"who in the hell wants to race in this!?"

The outside temperature was well into the low thirty’s all morning, with rain clouds chasing us as we drove South out of Seattle. Just as we entered into the parking lot, hopes high for the weather to clear, a hailstorm begun. Beyond the fence, Formula Fords and assorted small bore vintage race cars idled slowly down pit lane and into the stagging area. We waited it out, sitting in the car for a while. We had come out to Pacific Raceways for the SOVREN kickoff. Appropriately named the “SOVREN Defrost,” though it appeared it was going to freeze over, not defrost this weekend. A break in the weather allowed us to pile out of the car and wander the pits. There were over 50 cars on the schedule, organized into four race groups. Groups that included vintage rides such as a mid-sixties Ford GT, a number of Formula class vehicles and an assortment of Alfa Romeo's, BMW's and Porsche's. The first race saw the green flag with snow falling on the track. The visibility was dismal and the track conditions could not have been any better. We made our way through the pits and had occupied a small space at the exit of turn 8. From this vantage, you watch as vehicles leaving the turn, a wide sweeping “indy style” turn, grab full throttle and head back onto the main straight. You have a decent shot of the action, watching as cars clip the apex of turn 9 right at your feet, open wheel cars a mere inch or two away from the wall, the slightest mistake and, well you know. Four races passed, each group seeing an equally wet and dangerous track. The big bore cars, Corvettes, GT-350 Mustangs and the above mentioned Ford GT, couldn’t really push it. With a wet track and waves of rain and hail showers moving in and out, traction was a bit of a problem. Yet this didn’t seem to slow all the classes down. The Formula Fords, with greater downforce and maybe drivers with a bigger set of, well you know, were near full throttle as they reached the end of the main straight. Two races were scheduled for each group, with the field diminishing in size as the second race groups headed to pit lane. The day ended much as it had begun, dark gray skies looming over head, near freezing temperatures and a wet rack. Cold Track Days seemed right at home. Check out our photo gallery for pictures from the event.