Barber Motorsports/Barn Find Hunter

[HobieMarty]

I have to admit that I am ashamed at myself. This place is in Birmingham, Alabama and I have never been there. I'm going to have to check it out this summer.

https://youtu.be/oYIZOrOxTMc?si=BmOFMlQyMjN1mWp3

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[dlockhart]

We always planned our track days and races to include time to wander the barber museums. The whole place is a amazing facility with interesting stuff everywhere you look.

[CurtEgerer]

I saw that vid the other day and was amazed at the museum. Might be the thing to tip the scale for a road trip to Barber.

[Seahawk]

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

I have to admit that I am ashamed at myself. This place is in Birmingham, Alabama and I have never been there. I'm going to have to check it out this summer.

https://youtu.be/oYIZOrOxTMc?si=BmOFMlQyMjN1mWp3

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It is spectacular. There is artwork everywhere, and the grounds look like a golf course. It is the Augusta of race tracks. He has the worlds largest motorcycle museum.



The track is fun, and the best pits ever. This is just after I passed that slow vehicle.

[rfuerst911sc]

My oldest son and I attended an Indycar event many years ago at Barber . The entire campus is stunningly beautiful . The museum is a must see . Everything is top notch . A bucket list item for sure .

[HobieMarty]

Mom lives in Chelsea. She used to live in a condo on top of Red Mountain in Birmingham, Homewood, to be exact. I lived in Talladega for a few years and have been to the Speedway and the Motorsports Hall of Fame several times but have never been to the Barber Museum. I am going to make a point to go there this summer. It would be a good "guy's day" for me and my son.

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[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

Mom lives in Chelsea. She used to live in a condo on top of Red Mountain in Birmingham, Homewood, to be exact. I lived in Talladega for a few years and have been to the Speedway and the Motorsports Hall of Fame several times but have never been to the Barber Museum. I am going to make a point to go there this summer. It would be a good "guy's day" for me and my son.

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Talladega is a cool place 33 degree banking is one of the steepest banked tracks in the world. At 100 MPH I had to steer uphill HARD. At 125, it was a breeze, AC on, my wife in the car and 125 was a cinch in my 40 year old 911. And it was fun. Barber was more fun however.

[HobieMarty]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Talladega is a cool place 33 degree banking is one of the steepest banked tracks in the world. At 100 MPH I had to steer uphill HARD. At 125, it was a breeze, AC on, my wife in the car and 125 was a cinch in my 40 year old 911. And it was fun. Barber was more fun however.

Wow, that does sound like fun for sure!!! I would bet that even 125mph probably felt slow at that track.

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[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

Wow, that does sound like fun for sure!!! I would bet that even 125mph probably felt slow at that track.

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Yea, it was fun. The amazing part is the guy in a Toyota pickup was a employee and set the pace. We all received a piece of paper stating we were going to run at 70 to 75 MPH. That would have been boring, and hard to stay on track.

The Toyota driver took off, with a radio in one hand and was cruising right along at triple digit speeds, while watching in the rear view mirror for cars lagging behind.

I had to look at the very top left corner of my windshield to see a few cars ahead. It makes it easy to understand why the pros at 200+ crash into each other when someone goes sideways. I can't imagine driving 200+ MPH just inches apart, and rubbing into other cars on most race days.

[A930Rocket]

I’ve driven Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Yeah, it’s weird that you have to look at the top left of the windshield as you’re driving on the turn. Coming out of the turns onto the straights was easy, but as I entered a turn, I always found it difficult to keep my speed up. I kept wanting to slow down.

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I had to look at the very top left corner of my windshield to see a few cars ahead. It makes it easy to understand why the pros at 200+ crash into each other when someone goes sideways. I can't imagine driving 200+ MPH just inches apart, and rubbing into other cars on most race days.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I’ve driven Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Yeah, it’s weird that you have to look at the top left of the windshield as you’re driving on the turn. Coming out of the turns onto the straights was easy, but as I entered a turn, I always found it difficult to keep my speed up. I kept wanting to slow down.

I drove Charlotte in a HPDE, so no restrictions on speed. We did the infield first and they told us repeatedly don't try to get on the banking from the flat infield directly, one wheel at a time as you will likely bend your car. We were told to pull along side and go up two right tires, then the two left tires. I then ran to redline in 2nd, third, fourth, and then about the time I entered the straight I was in 5th pedal to the metal.

The track seems to get very skinny for my little 911, even though I know the pros go three cars wide at 200 MPH. My car at redline in 4th is about 115, then continue flat out in 5th. I was not looking at the speedometer, but I was over 5,000 RPM in 5th as the back turns are coming up. I had an instructor in the car and his stern warning was to NOT hit the brakes whatever I did. My testicles were not big enough to stay floored in 5th so I did lift and stayed in the triple digits, then as I come off the back curve the next straight, nail the brakes hard, and slow down to under 50 to enter the infield again. The do it all again. It was a blast.

[IROC]

I've done DEs, instructed at DEs, and raced many times there and have never been to the museum. Probably been to that track 10-12 times.

Trivia - George Barber was a PCA member (back when I was in the Alabama Region). If I'm not mistaken, a PCA DE was the first event there.