split-rock-resort

IMPA Test Days at Split Rock resort rocked by explosion

October 1, 2010 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

Split Rock's indoor water park while under construction in 2008

This week is the International Motor Press Association’s Test Days in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. The first day centers around the old ski hill at the Split Rock Resort, while day 2 takes place at Pocono Raceway. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend this year, this being the first one I’ve missed since joining IMPA 4 years ago. On second thought, maybe I picked a good year to miss.

At 7:30 this morning, a gas leak in the Split Rock Resort sports complex caused an explosion that leveled the sports complex. The building is separate from the main lodge, being joined by a tunnel. It ~~contains~~ contained tennis courts, bowling alleys, an arcade and a mini golf course. Due to the early hour, there were no guests in the building. One employee who was on site sustained minor injuries.

In past years, my kids have spent part of their day in that building while I was out testing cars.

While Test Days wrapped up yesterday afternoon, many IMPA members stay at Split Rock on the final evening before making the trek home. Our man Tom Williams and friend of The Garage, Crash Corrigan are at Test Days. We are waiting to hear a report from them and will keep you up to date as soon as we get word from them.

Once they get home, we may actually have some stories about cars!

Source

IMPA wrap up

November 30, 2008 by Gary Grant 5 Comments

Over the past few months, we’ve been happy to bring you our first series of videos from the 2008 IMPA Test Days. On the track, through the mud and even on the streets of the Pocono Mountains we had some fun exploring the limits of cars, trucks and sanity.

This series was put together by our resident Video Ninja, Scott Simmons who stepped outside of his usual role as film editor and into the role of shotgun shooter. As you’ve all had fun watching my skill at decapitating cones, you already know that Scott has nerves of steel joining me at 140 mph!

For our final episode, crank up the speakers, as this one is an auditory delight. Be sure to watch right to the end to see why my kids need therapy.

IMPA 08 wrap-up from Scott Simmons on Vimeo.

If you think you might have missed a video, links to the full series are after the break.

[Read more…]

2008 Nissan Xterra: Wheel lifting fun in The Poconos

November 29, 2008 by Gary Grant 4 Comments

In 2007 we were a tiny bit disappointed that Nissan chose not to bring an Xterra to the IMPA Test Days. We were delighted that the X made an appearance at the 2008 event and even more delighted to catch it on video for our views.

Check out the sloppy, wet, wheel lifting action after the break. Be sure to use the full screen, as this is shot in full HD!
[Read more…]

2009 Hummer H3T: Hard core off roader with newfound utility

October 29, 2008 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

Regular readers may recall that we loved the look of the H3 last year. While we were impressed with it’s interior and off road capability, the lack of usable space made it less than inviting for a busy family life. The folks at Hummer knew that was somewhat of a limitation, so they did what came naturally; They added a bunch of utility and kept the rugged good looks.

The 2009 Hummer H3T began rolling off the production line on the Friday before this year’s IMPA Test Days and we had the chance to get the new pickup dirty on the Wednesday. Talk about trial by ~~fire~~ mud.

See how the H3T handles the muck after the break
[Read more…]

IMPA Test Days: On the hill and muscling the twisties

September 13, 2008 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

The 2008 edition of the International Motor Press Association’s Test Days has come to a close and we couldn’t be happier with the event. Last year, we made a point of bringing our readers as many vehicle tests as possible, so we took a slightly different approach this year. Rather than testing everything under the sun and reporting on them, we spent more quality time with selected vehicles to provide our readers with some killer content. In fact, we brought along video stud Scott Simmons who shot miles of HD footage so we can bring you our own style of video reviews.

Day 1 was split between climbing the hill at the Split Rock Resort and taking advantage of the twisty roads around the resort. Mother Nature dropped a healthy dose of rain the previous day, which ensured lots of muddy fun for the off roading session, meaning we got a few trucks really dirty. The Pocono Mountains have some truly spectacular scenery, although it can be tough to notice when one is carving up the pavement in a BMW M3 convertible!

Check out the gallery after the break
[Read more…]

IMPA Test Days: An overview

September 8, 2007 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

So where to begin? For me, one of the newfound joys of being an official member of the motoring press is being included in annual test days. At it’s core, the concept is that it give writers an opportunity to compare many vehicles back to back under controlled conditions. In reality though, my first visit to the International Motor Press Association’s annual Test Days was much more. Yes, the cars and trucks were the stars, but the chance to network with fellow motoring scribes was priceless.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts: