PittRace Carfest - Labor Day Weekend 2018 GTXF Party

[dodint]

I know it's only January but I figured I'd put feelers out now in case we wanted to have a GTXF get together. I know they happen on an ad hoc basis and in smaller numbers now that many of us have families, but maybe this is something that can be fun for whole families.

It looks like if you're just spectating you buy a General Admission ticket. If want to do the events they're charged on a per-event basis and then you get a general admission ticket with it. This early the only event you can sign up for is the HPDE, which appears to be an instructorless (unless requested) Track Night in America type of setup.


GENERAL ADMISSION (Prices not announced at this time)
General Admission may be purchased for a single day, or for the full weekend.

A General Admission ticket entitles you to:

Camping
Car Show viewing & voting (Saturday)
Chance to ride-along with instructors on track
Access to all prime spectator areas for road course event
Spectate Flashlight Drags (Fri. night & Sat. night)
Spectate AutoX (Saturday & Sunday)
Spectate Dyno (Saturday & Sunday)
Spectate Karting (Saturday & Sunday)
Access to Vendor Midway
Access to enjoy the DJ all weekend + Live Band & Electric Afterhours Saturday night
* Kids 12 and under are FREE but must be accompanied by their parent(s) at all times. 13-17 years of age require ticket purchase and must be adult supervised.

ALL ACTIVITY TICKETS PURCHASED INCLUDE 3-DAY GENERAL ADMISSION (except the car show):

HPDE
Acclimation Program
Flashlight Drags
Autocross
Karting
Dyno
Car Show (includes Saturday-only General Admission)


https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55df1545e4b07afa632b0342/t/5a009060e2c483e7a9eb4265/1509985046661/carfest-move-to-pittrace.png


General information: http://www.carfestusa.com/
HPDE Sign Up: https://autointerests.com/events/carfest-2018

I will probably enter the DMC in the show on Saturday and then do the HPDE on Sunday with either the DMC or the E46; leaning towards the DMC since I wanted to track it once at least and by September the E46 will have been to the track a handful of times already.

PittRace is a really nice facility, they have dumped a ton of money into upgrading the track as well as the paddock and support areas. It kind of reminds me of a mini-VIR which is high praise coming from me.

We live about 35 minutes from the track. As always this community has an open invitation to stay at our house if desired. We have a dedicated spare bedroom w/king size bed as well as a large 'den' downstairs that you could bring an air mattress and setup, as well as the living room couch which is fit for sleeping on if needed (I watched Tyler sleep under an ice cream cart last year so the couch is looking pretty good if I'm honest).

If anyone wanted to fly in we're about 35 minutes from the airport and the track is also about 35 minutes away. We live on the opposite side of the city of the airport and the track is to the north of both. Depending on what time you get in we could pick you up, but bear in mind the cars with back seats are basically torture devices.

If you want to fly in and still do the auto-x, HPDE, etc. you're welcome to the E46 or even the MINI.

I'm going to reach out the Nick and John (roofer) when the organizers finalize some of the prices and stuff. Just wanted to get this out there well in advance in case anyone from out of town wanted to arrange to come in.

[Kchrpm]

Pittsburgh? Gross.

[dodint]

True story. Keith has slept in that bed; venture at your own risk.

[Cam]

Sounds fun, but difficult for me to commit at this time.

[novicius]

:up: :up:

Love the idea, can't commit just now for screamingly obvious reasons. ;) #mycarshitsitself

[dodint]

Yeah, is just informational at this point. Save the date kind of thing. I was writing my TNiA calendar for the year and this was listed on the PittRace site and it struck me as something fairly awesome to pass along. It's not as grand as PVGP but it's much more hands on. I'll keep the thread updated as they roll out pricing for GA and the various events.

They did it at Mid-Ohio previously but switched to PittRace. I imagine it's cheaper and PittRace has a massive, massive flat skid area.

[Godson]

13 hours of driving.... Hmm.

[speedpimp]

Considering I haven't seen most of you reprehensible reprobates since '05 I might seriously consider this.

[dodint]

Doooo it.

I have box fans, just no Trev.

[speedpimp]

Hopefully no poison ivy either.

[GB]

I'm a definite maybe.

[The359]

Hmmmmmmm

[dodint]

Their site is now fully live and they're selling discounted tickets until April 6th: https://carfestusa.com/

[pl8ster]

Is there a family restaurant nearby where an intoxicated member of our group can leer at underage girls?

And do you have a touchscreen TV?

