Test Days at Beaver Run

Our test day at Beaver Run was a very productive track day for us. The track is located north of Pittsburgh outside of Beaver Falls, Pa. Scott went out for Saturday and Sunday and I went for the Sunday session only. Our main goals were to test the tires to be sure they would perform as expected, and for me to get some track time in Scott's car. We needed the tires to perform well on the dry track but also needed to perform well on a wet track since some wet track days are a distinct probabability. The weather was perfect for our testing, since the day started with pouring rain then cleared up for much of the day and then ended with a lot of wind and some sleet. The tires worked out well, so I think we have that part of the deal nailed down. The 265 miles each way even gave us another practice session for the highway portion of the One Lap, although I don't think we have any distances that are that short.

The track days were sponsored by the One Lap people but it was run in conjunction with Beaver Run's Flat Out Days. There weren't too many of the One Lap participants there but the ones who were there were some very interesting people. Lots of stories told at the table we were at for the dinner. There was one story about a transmission failure then buying a clunker car, in a small town out west from a used car company named something like Wiz Bang Auto Sales, to use for a day or two while the transmission was being rebuilt. To round out that story, there was a side deal with the used car guy to have the repaired car delivered to a racetrack that was on the return leg of the One Lap schedule so they could complete the events with the original car. The way I read the rules I don't think that type of creativity would work anymore.

The cars that were there were as interesting as the people. One of the cars was the new 2009 (less than 1,000 miles) 556hp supercharged Cadillac CTS-V and it was very fast. Some of the other cars from the One Lap competitors that were at Beaver Run included a couple Porsche, a Honda Fit, a handfull of Corvettes, Mustangs, and a Charger to name a few. One of the Canadian teams was even there. Some of the teams try to get track time on many of the tracks that are included on the tour. Our budget and time constraints won't allow us that luxury.