What tracks do you regularly run?, And, where would you consider going? Options

[trackbird]

I'm looking for a list of tracks that you could or do regularly run and a list of tracks that you might consider traveling to (stuff that is "just close enough" that you'd go run there). I'm not looking for track comments (unless it is horrible, the surface is trashed, etc), just a list of where our members go to race, drive, HPDE, etc.

Where do you guys go to play? Post your tracks.

[firehawkclone]

i have not done anything in my car yet,but i love driving the tow truck (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) around buttonwillow raceway park and willowsprings.
(notting like a 6 wheel drift (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) )

my helmat is in the mail right now (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup.gif) so maybe the race gods will allow me to run my first OT at BRP on the 9/10 in HPDE 1 :drive:

i should be flaging to (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[DanKeen]

Many, many parking lots... oh, wait, you mean real tracks? (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

WGI - only one I've been to, but it's absolutely incredible. Some of the elevation changes are amazing in person, and going flat through the esses is sooo much fun. But the drop to turn 1 got me almost every time. I guess I'm just a slow learner. And I need more power in 7. Oh, yeah, sorry - no comments.

[rmackintosh]

Favorite Track = Laguna Seca
Best Track for me = Sears Point
Track I Suck at = Thunderhill

Tracks I would like to go to:

Portland = Rose Cup
Buttonwillow = hate heat though...

(IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup.gif)

[roy]

Just in case some come to Europe , especially Germany.
Hockenheim Ring
Nordschleife
Nurburgring GP
Lausitz Ring
Schotten Ring

[KeithO]

I run tracks based on distance and based on where the points races are.

I have run:
Beaver Run (I can sleep in my own bed. Easy track that you can find weaknesses with your car and address them)
Nelsons Ledges (cheap and very fast)
Mid Ohio (Nice track, but I have never felt completely comfortable there)
Lime Rock (was OK, but not worth the trip)
Nashville Superspeedway Road Course (was OK, but not worth the trip)
Watkins Glen (Wow, it rocks. What can I say.)

I will be running Putnam Park in two weeks. Based on the in-car videos I've seen, it looks pretty straightforward with lost of run off room. I will probably like it though this will be a difficult trip since the first lap I will turn there will be in qualifying.

[Teutonic Speedra...]

Tracks I goto:

Watkins Glen, NY (Favorite, Awesome)
Summit Point, WV (Most familiar with, lots of runoffs)
Jefferson Point, WV (Small, Hard on brakes, tires)
Limerock, CT (Very Fun, Poor runoffs)
Pocono Long, PA (Fast, not too technical)

Tracks I'd like to goto:

Beaverun, PA
Mid-Ohio
Virginia International
Shenendoah, WV (Soon to be completed)

Dream tracks based on distance:

Laguna Seca
Road Atlanta
Nurburgring

I have videos from all the ones I've been to if any of you'd like an e-mail.

[trackbird]

Just as I suspected, we're quite spread out (and then theres Roy....). I was trying to find a track that showed up often on the list (common track?). The motive behind this was the thought of an FRRAX.com "track day" or something similar in the spring. We are getting enough members to consider renting a track for a day or an afternoon for a reasonable price (if enough people can make it). I thought it might be fun to do an HPDE type day or something similar (set up an autocross in the parking lot? or run it solo 1 style if anyone wanted to compete). If I can/could cross reference a track that many people would attend and that could be rented for a reasonable price (my mother in law works at Summmit Point, I may have a connection there), it could happen.

So, I was looking for something within towing distance for most of our members. A large portion of our members? Something like that. Granted, there are many people who didn't respond (470+ members, and 15 answers). I'm not sure it's possible, but I'm not sure that it isn't.

Keep the track info coming (I'll start a seperate thread with a poll of tracks in the future). Or, eventually (probably not the first year, if it happens at all) consider an "east coast/west coast" format, do 2 events. Since I doubt that Randy or Julie will tow to IRP in Indiana or Nelson Ledges, etc. But, maybe one in Arizona and Virginia (for example)? or something. It is still in the infant stages of being an interesting idea.

