This past Friday I ran a benefit event with the Viper Club at Buttonwillow. I haven't driven Buttonwillow in 2 years and the surface was really pot holed up. But even with intermittent showers we didn't lose any track time. 3 run groups with the advanced run group consisting of the Viper and Panoz GT2 cars practicing for the Viper Days race event this weekend.

Fritz did great against the Vipers. Let's put it this way, he likes to eat snake! Despite giving up 200HP we put in a good showing for the Porsche name. Since I was carving up the 2 run groups I was allowed to run with all day long, the last two sesions of the day I was allowed to run with the Viper GT2 group, which included the Archer Bros Race cars. Them cars are FAST!

I was equally impressed with the Panoz. They really sit down well on the track and can fly.

Here's a lap around Buttonwillow with Fritz. Same lap, but two links. One higher res, one lower res for dial up. We ran Counter Clockwise.

BW Lap with Fritz -- 19MB

BW Lap with Fritz -- 4MB

Bill P.

QUOTE

Let's put it this way, he likes to eat snake!

Classic!


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KT

Looks like fun Bill. I've never run Buttonwillow counter clockwise. Something to look forward to.

QUOTE (trekkor @ Apr 2 2006, 07:46 PM)

QUOTE Let's put it this way, he likes to eat snake!

I think that's more information about Fritz than I needed to know...but I always love the in-car video

(hey I made a rhyme, sorry, I'm with a 4yr old all the time)

You just got Dr. Suessed!

NICE BILL

tastes just like chicken:lol:

Was that Doris riding with you?

Viper coupes are a very fast car....he was not pulling you by much for the couple of quick spurts while you were behind him

As I'm watching this, I'm thinking... the Suby's gotta be bumm'n as the 30+ year old VW come's a-knocking.

Then it hits me... this tremendous feeling of remorse (and it's not even my car), just think of the guy with the 2000 Viper 10 cylinder super-car. What's going through his mind as the NARP goes blistering by?

QUOTE (Eric_Shea @ Apr 2 2006, 09:19 PM)

As I'm watching this, I'm thinking... the Suby's gotta be bumm'n as the 30+ year old VW come's a-knocking. Then it hits me... this tremendous feeling of remorse (and it's not even my car), just think of the guy with the 2000 Viper 10 cylinder super-car. What's going through his mind as the NARP goes blistering by?

it aint a narp...

its a 3.6 911....

Sweet background music!
6 speaker sterio...

Fun to see BW in reverse.
Way to go!

So that would be whipped by a 26 year old Porsche

Not quite a fair comparison since the Viper was a street car and Fritz is anything but a street car.

Non the less it is kind of like the feeling a 2.0L 914 driver gets when he passes a much newer 911 on the race track...pure joy

that is one of the fun things when you drive with other car clubs and get to mix it up with other marques.

Bill, are you going to be at BW on 4/15? Sorry if you already said one way or the other, Oldtimers setting in.

I liked the video.


KT

Hi Dan,

I will be at BW both days with CDS. And at THill at the end of the month.

Can't wait to go for a ride in your car!

Bill P.

Hey Bill,

Yah, ride in my car....sure

talk about going back to basics...

give you a ride with right foot to the floor and not lifting...so much for checking how may new brakes work

Should be fun.

I wonder which direction we will be running BW with CDS?

You know...for whatever reason I like running BW counter clockwise...seems to flow more for me.

And....yeah...when I ran with the true race cars...those Vipers were superfast...and the exhaust note was beautiful!

What's the specs on the Panoz? What kind of engine in those things? One Panoz just disappeared on me....I tried to keep up with it and he was gone!

The Viper is really a beautiful car. I truly enjoyed running with their club.

Bill P.

QUOTE (Aaron Cox @ Apr 2 2006, 08:23 PM)

it aint a narp... its a 3.6 911....

I was going to say. What the hell did you stuff into your teener. Your putting those guys to shame. Nice video

Nice driving Bill.

It has been over 5 years since I have been at BW.
The surface looks really chewed up.

I think the Panoz run the DOHC Ford V8.....pumped some for the race car.

QUOTE

it aint a narp... its a 3.6 911....

Wait... isn't this the 9... awe... nevermind.

I did notice the dash but I thought anyone can have an 11 dash in their ride these days.

Good work regardless.

