Greetings from Vermont

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sachilles
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Greetings from Vermont

Post by sachilles »

Well, I keep hearing exciting reports from Bob and Butch about the hill climbs in PA and thought I'd look into giving one a try this summer or next.

I'm hoping you can give me a little guidance. In order for me to pull this off, it will have to be part of full family vacation. So which of the PA hills is closer to a vacation/resort area? I'd be looking to do some sort of 5 day deal. Some sort of body of water suitable for swimming, and proximatey to shopping and restaurants would be criteria high on the list.

Still need to figure out the classifications. 99 subaru 2.5rs. On a street tire it would be eligible for ST(I think), except for having wrx sized brakes, carbon hood, interior is gutted. Airbags have been disabled. Cage built to rally america regs. Certainly not the fastest thing out there, but it's safe and reliable. I'm not worried about being competitive in class, just want to run up the hill and have fun(but I don't want to be mis-classed causing problems for others).

In the interest of getting it right class wise.
The car is a 99 2.5rs. Engine is bone stock. Cat back exhaust.
Suspension is coilover setup and camber plates.
Adjustable rear sway bar. strut tower bar.
short shift kit.
Brakes are stock calipers, with wrx sized rotors, with aftermarket pads. Stainless steel brake lines.
Interior is removed. 6 point cage.
airbags disabled.
Rear glass replaced with polycarbonate.
Carbon fiber hood.

Sa 2005 helmet, forget the sfi ratings on my suit and gloves off the top of my head.
Really do need a H&N restraint but I don't have one yet, so if there are requirements there, that would be useful to know.

Tires can vary based on class requirement. All are DOT. R-comps, to street tire class tires. So basically I can figure something out tire wise.

Hope to see you in PA unless I see you at a Vermont hill climb first.
jerdeitzel
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by jerdeitzel »

Welcome! I hope you can make it down to one of the PHA events.

As for which one is close to a vacation spot. Maybe someone from that side of the state could answer. Polish mtn has rocky gap resort right near the event which is pretty nice. I'm not sure about shopping but it is a nice area. And it has water and outdoor activity's.

Now onto the car classing. Hmmm, you kinda have a strange set of mods for car classing. Right off the bat you are anywhere from DSP( I believe), SM, to rally or special. Either way you have s class to race in no matter what with a full rally cage.

Dsp- the hood alone puts you in Street mod. The rear glass i'm not sure about. Other then that, gutted interior is questionable unless it's to fit the role cage. ( pretty much not really an option for a class really) altho it is the best fit IMO for your car, if you could meet the criteria.

Street mod- looks okay for this except the rear glass I'm not sure about again. Interior is the same restriction as above so that is questionable as to
how gutted your tslking.

Rally- if your car meets rally America rules then you could run there. ( just be able to prove it is legal for rally)

Special- you can run what you brung here. This is your easiest class to run yet you will be outgunned pretty heavily.

Hope this dosnt confuse you too much. Just pick an event you want to go to and don't worry what class. You will not step on any toes. (unless you run DSP, which is where your car could be competetive if you could fit in there)
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Sue Salsburg
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by Sue Salsburg »

Biggest problem is date conflicts. I know Fall Ascutney is the same weekend as Weatherly, which hurts as I would love to run there again. No idea why, since I rolled the MGA there years ago. Beautiful setting, great folks. And Spring Ascutney is the week before Jefferson. Maybe next year we could talk before the season. Sue
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sachilles
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by sachilles »

Schedule is the biggest limiting factor. So I may not be able to be too picky about the venue. Realistically, I'm looking for the 2011 season. Then you have to have the stars line up to have the schedules of the PHA, NEHA and my family all line up.

As for the PHA rally class, would I need a co-driver? Or is it just a class for rally cars? The car would be an Open Lite car for Rally America. Open lite is an anything goes all wheel drive class, restricted to N/A engines. Meant to be a less expensive stepping stone into the sport. The only difference on mine is it's setup for tarmac. This would likely be the most appropriate class if a co-driver is not required. If that doesn't work, then special it is. I suppose it wouldn't be the first time I've been refered to as special. :lol: Any tire restrictions for the rally class?

As to the question on gutting. Dash remains intact except for where it's cut to allow for the cage. You can see bare metal everywhere else in the interior. No carpet, no headliner, no plastic trim, no seats other than the two front race seats.

For NEHA it classes in SP3(street prepared 3), which is the second fastest awd street class. It's in with the evo's, eclipses and 2 liter wrx's. Certainly not the fastest car in that class. I'm not after a hill or class record, just out to have fun. It's fast enough to put a smile on my face, and keeps me relatively safe. Overall I tend to be a mid pack driver.

No doubt the mods don't really jive with the scca solo rules, but I bought it that way on the cheap(minus the cage). The only way to be competitive in class at home is to lose as much weight as I can, or install a wrx motor. A Wrx motor will mean a replacement transmission at some point and so on. Let's just say it's cheaper to lose weight for now, and probably better for my marriage.

Sue, Ascutney is indeed fun, Though I think Burke and Mt Philo are my favorites.

Thanks for your help, and should you visit Vermont for one our events, don't hesitate to say hi. I'll be the guy with the black subaru #66.
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by rallynutdon »

I've run Duryea (The best hill IMHO, and one of the only ones worth while running) several times in my 1st gen Impreza rally car which I run several times a year in RA and NASA events. I run in the rally class and there's usually no one else in it. I'm there just for the fun of it. No co-driver required or allowed. I've been involved with PHA for (40, yes that long) years. Any questions donkennedy at juno dot com.
RA car # 931.
Don Kennedy

Here's a question for you. My son lives near Brattleboro. If I wanted to come to NH/VT and run one of your hillclimbs, which one would you pick and why? Thanks.
sachilles
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by sachilles »

Then I think the rally car class might just be the one.

