VIR Track Day Interesting Cars - classic Porsche, Senna

[adc]

I was going to label it "car porn" but decided on a milder title. Last November at VIR with Trackdaze, I arrived the day before a lot earlier than usual. A previous classic car event had concluded, this is what I found on the tarmac.

A trio of 1966/67 906 race cars. I was told (bout couldn't verify) that the last time all three were this close was at the 1967 LeMans. True or not, this made for an amazing scene. I just wish I had arrived earlier so I can see them run.

[adc]

Another curio was an Abarth-bodied 356 Porsche (356B Carrera GTL Abarth). Looked amazing and had been restored quite nicely - it would have been the pick of the lot to jump in and drive home, the long way. Alongside a white Spyder.

[adc]

Last but not least, the next days I had the privilege to see the McLaren Senna run. Absolutely incredible car, from the design to the execution, with the big asks obviously covered but also fantastic attention to detail. The owner is said to have done numerous laps at the Ring, I had the impression this was the car's first time at VIR.

To my naked eye it seemed to run lap times close to TCR or GT4 cars.

[adc]

To illustrate the conditions on the ground, this is how I found my car on the second morning (last day of running). This is when we did the Grand Course if I'm not mistaken.

Finally some random pics of my car passing a slow car and having fun in the esses.

[NYG]

Wow - those are some incredible cars, kit or not.

How was the grip?

[adc]

Originally Posted by NYG

Wow - those are some incredible cars, kit or not.

How was the grip?

I don't think those were kit cars, I'm just not sure they all raced at LeMans in 1967, but then again I'm no historian.

Grip was fine after the first morning session. The track never heated sufficiently to post PBs, but I think I still managed some 2:08s in some sessions, with a passenger. And I cracked the 3 min mark on the Grand course, which was one of my personal challenges.

[Montaver]

Takes some serious cojones to push a Senna on track given your looking at a cool $1.3m replace it! 😎

Nice to see cars like that driven properly

[NYG]

Originally Posted by adc

I don't think those were kit cars, I'm just not sure they all raced at LeMans in 1967, but then again I'm no historian.

Grip was fine after the first morning session. The track never heated sufficiently to post PBs, but I think I still managed some 2:08s in some sessions, with a passenger. And I cracked the 3 min mark on the Grand course, which was one of my personal challenges.

2:08 in an F8x in cold conditions is rapid man. Nice stuff.

Yeah, I have no clue if any of them are kit or not but they're gorgeous.

[adc]

Forgot to say, there was also a very cool 600 LT, which on any other day would have been the talk of the paddock. Just not that day with a Senna next to it.

Unfortunately, I think he began to push to try to keep up with the Senna and crashed it backwards into the tire barrier at Hogpen. Driver was unharmed, and the car didn’t seem to be damaged horribly.

[FrankMstein]

WOW!

[D_SheerDrivingPleasure]

It's crazy that the 906 was a street legal race car.

The pedal box on these cars is forward of the axel...right in the fiberglass crumple zone. These drivers had big balls.