'First time' a thriller
at Pagoda
By
Jeffrey Fazio
Special Sections Writer
I
lost my virginity at the Pagoda.
I
lost it there a mere three weeks ago. Interestingly, I shared the
experience with some of my closest friends and family. There were even
spectators for this historic event.
Three
weekends ago, I entered my very first Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
Solo 1 Hill Climb event at the Pagoda. SCCA Solo events are basically
time trials. One driver at a time goes through a designated course to
see who can traverse the distance in the least amount of time. The
fastest time wins.
Sounds
easy right? Try it. That's what I did for the first time a few weeks
ago.
It is quite apropos that my first time entering a Solo 1 competition
was at the Pagoda event. I grew up here. I've hiked up to the Pagoda
from the trail behind the Hillside Playground. Once I even road a bike
up there. When I was senior at Reading High School, I often took a
ride up to the Pagoda over lunch. I've driven up to the Pagoda
countless times in my life.
Three
weeks ago, I accelerated beyond 110 mph on the way up to the Pagoda.
It's
hard to put that into context unless you've done it. And I do
encourage you to try it, but only if you and your car are prepared for
it. To enter the Pagoda Hill Climb, you are going to need a two-layer
fireproof racing suit (including gloves and shoes), helmet, fire
extinguisher, five-point harness and a roll bar.
I
found having a bit of courage also helpful.
Also
helpful was having other driving skills events under my belt.
Since
1996 I have been entering SCCA Solo 2 events. This is the same
concept, but on much smaller courses with significantly tighter turns
that drastically limit the speed of the vehicles.
The
only thing limiting your speed during the Pagoda Hill Climb is your
cojones. Actually there are also a couple thousand trees and rocks up
there that wouldn't flinch at a chance to limit your speed.
Getting
back to describing what 110 mph feels like on Duryea Drive, imagine
the speed of a roller coaster when it's at that point where you can
only clearly see forward. It's at that moment when the rest of the
world around you becomes really blurry, but you are still highly aware
of the plethora of hard objects surrounding you. 110 mph on Duryea
Drive is a lot like that, except for the part about you being in
control and the fact that you are accelerating uphill instead of
downhill.
They
say you risk becoming addicted to cocaine even if you only try it
once. I would say the same is true for the hill climb. It was an
exhilarating experience and I am hooked. I can't wait to do it again
and lucky for me the next event is not far off.
Five
weeks from now, I am going to do it again. The next Solo 1 event in
Reading takes place the weekend of Aug. 21 and 22 and is called the
Duryea Hill Climb. The course for this event starts just above City
Park and ends all the way up at the Fire Tower, offering even more
turns to tempt g-forces and more straightaways to fully extend my
right foot.
As
my good friend and fellow competitor Fabio Vlacci always says,
"I'll see you on the apex!"
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