End of Nelson Ledges as we know it?

[RedMisted]

Anybody hear the rumors about NLRC? The place has been sold, apparently to one of these groups that is engaged in the business of building new road courses or reconstructing existing ones that aim to service an "elite" clientele. Think of the country club set-up now in place at Lime Rock and you get the idea.
Not trying to cause any alarms here, but the track is supposed to be shut down early this year for a total re-do, possibly to include circuit configuration changes. It won't open again until after May 2009.
Again, everything at this point is speculative. I've talked to folks who should be in the know on Nelson's future and they each have described different scenarios.
My opinion on country club road courses? Use the idea for the pro circuits. Keep it the hell away from the club facilities that cater to the grassroots guys who don't have $5K-$10K to spend on an annual membership.

[dj10]

Anybody hear the rumors about NLRC? The place has been sold, apparently to one of these groups that is engaged in the business of building new road courses or reconstructing existing ones that aim to service an "elite" clientele. Think of the country club set-up now in place at Lime Rock and you get the idea.
Not trying to cause any alarms here, but the track is supposed to be shut down early this year for a total re-do, possibly to include circuit configuration changes. It won't open again until after May 2009.
Again, everything at this point is speculative. I've talked to folks who should be in the know on Nelson's future and they each have described different scenarios.
My opinion on country club road courses? Use the idea for the pro circuits. Keep it the hell away from the club facilities that cater to the grassroots guys who don't have $5K-$10K to spend on an annual membership.

I'm racing there this weekend and on the 7/11 weekend. I haven't heard anything but I'll be talking to some people that should know.

[AjG]

No, please no. Not Nelson...

[R2 Racing]

Good. Having gone to VIR for the first time this year, I'll gladly pay an extra $50 in entry fee to not race at a shit hole.

[dj10]

Good. Having gone to VIR for the first time this year, I'll gladly pay an extra $50 in entry fee to not race at a shit hole.

LOL, Kevin did you have a bad experience there? It's not a Mid Ohio or VIR but a shit hole doesn't do it justice either. There is certaintly a lot of history there and I'd be happy to see someone with money bring it up to modern day standards. It would be a great track.

[joeg]

It's a great track...period.

Fastest 2 mile road course around. Anyone who thinks it's a "sh*thole" probably hasn't been there in a while.

[trhoppe]

LOL, Kevin did you have a bad experience there? It's not a Mid Ohio or VIR but a shit hole doesn't do it justice either. There is certaintly a lot of history there and I'd be happy to see someone with money bring it up to modern day standards. It would be a great track.

I dunno. I was there last year for the 24h. Since the bathrooms broke, if you needed to poop, you needed to go to a "shithole".

While there was "history" I'd be surprised to hear that anyone wouldn't want the place torn up and rebuilt to be better then when it was new.

I wonder if anyone said the same thing when VIR originally went under the knife. Look where it is today.

As long as the management realizes and still caters to the club racer, like VIR does, the place will rock out in the future.

-Tom

[Racers10]

I am with Joe, Nelson has done a great job of upgrading the past 5 years. Scott and Carrie have done a great job of making racers welcome and improving the track.

Everyone has one* an opinion* but they should not be whiners if they have not been to a track in years

My .02 flame away
Maurice LaFond

[Knestis]

From my 24-hour experience last summer, there's two areas that need attention - both of which cost money.

The facilities - restrooms being the obvious first issue - need to come up to the level expected of modern racers who aren't used to at-track deprivations in sanitation. Showers would be a great addition to the already expansive room for camping.

Track safety - there's little question that a comprehensive run-off clearing, leveling, (maybe paving?) and tire wall construction effort would be a good thing. I put on my rally/hillclimb brain when I was in the car, figuring that any off was going to be a write-OFF. I pussed out in the rain and asked for wets rather than slicks, when the condition didn't really warrant it. And anyone who knows me will tell you that I LOVE to drive in the rain...

...as long as the consequences for an error don't include me upside down on the other side of a collapsed tire wall.

I don't think that the layout needs "fixing." It IS a unique track and I grew to love pretty much every corner - even that crappy, rough, challenging, slow right onto the straight. T1/T2 are among the best I've ever driven. It just needs to have the boundaries pushed back 30-50 yards and the verges de-rutted. JUST new tire walls would be a huge improvement.

