Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins
I've run Streets of Willow a number of times with the R Gruppe. We run the largest configuration, clockwise. The big downhill after the bowl and the front straight are the only two passing zones we use. If you didn't get it done on the front straight, it is a long, long ways to the downhill if you are stuck behind someone. Fortunately, as an R Gruppe only event, we are all driving about the same cars. I could not imagine being out there with GT3's and the like. That would be a bad day for them. Horribly frustrating, stuck behind me, unable to legally pass for 3/4 of a lap.
That's the real issue here. With open passing, anywhere around the track, it would be a non-issue. Most clubs do not allow that, however. I think that's the part a lot of guys are missing. The fast cars cannot pass us until we are in a passing zone. And we can only let so many by when we do get to one.
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I run Streets often with PCA. I drive a 2009 street Cayman 2.9L (261hp) in a field of GT4s, 991 GT3s, 991 Turbos in Red group. It is my home track, tight and technical, and I probably have logged 2500 laps on that one. I wear decent tires and have a decent setup so I can often outrun those guys in the playground and up the hill. Once we hit the straights they will disappear if they are anywhere near me. Some of these guys have 600+ hp and they are king of the straights. We do have expanded passing in Red but still 90% of passes get done on the straights because I can run with the fast but heavy cars in the corners
At AAA Speedway I run in Red group with all these same high HP cars plus a handful of 991 Cup cars getting in practice laps for their main event. This track is nearly all straights with a few tight corners and the 1-2 banked Roval. It is rare for them to get stuck behind me because I see them coming and position myself for an unobstructed pass, just like GT cars at Le Mans when being approached by a LMP. Some of them are turning 20 seconds per lap faster than my car . No matter. I have no interest in buying into their lap times so I just run my game, focus on personal best laps, and lay down a few clean laps for the final official Time Trial competition where I am scored against cars of similar HP/Wt ratio..
From an organizer perspective it might make the most sense to have a vintage run group. All solo pre 1997 cars running below XX lap times can run there without being steamrolled by the 991 GT3 train. In a 4 run group event with enough early cars I could see: Novice/student, Vintage, Modern Solo, and Advanced/Instructor. This makes room for everyone.
If you are running 1:26 or better at Streets, or 1:55 or better at AAA Speedway you are moving pretty well and should have no trouble running in traffic with the street 991 GT3 train at either track. Fully prepared GT3 Cup cars are a different story.