[speedpimp]

The family restaurant needs to have karaoke as well.

[speedpimp]

Ticket bought.

[dodint]

Shit just got real....

[Ashie]

I cannot wait to see/meet everyone while enjoying a weekend of cars. ��

[Godson]

SA only helmets :/

I'll put a reminder in my phone to register by may 11th. Hopefully I have money to spend on an SA helmet by then.

[pl8ster]

Oh, hey, we'll be headed back from the college dropoff in NE Ohio that very weekend. I'm sure I could convince the wife that we should stay over in Pittsburgh on the way home, at least I could say hello to you a-holes.

[speedpimp]

You should. It's been way too long, outside of Keef, Adam, Sandy, slm, Cam, Brits/Canadians, the last time I saw most of you guys was in Madison '05. We're not getting any younger.

[speedpimp]

Time scheduled off.

[dodint]

For anyone scheduling around us.

Friday: Not sure yet, probably just helping people get settled at the house. Maybe going to the track in the evening.
Saturday: Car show with the DMC, dyno runs.
Sunday: HPDE in the BMW.

There is a lot more stuff on the website now: https://www.carfestusa.com/

Auto-x is $40
Dyno is $60
Car Show Entry is $15
HPDE is $235

There is a endurance kart team race going; that would take some coordination.

Anyone have any idea what they might be doing beyond General Admission, if anything? Not implying that you have to do more than spectate, just starting to see who might be interested in what.

[GB]

$235? [EDIT: DOH! I see that these prices include admission and camping.]

3017

[dodint]

Sorry, $285. Fat fingers.

Tyler and I were going over that today. It's 5, 20 minute run group sessions and then a 60 minute open session. Per day. That's a lot of track time.

Registration for most of the events includes admission for that day.

[speedpimp]

How many are needed for a team in the kart enduro?

[dodint]

4.



Battle against other teams on the .82-mile Wilson Circuit during this 2-hour long enduro race!

Karting is a very exciting and accessible form of racing - experience speed, thrills, and close racing action! Plus, all of your required equipment is provided.

Enduro Details:
COMPETE FOR PRIZES!
2 hour long enduro race
Max 4 people per team
Max 18 teams total
Cost per team is $240 (includes all team members General Admission tickets)
Enduro runs Saturday from 6-8pm
Winners announced Saturday night on stage
*Must be pre-registered, not available on site!
Karting Details:
For kart rentals, we provide racers with a helmet, neck brace, jacket, and gloves. We recommend that you wear long sleeves and long pants. Closed-toe shoes are required but not provided.

A GX 270cc Honda 4-stroke 9.5 horsepower engine powers the karts. Our rental karts can reach speeds up to 45 mph. For safety reasons the driver must be able to comfortably reach both pedals. To drive an adult rental kart, racers must be at least 5 feet tall.

RESTRICTIONS: 13 years and older, between 5 and 6.5 feet tall, under 280 pounds.


I am almost too tall and am currently too heavy. :lol:

I am trying to get Ash to run the MINI in Autox. She said she wants someone to sit in the passanger seat and yell at her, though.

[Godson]

I'm trying to organize all of this. I can do it. Rich, you want me to swing by and pick you up?

[speedpimp]

Nah, I need to stretch the FiST's legs. Thanks for the offer though. About time I got east of Ohio. Haven't been to PA since '02. I was able to get that Fri/Sat off. Back to work that Monday.

[Ashie]

I am trying to get Ash to run the MINI in Autox. She said she wants someone to sit in the passanger seat and yell at her, though.[/QUOTE]

Yelling is a bit much. I meant like someone giving me logical directions and keeping me from having an anxiety attack. :)

[Phil_SS]

Yelling is a bit much. I meant like someone giving me logical directions and keeping me from having an anxiety attack. :)

As a veteran AutoX person I can help you with that. But only if I can do it Jet Boat style by moving my arm from side to side. :D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbrXC6xvuoc

[Ashie]

As a veteran AutoX person I can help you with that. But only if I can do it Jet Boat style by moving my arm from side to side. :D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbrXC6xvuoc

Lol, sure.

[HondaKid86]

Y'all better take a lot of pictures. :)

Love our family reunions.

[dodint]

Sent out the Facebook invites for coordination. Real sad to see Nick is completely off my radar now.

If you're not on Facebook or want to just coordinate here that's fine too. FB is great for maintaining guest lists and fielding questions, so we use it for that.


