Wednesday we had the pleasure of checking out Orlandos newest racetrack, the Central Florida Road Course. Matt and Reg Tarleton who are overseeing this project invited us out to check out their progress and let us take a few laps in our camouflage 996tt. This freshly developed course was constructed using a large paved plot just minutes from the airport and our new office location. Using bus stops in addition to the acres of paved area on the infield, they where able to create a 1 mile circuit track with various track configuration possible. The road course width is a 30’ minimum throughout and is fenced and walled with tire barriers in impact prone areas.

Overall I was very impressed with the track layout and the facility itself. The overall pavement sections where in good shape and the newly paved sections where very smooth as well. Safety barriers were still being constructed when we visited, however much of the problem areas should be well protected by concrete and tire barriers when the facility goes live in the coming weeks. There is plenty of parking outside the gates, and the interior portions of the track are well lit allowing for night driving sessions in the blazing hot summer months we get here in Florida.

Do to insurance regulations, the course is limited to licensed professional drivers, or drivers who complete the introductory driving course offered at the track. The first such class is January 11th, and we will be attending. Future membership programs and general open days are currently being scheduled, and there is talk of many clubs renting the track out for future events. Overall the track has great potential, it’s definitely not Sebring but this track was not intended to be a comparison to larger tracks. If you’re looking to test vehicle dynamics, keep your driving fresh, or want to learn road racing techniques without traveling, this facility offers a great location to do so. The fees may sound a bit expensive, however as clubs embrace this track and sponsors come on board, you can expect private rentals and open days to become much more frequent and affordable. When you factor in traveling time, hotel costs, etc for your average track weekend, the current price doesn’t seem so bad after all. Future expansion will allow for a longer track and addition facility upgrades, so support local business and check it out.

More information can be found at the tracks website http://cfroadcourse.com/

This weekend I had a curious passenger in my yellow Porsche. After having a nice brunch at Dexters in Winter Park with my Fiancé, sister and the bosses, we walked outside to the cars and I caught a glimpse of something on my wheel. After a closer I realized it was a nice 3-4 foot black snake hanging out around my nice Brembo Brakes and HRE P40 wheel. We tried to scare him off with a stick, but he kept moving around the wheel. I figured the best way to get him off would be a spirited drive, so we headed off to Lolicup for the 370z Tour stop and headed inside for some Bobba Tea.

After a while we came back out to the cars, to my surprise the snake was not only still hanging around the car, but he had managed to find his way to the front of the car now and was poking out the radiator grille of the GT2 nose. We tried for a bit to wrangle him out of the car unsuccessfully, so it was off for a spirited drive home, hopefully he would find his way off the car along the way. I got home to find the damn snake still poking his head out the front grill. In an effort to keep my fiancé and dogs from having a nice black snake in the garage or sneaking his way into the house I parked the car out front and tried to get him to come out of his hiding spots, again to no avail. Frustrated I went inside and watched some football for an hour and came back out to have round 2 with Mr. Snake. I caught a glimpse of his tail poking out the hood release area, used my remote to pop the hood as I used a prong style “nuts and bolt retrieval took” to snatch his tail and yank him out of the car and into the yard. The battle was over, the car made its way back into the garage, and my fiancé could now sleep easy with no worries of a snake in the house. For me it was just another fun Sunday adventure driving my Porsche.