Bus stop, Turns 5, 10 & 11 all get improvements. No gravel trap at the bus stop. GT, they're taking your "signature" away !!!

http://www.racer.com/circuit-mods-on...rticle/161606/

Viz
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Oh no! No more Ludwig gravel angels at the bus stop?
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One of the best tracks gets better. Will make some safer corners bit more racing area!
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Safer Barrier at the exit of Turn 11 is going to help prevent many of the violent crashes when the left wheels get sucked into the tire walls previously in place there. Remember the styrofoam? Those days seem so long ago.

Glad to hear about all the changes.
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Remember Larry in the styrofoam? It looked like half the packaging for a Hot Wheels car when the pulled him out - perfect outline of a Skippy car. He stuck the car in so deep that they had to pull it out before he could get out. The fact that he didn't get hurt at all allowed it to be very funny at the time.
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Had the same thought, this is as close a pic as I could find, picture this type of packaging but put the car in sideways between two blocks of precut styro - that was how the styro blocks looked with Larry's car neatly packaged in it :-)

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And of course Nick Nick's indiscretion there in a Pontiac rental car is fondly remembered as well. :-)
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Well, you had to bring that one up! Okay okay, I'll play along. I suppose the statute of limitations has expired. Enjoy!
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damn, I have Evil Homer's report on this and a photo-op of Peter Dannan standing in for Nick....but it wont post...it's my old browser, still out...try just the pic

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Damn, would love to see that report. Was before my time at Skip, what an event to miss.

Love this quote from the article on WGI improvements:

Finally, Turn 11 improvements will feature the installation of a SAFER barrier in front of the exterior guide rail system. Additionally, all grass areas between the new SAFER barrier and the track will be paved to help provide better traction when a driver is attempting to bring their car to a stop.

How much time is there between "Oops, I don't got it" and "WHAM!" in turn 11? I don't think there's even enough time to think the word "attempt." Maybe they could sign it "Caution: to properly utilize new deceleration zone, brakes need to be engaged prior to turn-in." That might help. At least it looks like it will now be a helicopter-free zone.
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Foam Boy lives! I remind him of that off pavement excursion in public every time he gets out of hand and cocky. Important to do it in the most public environment. I never laughed so hard. Did he mention he was doing a car around with some newbies. Apparently on what not to do....
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Dateline Watkins Glen NY: 8/19/04
Event: Skippy 'Advanced' 2-day racing school
File this under the "No good deed goes unpunished" category...
While working an ADV2 with no company support vehicles, our esteemed colleague Joseph E. Nicholson Jr. aka Nick-Nick, cheerfully volunteered to use his personal vehicle for Track orientation lead-follow duty. With a handful of Formula Dodge RT-2000's in tow and a couple of students riding along, our hero was explaining to his riders what a critical corner turn#9 is where it rejoins the NASCAR short course. Nick was demonstrating how quickly the styrofoam comes up at trackout when you turn in early and are wide of the apex. Apparently this was a little too vivid of a demonstration.

The call coming over the track radio was priceless:

" This is station one-four waving yellow"
" Go ahead station one-four "
" We’ve had a silver vehicle impact the barrier "
" Copy that, Black Flag All"
Needless to say our chromatically limited Skippy fleet does not include silver vehicles. This elicited a full on WGI response and a scurrying in pitlane for cell phones and cameras. . . <>Good news was the RT cars following Nick- Nick had sense enough to disobey John Murphy's directive to "Follow your pace car like tire tracks in the snow!" They safely avoided the styrofoam explosion and made it back to the pits. As you can see, Nick-nick's Pontiac was not so fortunate
Going to be a looong week here in the Finger-Lakes.


Yours Truly, Evil Homer


from cdh via email via me via Raleigh NC internet node--- will it post?...All RIGHT!!!!!

Thanks, Doug-- definitely worth waiting for!

One additional note: This categorically and beyond any possible doubt proves Mr. Dannan is without question the worst driver in the world.
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Not to mention my fabulous encounter with the tire wall in turn 11 in 2009.:-)Damn, the track just won't be the same - I guess I will just have to change my screen name:-):-):-):-).
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