Capital Driving Club Discussion Forum

Right down the street from my house there is a monumentally large open parking lot at the failed victory center. Well I should say TWO monumentally large open lots!

Has anyone reached out to them as a possible venue for autocrosses?

Here is the location on Eisenhower Ave. The building has been vacant for at least a few years.. they can't find anyone to rent it... which would lead me to believe they would be willing to rent it out for some CASH on the weekends. Just a note they have rented one of the lots before during repair of the apartment complex garages across the street!

https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!q= ... 973!4f13.1

INFO-
http://www.thevictorycenter.com/

-Scott

Oh ya, btw, lots have maybe 2 light poles?

I drive by this lot fairly regularly and think about how awesome and convenient it would be to have autocross there.

I contacted the management group a few years ago. They were ABSOLUTELy not interested. Several years earlier they allowed a car event at the other buildings (at the Hoffman Center) and one guy almost got electrocuted trying to hang a PA system on a pole. He said that the liability risk is too great no matter how much we are willing to pay.

Since it's been a few years, Ted said that he would try again with the management company, but I doubt they will have a change of mind.

Ive wondered about this lot myself. It would be pretty convenient for me.

yardy8301 wrote:Ive wondered about this lot myself. It would be pretty convenient for me.

If we could get that lot, we would have done that a long long time ago. I live only 5 minutes from there. I think about every club has at one point tried to get that lot. If anyone has an "in" there, let me know.

echan wrote:, but I doubt they will have a change of mind.

you'll never get anywhere with that attitude.

echan wrote:, but I doubt they will have a change of mind.

you'll never get anywhere with that attitude.

phranquelynn wrote:

echan wrote:, but I doubt they will have a change of mind.

you'll never get anywhere with that attitude.

you'll never get anywhere with your lack of computer skillz .... double post fail ...

ferris wrote:

phranquelynn wrote:

echan wrote:, but I doubt they will have a change of mind.

you'll never get anywhere with that attitude.

you'll never get anywhere with your lack of computer skillz .... double post fail ...

You can tell Frank's a parent now... he's talking about attitudes and effing up on the computer lol.

ericw wrote:

ferris wrote:

phranquelynn wrote:,

you'll never get anywhere with your lack of computer skillz .... double post fail ...

You can tell Frank's a parent now... he's talking about attitudes and effing up on the computer lol.

alright young man. am I going to have to spank you . . . r times at the next autox.


yes, triple quote intended. flame away. when you're old like me you don't care.

ferris wrote:

phranquelynn wrote:

echan wrote:, but I doubt they will have a change of mind.

you'll never get anywhere with that attitude.

you'll never get anywhere with your lack of computer skillz .... double post fail ...

Oh snap.

As long as the lot isn't in Fairfax County. I'd hate to see us all spend a night in jail for violating Virginia code 46.2-864 (Reckless driving on parking lots, etc.) For those who weren't at our very first event (which is pretty much everyone but Ed and I), a Fairfax cop pulled onto the lot *during a run* and shut us down. He didn't have much of a sense of humor, or any other sense really.

Denise's Corvette club (CCA) uses the lot at Lincoln Tech in Columbia, MD (coordinates: 39.175, -76.834). Measuring via Google Earth, it looks like it is 500 x 360 ft which is larger than Harry Grove (around 400 x 270). It's not the best lot - there are light poles and some bumps / potholes, but if it's smooth enough for Corvettes... Anyway it might be another option. CCA only schedules about 5 events per year there.

Speaking of which... There's an autocross there this Sunday 7/14 (if you are hungry for more after the CDC event). Denise will be there and I may go too. Will probably take the Miata.

http://www.corvetteclubofamerica.org/fl ... ul2013.pdf

JayPar wrote:Denise's Corvette club (CCA) uses the lot at Lincoln Tech in Columbia, MD (coordinates: 39.175, -76.834). Measuring via Google Earth, it looks like it is 500 x 360 ft which is larger than Harry Grove (around 400 x 270). It's not the best lot - there are light poles and some bumps / potholes, but if it's smooth enough for Corvettes... Anyway it might be another option. CCA only schedules about 5 events per year there.

Speaking of which... There's an autocross there this Sunday 7/14 (if you are hungry for more after the CDC event). Denise will be there and I may go too. Will probably take the Miata.

http://www.corvetteclubofamerica.org/fl ... ul2013.pdf

Full Disclosure: I've never been to Lincoln Tech and run with CCA

From what I've heard the lot is in kinda rough shape and really gravelly. Also, I've heard that the corvette guys have an "in" at the school which is the only reason they're allowed to use the lot. Let us know how the event goes though. Always curious how other clubs run things.

