Fun track day at Colorado’s High Plains Raceway, Sunday Jan 17, 2010.

[Grady Clay]

Fun track day at Colorado’s High Plains Raceway, Sunday Jan 17, 2010.

Guys & gals,

Tomorrow should be nice weather, the track is dry, enough have pre-registered to insure the
track is open and the highways are clear.

High Plains Raceway | Your Colorado Performance Driving and Racing Future

This is an “Open Lapping Day, Winter Practice, cars only”. Gates open at 9:00 AM, track is open
from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Advance (on line) cost is $100, at the track is $110. No cost to
come and watch. It is not uncommon to get a ‘ride’. Bring your helmet.

High Plains Raceway | Your Colorado Performance Driving and Racing Future






Be sure and read the http://www.highplainsraceway.com/pdf/HPR-Lapping-Day-Policies.pdf

This is not an ‘event’ or hosted by anyone.
It is simply a normal, track provided, practice day.

Get gas, food, etc. in Byers. It will be cold in the morning (all day?) so bring appropriate
clothes and hot food. Keep in mind Byers is about 40 minutes round-trip East the track on US-36.

See you there.
(I-25 & Yale to the track is about 1 hour. It can be less but you will probably consult with the CHP.)
Drive carefully. The Porsche you save will be your own.

Best,
Grady

[Grady Clay]

At HPR, there are times when us ‘old farts’ connect.

After 40+ years, we still do this stuff.



This was last May 21, (2009).

Call your friends.
This can be a great mid-winter day.
Bring your street 911 and/or other.
935, 917 and 962 work well this time of year.

Best,
Grady

[real550A]

Grady-
My thoughts will be with you, looks like fun! It's been way too long since I
got back in the middle of some of this! Have a safe day! Mike

[Winter]

Wow! That sounds really cool. Sorry I'm going to miss it. I head out of town tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you guys as I loiter in the security lines at DIA!

Have fun!

--

Tom '75 targa

[Matt Monson]

I really didn't think we'd see the track dry and clear until April. Unfortunately I've got a funeral tomorrow or I would make the journey. Maybe next time.

[Steve@Rennsport]

Originally Posted by Grady Clay

Man,..thats a GREAT pic,.....

[450knotOffice]

I second that! 908?

[Grady Clay]

Thanks Steve.
I assume you were NOT talking about the car.
These ‘OFs’ were playing with Porsches before this 1968 racer was built.



You never know what you may find out there on ‘play days’.










Best,
Grady

[burgermeister]

I am soooooo jealous!
A bit far from Michigan ... and we're all salted in.
Only 5 more months ...

[Grady Clay]

Well, it was a classic Denver Colorado January day – bright sun, short sleeve temperatures, 10% humidity and no wind.

There were about 30+ cars, mostly Porsches.
The Porsches were everything from ’10 GT3 to 944.


















I missed more than a few. Grant was there with his VLW 911 and a few others.
They must have been on track when I did my photo-survey.

continued>>

[Grady Clay]

There were a good number of Corvettes, two Spec Miatas, an Elise, a few BMWs and some others
















For all those who just had to watch games, note the satellite dish (not mine) next to my SC.

We left just before 1:00 PM. I suspect there will be an ‘after church’ crowd also.

Shame on everyone who sat at home on a beautiful ‘fun track day’ like this.

Best,
Grady

[arrivederci]

Nice day to work in the garage too Grady, although some track time would be nice. My race car is in hibernation.

The '72 oil tank was removed today and I came up just short of removing the dash. It was nice to find the area behind the oil tank rust free. I found some very light rust along the bottom edge of the windshield. Slow going on the teardown...I'm itching to get this car down to bare metal and get it on the rotisserie.

[Grady Clay]

Josh,

It would have been nice to see you out there today.
I understand. … Soon to be.

I had to chuckle:

Originally Posted by jpinkert

It was nice to find the area behind the oil tank rust free.

If only our nice old cars had fallen into a vat of oil (or Tectyl) when on the production line, we would all be much happier.

Best,
Grady

[arrivederci]

Originally Posted by Grady Clay

Josh,

If only our nice old cars had fallen into a vat of oil (or Tectyl) when on the production line, we would all be much happier.

This area was quite liberally coated with oil and anything that could stick to it.

[rrcrawford70s]

Originally Posted by Grady Clay

At HPR, there are times when us ‘old farts’ connect.

After 40+ years, we still do this stuff.

Dieter I., looks very happy getting dirty again.

For those who don't know, he is the DI in ANDIAL

[Jandrews]

Amazing. What a way to spend a January weekend in God's country!

Grady, quick question...how do these "practice days" work? Here at Heartland Park, Topeka they only have PCA sponsored events (as far as I know). Those are great, but they are few and far between.

How do you determine how many, and from what classes get on the track? Who times the runs? Are there any liability/insurance issues?

Sounds like a perfect, casual, laid back track day. I wish we had something like that here in KS.

Glad to hear you are out and about and still living the dream.

JA

[Grady Clay]

John,

Go to the HPR site. High Plains Raceway | Your Colorado Performance Driving and Racing Future

How ‘practice days’ work is explained here.
http://www.highplainsraceway.com/pdf/HPR-Lapping-Day-Policies.pdf
Critical is to call the hotline 303-769-4771 and see if enough people have pre-registered.
I think less than ten, they cancel.

The land and track are owned and operated by US! Us being a coalition of Rocky Mountain Region PCA,
Colorado Region SCCA, Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing and several other clubs. Even though it is pretty
much a volunteer operation, it is professionally done thanks to the huge amount of expertise here.


The KC guys can consider a HPR weekend event. Come early as there are always ‘practice days’
before events. KC to Denver is an easy (but boring) 8 hour drive/tow.

The hotels, motels, restaurants and other services around Denver International Airport (DIA) are only
40 minutes from the track. There are several good ‘very local’ eateries in Byers (Exit 316 on I-70).
The track is 17 mi. east of Byers on US-36.

The track now has a new ‘fuel depot’. I don’t yet know the details.


Here is a better image of the Elise.


I tried to get Chris a ride/drive in it but no time.




This Cayman was getting the ‘close-to-final’ handling tweeks. It is fast and well prepared.








Thank you who gave Chris (behind the SC) safe rides/drives in YOUR Porsches and other.
He is home for Christmas a couple of weeks late as he had to ‘run the farm’ in Shelbyville, KY over the holidays.


Next, weather permitting – and it looks OK, is a ½-day at ‘http://www.thetrack.us/‘ in a 125 shifter.
I don’t think there is time for Pueblo in a Mazda Pro Star car (last time 1:26).
I’ll bet it was 75-80F at the Pueblo track today.



You who are looking to have yourselves and your cars ready by spring (Josh)
– NOW is the time. Later (March – April) can be the big snow.

Best,
Grady

[Grady Clay]

Here are some area maps.



Best,
Grady

[Matt Monson]

Hey Grady,
Are you at liberty to disclose who owns that red Cayman?

[TechnoViking]

I'll give you a hint: He kept his RMR PCA race number and moved it to the new car. It used to be a brown SC.