[VR] 2015 WannaGOFAST Virginia 1/2 Mile Recap
05-12-2015, 08:55 AM
#1
[VR] 2015 WannaGOFAST Virginia 1/2 Mile Recap 
Another wannaGOFAST event is in the books! For this event we headed up to Hot Springs, VA to race at Ingles Field airport. Leading up to the event, we had heard how beautiful the area was but that was an understatement. Ingles Field was at 4,000+ feet of elevation in the Virginia mountains. The entire airport was surrounded by incredible views that set the scene for the weekend of 1/2 mile racing. Since this event was a little bit farther away from home and we have the GA event 3 weeks afterwards, we headed up Friday with a smaller crowd than usual. We were bringing a total of 6 customer cars up to race versus the 30+ we are used to at the GA and FL events.
We arrived on Friday afternoon to the Omni resort where all of the racers were staying for this event. For those of you that don't already know, Hot Springs, VA is a huge golfing resort community and the Omni resort is the premiere lodging facility in the area. You can imagine the looks on the vacationers faces as over 100 fast cars started rolling into this quiet golf community. It was a sight for sure and more noise than they were used to in the area. It made for a fun atmosphere as we all got to enjoy some car talk with interested onlookers.
Saturday morning, we woke up early and started prepping the cars. It was obvious that we were going to be battling air issues during the day as the DA for the event was between 5,000 and 6,000 feet the entire weekend. The good news was that we were racing on grooved concrete so at least the traction would be a lot better than the conditions we were used to in Ocala, FL earlier this year. The weather was great so there were no delays and we got to racing.
After the first half of the day, the cars were running really well but it was obvious that the trap speeds were a little off thanks to the air. By everyone's estimates we were off anywhere from 3 to 5 mph depending on the car. Ironically, it really didn't seem to matter to anyone all that much as the views and the airstrip made for an awesome racing venue. We are all racing in the same air so time to get at it! The grooved concrete airstrip really started to settle in after the first passes were made. The cars seemed to really like the surface even if we were dealing with not getting enough air in the cars. Everyone was having a great time and getting a lot of passes in on the day. After the day came to a close, we packed up and headed back to the resort with some class winners and fast traps. After a great dinner, we sat back...watched the lame excuse for a fight in the hotel bar...and got rested up for another day of racing.
Sunday morning started a lot like Saturday. We prepped the cars in the morning and got ready to race. The weather was great once again and we enjoyed the views while racing the cars.
At the end of the day, we came out with some great results.
Eddie Blackwell took home the win in the sponsored NA class in his VR built 2002 C5 Z06 running 170mph at over 5500ft DA!!!! Eddie won his class both days AND was the fastest NA car at the event including all "privateer" participants
Robb Sutton took home the win for fastest "heavy weight" both Saturday and Sunday running a best of 174.5mph in his VR built Cadillac CTSV. Robb also had the fastest heavy weight at the event including all privateer participants and the fastest 4 door overall on Sunday.
Randy Hunter piloted his VR built twin turbo C6 Z06 to 194mph allowing him to claim the title for fastest Corvette at the event. Randy wold have won the fastest manual transmission class had we signed him up..... Hopefully being the baddest Corvette there out of 300+ vehicles will hold him over until the upcoming Ga half mile...
Mark Hahn piloted his VR CTS-V to 157mph numerous times throughout the weekend.
Tommy Garst drove his VR built 13 Camaro to 153mph!
Jeff Thompson and CC running the one and only VR modified Porsche 997 turbo S to 163mph over 40 times!!
Huge thanks to our staff who not only build these amazing vehicles, but support our customers at these events and allow us bring home these wins time and time again! Also, thank you to wannaGOFAST For putting on such great events throughout the year. See you all in Ga next month!!
