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*COMPLETED* - $20!!!! brainard international raceway THIS WEEKEND!

LASERBLUE135

Active Member
Brainerd International Raceway's 40th Anniversary Festival of Speed

Something for Every Motorsports Fanatic!

2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Brainerd International Raceway and the dawning of a new era. Virtually every form of motorsports has competed throughout BIR’s history. Remember the good old days… when USAC Indy Cars and stock cars hit the track…the legendary Donnybrooke Trans Am and Can Am battles in the 1960’s…the famous SCCA Uncola Nationals in the 1970’s…IMSA Camel GT…ASA…snd the present day NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars. What a time it has been.

BIR has always been the home to the fastest of the fast.

So put September 12-14 on your calendar for an historic celebration of the past and the debut of BIR’s new 2.5 mile, 13 turn road circuit. It will be a weekend of fun and festivities, no doubt including professional level bench racing. Road racing clubs, classic car clubs, performance vehicle shops, motorcycle racing clubs, go kart racing competitors, vehicle manufacturers, nostalgia drag racing exhibitions and more have been invited to this event.

You can even test out the new track firsthand! All enthusiasts will have the opportunity to experience the new course. Track touring for the casual enthusiast, lapping groups for those who desire more speed and race groups for vintage racers. Motorcycles are welcome too. The entire BIR facility will open during this weekend, with an off-track formal banquet Friday evening and the premiere of BIR’s first-ever documentary video. Great eats continue with an at-track party Saturday evening.

In an effort to keep costs down for our guests, weekend participation for road course touring, lapping and racing will be a mere $20 per driver per day (pre-registered) with a $10 charge per day for spectators. Camping will also be available this weekend including BIR’s full service RV sites and plenty of open camping for everyone!

We invite you to join us…whether you’re an active participant at BIR, new to motorsports, knew track founder George Montgomery personally or just want to relive the good old days. This promises to be a weekend to remember and the first day of a new era at Minnesota’s premier motorsports facility.

Register Here: http://www.birperformance.com/viewpage.aspx?ID=120

Got questions? Just call the track office at 1-866-444-4455 or email Tom Fuehrer (tom@birperformance.com).


this is a SICK deal, I've never been on any track and I am VERY excited about this. Racing for $20 is UNREAL! You will probably never see this price again in your lifetime.
 

LASERBLUE135

Active Member
I plan on going Friday...I don't have work and plan to beat the crowd...

DOES ANYONE HAVE A SNELL ACCEPTABLE HELMET I CAN BORROW??!!!
 

Picklz

SUDO Make me a SAMCH
Damn, next weekend already, wish I would have had more notice about this. Regardless I'm tempted.
 
A

aviateur

Guest
I plan on going Friday...I don't have work and plan to beat the crowd...

DOES ANYONE HAVE A SNELL ACCEPTABLE HELMET I CAN BORROW??!!!
I've got a couple. Might be a little big for ya but I'm sure they would fit okay.
 
S

spek1098

Guest
Yea, if I wasn't going to the Boundary Waters I'd be there.
 
J

JustROLLIN

Guest
I dont know if anyone would be interested in heading up there on Saturday just to check things out. I would not be lapping, but I think it might be fun just to wander around and see whats going on.
 

AJ

110 HP of FURY!
Joe, I might be game for that, I'll know more as my class load comes alive this week.
 

LASERBLUE135

Active Member
it's $20 to lap, $10 to walk around, even if you went out for like 2 laps the extra $10 bucks is worth it IMO. I don't want my car tore up or anything like that, I'm only going to be doing a very minimal amount of lapping myself.
 
J

JustROLLIN

Guest
Joe, I might be game for that, I'll know more as my class load comes alive this week.
Sounds good. Just let me know and maybe we can head up there and wander around for a bit.
 

LASERBLUE135

Active Member
WHAT AN EPIC FUCKING DAY/EXPERIENCE!!!e

I just got back from BIR and that fucking rocked the shit.

Got up today at 5:30am and headed out at 6am to try and get to BIR shortly after 8:00. I was told that it would be a good idea to show up early by the gal I talked to on the phone (she didn't tell me much else)

It was hella FOGGY! this morning. The whole way there. The highway was OK most of the time, but once I got to Brainard it was crazy foggy. Like nothing else I've seen ever! it was so foggy you had to use your wipers because the fog/water collected on your windshield.

I found the road that the raceway was on and once you turned off the highway you could see NOTHING! I saw there was a store? off to the left so I went in and asked where the racetrack was. The dude at the counter gave me a funny look and I explained that I know its close but you can't see 10 feet in front of you. He understood and said it is right across the street!

So I went across the road and got in line for my ticket. The guy asks "are you doing touring, lapping, or racing?" I said I don't know I just want to get on the track "what's the difference?" he doesn't know so he goes and asks someone and I overheard a woman say "touring is slow, like they let you go up to 50mph". so the guy comes back and asks if I have any expirience and I lie and say yes I do. Begging that he'll just let me go, and he does! So now I'm going to be HIGH SPEED LAPPING! (Racing is full on racing). I'm expecting to go through inspection now, but the guy just waves me through the gate.
 