Hello everyone! It's time to start formally arranging this thing. Real quick, here are the relevant links:

Carfest: https://www.carfestusa.com/
GTXF Thread: http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?1826-PittRace-Carfest-Labor-Day-Weekend-2018-GTXF-Party

Check out the Carfest website to register for events or buy general admission tickets.

Basically Carfest at PittRace is happening over Labor Day weekend (yes, I know, I didn't pick it) and we're throwing a party Friday and Saturday night. We'll do some stuff up at the track and have some dinner, firepit, video game sessions, and general relaxing at our house. PittRace is about a 35 minute drive up the freeway from Allison Park.

I anticipate we'll do some smaller stuff on Friday night, and then have a proper large cookout dinner on Saturday after we're done at the track.

We have some extra beds and sleeping areas if anyone wants to come from out of town and crash here.

Kids welcome, we'll put the dog up during peak times. There will be alcohol around so manage that how you will.

We'll throw more information in this space when things start to take shape. Let us know if you're coming, and when you might be dropping in.

[dodint]

4.



I am almost too tall and am currently too heavy. :lol:

I am trying to get Ash to run the MINI in Autox. She said she wants someone to sit in the passanger seat and yell at her, though.

I'm now under the max weight if this is something you actually want to do. Two hours is a long run. Did you see the 10 minute sessions for $35?

[speedpimp]

I hadn't looked at the site since I paid for my ticket. 10 mins does sound fun.

[dodint]

The worry from my perspective is that the enduro runs till 8pm on Saturday, I probably can't do it since I'll be back at the house helping get dinner going.

For the festival portion I think I'll be putting the DMC in the car show Saturday, doing a dyno run during the show, and fitting karting in during that time. I doubt I'll go up to the track on Sunday at all, and Friday is dependent on who is coming and when they'll arrive.

[speedpimp]

I put it for the 2 PM Sat slot for karting.

[speedpimp]

Pretty sure Drew has Nick's contact info.

[dodint]

I put it for the 2 PM Sat slot for karting.

Did you do the Virtual Race add-on?

[speedpimp]

Yes I did.

[dodint]

Hero.

[Phil_SS]

Real sad to see Nick is completely off my radar now.

I just saw him a couple weeks ago. Ana and I went to lunch with him and Heather in Ashtabula. I asked Ana to message you his number.

[Jason]

Just noticed the invite on FB, I’m 99.99% sure that I won’t be able to make it, as I’ll either be moving, or out of town then. Also, I’m avoiding Keith, just in case he’s there. :up:

[dodint]

Bummer, next time then. :up:

[dodint]

Noticed they have a decent graphical schedule now:

https://www.carfestusa.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/CARFEST%20Schedule%20600px.png

Most likely I'll be doing the car show on Saturday. While that's happening I'll do a dyno run, and the karting at 2pm. Then head back to the house after the awards ceremony, serve dinner at the house around 7pm Saturday.

Friday dinner for those that come in early will probably be something easy like pizza or something we make ahead of time.

I doubt I'll go back up to the track on Sunday.

[Cam]

She said she wants someone to sit in the passanger seat and yell at her, though.

Is this position still open? :lol:

I mean, that is a setup for a hilarious viral video. :twisted:

[speedpimp]

I'll be in on Friday afternoon.

[Nick T]

I just saw him a couple weeks ago. Ana and I went to lunch with him and Heather in Ashtabula. I asked Ana to message you his number.

Message received! I spoke with Nathan and he let me know about this event. Looks like we're going to be able to go out that weekend. Once I figure out what my wife's work schedule (she's got a side business that takes up weekend time) is looking like, I'll have a better idea if we're going to have sufficient time that weekend. Preliminary outlook looks favorable for us to head out Friday night after our 9-5s-ish work, stay overnight, and head home Saturday night. I'll know for certain after next weekend. Nerds.

[Ashie]

:up:

[GB]

Too much going on to make the trip. Mostly my commitment to coaching youth football. Looking forward to the stories and photos.

[dodint]

Turnout is looking decent. Anyone else dropping in? Have Rich, Nick, and Heather on Friday night. Ana and Phil joining on Saturday. Some of our local friends are dropping in as well. I need to text John to see what he is doing.

Since I have the PS4 Pro now and the 4k TV, thinking of getting my hands on a PSVR for the weekend. I think it would be pretty fun in a group setting.

[Cam]

Sorry, I cannot go.

