Gulf Livery
I spent this past weekend out at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson Texas running their 3.1 mile road course. It was my first time on this track and I had an absolute blast. MSR is a complicated and technical track, with several blind crests and more than a few off-camber corners. I found it to be a very different experience than Texas World Speedway. What was most fun, though, was that there were several corners that seem designed to exploit the 911s curious handling characteristics. Corner 8 in particular is a tight left uphill hairpin and the best line I found through the corner was to slow enough to grab second gear, then throw the back end out and just "Clarkson" all the way through with the back of the car chasing the front in a nice powered drift. It was criminally fun.

I took a bunch of in-car video, and I'll post a more detailed write-up of the weekend once I've had a chance to post some of the videos to youtube. Really this is just a small throwaway post to show off a picture I took on the way home.

It's a bit slower but the back way from Cresson to my home in Austin takes you through some breathtaking texas wilderness right at the edge of the hill country. I'd gotten all the speed out of my system at the track and decided to head back Sunday afternoon the scenic and twisty route. About halfway home, just outside of Hamilton, I spotted an abandoned Gulf gas station painted in the classic blue and orange. With my car still covered in bits of tire, brake dust, and track grime I knew I just had to take a picture. I felt a real sense of continuity and history -- these cars are built for the track and it's more than just a badge. There's a purpose and a function to this marque that can't be denied.. With the sunset over my shoulder I pulled the car over and took a quick pic:



Doing my best Steve McQueen and dreaming of a Gulf Blue GT3...