Another recommendation: avoid CT on a weekday.

If you're to be at Palmer at 8:30, you might be OK coming inbound through CT. But if you're finding yourself approaching I-84 any time after 7AM, avoid it. Seriously, just drive around it.

CT along I-84 and/or I-95 is gonna be the suck on a weekday. Seriously the suck. NYC even worse. If Brock Jr were clever, he'd have setup a checkpoint somewhere south of Albany to make you take the the NY Throughway (I-87) all the way to Mass Pike (I-90). And same route the way back.

Seriously, it's that bad. Avoid CT and NYC like the traffic plague they are.

If not I-87 to Albany, I suggest crossing the Newburgh Bridge on I-84, then bailing off I-84 toward W MA, NE CT (Rt 9 to Rt 44, passing right by Lime Rock) to the MassPike. But avoid Hartford, Waterbury, and Danbury on a weekday, lest you hate yourself.

Edit: Prob a better alternate route: I-84 Taconic Parkway, then 44E to 7N to 102E Mass Pike. Only caveat is that technically you're not supposed to bring a trailer on the Taconic. You definitely cannot bring a commercial truck on it.

I suggest same route going toward Summit Point, as the traffic mid-day won't have relented. Note that when I drive/tow to Summit Point from central CT, I always take I-84 all the way out to Wilkes Barre/Scranton and grab I-81 south from there. It's not that much farther, and the traffic is WAAAAY better.

Have fun!

GA

You do not want to go on I-84 through Waterbury, CT anytime after about 6:40 or you could be stuck there for a long time.

Can;t wait to see your videos from Palmer!!

this is awesome guys - something I want to add to Huey's resume at some point (Nadine is not too keen on it!). We have friends that have been doing it every year for the past 5 or 6. they run a white 944 with LS? engine, called White Trash...

Good luck!!

Thanks for the heads up Greg! I just installed the Waze app which may help a little but agree on avoiding those areas like the plague.

We won't have a trailer. I'm trying to source a waterproof soft sided rooftop carrier to mount on the 914 trunk to put all our extra lightweight stuff in. The rear spoiler should keep it from falling off.

If you do go that route, I just bought one of these for my wife's Forester
The Sport Jr was one of the few I found that fit in the factory cargo basket and was actually waterPROOF (Not resistant). Great quality, Great reviews and relatively inexpensive.

http://www.rightlinegear.com/sport-car-top-carriers.html


Good luck out there!
Andrew

Late to the party due to life issues, but all DVD sales through July will go to fund this! I would love to send a sponsor sticker

I have a few dozen copies of the transmission DVD ready to go! Cupomeat was the one that shot my DVD and its the least I can do.

Thanks! If you've got stickers, they'll probably need to be sent overnight so we get them by Thursday.

They are not kidding about the traffic....
87 to the mass pike is really the easiest.
There are other routes, mainly smaller routes, that do work, but it can get hairy and very slow at the wrong time of day.

Best times at 10am-2pm to be on any of the major traffic routes.
Or, late at night.

Late at night is likely when we'll be there. I agree that 87 to the Mass Pike is likely the best/safest route but we don't know yet if there are checkpoints that we need to hit which will send us into traffic purgatory. Thanks!

Not sure where you are coming from, but I have been driving Boston to DC for about ten years now....so I know a bunch of routes all depending upon the time of day.

Best time was 5.5 hours from DC up to MA....
That was late at night.

Worst time could be 10-14 hrs.....

NY to Boston can take 4 hrs, or 7....
It's pretty aweful to be stuck on a main road when rush hour happens.

We'll be coming from Pittsburgh, all the way across PA. 550+ miles

Good call on Rightline's product. Definitely great quality and fits the rear deck just right. I'm sure there will be pictures of it on the car.

One more day and we're headed out!

Head towards Scranton, then the mass pike

Do not go anywhere near NJ, you will regret it.
I think the main highway goes right at Newark airport which leaves you south of NYC....a very bad place to be.

If that is the official route, let us know, we can show you all the other ways to get up here. Basically, stay as west as you can for as long as possible...

I lived in NYC area for 11 years (9 in NJ), so we'll be good for directions. From the big map, it shows us going across 84 into CT. I'll avoid NYC area entirely.

Thanks EVERYONE!!!

84 is a problem....read the advice from the CT crowd.
Head up to the pike...it's smooth sailing and fast.

OK, thank you!!

Obviously you got this under control.

A question, does it matter?
Are you timed during the street portions from track to track?
I understand the track time is from x-y and you must be there for that specific time period, and run a good lap time, but are you timed while getting there?

Like a TSD rally?
That would make the whole thing pretty complicated for sure.

If the event is run like it was in the 90s and 00s, the transit sections are not timed. You can arrive at the next track - and pass any interim checkpoints* - within the allotted window.

