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The First Annual Motor State Challenge event put on by Pro-Touring.com and Motor State Distributing was an absolute blast and a new “Must Attend” event for the future. I will be recommending this become an Official WMCC event next year. Fellow WMCC members John Smith and Jim Smith made the trip south to participate as well.
The event started on Friday afternoon at Motor State Distributing/Lane Automotive’s facility in Watervliet, Michigan. There was severe weather throughout the entire lower portion of west Michigan on Friday and we ran into some hard rain storms on our way to the event. Upon arrival, there were several pro-touring type cars inside the garage area and it was apparent that there were some high dollar rides here and I recognized many of them from magazine articles.
By the time to start the sixty mile long cruise to a park on the Lake Michigan shore was ready to begin, the rain had stopped and the roads were beginning to dry up. During the cruise we came across evidence of the heavy storm with tree limbs and branches down in many locations along the route. It was still very hot and the humidity was brutal as we arrived at Silver Beach Park for the cook out. The cruise was fun, even if the cars did get pretty dirty and the food was very good, too.
Saturday morning was the beginning of the highlight of the weekend with a Track Day at Gingerman Raceway near South Haven, Michigan (www.gingermanraceway.com) . After Tech Inspection and some instructions and information at a drivers meeting, cars were let out on the track in small groups of 6-8 cars at a time, spaced out nicely so you didn’t have to worry about getting too close to another participant. We ran for 15 minute sessions which would give you 7-10 uninterrupted laps around the track. What a blast! I ran our 2002 Berger Chevy / Hot Rod Magazine Edition Camaro. That LS1 engine and 6 speed transmission is a joy to flog around a road course! Speeds were pretty high as I hit right around 100 mph a couple times each lap.
There was a nice mix of cars involved, but Camaros were definitely the most popular mark. There were right around 67-68 cars participating and I saw license plates from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York, Georgia and even Maine. I especially liked the Petty Blue fastback Mustang with the Chevy LS1 powerplant.
Sunday saw us at Lake Michigan Community College for an Autocross in one of their big parking lots. The event was run and organized by the South Bend Region of the SCCA (as was the track day at Gingerman). Again, the heat and humidity was brutal, especially out on the parking lot surface, but that did not detract from some very tight competition.
Besides Motor State Distributing, there was involvement from several other companies like Detroit Speed, Air Ride Technologies, Baer Brakes, Heidts Suspension and a few others. The event was very well organized and the participants cars were awesome. I can see this event doubling in size next year. Check out these photos:
The event started on Friday afternoon at Motor State Distributing/Lane Automotive’s facility in Watervliet, Michigan. There was severe weather throughout the entire lower portion of west Michigan on Friday and we ran into some hard rain storms on our way to the event. Upon arrival, there were several pro-touring type cars inside the garage area and it was apparent that there were some high dollar rides here and I recognized many of them from magazine articles.
By the time to start the sixty mile long cruise to a park on the Lake Michigan shore was ready to begin, the rain had stopped and the roads were beginning to dry up. During the cruise we came across evidence of the heavy storm with tree limbs and branches down in many locations along the route. It was still very hot and the humidity was brutal as we arrived at Silver Beach Park for the cook out. The cruise was fun, even if the cars did get pretty dirty and the food was very good, too.
Saturday morning was the beginning of the highlight of the weekend with a Track Day at Gingerman Raceway near South Haven, Michigan (www.gingermanraceway.com) . After Tech Inspection and some instructions and information at a drivers meeting, cars were let out on the track in small groups of 6-8 cars at a time, spaced out nicely so you didn’t have to worry about getting too close to another participant. We ran for 15 minute sessions which would give you 7-10 uninterrupted laps around the track. What a blast! I ran our 2002 Berger Chevy / Hot Rod Magazine Edition Camaro. That LS1 engine and 6 speed transmission is a joy to flog around a road course! Speeds were pretty high as I hit right around 100 mph a couple times each lap.
There was a nice mix of cars involved, but Camaros were definitely the most popular mark. There were right around 67-68 cars participating and I saw license plates from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York, Georgia and even Maine. I especially liked the Petty Blue fastback Mustang with the Chevy LS1 powerplant.
Sunday saw us at Lake Michigan Community College for an Autocross in one of their big parking lots. The event was run and organized by the South Bend Region of the SCCA (as was the track day at Gingerman). Again, the heat and humidity was brutal, especially out on the parking lot surface, but that did not detract from some very tight competition.
Besides Motor State Distributing, there was involvement from several other companies like Detroit Speed, Air Ride Technologies, Baer Brakes, Heidts Suspension and a few others. The event was very well organized and the participants cars were awesome. I can see this event doubling in size next year. Check out these photos:
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We can't let those Rustangs out show the other half of the F-body nation. 
357ci LT1, cammed, stalled, and driven. 
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