Jack,
too cool! The R/T starts showing its colors at more than the drag strip!
BKB
-----Original Message-----
From: Jack Hilton III [mailto:HEMI@charter.net]
Sent: Monday, February 22, 1999 7:28 AM
To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net; dakotart@egroups.com
Subject: DML: Dakota R/T CC at AutoX @ Atlanta Motor Speedway
Well , I went to the first "fun run" at Atlanta Motor Speedway yesterday
and all I can say is that it is really fun !
I showed up at 8AM and it was like 25 degrees out and with no trees at the
speedway , the wind was whipping around like nobody's business !
I worked the course first , and then played second .
After the course work was over and I thawed my hands out , it was my turn !
The course was set up really well for some high speed in one of the
speedway parking lots (North Turn) .
There were only two slalom sections which were alot easier than I had
expected , and there were a couple of nice straights .
What the large CC R/T did not like were those 90 Degree turns at the end of
the nice long straights ! I found that getting going so fast in the
straights made it nearly impossible to get stopped and pointed in the right
direction at the end where the evil 90 degree turns were . I also found
that with the tail being light and the front wanting to plow thru the turns
that I had it a bit easier if I used the gas to steer by making the back
end kick out and getting her pointed in the right direction .
My first run on the track , and at any AutoX event , I turned a 70 second
lap because at that first big turn at the end of the straight , I almost
slid off course and had to back up and get going again . By comparison ,
the best times of the day were by CRXs and a really ugly 70s Toyota (that
hauled ass and stuck like glue!) which were in the neighborhood of 51-55
seconds and the rest of the field was between about 58-59 and mid to upper
60 second runs .
My second lap I got down into 65 seconds , but at the same turn I took out
three cones !
My third lap , I avoided any cones (barely) and got a 63 second lap .
My fourth and final lap of the day I managed a 61 second lap and was very
pleased with the truck since I outran many Mustangs and a couple of old 911s
!
If there is anyone else in the Atlanta area or within driving distance of
AMS which is in Hampton just south of Atlanta , then come on out to the
next event at the end of March !
I would love to see a few more Dakotas there !
If you don't have a Snell 85 or later helmet ,they have loaners available
at the events .
I was the ONLY truck at the event which was covered up by Neons and Civics
, along with a few RX-7s , Porsches , and even a 95 or so SHO Taurus that
was teraing up the course !
I even saw for the first time anywhere , not one , but three of the new BMW
M-Coupes , you know, the ones that look like the Z3 but have a hard top and
a hatchback ? Kind of reminded me of the old MGB-GT hatchbacks . Beautiful
car .
By the way , they put me in F-Stock (I had any mods removed) .
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Jack Hilton III
Black 1998 Dodge Dakota R/T Club Cab
Charter Pipeline......the Next Wave.....
http://webpages.charter.net/hemi/jbd1.html
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