RIP the VIR Oak Tree

[ned]

The Oak Tree has fallen.

I know there are a few trackies on the Salon. If you have ever driven VIR, you know the Oak Tree quite well. It stood watch over the slowest, most technical corner on the track. If I got that corner right, cars with double the horsepower needed the whole back straight to catch me. But more often than not, I'd botch it and end up with a Miata breathing down my neck. That corner will never be the same.

[Jaq]

Ohhhh. Old growth southern live oak. Oh, the tables and boats and doors and chests it could be. I'll bet there were guys all over that the moment word got out.

[JChasse]

Wow, that's a shame.

First time I drove VIR we were prepping for the first session in the instructors group (PCA), and I was paddocked next to an older couple with two newish GT3 Cup Cars. They told me VIR was their home track and they had been driving and racing there for decades. I was talking to the wife, and she offered to "show me the line" out first time out. Contrary to everything we were supposed to preach to our students, she tore out of the pit like a bat out of hell (no warming of brakes or tires...) with me in hot pursuit. When we got to Oak Tree, she had some sort of brain fart and drove straight off the track without slowing down. Unlike her, I manged to keep 2 tires on the pavement. I didn't follow her any more.

[Zimmermanbicycle]

I barfed in my helmet in a highspeed camera car while filming a commercial that featured a cadilac Le Mans entry.it happened just in front of the oak.......other than the above mentioned barf it was a terrific experience.
-Eric