Brattleboro is in the southern part of the state. I'll give you a summary of the sites and let you choose.

Ascutney, probably the closest to Brattleboro, its just up I-91 from Brattleboro. It's in a state park complete with campground, so you can camp/pit in the same spot. Avg time for short course is 3:20, and long course is 4:20.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAXaCE2hfWY

Okemo is the next closest, avg time is 2:43. Limited camping in resort parking lot that doubles as pits. Resort has condo's for rent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL67qUF-ZMo

Burke is further up I-91, and is my favorite, avg time 2:30. Very good pavement. Campground on site. I really like the flow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE93752XdCo

Mt philo is on Lake Champlain. It's my second favorite, avg run 1:20. Usually columbus day weekend, can be cold, and fall folliage may mean leaves on the course. Limited camping on site. Can be darn cold in a tent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqdo4xuZFu8

For me I rank them
Burke
Philo
Okemo
Ascutney
I like them all, but the flow of the first 3 suit me better.
Philo is the only one that is done once per season, the others usually have 2.
sachilles
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by sachilles »

rallynutdon wrote:
Here's a question for you. My son lives near Brattleboro. If I wanted to come to NH/VT and run one of your hillclimbs, which one would you pick and why? Thanks.
Just realized I sidestepped this question.

I'd pick burke. Tough to articulate, but the hill just suits me. Typically the attendance is down at Burke due to it's location, and that means more runs. Pavement is good. The course length is just right. Of course, this one is the furthest from brattleboro.

Philo is a close second for different reasons. The up road and down road are different for most of the course, only running on the same pavement for a little bit. This makes cycling through the cars much easier. The course has a couple of blind corners and rises that really get the pulse going. It's very narrow and that adds to the thrill. Speed isn't incredibly high, but the quick progression of turns and tight course makes you feel as though you are going mach 1.
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by Mr2 »

Hi everyone, I've been watching this thread... and I'd like to add:

I'd pick DURYEA as a TO-DO LIST. (2.3 miles)
As for my experience in VT, I've run ASCUTNEY and OKEMO... and both are "gems"!! Highly recommended.
* Ascutney's is really smooth/new paving to the bridge, though after the bridge to the summit, the road gets really rough/frost heaves. Rally stuff/soft suspension, or slow down at the peak, kinda...

*Videos here (my dump site) > http://www.youtube.com/efabio
Cheers to all, see you soon on an apex near you!
Fabio D'Hillho Vlacci
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http://www.HILLHO.com
http://www.eFABIO.com
mckee

Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by mckee »

Seth,

Glad you are taking the bait -- believe me, PHA is great (sorry about the rhyme and lack of meter).

I recommend you make both Weatherly hill climbs. The course is within 7 miles of a state park and is also within 3/4 hour of the Pocono mountains and Lake Wallenpolpack. Joe Cybert the event organizer will make you feel like a king -- he really likes those who tow in from N.E.

You can pick your own class (read the rules and ask around for advice) and unless you are challenged, that's all there is to it, unlike N.E. where Don T decides your class. Believe it or not Butch won the Special 3 title last year with the Blazer. He could have run in a couple of street mod classes but Butch likes the challenge of S3.

Weatherly puts more emphasis on driving than on power -- like Philo. There are only 6 turns so you'll learn it quickly enough to stay on the road your first visit. It's tricky enough that it will take 5 years to learn it well enough to be fast. There are 4 very slow turns like Burke's unforgiving hairpins that you should feel comfortable driving. The two quick turns are trial and error beauties that are entirely reasonable if you are. The "Wall" has to be experienced to be believed. There is also a blind jump that will jar your teeth loose if you get too aggressive. Weatherly will make the most of your stock engine and reduced weight.

The next course I'd recommend is Pagoda. There's only one fast section and your car should handle it well. There are 4 hairpins that I'm still trying to figure out. Unlike VT this course has Armco everywhere so you will stay on the road, one way or the other. Duryea covers the same gound and adds 1.3 miles of 100+ MPH near straights and another exciting blind jump to the mix.

I love Giant's Despair and Rose Valley, but these are horsepower hills. However you'd still enjoy them. Giant's is near Scranton, PA. Steamtown is about the best railroad museum in the country. There are also coal mines you can tour. Unfortunately Rose Valley will not be run this year.

Polish Mountain is 600 miles away in MD. I like running it. It's medium fast but much fun to drive. The hill climbers are treated like celebreties by the locals. Unlike VT where we hide out like fugitives, here you will be asked to parade your race car through town, sign autographs, pose for pictures, etc.

I know you'll be made welcome no matter which hill you run.

Brgds,
Bob D'Amore
sachilles
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by sachilles »

Polish Mtn does sound like fun(re-read one of your reports on the neha list). 10 hour tow. I do have some friends outside of nyc that could make a mid-point break. 10 hours is a long way. I don't know about you folks, but driving tow duty stresses me out more than running up the hill. Maybe I can get my brother in law to drive.
Weatherly is "only" 7 hours.

Of course it all probably come down to scheduling anyway.

Typically how far out do you release the schedule?

.......chomping at the bit, first event up here(Ascutney) is the 22nd. Been a loooooooong winter(still have snow at the mountain I work at).
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Re: Greetings from Vermont

Post by georgebowland »

Seth,
Bob Damore described the hills well, but to be honest and as a long distance traveler to the PHA events, I can say that all the PHA hills are terrific. They are well run events with great workers and townsfolk that are very receptive to the events. I have not run any Northeast events (only because they won't judge my car legal under their rules), but have run many hills outside of PHA (five to be exact), and there is no better group to run with IMHO.
George
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