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Thread: What would your fantasy racetrack be like?

  1. #1
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    Like everyone else in the Northeast with a pulse and a racecar, I'm pretty excited at the thought of a new place to go race at. And that got me thinking along these lines.

    If you could build a racetrack, and terrain/money/space wasn't an issue, what elements would you incorporate?

    I don't have an entire fantasy track (yet!) but I do have some elements that I'd love to have.
    From VIR - the uphill esses....with a twist. Instead of being straight uphill, how about that style of backforthbackforth while going over some undulating hills? Capped off with a blind, top of the hill diving turn back down, pretty much like VIR has now, maybe even more intense. Done correctly that could be a blast!

    A good carousel, like the one at Road America. What a great feeling when the car gets twitchy and squirrely through there, and the sane part of your brain's saying, "OK, maybe this time you really should lift!" You don't, you survive once more, and you emerge grinning from ear to ear.

    A diving, twisting downhill, like the one at Laguna Seca (or whatever the heck they call it now!) One that drops out from under you like a cliffs' edge.

    An interesting section of technical turns, each one leading to a more complex one, until they finally blast you out onto a straightaway. Take Moroso's first series of turns, but make them increasingly complex.

    A section that looks like you should be lifting, or turning, but actually has a high speed line right through it (from Nelson Ledges back straight)

    And of course, I'd make the track some ungodly length, just to make it even more difficult to get right away. Like, oh, 5 or 6 miles.

    So, what would YOU do?


    Stephanie Funk
    <Couple of NARRC and NERRC bragging things here>
    HP Honda CRX in progress, ITB Honda Civic, ITA Honda CRX, ITC Honda CRX
    "Green Booger Racing"

  2. #2
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    I&#39;d make it RACE well.

    Some are great drivers track, but bad racing tracks.

    Lime Rock, for example has enough areas that can be driven slightly off line where it won&#39;t kill your time, which them become gtreat passing places, like the long trail braking entrance to big bend. And having a turn opposite that turn after it means that you can sometimes hang on the outside, but be inside for the following corner. That makes for great racing.

    Tricky turns with some options for getting it " right" in front of looong straights are key to.
    Jake Gulick


    CarriageHouse Motorsports
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  3. #3
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    The perfect track would have the elevation changes of Road Atlanta, the braking zones of Road America and the restaurants of Monaco.
    Gregg Baker, P.E.
    Isaac, LLC
    http://www.isaacdirect.com

  4. #4
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    The perfect track, to me, would be one that was open 24 hours, always had my car ready, and didn&#39;t charge me to run. There would be no neighbors within 1/2 mile and then, the only subdivsion within 2 miles would have all deaf people living in it. Heck, they&#39;d even pay me so that I didn&#39;t have to do anything else...

    Oh, I think you meant track layout...
    "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win.” - Bobby Knight

    Bill
    Planet 6 Racing

  5. #5
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    Your TRACK LAYOUT dreams Bill, not your daydreams!
    And I don&#39;t want to know about having the Hooters girls for your pit crew either....
    Stephanie Funk
    <Couple of NARRC and NERRC bragging things here>
    HP Honda CRX in progress, ITB Honda Civic, ITA Honda CRX, ITC Honda CRX
    "Green Booger Racing"

  6. #6
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    Exactly replicate Bridgehampton.

  7. #7
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    Exactly replicate Bridgehampton.
    [/b]
    and put it in northern NJ. YES! YES! YES! Bridgehampton was perfect just the way it was. If you don&#39;t fully appreciate that, then your soul is dead. I&#39;ve been to great tracks all over the US and the Bridge was the best. I still get emotional when I think about it.
    phil hunt

  8. #8
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    Spa.........

    ... but located somewhere in the Southeast.

    (Florida is out for lack of hillage, but I&#39;m okay with Georgia and the Carolinas)

    I honestly can&#39;t think of anything about Spa that I would change dramatically. Maybe a radius here, or a braking zone there, but on measure, it&#39;s my favorite track in the world. (Anyone up for an IT.com team effort for the next 24 hour race there?)





    Chris Wire
    Team Wire Racing ITS #35

    www.themotorsportshour.com
    "Road Racing on the Radio"
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    "Tolerance is the last virtue of a degenerating society" - Unknown


  9. #9
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    It would look a lot like VIR.

    K

  10. #10
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    Exactly replicate Bridgehampton.
    [/b]

    Peter,

    That&#39;s one of the few things that we have ever agreed on. The only thing Bridgehampton was missing, to make it a truly great track, was a proper set of esses, Never drive VIR, but I&#39;ve heard nothing but good things about it, and Kirk&#39;s probaby on to something.

