Update from Steamboat Day 3
Got to the paddock around 9AM and beat the crush that showed up later. Pit
spaces were assigned, but there was confusion as the assignments didn't
always match what some were told. Also, there was an indication that you'd
have about 400 sq ft of paddock space.....Paddocks were 11 X 27 = 297, far
short of the 400 expected. If your trailer was 25 ft long, that left 2 ft
for your car!! So, there was lots of juggling and shuffling to fit all the
various rigs and vehicles into the available space. A satellite paddock on
the Sheraton garage had lots of room, but no one seemed to want to be located
there, as you were definitely out of the mainstream of activity.
If you've never been to Steamboat, the scenery alone is worth the trip. Set
on the foothills leading up to the ski mountain, the hills are populated with
hotels and condos, a large gondola, and lifts for the mountain. While it got
a bit windy at times today, the weather was gorgeous, in the 80's, a few
clouds, blue sky,.....pretty close to paradise. The town, down the hill a
mile or so, has a picturesque "old town" section with lots of restaurants,
shops, and art galleries along with numerous places to buy a snowboard or the
latest ski apparel.
People here are VERY friendly and sincere.....a pleasant change from the norm
in more populated areas.....
Tomorrow is practice. Walt Mass is giving a chalk talk to the "rookies" in
the morning, and I'll try to take this in. I drove around the course today
in my tow vehicle and found it interesting, challenging, and very unforgiving
in several spots. Some severe turns, some off camber, have concrete K-walls
for you to ponder as you're thinking about where you're braking and turn-in
points should be.....The elevaton changes and the long sweeper make it a more
interesting street course than either Palm Springs or Reno, those I'm
familiar with. Tomorrow, I'll give you a corner by corner look.
The weekend features Porsche, and there are literally "herds" of those funny
cars here with their engines on the wrong end. While I'm not one to predict
doom and gloom, I am concerned that their tendency for trailing throttle
oversteer, combined with the K-barriers, will require some rear bodywork
before the weekend is over. I hope I'm wrong, but this doesn't look like a
Porsche's optimum course.
All for now....more tomorrow...
Myles
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