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MVP HPDE at Road America - July 14 & 15, 2018

wildcatgoal

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http://www.mvptracktime.com/id25.html
Registration: http://www.mvptracktime.com/id92.html

Trying to get out of the Southeast a little this year for track days so I've registered for this event. It's a 2-day event but I'll be doing Saturday, July 14th only. I requested the Intermediate group, but may get put in Novice. It doesn't appear to be the case that there are instructors in Novice. Not sure.

Good opportunity, I hope, to meet fellow forum HPDE junkies in the Midwest!
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rob_s

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I ran with MVP twice last year and they required instructors for the first session for novices running that particular track for the first time, and then any "experienced" novices could sign up for any remaining slots.
 
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wildcatgoal

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Good info. Whatever they do they do, haha. Their website is a little... 1992.
 

ddozier

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Good info. Whatever they do they do, haha. Their website is a little... 1992.
Mark runs MVP with a fairly tight leash on the new guys till he gets a chance to see how you are doing. His instructors are a good group of guys and with a track like Road America its a good idea to use them your first time. Watch as much video as you can it will help but the speeds at RA is something you do not get a feel for in videos. Its a blast and one of the best tracks in the USA.

Oh, on a side note, disable your airbags if you have harnesses, turn 5 in particular if you run a little wide and get on the curbs will cause your airbags to deploy. There is usually one or two bags popped in a weekend when I am there. Seams to happen to GM cars more than others but I have seen many brands do it there.

If your safe and fast they will move you as needed. Personally I would be happier running most any novice group over an intermediate group. The inters can be a little crazy with such a large variance of cars and ability packed into a single group. If you want to score some points with the instructors or Mark himself just keep saying "Its not a Race" over and over. Its MVPs mantra.

I will be there as well in the advanced group. Hunt me down in the pits and I will be happy give you a ride so you can see the track at speed before your first session. I will be in a white Mustang surrounded by Vipers.

Dave
 
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wildcatgoal

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Nice! I'll find you. I've done my usual studying about Road America like I did before goin to the tracks I've been to thus far. I'll continue for months until the day. I try to have the course and the "technically correct" lines memorized before I go to a track. Doesn't mean I end up actually following those lines hahahaha.
 

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ddozier

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Nice! I'll find you. I've done my usual studying about Road America like I did before goin to the tracks I've been to thus far. I'll continue for months until the day. I try to have the course and the "technically correct" lines memorized before I go to a track. Doesn't mean I end up actually following those lines hahahaha.
Subscribe to my YouTube if you are planning to hit more midwest tracks, I have most of them covered there.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwVRJZ2lqhVKkaWELTVm-Ow?view_as=subscriber

Here is a video from the MVP event last year:
[ame]
 

danpass

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Have fun!

Bring twice as much fuel as you think you'll need. Lots of time at WOT on that track.

And enjoy the Kink (Corner 11)!*












* The bravest I ever got was 110mph lol (motorcycle)

-
 

rob_s

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+1 on bringing fuel. They only have 98 unleaded or leaded at RA, and both are around $10/gal. I ran down to Plymouth during the lunch break and got gas. One thing to keep in mind is that Wisconsin's premium is 91 octane, so anyone with a 93 tune will need to do some planning.
 

ddozier

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+1 on bringing fuel. They only have 98 unleaded or leaded at RA, and both are around $10/gal. I ran down to Plymouth during the lunch break and got gas. One thing to keep in mind is that Wisconsin's premium is 91 octane, so anyone with a 93 tune will need to do some planning.
There is a Citgo just down from the track that has 93. Its 5 miles from the main gate. They open at 5AM so you can get fuel on the way to the track or during lunch. Speaking of lunch, the track food at Road America is by and far the best track food I have had. Get the RGPs (Real Good Potatoes) they are amazing.

Marshall Express Citgo
1232 Co Rd O, Plymouth, WI 53073

Dave
 

jabrax

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This sounds like the perfect time to finally try RA (road trip from phila area)... If the status of the car is okay, I will sign up for the novice group to get a run in with an instructor
 

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wildcatgoal

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I just got my confirmation, but I'll be in the Novice group vs. Intermediate.
 

ddozier

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I just got my confirmation, but I'll be in the Novice group vs. Intermediate.
Honestly for anyone's first time there unless they have an unbelievable track resume novice with an instructor is the place to be. If you progress quickly they will move you up but only if your ready. I had run with MVP for over 5 years in their advanced group before my first time at RA and I requested to be in Intermediate instead of Advanced for the first day of a three day weekend. Once I was comfortable with the track and they were comfortable with my driving I moved back to Advanced.

RA is not a difficult track to learn or even to drive fast but there are a few places that are unforgiving and require a great deal of respect. It is a fast track with average speeds much higher than most tracks. Braking zones require finesse, some of the curbing will upset the car and other areas are fine. There is a lot to learn to be safe and fast its just better to work your way through the track at a slower pace first then work on speed.

On most tracks slower cars in the Advanced group is not really a big deal, advanced drivers should be aware and know how to react to slower traffic. The biggest issue at RA is the closing speeds coming off the long straights and the faster sweepers for guys in fast cars with fast drivers vs slow cars with fast drivers. At a lot of other tracks the fast driver in a slow car will not be an issue as the pace in turns is similar for both drivers but not at RA.

I am not picking on Miata drivers but you can have the fastest Miata driver in the world and he will only reach 115-120 MPH at the end of the straights at RA, my Mustang is doing 145, the Vipers and Vets are doing 160+. These three cars get to turn one at the same time and have very different braking points and corner speeds. It is something every driver needs to be aware of but is amplified at this track. Road Atlanta has similar issues but even there it is not to the degree of Road America.

Still Road America is one of the best tracks in the US and can be compared to almost any track world wide, its that good. Enjoy your day at RA and I look forward to seeing your there.

Dave
 
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wildcatgoal

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I'm not mad about it. As long as I do not have to have an instructor for EVERY session in the car. I prefer to have a few sessions on my own to put my learnings to practice. Sounds like that'll be the case. It'll be good to have an instructor again; I haven't for a while as I've really just rinse and repeated Road Atlanta and AMP.
 

ddozier

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I'm not mad about it. As long as I do not have to have an instructor for EVERY session in the car. I prefer to have a few sessions on my own to put my learnings to practice. Sounds like that'll be the case. It'll be good to have an instructor again; I haven't for a while as I've really just rinse and repeated Road Atlanta and AMP.
The cool thing about his instructors is they use a sign up sheet so you can pick the instructor you want. During your check in at track make your way to the instructor sign up sheets and choose one for the sessions you want to have an instructor, you can even choose a different instructor for each session to get more feedback from different instructors. Sign up early to get the most choices and if you feel you do not need more help you can skip signing up for an instructor.

Dave
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