"BeaterGT" (beatergt)
07/01/2019 at 11:31 • Filed to: Road Trip, Watkins Glen, IMSA
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"BeaterGT" (beatergt)
07/01/2019 at 11:31 • Filed to: Road Trip, Watkins Glen, IMSA | 7
| 20 |
Taughannock Falls
Camped out at Watkins Glen State Park campground which is nice and close to the race track. It was a real treat to hear race cars a couple miles away as an alarm clock. Didn’t pick the greatest campsite but oh well!
Pixel 3 Macro
Checkered flag crosswalks are a nice touch.
Finally got to bless my ears with the C7.R song and what a great track to experience an IMSA race at. Banked turns, change in elevation, drivers attacking the curbs, and an extremely fast circuit in general. Also amazing how close you can get and who you can talk to compared to an F1 event.
PS. The Porsche GTLM car is ear-piercingly loud.
There’s actually a Mazda DPi behind the C7R
Pace Car
As usual, some of the best cars are in the parking lots at motorsports events. Respect to the Lambo owners for road tripping their cars in and not taking their new Urus.
Aventador SVJ freshly “detailed”
SWITAWI
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 11:36 |
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Thanks for the share. Great pics!
Loved the ‘hidden Mazda DPi’ note, lol.
Tripper
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 11:44 |
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Awesome pics. I’ve got to give WG another go. I went with some friends a few years ago and it was one of the worst (probably the worst) hangover of my life. We had rented a limo for the following day to go around to all of the vineyards /distilleries. I laid in the limo all day and only got out to throw up at each location lol.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 11:46 |
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I did a 2 day autocross at Watkins Glen once and loved staying at that campground. The short hike to see all of the falls was pretty neat too. Bit pricey of a campground and I got rained on in the evenings but it is one of my favorite camping experiences. I recall cooking one of my best steaks over a roaring fire while it was downpouring. Using some wood as a shield for the fire below also helped cooked the steak nice and evenly. Meanwhile all the campsites next to me were filled with RVs and they were hiding out from the rain eating cold food while I just donned rain gear and enjoyed the weather. Just a really nice campground though in general. And it was a test and tune autox with 25 runs the one day so definitely one of my favorite events too. Really helped me improve from beginner to intermediate in one event!
TrickJos
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 11:49 |
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I love how close to the cars you can get at IMSA races. I’ve gone to Mid-Ohio the last two years. The Corvette team was hanging around their garage ready to go well before the race and they were letting kids take turns sitting in the cars.
As you mentioned, the 911 RSR is incredibly loud. Took me completely by surprise the first time I saw it. The C7.R sounds the best. T he Ferrari 488 was a huge let down. Can barely hear it.
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BeaterGT
> SWITAWI
07/01/2019 at 11:51 |
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Thanks! Here’s another shot to show how tu cked in the Mazda was.
facw
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 11:52 |
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I’ve never been to Watkins Glen , though I’ve been to Taughannock a zillion times. It’s impressive when the conditions are wet. Some of the other Ithaca area falls are nicer hikes though.
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BeaterGT
> TrickJos
07/01/2019 at 11:53 |
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Agreed, t he C7.R sounds the best and the Mazda DPi sounds the strangest. Reminds me of the Honda F1 engine when it’s off throttle. Not sure why but Scuderia Corsa was only running a GTD car and no GTLM car and it was also very quiet. The BMWs might as well be electric.
CaptDale - is secretly British
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 11:55 |
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I would literally stab someone for the chance to race one of these
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BeaterGT
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/01/2019 at 11:56 |
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That’s awesome, I would absolutely love to take a car out on the track. I was definitely jealous of the people getting “experience” rides in the supercars. It rained on us Saturday night but for the most part we had great weather. Mosquitoes were pretty pesty with all the water around.
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SWITAWI
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 11:56 |
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Jeebus!
There’s a very real reason why so few people actually get paid to race at that level .
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BeaterGT
> facw
07/01/2019 at 11:59 |
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I’ve now seen it with full flow and while under a 13-month drought, both were very impressive sights . The falls at the WG Park are pretty good too since they’re along the famous G orge trail.
chaozbandit
> BeaterGT
07/01/2019 at 13:00 |
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Scuderia Corsa never ran GTLM cars, that was Risi Competizione and they’re doing a limited season because of a dispute.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> BeaterGT
07/02/2019 at 07:24 |
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nice pics ruined by Murano CrossCab
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BeaterGT
> pip bip - choose Corrour
07/02/2019 at 09:57 |
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:)
RedPir8Roberts
> BeaterGT
08/08/2019 at 16:04 |
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Great pictures. That new Z4 does not look well in matte gray (or is it black?), at least in the picture ; I think that the matte trend has run its course and then some. Although the C5 Corvette pulls it off, thanks in part to the accents. Also the Z4's lines need a color for its “flame surfacing” to work.
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BeaterGT
> RedPir8Roberts
08/08/2019 at 16:14 |
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Hey, thanks!
I think the Z4
may be one of their “frozen” colors but don’t hold me to it. It’s too boring for that car in my opinion. The C5 was heavily modified and I oogled it for a little while (full disclosure:
previous C5 owner)
.
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RedPir8Roberts
> BeaterGT
08/08/2019 at 16:55 |
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I have been enamored lately of the anniversary edition C5 in that gorgeous dark red; but apart from a wild ride as a passenger at Exotics Racing in Vegas (this was 2012 , so actually a C6 ) with a pro racing driver (who was cackling and drifting the entire time), I haven’t had the pleasure of driving or being driven in one. Pluses / minuses from an owner viewpoint?
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BeaterGT
> RedPir8Roberts
08/08/2019 at 18:18 |
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Definitely go get a test drive in one if you can as I think it is largely based on the owner’s personality.
And f or me, the C5 Z06 was near perfect. I like to drive my cars, not live out of them or use them primarily for commuting so I don’t need anything like fancy tech or 18-way adjustable seats that would only take away from the actual driving experience. A nd the C5Z delivers just that. One button for traction control, excellent feedback, and just the right amount of power. It’s crazy how much they were able to charge for essentially a stripped out car . Other positives (especially compared to other sports cars) are cheap insurance, decent cargo room, and surpr isingly good on gas.
Minuses would be interior quality for sure as most cars from this era just don’t hold up that well. Everything will want to race you. It is low enough that I had to help people get in and out. I had to sell mine but would definitely consider another in the future.
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RedPir8Roberts
> BeaterGT
08/08/2019 at 18:40 |
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Thanks. The low seating position is a bit of a concern I had for my passenger / wife (and to a lesser degree, me, if it’s going to be driven a lot ) ; even coming from a Jaguar XK8. Most Corvettes I see on the highways are scrupulously under the speed limit, I figure because they attract tickets (Car & Driver in multi-car comparison way back in the late ‘70s called it “America’s most efficient ticket collector” as a descriptor—and that was near the nadir of Corvette performance ). The Z06 is definitely appealing as a sharper driving tool, and because the hardtop body style is much more rare and distinctive in that generation. The anniversary edition does look so good though, and I don’t know if the Z06 suspension (and tire cost) might be a bit much as I’d probably daily drive it . The hard suspension on my MazdaSpeed Miata is part of why it doesn’t do daily duty.
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BeaterGT
> RedPir8Roberts
08/08/2019 at 18:44 |
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Yep, tires will cost you bit more although I got a full set for under a grand. Luckily didn’t have any trouble with the police!