Big Bend Open Road Race 2012

I volunteered again as a courseworker for the Big Bend Open Road Race last weekend. I ran Flag 7, 35 miles into the 59 mile course.

The grid featured a good variety of vehicles, as usual. I'm still adding PHOTOS. Here's a few:

Note the license plate:

The odd couple: Lotus vs F350.

Exotica: Audi R8, McLaren

Pure race: Ultima GTR, GT40, a retired NASCAR Chevy

Nostalgia: Ferrari 308, ’68 GT350 clone, a nest of Cobras

Freak show: ’66 Corvair (200 MPH, mid-engine SBC)

Corvettes, Vipers, Camaros, Mustangs, Porsches ... lots of interesting machinery.

That is wild. I would love to try something like that. 118 miles.

They race from Fort Stockton to Sanderson and back.....At the same time are there cars returning on the same road as those going to Sanderson?

I saw that passing is allowed. That would have to make for some shot of adrealen to the kidneys.

No, it's not a two-way road on race day - as much fun as that might be to watch. One way street, for each leg. South in the morning, North for the second leg.

US 285 is legally closed for the day. It's a pretty good Texas two-lane road, with mostly wide shoulders. Course workers are posted at ranch gates all along the way, along with flag stations, first responders, and ham radio operators.

The cars are started one at a time, at intervals depending on the class. Unlimited cars go first, then the 150-MPH target speed class, 145, et cetera down to the slowest (85 MPH) class. There is a start/finish line close to Sanderson. The cars stop in Sanderson, refuel/hydrate/whatever, and regrid. After the last car finishes the first leg and joins the regrid, the northbound leg can begin. That gives the racers a chance to adjust strategy based on their time to that point.

Passing is unusual, but sometimes necessary because of different strategies (stay on target speed all the way, vs go fast on the straights, slow in the hills) and timing/speed errors for the previous leg. Some cars need to make up time, others need to burn a little. Racers are trying to average a specific speed. There is a tech speed (effectively a speed limit) for each class, as well as a minimum speed for everyone. There are speed traps, and cars do get DQ'ed for speeding.

Winning driver/navigator teams often have less than 1/4 second time errors.

I know the guy who owns the GT40. That's all I got... You're a lucky man.

How much does that cost to run? I'm thinking I might (maybe) be able to give the slowest class a try in my 2. It's sort of local and it would really be fun to try. Next year?

Damn you for posting this. I always wanted to try silver state but this is so much closer.

Now....what is needed to keep a MkII MR2 on the ground at the 105 MPH class.

Looks so sweet. I so want to just watch. That would make me happy enough.

mazdeuce wrote: How much does that cost to run?

Poke around for the entry forms - the fees are there somewhere.

N Sperlo wrote: Looks so sweet. I so want to just watch. That would make me happy enough.

The best way to watch is to be a volunteer courseworker, guarding a ranch gate somewhere on the course. And, yes, it makes me happy!

I've said for awhile that one of these events belongs on my bucket list.

I mean, it just seems like a slam-dunk BLAST.