However, the transit sections and track windows are also not coordinated with basic amenities in mind, such as fuel stops. Food. Sleep. So it's in your best interest to get out of the prior track, on the road ASAP, and to your destination so that you have enough time for all that stuff.

GA

* You're given a route book with turn-by-turn instructions on how to get to the next location. But given you're not being timed, you don't necessarily have to follow those instructions. Yates Sr used to insert checkpoints at specific locations on the route in order to influence how you get there, usually for traffic enforcement purposes.

For example, in '97 the Texas DPS threatened to arrest on sight any One Lap cars that came through, so for our Vegas-to-Hallett run Sr put in a checkpopint at Teec Nos Pos. From there, the most-efficient route was through the Okie panhandle, bypassing Texas entirely. Other checkpoints were for marketing purposes, such as one in Wyoming NY at the Cannonball Run Pub, with an untimed run through Letchworth State Park.

LOL, well, lot's of anxiety for the unknown at this point, but yes, we got this!

However, we do appreciate your advice as well as anyone familiar with the territory we'll be passing through whether we've been there before or not!


Yes, that's how I read the rules previously, that it would be a TSD rally event between tracks. Since then, in talking with folks who have run the event previously, it doesn't seem to be the case.


Greg, we owe you big time for all of your insight and past experience with this event! So far, there are only two sightseeing (ahem, control) checkpoints called out.

We're here!

Click to view attachment

Day Zero Video is up on the FB site, will figure out how to share it here!

All that prep and you didn't clean the rims on the trailer? what the??

Just kidding!

My apologies. The trailer sat next to a cow barn all winter.

This is a drive, race type event?
Meaning no trailer, right?

Yes, that is right, we trailered the car to the start of the event in Indiana, but will drive it exclusively from this point on!

Day 1. Got up early to un-trailer and pack the car up. Went to Tire Rack for the start and unpacked the car. We finished up the last bits of registration and stickering just in time for the RAIN! Good thing today's event was a Wet Skidpad. Lunch and driver's meetings took up the rest of the time before we attacked the Wet Skidpad!!! Then a quick pack up in the rain and off to the middle stop - Avon Harley Davidson! That was a very welcome stop as it was warm, and when we left Indiana, we could see our breath in the car - remember we have no heat. The people at the H-D stop were wonderful and lots of great stories, including a couple 914 enthusiasts! By then it was little warmer and off for the last 115mi leg to the hotel.
The Day 1 video will have to wait until tomorrow as the GoPro video file from the Skidpad is not in my possession yet.
Time for sleep and try to dry out... a couple of little leaks add to the fun!
WHAT WENT WELL - The car is running great! The people are great! We made it through the first day!

I think it is really cool what you guys are doing. Keep us posted.

I'm sure you guys get some attention in the car. Have fun.

Good luck with the trip, hopefully the rain will hold off some. Just looking at some Palmer vids to try to find a good vantage point.

You're pretty much limited to the front straight through T2; there's no way to walk anywhere else on the track.

When you drive into the track, take a left turn immediately after going under the overpass between T1 and T2. Drive to the upper paddock and head toward the pit exit/T1 area. Walk over to the edge of the dirt and you can see all the way up the straight to T1 apex.

DAY 2 - Great Day at Pittsburgh International Raceway! Tom killed it on the second session on the track!!! The first was rainy and spotty and difficult for all. The winner from last year had an off and hurt his GTR to the point of probably being out of the event. Another M-B blew its engine. We are 49th place right now.
Then the long 500+ mile trip to Springfield... which is just over. Lots of traffic and construction!
Tomorrow is Palmer, so we'll see hot that goes.Good night!

Just watched Eric complete the morning run in the pouring rain, it's a cold and miserable day.

This is where the event must really take its toll, everyone's gettin wet, everyone's stuff is gettin wet...

And then off to the next place

Found our car, can't find our guys...

Thanks Greg for coming out! We did find you!!! A tough day at a new track for me with all that rain, but that is racing!

THanks so much for coming out! It was great to see fellow 914ers!!! That was a tough day and it rained for both my sessions... The good news it that it is warm here in WV now, although apparently going to rain tomorrow...

OK, DAY 3! So, the Theme of the event seems to be "RAIN"!! Third day of RAIN!!! (Perhaps I should mention "COLD" as well)
Palmer Raceway today was the Venue and Eric Drove. Pouring rain on the first session and even though it had cleared up a bit in between we had rain for the second session also... That course is very interesting with Huge elevation changes and tricky corners. I was getting the hang of it by the end but did not post very good times. It was my first time driving the 914 on a racetrack so much to learn. I did spin it once, but recovered very quickly and moved on eventually pulling away from the car behind me There was so much standing water and things were tricky.
We have now completed the drive to Winchester WV successfully arriving around midnight. We are now in 50th place but with Tom driving tomorrow and on a familiar track, we are hopeful...

