[silber]

Originally Posted by drmillerm3

It appears that they don't have the permit to move the dirt for the paddock, and because of this the bank won't release any installments for a construction loan. It sounds as is funding may be a major issue for them at this point. Damn economy...

Yup. How was Putnam?

[Wile.E.Coyote]

Well it actually ended up being a little bit more adventurous than it needed to be.

I learned and improved a ton, but I also had a couple "offs". I ended up missing the last session and a half because I popped a bead in my right rear tire and I don't have any spares.
Thankfully Bill is letting me borrow a set of 17's until I get the tire remounted. All in all it was a great experience, and now I have a base of understanding on how to Properly drive.

I'll go over it in more detail, but I dont want to totally thread jack this.
You should come to the social in Louisville on Tuesday. I'm sure it will come up there.

Here's a few shots of the aftermath of one excursion.

downsized_0411091534.jpg

downsized_0411091534a.jpgNotice the mud in the car.

downsized_0411091534b.jpg
This is after a hose down.

[Mvez]

Originally Posted by silber

I haven't signed up for 100 Speed yet. I'm wondering if I should just hold off and maybe sign up for the Putnam NASA event the next weekend.

Were they working on filling the massive hole for the paddock/pits? Let me know what days you might be heading up next week. I should be down for whenever.

I'll be heading up thursday, and plan to do atleast 4 hours on saturday.

[silber]

Thursday is out (birthday) but Saturday is in. I'll be heading up around 9AM again.

[GTFrank]

Hey keep us posted on the Bluegrass progress when you hear something. I am wanting to do that NASA event maybe in June.

[silber]

Originally Posted by GTFrank

Hey keep us posted on the Bluegrass progress when you hear something. I am wanting to do that NASA event maybe in June.

Will do. I'm planning to do that event as well.

[silber]

I went up to Bluegrass again last week for a few hours. We'll be lucky to be on track in June IMO. I just got an email this morning from 10/10ths saying that they canceled their May 2 event. I'm sure we will see the May 11 event canceled shortly.

[GTFrank]

I hate to keep resurrecting this thread but I heard that a 10/10ths event was canceled in May so how many May events are going down the tubes.

[Wile.E.Coyote]

Honestly Frank, I doubt any event scheduled for May will actually happen. I'm fearful for our local BMWCCA event on June 26-28

[silber]

Originally Posted by GTFrank

I hate to keep resurrecting this thread but I heard that a 10/10ths event was canceled in May so how many May events are going down the tubes.

As Dan said, I think they will all be canceled. They are that far behind. I haven't been up to help out since 4/18 but they still had plenty of items still to do:

(1) Top coat
(2) Drainage problems in two-three places on track
(3) Guard rails
(4) Pit wall
(5) Bolting tires and positioning them around track
(6) Paddock/pit area
(7) Entrance road -- steep grade and gravel/dirt. Took a long time to get my M3 up it. Forget about it when it rains because it will turn into a mud pit. Won't be paved until all the other construction is done and they get the construction equipment out.

Problems I foresee:

(1) They won't be able to put down the top coat until they get the drainage problems figured out and they are waiting for approval from the Corp of Engineers. I do not believe they installed any drainage systems beneath the track but I could be wrong (I hope I am) so even if they get the land fixed around the problematic areas they will still be left with massive water on the track whenever it rains instead of water + mud which they currently have. They'll need to figure out what to do with the *water* at that point.

(2) Tire wall building in currently done a volunteer basis. They are working some weeknights (5 - dark) and 9 - 4 on Saturday/Sundays, but the truth in the matter is that this is *volunteer* work and there is no guarantee to how many people will be able to work on any given day. In other words, some days are much more productive than others. If they want to get this stuff rolling they need to pay guys to go work on weekdays (read: when everyone else is working).

(3) The track map on their website also shows an extra chicane at the end of the front straight that is currently not there. I have no idea if they intend to add that this season or not. This was obviously added to slow the cars at the end of the high speed straight which, um, heads straight for I-71 (and it's not that far away).

(4) No place to park a truck/trailer. The construction equipment sits untouched where they are proposing to build the paddock. They are going to need to fill the area with more than just dirt -- they'll need to get huge boulders, etc. to fill the VAST open space. Not only that, but they'll have to find a place to *get* the dirt. Aerial photos simply do not show how large of a valley this area really is.

I know that several groups have dropped out because they have said that there wasn't going to be a pit wall up for at least the first couple of events. Maybe this has changed since I heard that. I hate to say it but right now it is a pipe dream to have this track operational in the next couple of months. It ultimately boils down (IMO) to a lack of funds for the project. If they had the funds they would be up there working around the clock to get it open for everyone. Get the money making part of the facility done and then start worrying about everything else. Why else would they be paying volunteers in Bluegrass Bucks to exchange for free track time? Not saying this is a bad idea to get track nuts out there to help but it should hint at some clues.

Anyways, that's my rant. I've driven the car in my M3 and it does look like a promising facility but I have tried to not get too excited.

Will