My Weekend in Pics & Vids (RacingHikingHelicoptering)

[Jefe]

Woke up at 5am Saturday and drove the Hellcat 95 miles east to Willcox, AZ for a Track Day. This is a Private Track in the middle of nowhere and memberships can cost as much as $100K+.

http://www.indemotorsports.com/

The Track

Tower

The Sky Lounge

Track Layout

We ran this circuit minus turn 5 so it was basically 2 long straights. Its an incredibly challenging track with elevation change and blind apexes. The main straight is also a landing strip for all of the members who fly in and store their race cars on site. Or those that want to race against planes

37 degrees at 7am when I pulled up

Over 50 cars showed up to race. Eleventy GTRs, EVOs and BMWs

A couple Shelby Cobra kit cars as well

Even an oval dirt car

and a McClaren 570S from Vivid Racing

I ran 2 morning sessions and 1 afternoon session in the Hellcat:


After the first session I popped the hood and found power steering fluid had puked out through the cap. I guess that's what happens when you pull 1.15Gs on street tires in a 4,700lb boat. I had brand new Michelin PS 4S tires on all 4 corners

I could have pushed the car harder but I wound up puking power steering fluid all 3 sessions and still had a 95 mile drive back home. My best lap was 2:01 which is damn impressive considering this was my first time and the weight of the car

I always leave before they bring the drones out and shut the track down for group photos. Really bummed I missed this

For sale:

The owner of the track was the Founder and CEO of ABX Air aka Airborne Express as well as Nautamatic Marine Systems. I think I counted 10 or 11 fighter jets scattered all over the property

 

[Jefe]

I got up Sunday morning and met up with some family/friends to hike to the top of Picacho Peak which is in between Phoenix and Tucson. It is the site of the westernmost battle during the Civil War(1862) and was also a volcano or part of some nearby lava flow. They still havent figured that out...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Picacho_Pass

We're heading to the tip of this peak without any sort of climbing gear. Just water, snacks and gloves. And a couple of flasks...

The first part of the hike wasn't too bad but once you get to the saddle it becomes very difficult. This is where the dogs, kids, people with knee problems and older folks head back down

Starting down the backside which is lined with metal cables and straight drop offs

Then you pop out and see whats ahead. Notice the tiny ↓ white dot at the top

Thats a group of people where we're headed

The "death chute" on the way up. You also lower yourself down this on the way back

View from the top (3,370') and you can see where the lava flow stopped

Top of the volcano that blew off and landed half a mile away?

Log jam of people and a massive drop off on the way back down.

I wish I had taken more photos but I was exhausted, my legs were shaking and it was all I could do to finish the hike without injury.

After lunch we headed over to Pinal Air Park which is the former home of the CIA Air Operations during the Vietnam War. There are numerous aerospace companies on site as it is the largest commercial aircraft storage and heavy maintenance facility in the world. Delta, Airbus, Evergreen, Northwest, Hellenic, Aerosur, Surinam Airlines and even an Air Force One plane was stored/worked on here.

It is also home to WAATS, Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, and it is the Special Operations Parachute Training Facility. Several movies were filmed here like Fire Birds(horrible) with Nicolas Cage

There are AH-64 Apaches, UH-60 Blackhawks and now UH-72 Lakotas now that the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior has been retired

After getting clearance to get on base we headed inside past standard cubicle offices for a tour. I opened a door and came face to face with this $33 million dollar Apache

Standing on an Apache taking a picture of another Apache

Where hell gets reigned down from

You better believe I saddled up and strapped on that $20K helmet

Which controls this M230 30MM chain gun

 

[Jefe]

That shoots these

Wherever the pilots eye is looking, thats where the M230 is aimed



As well as Stingers, Hydras and Hellfires

A bunch of Lakotas which were very shiny

And the Blackhawks

I don't think Sikorsky came up with the sliding door design. It closely resembled our old 1992 Dodge Caravan

Then I went to bed. Legendary weekend

 

[Jefe]

Review/Pics/Vids from the McClaren owner: https://www.vividracing.com/blog/ra...ren-570s-track-day-at-inde-motorsports-ranch/

Having driven the worlds most desired track, the Nurburgring, the Inde Motorsport Ranch track impressed me. It was well worth the drive instead of lapping something like Firebird Main or the dust and dirt of the East track.

 

[scottL]

Awesome trip report and photos, wish I could see all of them. Inde is on my bucket list!

 

[ZYBORG]

Sounds like an amazing time!

Sucks that not all the photos are showing up...

 

[nxhappy]

pretty cool pics

 

[Jefe]

Ya whats going on with the photos? They showing up now?

 

[Snagged]

A lot of photos are not showing up still but some are up though.

And that is wild the runway is apart of the track. It must be a pain for them to make sure the road surface is clean of any tiny debris before the planes land.

 

[Jefe]

A lot of photos are not showing up still but some are up though.

And that is wild the runway is apart of the track. It must be a pain for them to make sure the road surface is clean of any tiny debris before the planes land.

Im gonna start replacing the pics that dont show up.

They have 2 ATVs with massive pull behind blowers to clean the runway off. Pretty effective actually. A few people went off track and they brought those out

 

[ZYBORG]

Are you using imagur?

 

[Jefe]

Ya apparently this site doesnt like imgur. Using PB now. Should be fixed @scottL @ZYBORG

Click on them to enlarge

 

[paintless302]

badass post OP. sick trip

 

[ZYBORG]

Photos are a go!

Legendary weekend indeed.

Great post meng.

 

[AustinSN]

Awesome!

 

[blk02edge]

Legendary for sure!

 

[SID297]

I love me a track day.

 

[tones_RS3]

What a trip!! Looks like it was a blast.
Thanks for posting. Good read.

 

[03cobra#694]

Bad ass thread, thanks.

 

[mustangvsix]

Absolutly freakin awesome!! What a blast!