So here's an ironman note. This has truly been the Wet Lap of America, and yesterday at Palmer was no exception. 50s, cold, wet all day, rain on and off, hard pour to sprinkly. In fact, weather was so crappy that our Track Night in America event at Palmer last night, which kicked off right after the last OLOA car finished, had to be called early on account of...fog. I did a recon lap and we were down to 150-foot viz at the top of the mountain at around 6:30.

But here's the ironman thing: our guys aren't running heater boxes. No heat, no defrost. In a leaky drafty 40-yr-old car. In the rain. And cold.

Thumbs up to you guys!!

Got to say though, their life can't be more miserable than the intrepid pair running...an Arial Atom. Heard they walked into the Harley dealership and bought a couple sets of moto foul weather gear.

No one said the One Lap was a cake walk!

Keep'a' goin', guys, we're cheerin' you on.

Greg

Wow, nice write-up. I agree money=speed and lots of money=lots of speed.
I remember a build thread on the vette forum where a guy was building a 500,000$
track day car and hired Andy Pilgrim to set it up for him. Arrive on your jet and drive...

I was going to suggest that most BMW motorcycle dealerships sell both 12vdc heated gloves and vests that could plug into the cigarette lighter....and they work really well.

Rich

Thank you!

Here's some examples of other interesting cars in the mix:

DAY 6 - Well, this Thursday was quite the day. 2 sessions at Road America which I drove the first and Tom drove the second. 1 Autocross, 1 standard drag race and 1 bracket elimination drag (3rd overall!!!!) race. Wow, a 914 can do it all!!!!!


Add in a stop at the Famous Wisconsin "Brat Stop" and wow, big day.
Another good part is that today only had about 200 miles of transit (in comparison with the last two days of over 550 miles each day.).
We made it in to Joliet and time for sleep. Tomorrow is the Autobahn Country Club tracks and the drive back to Indiana!

My initial run down the drag strip was a 13.98 at something like 99 mph. I could not believe how well the car launched though I was being VERY careful not to just dump the clutch and break the transmission. Check the Facebook link for more videos!

Day 7: we ran both the north and the south course at Autobahn Country Club and then drove back to the starting point in IA. Tomorrow is the last event at Tire Rack and then the finish!
Big goings on at the hotel here with people very relieved to have made it this far. Time for bed, and tomorrow is the Skidpad (dry) test and then we are DONE!
A couple of things to note, I want to thank the great Guys (and Girl) at Toyota who were awesome to hang, joke around with etc. and all that stuff and Three Pedal Mafia, who became great friends over this event!!! AND those from 914 world who came out to see us!

Passed a couple of the cars above on my way home from work this morning. Didn't see your 914 though.

Mike

I saw their car the Wednesday before the event. I was hoping it was a Nascar Toyota, built for the street, but when they passed it was way to quite Glad to see they are having fun.

Nice Mitch Wright write-up. Makes me even think about doing it again...then I remember the pain...

http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/10-r...html/?a=viewall

The car made it home last night but Eric still has some driving to do to get back home. What a week! No worries, Eric will post some amazing videos to the Facebook page but here's the summary:

1. A Porsche 914 can successfully compete and survive One Lap of America

2. Cold and rain SUCK, especially at the same time in a vehicle that has no heater.

3. We came in second in our class (Vintage Foreign) among competitors running American V8s!

4. Bridgestone RE-71R tires suck in the rain but are about as good as an R-comp in the dry. We pulled .969g on the skidpad which was better than more than half of the cars there.

5. I may now be addicted to autocross

6. Drag racing a 914 is a delicate sport but consistency is key. I was blown away to have run 5 heats as consistently as I did only to break out by 1/100th of a second. We finished 3rd in that event.

7. If you have ever thought of running One Lap of America, sign up for the next one. Everyone was incredibly helpful and friendly!

Nice, and that is what I am setting up my 914 up for. Thus things like the trailer hitch, heat. A/C, and seat heaters. But then I am liquid cooled so heat is the easy part.

Hmmm the right combination might be an LS powered 914 with Boxster 6.

Auto-x is very addictive if you don't have to spend an entire day to get 6 runs in. It is a large investment of time for less than 6 seconds of adrenal gland inducement. Our NASA group we get more like 12 runs. And the course is usually a 50 second course.

Glad you all made it, and enjoyed it enough to recommend others t feel your pain. Misery loves company

Exactly the conversation we had.

That and some ridonkulous width tires.

You guys should be congratulated for the effort taking an old NARP on a tour of duty like that, and surviving with no heat....

Well done!