Well my review...
First they are strict with the $10 entry after registration hours. I am personally not a huge fan of that, you would figure they are making enough on the region already at a $375 entry. How much more are they really making to stick it to those that show up late? Then after paying $10 you need to wait at a stupid red light before you cross the bridge... I love and hate that bridge!
Now onto those lego wall things... at a rumored $350 cost per damaged one to the region you have to question how long until something changes. I blew a tire in turn 7 (kept driving) and went off in turn 10. When I went off I brushed the wall on drivers left (it comes up real fast!). Minor damage to the rear quarter panel/tail light of the Audi but nothing to bad. If it was a concrete wall, guardrail, or tire wall it may not have been just a brush with the wall. When walking the track later I noticed a puncture in the section I skimmed (along with my red paint!). I hope that we did not have to pay for it. I also saw at least one car escape significant damage running straight into them. Not only did it save the car so it could back off the barrier and continue but it also avoid a FCY to pick up scattered tires or a damaged car in an impact zone. So with that said, I am not sure how I feel about them. That barrier certainly SAVED that driver way more than $350, although he may have damaged more than one
Next lets talk about the most important part, safety! This ties into the above. Those Lego things ARE car/life savers, unless you could ride over them (rumor was at another event someone did ride up on top of some?) With or without the lego's this is IMO one of the safest tracks I have raced at. Sure the pit lane needs an entry, and I don't like the concrete wall on drivers left coming onto the oval or that half wall on drivers right coming on the oval but that turn (6?) is more stable than it seems when you are actually driving - even with the transition Jeff is complaining about. On line I actually didn't really notice much of a transition in the Audi. I would guess that other than car failure the biggest/most common place you can get in trouble due to driver error would be turn 10. But the slower unique configuration of this track really makes it safe IMO.
Now lets talk about turn 1 on the first lap... Sure there can be carnage but with the slow speed of a start it really isn't any more dangerous than any other turn 1. In fact I think it is FAR more safe than turn 3 at NHMS or big bend at Lime Rock. Plenty of room everywhere to drop off and continue. It is an early turn in, so just realize if you are on drivers left entering the turn you WILL have someone on the inside of you pushing you out toward the curb on the exit. Hold on through turn 2 and get them back in turn 3!
So what about the rest of the track when you are racing??? Other than in turn 1 I don't think it is as easy to pass as other tracks but there are plenty of places to pass cars IMO. Get yourself up beside someone and you can run side by side until someone gets a lead. Basically it will take you two or three turns to make the pass stick. This is better than A LOT of other tracks. Those complaining really need to think about it... most tracks have only 1 or 2 good passing zones (Even great tracks like Lime Rock, and about Mid Ohio) In good wheel to wheel racing the best passes are the ones that take a few turns to complete! And the track is plenty big enough for side by side racing.
Now about that Autocross... I am not a fan of that comparison. This is not an autocross. If it were we wouldn't be in third gear through most of the track (just like NHMS), we would be in 2nd. Yes, the track is busy, but it has a ton of great turns. Does it have to many? I can see the argument but for now I like it. My least favorite turn is 7/8. Could be that I never figured it out... but I really didn't like that turn. I wish we used the oval but those walls look like they could hurt!
The big thing I do like about the track... it is unique! In the Northeast our tracks are all small and tight, unlike other places in the country. IMO you can only do so much with ~1.5 miles and this is nothing like Lime Rock or NHMS. Cars generally don't dominate both of those tracks, and once again they may not dominate here. Three very similar length tracks that are completely different. With the space they had I really think they did a great job bringing this track back to life. The other great part, it is close easy ride to home for a ton of people.
I hope more people come out and race it, I don't think they will be disappointed... and if they are they didn't want to drive someplace new.
Raymond
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Originally Posted by RSTPerformance
and discovered that they worked as designed. I sustained body work damage but the suspension and alignment were not affected. The advantage over the tire wall is that the Legos absorbed the momentum and didn't rebound the car across the track. Had this been Armco, the car would have been totaled.
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