The Georgia 1/2 Mile ShootOut 2012
This past weekend was the 1/2 mile shoot out put on by wannaGoFAST. While most of the Atlanta crew went out to Nopi Nationals, I got a chance to check the event out. The event was pretty unique, and quite entertaining to see high dollar cars get put to work.
PHOTOS BY: PERRI MINOT
The idea of the event is to provide a safe environment for high HP car owners to stretch out a little bit.
Most of us are familiar with the boredom of speed limits, so the guys at www.wannagofast.com have put together a program where the only limit is the finish line 1/2 mile down the runway.
Imagine staring down that stretch and knowing you won’t have to start slowing down until over 2500 feet later.
Some drivers chose to run against each other. This Mopar pair ran at least 5 times against each other.
When they line up, driver’s choose whether they want to race from a dig
Plenty of good launches were made. Especially from the AWD GT-Rs
But there was plenty of variety to who was quick off the line.
If drivers wanted a rolling start, they match each others speed up until the first set of cones…
Then it’s GO time.
This twin turbo Gallardo has had some work done at Underground Racing. Although he wasn’t set up to launch from a dig, he had no problems running down most cars on the track. The sound was intoxicating.
Walking up and down the lineup of cars showed the diversity of vehicles brought out to this event.
Most people wouldn’t expect to see a little Datsun lined up against a hot rodded Challenger for a 1/2 mile race.
Oh yeah, It moves.
Even this car, which the owner said was more like a collage of mitsubishi parts.
Team Vossen showed up with Buckhead Imports as well to bring out some of the luxury rides.
As I’m sure you expect by now, this little Mini packed quite the punch as well. The owner mentioned it being powered by a B series motor.
Dan from Zen Motors was there running his Time Attack IS300.
When I talked with Dan, we both agreed that if he were going to drag race this car, he needs some wider wheels.
Some of the Corvette’s were out there with wheels that were plenty wide.
They still slayed rubber once on throttle.
For those that love the Nissan GT-R, there were plenty around to enjoy.
Obviously these machines use tons of fuel to rocket down the runway. These twins clearly aren’t ashamed to admit it.
The owner of this 2JZ powered S14 is friend’s with Dan and literally ran neck and neck with his IS300.
There were even a few trucks doing runs out there.
the 69’ Camaro…
There’s almost always a soft spot for this car.
This one is sporting a clean factory look and still looks good flying down the track almost 45 years later.
While it might not have been the fastest car of the day, it definitely is considered one of the most historic.
The Ford GT has long since been one of my dream cars.
Naturally watching this thing make passes was like a dream come true.
It sometimes seems awkward to say dream car or super car and then see a plain jane Ford badge on the front of the car.
Underneath that pretty little shell, this beast is still a supercar at heart and can hang with all the big boys.
This Audi R8 appeared to be all stock.
Far from the truth as the day would unfold. This was one of the few cars that stood a good chance against the GT-R’s on the field.
The red viper was another tough contender.
This was one of the first lineups I saw that day and from that moment, I knew this was a day of some brutal all-out racing.
It’s typical at most events that some of the best gems are sitting out in the parking lot while their owners enjoy the show.
We saw this R32 Skyline when it was pulling in and I knew right away there needed to be at least one pic of it.
At the end of the day, this event is more about having a good time and cutting loose the machinery that otherwise stays dormant on public roads. More info on these events can be found at www.wannagofast.com