JoeTR6 wrote: Oh snap.

As long as the lot isn't in Fairfax County. I'd hate to see us all spend a night in jail for violating Virginia code 46.2-864 (Reckless driving on parking lots, etc.) For those who weren't at our very first event (which is pretty much everyone but Ed and I), a Fairfax cop pulled onto the lot *during a run* and shut us down. He didn't have much of a sense of humor, or any other sense really.

Dont know what the rules are in Alexandria City, but even if it is completely ok, I could imagine potential issues at this lot as well. Just thinking of the location and the high visibility of the lot, along with the police station not too far away. Plenty of oppurtunity for the one person having a bad day or misinterpreting the law. Not to mention the town homes and condos not too far away potentially complaining.

v10climber wrote: Full Disclosure: I've never been to Lincoln Tech and run with CCA

From what I've heard the lot is in kinda rough shape and really gravelly. Also, I've heard that the corvette guys have an "in" at the school which is the only reason they're allowed to use the lot. Let us know how the event goes though. Always curious how other clubs run things.

I've run with Corvette club a number of times now and I will say that the lot is pretty bad. The main reason I keep going back is because it's 5 minutes from my house.
I'd be there on Sunday but there's an AI event that day. Anyone that does go should bring plenty of patients, they aren't as smooth as CDC

v10climber wrote:Full Disclosure: I've never been to Lincoln Tech and run with CCA

From what I've heard the lot is in kinda rough shape and really gravelly. Also, I've heard that the corvette guys have an "in" at the school which is the only reason they're allowed to use the lot. Let us know how the event goes though. Always curious how other clubs run things.

I've run with CCA once so far, was a spectator at a couple, and attended a couple of new driver classes / test & tunes. Denise and I were introduced to autocross at their events.

Compared to CDC the CCA events are geared more towards the less experienced. They do a nice primer class / test and tune combo, and they do a pretty thorough tech inspection. Their timing equipment/software is not as good as CDC, and they can't just cancel out an aborted run - the stop beam has to be broken. They usually have a stop box where you have come to a full stop, and a course worker moves the end cone to let you out. (DNF if you hit anything in the stop box). Their course designs try hard to slow you down before the stop box.

I don't recall the lot being too gravelly but it does have a crease with some potholes, light poles, and a fence. Obstacles for sure but they can be designed around. We'll inquire about the use of the Lincoln Tech lot just out of curiosity...it's always good to have other options available even if we don't end up using it.

I also live 5 minutes from Lincoln Tech and have run with CCA 5 or 6 times now. They are no where near as organized as CDC, but are a bunch of nice guys and are passionate about racing(most of them do track stuff).

The lot is decent in size and I think CDC could do a cool course with it, but the pavement is rough. If it ever got repaved then it would be a decent option. I believe, and someone can correct me if I am wrong, that the school does not actually own the lot, someone else does.

I've done a couple of Corvette events at Lincoln and instructed at one of their schools. The lot is pretty bad. Very rough, worse than Bowie. It would be a pricey day for anyone running r-comps or an expensive street tire. Good amount of light poles, a fence that wraps around the edge of the lot, pointy metal pieces in the asphalt that would easily puncture a tire, and lots of broken glass and debris. The lot has potential but as it sits, I don't see it being worth it IMO which is partially why I stopped going there.

From what I was told, this Victory Center lot is apparently in very bad condition. Just what I heard, never been by it myself.

Bondfire wrote: I'd be there on Sunday but there's an AI event that day. Anyone that does go should bring plenty of patients, they aren't as smooth as CDC

To AI's defense, it was a double event and the cross over on the afternoon course is what really slowed things down. Aside from that, I think the event went smoothly. This Sunday's event is just a single. Considering we finished the morning course around 1pm last time, I would expect to be done somewhere around that time which isn't bad at all IMO. They'll probably offer fun runs later on.

AJ_RDR_Civic wrote:

Bondfire wrote: I'd be there on Sunday but there's an AI event that day. Anyone that does go should bring plenty of patients, they aren't as smooth as CDC

To AI's defense, it was a double event and the cross over on the afternoon course is what really slowed things down. Aside from that, I think the event went smoothly. This Sunday's event is just a single. Considering we finished the morning course around 1pm last time, I would expect to be done somewhere around that time which isn't bad at all IMO. They'll probably offer fun runs later on.

I think what Justin was saying is that CCA isn't as organized as CDC. AI has their act together pretty well. It helps that a lot of the people who organize for AI are heavily involved in SCCA as well. I'm not sure what happened last weekend. I know Caitlin and I left the lot at 7:30 but we stayed around to help pack up.