One thing I did notice about this chapter of the Viper club is that they run it pretty loose. The morning driver's meeting went over flags but they did not review grid, passing zones, track ingress and egress, etc., until we brought it up as they were letting everyone get into their cars.

And I wasn't used to the number of cars going off course. Must have been 20+ 4 wheel excursions (mostly Vipers and Vettes, the Suby guys did pretty well staying on pavement). And this was a memorial event for a Viper guy killed in a race.

That's why you'll see that in the videos I would show Fritz in the mirrors and then stay out of the way in case someone lost it. The pro run group was a different story...that was fun...it's too bad I ran out of battery on my camera...

Bill P.

Very cool Bill. Fritz sounds excellent!

I loved riding at BW, though, it looks a lot faster from a bike. Prolly just me though.
Counter-clockwise is a trip!

The Panoz coupes have 351 crate motors with a big carb. The roadsters were using the 4.6L Cobra motors Double overhead cam 300hp.
I have a buddy that raced one (coupe) with SCCA for several years.
tube framed, solid rear end. He raced it in a spec Panoz class for 2 years and then converted it to a GT1 car. 351 was stroked and was putting out like 450+HP. Car was flared with huge slicks and 6 piston brembo brakes.
Very fast....

awesome video! Must be so fun to dust modern cars.....

QUOTE (nine14cats @ Apr 2 2006, 10:37 PM)

You know...for whatever reason I like running BW counter clockwise...seems to flow more for me.

Bill, I have only been clockwise on that track, and after watching the link counter-clockwise, I was going to reply saying basically the same thing you did here - the track seems to flow better that direction. Going clockwise into the front straight, that turn is brutal and typical for off-track excursions or someone trying to hold on and hitting the front retaining wall. Also, I forget what they call that little hill that you go up and over after you came through the esses and made the big bend, but that is pretty hard to make going clockwise as the drop is significant and the turn at the bottom - going ccw you go over the top and there is a nice longer, more gradual bend to drive through.

I think next time my friends and I rent that track out, I am going to lobby for CCW! Nice vid btw.

Both turns at the ends of the main straight are tough. Going CCW with GGR TT series, we have bent more cars going this direction at the main straight wall leading onto the straight. Problably 3or 4-1 difference in bent cars going CCW.

Both directions have their +s and -s. I prefer going into the esses in the CW direction after star mazda. But I prefer coming off the Nascar turn and into the bus stop in the CCW direction.

Over the years we have run it probably a fairly even number of times CCW and CW.
Problem with BW is the surface takes such a beating in the summer that many of the turns are pretty rough. They repave portions often but the heat really takes it's toll.

Awesome!
Alot of guys here at work have Vipers and I love the look on their faces when I go by them in my car.

$8,000 vs $70,000

HA!

Mark

I talked to Hank Watts and he is going to run one day CW and the other CCW at the April 14-15 Buttonwillow DE

Nice lap Bill!

See you at BW

Hi Greg,

Thanks for finding out about the direction configuration. I like the idea of getting to run both directions over the weekend. Can't wait to see everyone!

Bill P.

QUOTE

Problem with BW is the surface takes such a beating in the summer that many of the turns are pretty rough

Last time I was there I measured the surface temperature at 135 degrees with my pyrometer. No wonder the place looks beat up.

As to CCW or CW I'll take CW as the momentum you can carry over that high right hander before the stright proceeding the Mazda turn is a kick. Definately an e ticket ride.

If I remember right a lot of people had 4 wheels off at BW; including me before I learned about a (very) late apex at the Mazda turn.

No fun having to talk to Larry Sharp after the second time off at the same place.

NOW THAT WAS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE!

Nice Bill. Car sounds strong and runs well. Were you limited in passing? I heard a LOT of off the gas coasting, just wondering if they limited your passing in that group?

B

Hi B,

Yeah, limited passing areas for the rungroups to make it easier on some of the newbies. Passing only on straights, no turns. Point by required. Once I was given the okay to run with the GT2 group I had open passing......on me!

There were alot of 4 wheel offs with the Viper Club. Borderline crazy. If you notice on the video, I took the strategy of coming up on a car, showing in his mirrors and then backing off until the passing zone, where I would set up for the pass.

What's funny about driving Firtz is just how easy it is to go fast. Even on the laps where I'm lifting and coasting I'm running laps as fast or faster than my fastest laps in our old car. And I'm nowhere near the limit.

Just a load of fun!

Bill P.