[dodint]

Yeah, you were kind enough to indicate as such in the FB Event. That's my one real peeve with that platform, people that I know for sure are coming (or not) won't indicate a status. Not a huge deal, I think people don't like saying no because it could be construed as a rejection. I don't feel that way myself, it's just helpful to the event planners if you signal your intent.

Anyway, this is what I'm doing on Saturday at the track.

10:00am: Putting the DMC in the car show.
2:00pm: Karting with Rich and Ashley.
3:40pm: Dyno'ing the DMC-12.
5:00pm: Car Show awards

Leaving the track to head home for dinner directly after awards.
If I'm not scheduled to be somewhere at a certain time I'll probably be tending to the car in the show or just walking around seeing what else is happening. Might do some walk-on karting if I get hooked, we'll see. I signed Ash and I up for the Virtual Lapping so we should be able to compare results when all is said and done, like a mini TT.

[Godson]

Flight booked.


Looking forward to this.

[Cam]

Don't get me wrong, I would like to attend, but money is real tight right now. :(

[dodint]

For sure, and we would have loved to have you. I really wish my conference in Savannah hadn't been moved to Mississippi :( or you could've had me over to show off your wood.

[dodint]

I'll be in on Friday afternoon.

Any idea what time? I usually get home around 3 or 4, but can push it up to greet you if you anticipate being here earlier.


Flight booked.


Looking forward to this.

Excellent, hope it didn't set you back too much. When are you coming/going? Ash said late on Friday, which is great for me, no traffic and a near empty airport. When is your return flight? I might go to St. Paul the following week and need to book my own flight out.

Was talking with Nick and a family obligations popped up for Saturday. If he can't rearrange things then he won't be here Friday and may not be able to make it at all.

[dodint]

Any idea what time? I usually get home around 3 or 4, but can push it up to greet you if you anticipate being here earlier.


Ran it by my boss and he approved situational telework for Friday, so come whenever. :)

[speedpimp]

Sometime between noon and three.

[GB]

Yeah, you were kind enough to indicate as such in the FB Event. That's my one real peeve with that platform, people that I know for sure are coming (or not) won't indicate a status.
Events in GTXF Family:
This Group Doesn't Have Any Upcoming Events.

I see how it is.

[speedpimp]

https://www.facebook.com/events/827528170967976/

[dodint]

Yeah, it never occurred to me to post it up in the GTXF Group when I extended an open invitation here.

[GB]

https://www.facebook.com/events/827528170967976/
I don't have permission to view that page.

It's OK, just being difficult. I would have enjoyed the trip, but just too much going on around here right now.

Lots of photos, please.

[Cam]

For sure, and we would have loved to have you. I really wish my conference in Savannah hadn't been moved to Mississippi :( or you could've had me over to show off your wood.

[Kool-Aid Man]OH YEAH![/Kool-Aid Man] :lol:

[Nick T]

Confirming that we're out, which is a real bummer considering that I live relatively close. Hopefully next time there is a get together it's not around a busy holiday weekend for us :)

[speedpimp]

Sorry to hear that Nick.

[dodint]

Yeah, Nick, sorry to hear you can't make it. If we ever do this again I'll probably do it as a stand-alone event rather than co-opt Carfest. The Labor Day weekend thing is a real pain in the ass; hopefully they'll do better and pick literally any other time next year.

Ash and I do about two of these a year, we'll ping you when we do the next one and see what happens. They're not always GTXF minded but Ana, Phil, and sometimes Keith shows up.

[dodint]

Y'all better take a lot of pictures. :)

Love our family reunions.

Missed you, mate.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3119&d=1535894462

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[The359]

:up:

[speedpimp]

Had an awesome weekend. A big thanks to Nate and Ashley for hosting such a great time.

[GB]

3123


That's a GREAT SHIRT!

[Phil_SS]

I thought you would appreciate it. :)

And a fun time was had indeed. Thanks to Nate and Ashley for hosting.

[Godson]

It's was really cool meeting so many I have known over the years for the first time.

It was also cool to meet new people I knew nothing about.

Thanks again for hosting.

[dodint]

Was an absolute pleasure to have everyone there. I don't know that we'll be living in that house this time next year so it was nice to get one of these off while we could.

Carfest 2019 has already been scheduled for Labor Day weekend. I really hate that date. I'm going to go and we'll likely put out an open invitation again, but I'm not sure it will be in the same form. We'll try and decide by Memorial Day to give folks some lead time if they want to trek out.

We did discuss a little bit about having one around the Pittsburgh Vintage GP instead, which is always in mid-July. Maybe something for 2020.

[speedpimp]

Can't wait.