This year we logged 5192 miles for the entire trip from Mount Joy, Pa. and back to Mount Joy again. The official schedule showed 3500 miles for the event plus the 1230 miles from Mount Joy to South Bend and back home again. That leaves 462 miles of which I estimated 200 miles on track which leaves 262 miles going back and forth to the hotels, tracks and Tire Rack, and maybe a wrong turn or two.
Tolls were really low at $65.90 mainly because of avoiding most miles on our famously expensive Pennsylvania Turnpike. Actually we were only on the turnpike from Breezewood to the Ohio line and it was my biggest toll of the week. Gas cost us $782, and hotels were $801. The highest price for Hi-Test gas wask $3.929 in western Pa. The lowest price was in Texas at $3.049. We actually achieved 22.3 miles per gallon in my Corvette overall including the track miles.
Our goal for the week was to finish in the top half of the field and we didn't quite beat that goal this year. One success is that I did beat most of my buddies that were in similar cars, my Motto is "Take your wins where you can". The competition gets tougher every year and many cars are full blown racecars, rather than lightly modified track day cars as they used to be. My Corvette is pretty much stock, but with all the stickers, it looks like a racecar.
My best event was the Dry Skid Pad Challenge and my second best was the Wet Skid Pad Challenge. 72 vehicles started the event and eight did not score points at our last road race event at Gingerman Raceway in Michigan. They were either broken or in a replacement car which no longer scores points, just runs for fun. We did not have our usual picture of the Survival Cars that made it back at the Tire Rack, but they did create a picture of those carks assembled in the entrance lanes of the hotel parking lot.Two of my most interesting numbers of this years event were one alligator jump and over $4,000 raised for my charity, The Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition. I have now raised over $34,000 over the years.
Thank you to all who supported my effort and my charity! If I missed anyone who would still like to donate please see me or donate on-line with a credit card at https://www.pabreastcancer.org
Thank You, Jim Roberts