LASERBLUE135

Active Member
I go ahead slowly and see a few different roads to take, I go down one and get lost and turn around, I go down another one and find myself on the drag strip! It was crazy foggy remember, like the game Silent Hill. I don't see any cars, any people, and I don't hear any cars??? I'm like where the hell is everyone? So after 5 minutes of driving around I go back to the gate and asks where I'm supposed to go.

They send me in the right direction and I finally see people. I took a picture of 2 guys 10 feet in front of me just to show how damn foggy it was. I find guys throwing slicks on there cars and in the distance I see lots of race cars and trailors.

I followed a guy there who had a first gen RX7 and we start talking. He's got a ford small block engine in the Mazda (old school carborated). I ask if he knows anything and he doesn't. We spend the next 2 hours walking around chatting with folks because its so foggy they won't let anyone drive. At 8:00 they had a rookie driving class which I really should have attended but didn't get there in time, so I'm freaking out about how this whole deal works.

NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING! The staff is so freaked about the fog that they apperantly just lost their heads about everything else.

Finally around 10:30 the fog is starting to lift and they start doing tech inspection (which they should have been doing for 2 hours now!), they spend like 15 minutes on a 2004 Corvette that looks totally stock so I'm kinda freaking out that they are going to fail my bungee corded MSP. They anounce over the speaker system that they are going to start allowing people on the track and they are going to do the Performance driving school lapping, which means that we can't go on the track until 2pm!!! Everyone groans and about 1 minute later they anounce on the loud speaker for everyone with a car to line up at the pit.
 

LASERBLUE135

Active Member
the staff, still running around with their heads cut off, basically figures to make everyone happy that they will just throw out the rules and let everyone on the track to make the people happy.

RACING!

Foget tech inspection, they say they will do that "later". I line up with the RX7, 2 2004ish Vettes, a 911 turbo, and an NSX (those are the ONLY basic street legal cars!) I'm absolutely terrified!!!!!!!!!!!

Next is a tremendously modified Mustang SVT cobra, and a track prepped but fairly stock looking Audi TT.

Then there are the racecars, a couple Vette racecars, a couple 911 racers, a Audi S4 racer, and a few open roof straight racecars.

WE ALL GO OUT TOGETHER!!! -(scary as hell)

The track was awesome, very tight 2.5 miles, mixing it up with purebread racecars. One of the porches blows up on one of the first laps and gets quickly yanked off the track by a tow truck and one of the Vettes spun out; those are the only issues.

After a good lapping session I pull of to inspect my car. I half expect there to be a cartoonish puff of smoke when I open the hood, but there is...nothing. The car is barely even hot! I'm like, damn! what a champ this car is. I head back out and continue lapping until I run out of gas. Amazing fun! Listening to the blow off woosh time and time again, the turbo screaming! and the exhaust positively blasting!@!!!!! The car runs to sweet. You can absolutely feel the LSD doing its job in every turn, you find yourself flying off the track in a turn and then the car just pulls you through it...OMFG! I almost chuck myself off the track countless times only to be saved at the last second, braking so hard the car shudders a little from left to right, the burning smell of brakes and tires, and then the THUNDERING noise of a 911 racecar flying past. This would certainly have been more fun in a rwd/awd car that could generate some oversteer, but whatever! That was fun as hell.

After I ran out of gas I went to the exit and filled up and as I was heading home I almost forced myself to turn around and stay longer, but I knew better. The car was happy, I had fun, and it was best to leave it at that.

what a day!
 

LASERBLUE135

Active Member
If you are going Saturday or Sunday you really should get out on the track. It is far too long of a drive to just watch imo. If you want to drive (you really really really should!) get there early. Below is the sat/sun schedule, which I didn't have, that should make your day easier...I'll assume the staff will be more on the ball the rest of the weekend.

Saturday-
8-8:30 course evaluation
to-8:50 vintage racecars
to-9:35 high speed lapping
-10:20 motorcyles
-10:45 club racer qualifying
-11:30 another high speed lapping session
11:30-12:15 lunch - charity race car rides (lapping class session also)
12:15-12:45 low speed touring
-1:20 motorcycles
-1:50 vintage racers
-2:25 another high speed lapping session!
-2:55 club race
-3:30 motorcycles
-4pm vintage race 2
-4:35 another high speed lapping session!
-5pm australian style pursuit race - leMans start
-5:30 low speed touring 2nd session

Sunday
8-8:30 course evaluation
to-8:50 vintage racecars
to-9:35 high speed lapping
-10:20 motorcyles
-10:45 club racer qualifying
-11:30 another high speed lapping session
11:30-12:15 lunch - charity race car rides (lapping class session also)
12:15-12:45 low speed touring
-1:20 motorcycles
-1:50 vintage racers
-2:25 another high speed lapping session!
-2:55 club race
-3:30 motorcycles
-4pm vintage race 2
-4:35 another high speed lapping session!
-5:10 low speed touring 2nd session

sounds like a great way to spend a weekend!
 
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