Ron L
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Ron
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2024
- Threads
- 9
- Messages
- 208
- Reaction score
- 324
- Location
- SW Florida
- Car(s)
- 2025 Toyota Supra & 2024 Toyota Rav4
I did my track day at Barber and had a great time. The last time I was there in 2022, it was in a 2021 Miata Club. That was fun and very much a momentum drive. The Supra was very different to me. Much better acceleration (duh) and therefore needs a lot more brakes (duh). But none of the cars I raced wheel to wheel in the SCCA had any real power (1980 Fiat X-1/9, SCCA Sport Renault, 1987 Toyota MR2). So I finally have a car with enough power to get some corner exit over steer if you give it enough throttle. YeeHaw!
The Drive Home
And just as much fun, was the first 30 minutes of my drive home. There is a Route 25 that runs south out of Leeds (just northeast of the track). It's about a 25 mile run down to Route 280 which I would take over to I-75 and home. My navigation told me it would take me 40 minutes to drive the 25 miles from Leeds to Route 280. I got up early Sunday morning and headed out at 4am. I didn't see a single car during the entire stretch of Route 25. There are probably a 100+ turns, some nice sweepy curves, some more intense 90 degree turns and even one very sharp 160 degree turn. And while doing all those turns you are constantly going up or down hills, some gentle grades and some real short, steep hills. The road surface is pretty good, or so it seemed in the dark! But there are very few areas where there is any shoulder to the road at all. It's very rural with only a couple very small crossroad villages.
Now doing this at 4am on Sunday morning was my idea. I wanted an early start to my 9 hour drive home, I figured there would be very little if any traffic on the Route 25 stretch and I was looking forward to doing it in the dark! It was great fun. Most of the time I was going between 40 and 60 mph (the speed limit signs were 25 and 35mph). I'm sure in the daylight I could have gone faster. But fast wasn't the point, having a fun drive was. As an example, I could see on the navigation display that the road goes straight for a bit and then has a 90 degree turn. So you get going faster and then as you approach the turn, you find yourself going up hill and your headlights are very little help as the shine over the top. You crest the hill while slowing down, just to be cautious, and as you start back down the other side, there is the turn at the base of the hill. Ah, the adrenaline! Imagine doing that over and over for 30+ minutes in the dark. If I wasn't looking at a 9 hour drive home, I would seriously have considered driving back the other way, turning around and doing it again!
I guess now I really have to go up and run the Tail of the Dragon!
The Drive Home
And just as much fun, was the first 30 minutes of my drive home. There is a Route 25 that runs south out of Leeds (just northeast of the track). It's about a 25 mile run down to Route 280 which I would take over to I-75 and home. My navigation told me it would take me 40 minutes to drive the 25 miles from Leeds to Route 280. I got up early Sunday morning and headed out at 4am. I didn't see a single car during the entire stretch of Route 25. There are probably a 100+ turns, some nice sweepy curves, some more intense 90 degree turns and even one very sharp 160 degree turn. And while doing all those turns you are constantly going up or down hills, some gentle grades and some real short, steep hills. The road surface is pretty good, or so it seemed in the dark! But there are very few areas where there is any shoulder to the road at all. It's very rural with only a couple very small crossroad villages.
Now doing this at 4am on Sunday morning was my idea. I wanted an early start to my 9 hour drive home, I figured there would be very little if any traffic on the Route 25 stretch and I was looking forward to doing it in the dark! It was great fun. Most of the time I was going between 40 and 60 mph (the speed limit signs were 25 and 35mph). I'm sure in the daylight I could have gone faster. But fast wasn't the point, having a fun drive was. As an example, I could see on the navigation display that the road goes straight for a bit and then has a 90 degree turn. So you get going faster and then as you approach the turn, you find yourself going up hill and your headlights are very little help as the shine over the top. You crest the hill while slowing down, just to be cautious, and as you start back down the other side, there is the turn at the base of the hill. Ah, the adrenaline! Imagine doing that over and over for 30+ minutes in the dark. If I wasn't looking at a 9 hour drive home, I would seriously have considered driving back the other way, turning around and doing it again!
I guess now I really have to go up and run the Tail of the Dragon!
