. Holtville Aerodrome International Raceway SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1998 San Diego Panteras Second Annual Track Tech and Test Day has been scheduled! If you're ready to have some driving fun with your Pantera, this is the event! You'll be able to experience what your Pantera feels like at speed on a real track and you won't have to worry about getting a ticket! And you'll have the opportunity to have your car teched as well! Here's all the details. Overview - Holtville Aerodrome International Raceway will again be our host track! As we did last year, we will be participating in an open track day. What that means is that the track will be open to anyone who wants to come out, pay the track fee, and drive their car on the track. SDP has not rented the track exclusively for our use. That would simply be too costly and would put the Club at risk. However, last year there were just two other vehicles using the track. So for all practical purposes, we should have the track all to ourselves. The total entry fee goes directly to the track owners, none to SDP. Each participant will be required to sign a wavier upon entering the track. Since the Raceway has no liability or medical insurance, each participant assumes all risks. In other words, while driving on the raceway each of us continues to be responsible for our own personal actions just as if we were driving down the freeway. If you have any questions about what this means, please bring them up Tuesday at the Membership Meeting. The Track - Holtville Raceway is located on the outskirts of the small Imperial Valley community of Holtville which lies just east of El Centro. It's an easy two hour freeway drive east of San Diego. For you history buffs, the Raceway actually uses one of the two former runways and the taxi/storage area of an old W.W.II fighter training base. (The other runway is still used for commercial air traffic.) The actual 1.4 mile track layout is created by positioning plastic cones over this huge concrete slab. What makes this setup so ideal is that you have plenty of space to drive in and if you do happen to spin out, you don't have to worry about hitting anything for you are surrounded by nothing but concrete! For both the beginner and the experienced driver, it's the ideal situation you want for getting familiar with the limits of your Pantera. The Schedule - Since the owners permit overnight camping, some SDP members will be going out Friday evening so we can get an early start Saturday morning and help the track folks set up the cones. If you would like to come out and camp with us, we would love to have you. We will start the day with our own SDP driver's meeting at 9:30. If we are the only ones at the track, we will have a Track Tour to let you get a feel for the track before you go out. This means that we should be ready to begin running at around 10:00. The track is scheduled to remain open until late into the afternoon. Since this is a open track test day, once the track opens you will be free to run as many laps as you want, come into the pits as you like, and go back out again when ready. You will definitely get all the track time you will want. Tech - David Briggs, our SDP Authorized Las Vegas Tech Person, will be with us. For you guys that are going to run at Vegas, this will also be your opportunity to have David tech your car prior to Vegas. But David will also be available for anyone else that would like to have him look at their car or to have him answer any technical questions you might have. Safety - No question, high speed driving is dangerous! But, if we use our heads, this has the potential to be a terrific day. More fun then you will ever have on the street. Other than a technically sound automobile, you will only be required to have a safety helmet which must be worn whenever you go out on the track. Lunch - Since there are no convenient food outlets located very close to the track, everyone is encouraged to bring lunch with them. Since driving does take quite a bit of energy, make sure you bring and drink lots of fluids, preferably water. Dehydration causes lack of concentration and you don't need that. Cost - Here's the best part of this whole deal. You are going to be able to drive all day for only $50! That's right, not $200 or even $100! No, just $50 for an entire day on the track. You can't beat than anywhere! Caravan Over - There will be a caravan over on Saturday morning. It will meet at the McDonalds at Las Coches road exit off I-8. This exist is easy to find. It's just a couple of miles east of El Cajon. The departure time will be 0700 sharp. So don't be late! This Outing is for Everyone - That's right! This event is not just for those who want to take their car on the track. It's an opportunity for all members to get your car out and drive it, if only over to Holtville. The weather should be excellent and what a better way to head into Spring when with a little road trip. And when you get there, you can watch your fellow club members have some fun, maybe get your car teched, or just relax and enjoy some lunch with your fellow Club Members. It's really going to be a fun day and we sure do want you with us!