Right now I'm just thinking out loud. And it may not prove to be practical. As I said, a seperate thread on that (then a poll as a 3rd thread???).

So, how far would you go?

Part II

http://frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?act=ST&...&f=1&t=2437&hl=

[sgarnett]

Spa in Belgium. Definitely. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[LT4Firehawk]

Hallett would be a great track for an frrax track day. It's centrally located and the rates are reasonable. The fact that it's local for me has nothing to do with my suggestion of course. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Anyway, tracks that I've run:
Hallett (excellent track, very challenging but also very safe. Good for beginners or experts)
Memphis (ok, but somewhat basic)
Atlanta Motor Speedway (fun, mainly because of banking)

Tracks that I want to run:
Road Atlanta (yes, I lived there for three years but never made it to an event)
Laguna Seca
Watkins Glen

I'd definitely consider a trip to either coast for an frrax track day as long as I had enough notice to plan ahead for it.

[mitchntx]

I would think Hallet would be somewhat central to many of those in the mid portion of the US.

I recall asking a while back how far folks typically towed to an event. It seems that 4-500 miles is considered the outside of the envelope.

A 500 mile radius of Tulsa, OK would get most, if not all of Texas, Lousiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinios, Missouri and Kansas.

A stretch would be Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Alalbama

Hallet has recently been resurfaced and is a very technical track, worthy of most skill levels. However, it is remote. They have to pipe daylight into that place ....

[trackbird]

Tires...check
Torque wrench....check
Air bottle....check
Sunscreen.....check
gatoraid....check
bottled daylight.....check

Ready to race!

846 miles from Central Ohio. hmmm....

Expensive.... That price is for 5 cars....

http://www.hallettracing.com/trackrental.html

[trackbird]

IRP in Indiana? That's 850 from Dallas, 360 from Detroit? I'm still looking....

[KeithO]

Nelson's Ledges is very fast (favors V8 cars) and cheap...

[trackbird]

Here's a page of most of the courses in the country.

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/RoadCourses.php

[mitchntx]

Expensive.... That price is for 5 cars....

I was thinking about this, actually

http://www.hallettracing.com/hsts.html

[slowTA]

I've never been out on a 'real' track, but since I'm in Jersey I've thought about joining NASA at Poconno, Lime Rock, Watkins Glenn, and Nazareth. I might go south to Summit or VIR once I get comfortable at speed.

[LT4Firehawk]

Don't pay any attention to the pricing on the website for private days, it's not accurate. We could do a weekday track rental with corner workers at key corners and limited to 20 cars for $90/person. One of our local groups has done this several times over the last couple of years, and it's a real blast. We run four run groups with 5 cars in a group and get as much track time as you can stand in a day.

Another option is a weekend rental, which is a lot more expensive. Typical cost is around $3500-$4000/day, but there aren't really any limits on the number of participants. Also, that includes full corner worker staff, on-site ambulance, etc. Of course, for that price you really need a minimum of 30+ participants to make it econimically feasable.

Finally, there is the High Speed Touring option. If we let them know ahead of time that we are coming and have enough people show up, they might break us out into a seperate group. It really depends on how many other HST participants show up, but they usually try very hard to keep everybody happy. I've dealt with them several times and could work with them on setting up an event if we have enough people interested.

[GaryK]

Tracks I normally go/went to:

Summit Point
VIR
Carolina Motorsports Park

[Teutonic Speedra...]

Expensive.... That price is for 5 cars....

http://www.hallettracing.com/trackrental.html

Man, if I could get rent a track here in the Northeast with 4 of my other buddies for only $1,000, I'd be going all the time. I know for the BMW club around here, for 50-75 cars, they charge about $7,000. A day is a day though, right?