Empire State Region
Words & Images by: Mark Searle
The Empires State Region kicked off the 2018 Track Day events in the Hudson Valley Chapter on March 24, 2018 with driving at Watkins Glen, Lime Rock Park, Spa and Monza. We accomplished this feat at Concierge Motorsport in Poughkeepsie, NY where the members drove a Ferrari 488 GT3, Williams F-1 car, Lotus 49 and a spec-Miata on the two SimXperience Stage 5 Motion Simulators.
J.J., Kurt, and John of Concierge were gracious hosts providing coffee and pastries in the morning and then a fully catered lunch in the afternoon. Driving instruction and orientation to the simulators were provided by certified driving instructions Jon and Dan of Paddock Club. Each person present received personal coaching from Jon and Dan in the morning, learning how to get the most out of the 488 GT3 on the Watkins Glen circuit.
Following lunch and some experimentation with other cars at other tracks, we got down to some serious competition. Each driver got 10 laps in the 488 GT3 around Watkins Glen with the fastest lap recorded for the record. Prizes for first, second and third were matted and framed photos of racing Ferraris taken by Concierge Motorsport’s in-house photographer. When the dust settled, the tire smoke dissipated, and the wreckage hauled away, the winners were: First place – Christopher Palines, Second place – Mark Searle, and Third place – Klaus Chavanne.
ESR-Hudson Valley Chapter thanks Concierge Motorsport and the Paddock Club for a great day of “racing” and a phenomenal experience on their simulators.
