I'm admittedly making this post more out of self interest than anything else, so feel free to ignore this post if it bores you.
Last Sunday, I drove down to take a spin on VIR for the first time. The drive down was interesting, to say the least. It included the world's slowest hand car wash (45 minutes to wash an M3? Really?!) and at least half a dozen people commenting on my incredibly loud Hawk HP+ brake pads. More on the pads later, but I really regret that they sound louder than a New York City Dump Truck. There's something unnerving about driving through a quiet town on a Sunday sounding like the world's biggest car crash every time you tap the brakes.
Thanks to my carpenter, who showed up at my apartment late (AGAIN) to do some work, I did not leave NYC until 11 am. Big mistake. By the time I got off of I-81, it was pitch dark, and I was at least 150 miles from the track. I ended up driving back and forth past the "Welcome to NC" and the "Welcome to VA...RADAR DETECTORS ARE ILLEGAL" signs a few times until I found the VIR sign. I popped into bed, caught part of the Japanese Grand Prix, and then passed out.
Monday turned out to be absolutely incredible. There is no better feeling than opening your window to the early dawn light cascading over a beautiful, green track. Is that poetic enough for you?
Now for the actual track day. The track was simply phenomenal. I am completely out of superlatives. The best way I can describe it is as a quicker version of Monticello; the esses certainly conjure up images of some of the greatest race tracks in Europe. Thanks to obsessively watching some of the VIR videos on this forum, I was fairly comfortable from the first lap, and settled into a decent-ish line. The car was incredibly solid throughout the day, with engine temps remaining normal despite the long straights. The Hawk HP+ pads, despite squealing louder than a pig headed for the butcher's knife, exceeded my expectations. I experienced no fade whatsoever, and the added stopping power was well worth it.
Final verdict? It was absolutely worth heading to VIR. The only negative was the group I ran with (PCA). Some of the guys, including the instructors were pretty nice and friendly, but a lot of them seemed to be compensating for something, and had poor manners, both on and off the track. A shout-out goes to the idiot that cut across the track after exiting the pits, forcing me to dive to the inside while I was already on the brakes. And let's not forget the guy who decided to pass me in the intermediate group by outbraking me into turn 3. Not cool, man, not cool.
Some videos are included - please forgive my incredible lack of smoothness, I am working on it! And if I may interject another excuse, these were taken at the end of a 6-session day.