    BTW, anybody that was able to go flat-footed down the hill at Bridgehampton, knows what it&#39;s all about! And Turn 9 (end of the back straight) was a hoot too!! Never had any data aq. but I was told that it was actuall faster than going down the hill. I still remember the first time I ever drove on that track in anger. Damn that was great!!!!

  11. #11
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    Exactly replicate Bridgehampton.
    [/b]
    Including the pot holes and crumbling pavement??
    Jeff L

    ITA Miata



    2010 NARRC Champion

    2007 NERRC Championship, 2nd place
    2008 NARRC Championship, 2nd place
    2009 NARRC Championship, 2nd place

  12. #12
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    No worse than I ever found at Thompson or Nelson Ledges or the original Bryar or Mosport, but the course layout remains in a league all its own and my all time favorite.

    Including the pot holes and crumbling pavement??
    [/b]

  13. #13
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    The perfect road course would have my &#39;zip code&#39; in the middle of it.
    Ray Lee Chee
    rleechee at comcast.net
    Oxford, Ct

  14. #14
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    The perfect road course would have my &#39;zip code&#39; in the middle of it.
    [/b]

    Ha! You think Lime Rock is expensive??? You live in one of the top 5 most affluent conties in the country...you think a racetrack in Fairfield County would be affordable in ANY way? LOL...

    (Lime Rock, two day rental, in season: $44,000 or so.
    Willow Springs two day rental, in season, $14, 000 or so)

    I think any track that I can get to in an hour and a half is a Godsend, and if it is raceable, wide where it has to be and has some terrain changes, with direction changes at the same spot that the terrain changes, (like Road Atlanta or Watkins Glen) then all the better.

    It would be cool as a excersise, to "replicate" some of the great corners of the word, such as they do on golf courses. Of course, it&#39;s even harder to do on a race track where the corners have to connect and make sense.

    In the end, if it utilizes the natural terrain, and is technical but raceable, I will love driving it.
    Jake Gulick


    CarriageHouse Motorsports
    for sale: 2003 Audi A4 Quattro, clean, serviced, dark green, auto, sunroof, tan leather with 75K miles.
    IT-7 #57 RX-7 race car
    Porsche 1973 911E street/fun car
    BMW 2003 M3 cab, sun car.
    GMC Sierra Tow Vehicle
    New England Region
    lateapex911(at)gmail(dot)com


  15. #15
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    The perfect road course would have my &#39;zip code&#39; in the middle of it.
    [/b]
    Just from them mowing it into the track, or do you want them to sculpt it out of marble? Heck, come to Road America and I&#39;ll make that happen for you!!! :P
    "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win.” - Bobby Knight

    Bill
    Planet 6 Racing

  16. #16
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    I have to say the track in Dubai (from the F1 race this past weekend) is a great layout. The haul there would suck...
    Anthony R.
    ITA #86 NER
    Honda CRX Si

  17. #17
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    +1 for Bridgehampton, but landscape and pave it like VIR.
    Hero To The Momentum Challenged

  18. #18
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    My ideal track - for racing purposes

    Length... 2 to 3 miles.

    One longish straight of maybe 1/3 to 1/2 mile depend on the corners preceding it. Top speed in my car of maybe 5600 RPM in 5th so maybe 125 mph or so.

    At least 1 2nd tight corner and at least 1 4th gear 85 to 90 mph corner of at least 45 degrees ( a 100 mph chicane does not cut it. ) The rest of the corners are 3rd gear maybe 65 to 75 mph entry speeds.

    Hmm maybe at most 1 or two "isolated corners" with at least one section with flowing corners. Put one of the 2-3 overtake zones after that flowing section to reward those you can get through there will a passing opprotunity.

    Oh yeah... elevation changes too.

    So I guess like this.

    S/F on longest straight. Ending in a slow corner braking/overtake zone #1. Follow that up with a series of 3rd gear isolated corners with elevation change leading into a moderate to short straight and an overtaking zone #2. Follow this with a flowing section (with direction change esses & chicanes, maybe 4-5 side to side loadings) with a a bit more elevation change and another smallish straight in to an ovetake zone #3. Then move into two moderate straights linked by a fast 4th gear corner. Brake zone in to overtake zone #4 leading to the longish S/F straight.

    Then put it with in 90 min tow from Home and make it open year round and give the option of running it backwards.

    Joe P.
    Porsche 944 Racer

  19. #19
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    Make a replica of Bryar Motorsports Park!!! Sometimes I miss those old days, and I wasn&#39;t even old enough to drive

    I think it would be cool to make it so you can run both directions... What tracks still can be set up to run both directions besides maybe Pocono???


    Raymond

    RST Performance Racing
    www.rstperformance.com

  20. #20
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    EMRA ran Bridgehampton backwards! What a hoot!!!

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