But we have to decide which way we want it. There was a real sense of going back in time - like to Seattle Int'l Raceway in the late '70s - walking around behind the collapsed wire fences and knee-high weeds. I just think we could have the best of both worlds if someone does a "sympathetic restoration" of the facility.

K

[R2 Racing]

What Kirk said. I know that the people local to that track love it for all of it's little "quirks" and "nuances", but I just see them as major short comings. No, I haven't been to the track since June of 2001 when it chewed my car up and spit it out in a little ball. Since then there's lots of "Hey, we've made improvements!" made by people, but as I talk to others who were just making their first trip to it and aren't beholden to it, it still has a long way to go. I should say that I absoultely love the layout of Nelson. Love it! Upgrade everything, but leave the layout alone.

[tdw6974]

Yea and when you pull up to the gate they are happy to see you!

[lateapex911]

Yea and when you pull up to the gate they are happy to see you!

Just like Pocono! NOT!

[TAC]

The word I got today is it is the owner(s) of Blackhawk farms.

[MMiskoe]

I will be curious to see how well it does if it turns into a country club. Limerock is trying, but there does not seem to be a waiting line to get in and they have Boston to NYC to draw from. Not a knock on Ohio, but there is not the same population density out there.

As far as what to upgrade, I must be a real hick. Bathrooms are pretty far down on my list of 'needs' when going racing. I tend to think of track surface, layout, run off, paddock amenities long before I worry about how clean the crapper is. Sure at the 24 hour last year (the only time I've been to Nelson) the bathrooms were trouble. But they could have just lined up a dozen Jonny-on-the-spots and told people the flush toilets are off limits. But then again I grew up in a house w/ a dug well that went dry every August and we used the privy for two weeks. Besides, until Nascar bought Watkins Glenn, they didn't have flush toilets there either & no one complained.

Nelson reminded me of Bridgehapton or Mosport before Panoz bought it. Wickedly fast, as un-forgiving as could be and a little primitive both on & off the track. But man are they fun to drive. Bring your bravery pills.

[Catch22]

I've just moved north from Georgia, so I've never been to Nelson.
And unless something changes I'm not going to. I've just seen too many videos and pictures of cars flipping over tire walls. And EVERYBODY tells me the surface is terrible.

There is just no reason for that. I'm all for fast tracks that require balls, but c'mon... Really.
Fix the tire walls. Repave it. Don't change the layout.
Do that and I'm there. Smiling.

So I'm all for it. I doubt it will become a "country club" with member exclusivity. That sort of thing isn't working out too well (the builders in Sparta Kentucky have already ditched that idea) because there just aren't enough rich dudes out there to support it.
More than likely it will be like VIR. Members will get exclusive use on certain days but track income will be supplemented by club racing and marque club weekends.

[xr4racer]

No the owner is not the same as BHF unless it was bought by The Stableone group. Bruce Stover and Andrew Hendricks are the 2 names so far.

[AjG]

If you want a country club you might want to consider golf.

[tdw6974]

How is/was turnout for this race? Fingerlakes region is looking at it since it has been a money losing race for a number of years. Seems like it had been traditionally on father's day weekend. We skiiped this year because of going to Pocono next weekend(2 hrs) vrs (5hrs) haul. Plus back to back weekends. I knew track has been for sale for sometime. Scot and Carrie have done much to improve the track but at what point do you continue to spend money on something you don't own? Time will tell. TW

[mkahley]

there was over 100 cars there on sat and i think more were supposed to be there on sun and for the enduro

[KelleyHux]

I haven't been to Nelson Ledges in years due to relocating to the true midwest of the country (Kansas). Now that the 24hour event is back on the schedule, I keep hoping to get there again.

I know many have complained for lots of years about the primitive nature of the facilities, but the track layout is one of the best in the country. I'm truly sad to hear that the track has been sold. I only hope the new owners can capture the same energy and love of the place that Scott & Karrie Lane, John & Martha McGill, Dennis Gulyas, and many others have had over the years.

As a second generation racer, I spent many summers at Nelson. There were many seasons we spent 14, 15, 16 weekends a year there. I made many, many friends, and I have very good memories of the place. Yes it wasn't perfect, but few places were in the late 70's and early to mid-80's. We were just glad to have a place to go racing! And, it was a good place to grow up as a kid. I learned alot of life lessons there.

YMMV,
Kelley Huxtable
Mahoning Valley Region member 1974-1989
Des Moines Valley Region 1989 - present