Get Some Track Action in Oklahoma!
10-09-2008, 06:10 PM
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Get Some Track Action in Oklahoma!
There is an awesome opportunity to take your car onto a real road race track in November; I hope we can get a lot of Cobalts to represent!
At Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in northern Oklahoma, they hold regularly High Speed Touring Series events usually during their local club races' weekends. High Speed Touring is a drive-what-you-brung event; no special car modifications required. Normally during a club race weekend you would get 5 15 minute sessions intermixed with the club race classes. However, there is a special Sunday HST only event scheduled for November 9 (Sunday) during which there will be 7 sessions on track. And because this day will be exclusively HST, the normal hustle and bustle of managing all the other cars with their qualifiers and races will not be there, so the atmosphere is perfect!
The course is a 10-turn 1.8 mile track featuring hairpins, S-curves, elevation change, and off camber turns. It is a great way to challenge and improve your performance driving skills. I've been going there for something like 4 years, and I always feel like there's something else I can be doing better.
The costs work out like this: the track day is $125. A yearly club membership is needed, and that is $35 (next year it goes up, but get it now and you have it for 12 months). Also, for first time people, it is required that you attend the driver education class ($30). It's actually a great way to get introduced; instructors will be available to ride with you on track. These instructors are all experienced race drivers at Hallett. So for first timers, the cost is $190. Mike Stephens, one of the founders and original operators of Hallett, used to say that you could consider it a pre-paid speeding ticket. Considering that a ticket in OKC is _at minimum_ $160, that's about right.
The costs may seem like a little much, but I challenge you to find anywhere in the country that offers this kind of on-track experience for the price; it's truly a bargain. If you return (and you will want to!), your cost is only the track day fee. Although there are some who choose to take the DE class multiple times to take advantage of the experience of the instructors there. The owner and everyone who works there are entirely true car people; they do this for the fun of it-because they love it as much as the participants. It is a fantastic atmosphere and a truly heart pumping experience.
Mike used to say that the slowest guy on track is still having more fun than anyone in the stands. I originally would run my 2003 Cavalier out there (ECOTEC 2.2), and it was a blast. When I bought my Cobalt, HST at Hallett was at the forefront of that decision. Hallett is why I insisted on the LSD and Recaro seats, and Hallett has been behind every one of my upgrade choices. So no matter what you drive, 140 hp to 260 hp, it's just awesome.
Some of you may worry about your equipment (like brakes and tires). The emphasis at HST is fun and safety. If you don't want to punish your brakes or tires, you can just dial it back to less strenuous levels. Because you are only racing yourself, it's all about the experience. I choose to go all out, and I have to pay the price in brake pads and fluids, but that is entirely my choice; I'm sure that no matter how far you push the car you will love it. Even more, I think there's a good chance you'll get the "bug" and want to come back more. I taught myself how to do a full brake job, replace fluid, and bleed it myself so I could do that more often and not pay someone else to.
Anyway, I've gone on long enough. Check out http://www.hallettracing.net for information on the track (on-track videos are there), and click on the link at the bottom for High Speed Touring to see more about it. PM me if you want more info as well, or feel free to call the number there. Connie (who runs the track) is awesome and will tell you anything you need to know.
This special HST day is November 9, the last chance of this year, but if you're interested in doing it earlier, the last regular club weekend is October 25-26. Because it's only 5 sessions, the cost is about $30 less on those days. I'll be there on the 25th, so PM me if you have any questions on that as well. Seriously, I can't rave enough about the experience. It would be awesome to have a good sized GM Delta presence there, too!
At Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in northern Oklahoma, they hold regularly High Speed Touring Series events usually during their local club races' weekends. High Speed Touring is a drive-what-you-brung event; no special car modifications required. Normally during a club race weekend you would get 5 15 minute sessions intermixed with the club race classes. However, there is a special Sunday HST only event scheduled for November 9 (Sunday) during which there will be 7 sessions on track. And because this day will be exclusively HST, the normal hustle and bustle of managing all the other cars with their qualifiers and races will not be there, so the atmosphere is perfect!
The course is a 10-turn 1.8 mile track featuring hairpins, S-curves, elevation change, and off camber turns. It is a great way to challenge and improve your performance driving skills. I've been going there for something like 4 years, and I always feel like there's something else I can be doing better.
The costs work out like this: the track day is $125. A yearly club membership is needed, and that is $35 (next year it goes up, but get it now and you have it for 12 months). Also, for first time people, it is required that you attend the driver education class ($30). It's actually a great way to get introduced; instructors will be available to ride with you on track. These instructors are all experienced race drivers at Hallett. So for first timers, the cost is $190. Mike Stephens, one of the founders and original operators of Hallett, used to say that you could consider it a pre-paid speeding ticket. Considering that a ticket in OKC is _at minimum_ $160, that's about right.
The costs may seem like a little much, but I challenge you to find anywhere in the country that offers this kind of on-track experience for the price; it's truly a bargain. If you return (and you will want to!), your cost is only the track day fee. Although there are some who choose to take the DE class multiple times to take advantage of the experience of the instructors there. The owner and everyone who works there are entirely true car people; they do this for the fun of it-because they love it as much as the participants. It is a fantastic atmosphere and a truly heart pumping experience.
Mike used to say that the slowest guy on track is still having more fun than anyone in the stands. I originally would run my 2003 Cavalier out there (ECOTEC 2.2), and it was a blast. When I bought my Cobalt, HST at Hallett was at the forefront of that decision. Hallett is why I insisted on the LSD and Recaro seats, and Hallett has been behind every one of my upgrade choices. So no matter what you drive, 140 hp to 260 hp, it's just awesome.
Some of you may worry about your equipment (like brakes and tires). The emphasis at HST is fun and safety. If you don't want to punish your brakes or tires, you can just dial it back to less strenuous levels. Because you are only racing yourself, it's all about the experience. I choose to go all out, and I have to pay the price in brake pads and fluids, but that is entirely my choice; I'm sure that no matter how far you push the car you will love it. Even more, I think there's a good chance you'll get the "bug" and want to come back more. I taught myself how to do a full brake job, replace fluid, and bleed it myself so I could do that more often and not pay someone else to.
Anyway, I've gone on long enough. Check out http://www.hallettracing.net for information on the track (on-track videos are there), and click on the link at the bottom for High Speed Touring to see more about it. PM me if you want more info as well, or feel free to call the number there. Connie (who runs the track) is awesome and will tell you anything you need to know.
This special HST day is November 9, the last chance of this year, but if you're interested in doing it earlier, the last regular club weekend is October 25-26. Because it's only 5 sessions, the cost is about $30 less on those days. I'll be there on the 25th, so PM me if you have any questions on that as well. Seriously, I can't rave enough about the experience. It would be awesome to have a good sized GM Delta presence there, too!
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