Has anyone ever been road racing on Road America before?? I live close to it and was wondering if they ever have open track days for weekend racers like me? If so, are there rules and regulations?? How much does it cost?? Can you rent out the track??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civichbcx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Has anyone ever been road racing on Road America before?? I live close to it and was wondering if they ever have open track days for weekend racers like me? If so, are there rules and regulations?? How much does it cost?? Can you rent out the track??</TD></TR></TABLE>

I spent a day in the Formula Dodge / Skip Barber cars. What a fantastic track--easily my favorite so far. And the facilities and grounds are top notch as well.

I'm sure they have track days. I'd call the track and ask them for a schedule and then get ahold of the clubs that are having events.

And stop and get some Johnsonville brats while you're there.

-k

 

I have not been to Road America and consider it a gaping hole in my racing resume. It is probably the last "classic" road course that I have not been to that is within a the stretched boundaries of a acceptable tow from home (about 10 hours I hear). I am sure there are bound to be a number of organizations that do schools, lapping days, etc. I still consider it one of the few remaining "must do" tracks that I haven't yet done.

 

I had the pleasure of racing at Road America in 2000 with USTCC, The absolute Best race track in the country!! I still have a few to go to yet ... but I can't wait to some day go back to Road America.

Kiwi

(Just one of the 'Old Birds'- But still flyin')

 

Wow....a lot of positive feed back on Road America. That's what I expected though. I have to agree with you CRX Lee! For you guys to have been on Road America, it sounds like fun and challenging at the same time. I hear that it's a 4 mile course...is that true. I got the layout of the course off from their website....it looks huge. Thanks for the info guys.

Anyone else have Road America experience/information???

 

I have driven on Road America, maybe 25 weekends in the past 20 years.

To answer your question, they don't have "open track days", and I strongly recommend that you NOT participate in that type of event until you have gained a lot of track experience in events structured as driving schools, with instructors. Without sufficient instruction, you will learn bad habits that will be more difficult to break in the future. Start your track experience the proper way, with a driver education track event. For example, Windy City Chapter BMW CCA has a drivers school at Road America every spring, usually at the end of April or the beginning of May. During the track sessions, an instructor will ride in your passenger seat and tell you what to do and what not to do. There are also classroom sessions where you can ask questions about technical issues as well as the track itself. Highly recommended. Participate in a bunch of those track events until you build up enough experience that you don't need instruction (20-30 events minimum).

As far as renting out the track, it costs something like $8-10K per day, and they only rent to established groups, not to individuals. Before you ever consider renting out a track, I again recommend that you build some experience at track events and how to run them. You obviously are a beginner who has never participated in an organized track event, and you don't know how they are structured. That's okay - we ALL started out as beginners! Get some experience as a driver in events which emphasize driver education, and go from there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KIWI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The absolute Best race track in the country!!</TD></TR></TABLE>

That depends on how you evaluate a race track. I've driven on 24 race tracks, and Road America is not at all a favorite for me. It is the only track I've driven on that has NO sequences of turns, where one turn leads into another; there is a straight between every pair of turns at Road America (except for the optional chicane they installed at the kink a couple of years ago). There is also very little in the way of banking or blind turns that make things interesting. I also do not consider it an optimal track for beginners, for several reasons: one, as with most big spectator venues, there isn't a lot of runoff, and if you go off the track, you will probably hit something hard and damage your car, and two, because it's so long, it is difficult to learn because when you make a mental note about how to take a turn, it takes a while before you actually see that turn again, and by then you've forgotten about it.

I'm not saying it's not fun at all, just that it's not as much fun to drive as many other tracks I've driven, IMHO. It has other qualities that make it a desirable place to go. The facility is beautiful ("the track in the woods"). The food is the best of any track food (not just the brat sandwiches, but everything from the steak sandwiches to the pie to everything else) and not overpriced. Hotels in all price ranges are available in Elkhart Lake, Plymouth, and Sheboygan. There are very good restaurants in the area. Some people like driving that track because they want to go really fast in a straight line, and if that's your thing, it's a good track for that (there are three VERY long straights where you can get a lot of speed). And it's very close to home for those who live in Milwaukee and Chicago.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KIWI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The absolute Best race track in the country!! </TD></TR></TABLE>

VIR?
Summit Point?
Raoad Atlanta?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Educator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

VIR?
Summit Point?
Raoad Atlanta?</TD></TR></TABLE>


I've heard they are all good? Haven't raced there yet. But plan to do all in 2006


Kiwi

Just one of the 'Old Birds' (Still flyin' tho.)

 

Road America is by far by my favorite track to drive of the few I have been on. The straights get a little long with an underpowered car like I drive, but there is nothing like the thrill of climbing the hill up to turn 6, flying around the through the kink, and the heavy braking into 5 and 12. As stated before, this track is more dangerous than most due to the walls being so close to the track and the fact that it is a spectator track.

For an excellent group to do an HPDE with check out the Chicago Alfa Romeo club at http://www.caroc.com.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Educator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">VIR?
Summit Point?
Raoad Atlanta?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have not driven VIR (next month!) or Summit Point. Of the 24 tracks I've driven, Mid-Ohio is my favorite. Road Atlanta is second.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by racinjason &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For an excellent group to do an HPDE with check out the Chicago Alfa Romeo club at http://www.caroc.com. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I have heard that the Alfa club holds its events as time trials rather than as a conventional HPDE event such as those held by BMW CCA (correct me if I'm wrong). There are two disadvantages in doing so. First, you only get a lap or two at a time, so you get a whole lot less track time. (By comparison, with BMW CCA events, you get 3-4 sessions of 25-30 minutes each, for a total of 80-100 minutes of actual track time per day.) Second, if you have an incident, you are less likely to get covered by your insurance company, particularly if their policy excludes coverage for "competition and timed events", which time trials are and drivers schools aren't.

Incidentally, in addition to the event held by the Windy City Chapter BMW CCA each spring, there is also an event held by the Badger (Wisconsin) Chapter BMW CCA each October.

 

You are corect on the Alfa club timing the laps, but they only do that on Sunday afternoon of the 2 day event. The rest of the weekend is open lapping sessions. The combination of lapping, touring, and timed runs results in a lot of track time, so much so that a lot of the "high dollar" people start to leave early on Sunday.

I am basing my recommendation of the Alfa club based on the way the event is run and the people that organize the event. They are very laid back, and the weekend is based on fun, how it should be. You are probably right on the insurance aspect of being a timed event, but I run my car knowing that there is a chance that it could be written off. I dont recommend this to everyone, but there are instructors available to anyone who wants to ride with one.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by racinjason &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">there are instructors available to anyone who wants to ride with one.</TD></TR></TABLE>

IMHO that is a BIG PROBLEM. An event that is an instructional event intended to include everything from first-timers to advanced drivers should have instructors required in every car (and not just "available"), unless and until they sign off students for solo based on their experience and demonstrated performance and safety.

BMW CCA events are tons of fun, too! But they are also very conscientious about maximizing the safety of the event, as well as how much people learn - all of which are very important.

 

Great Track,Great Fun,Great Food, Close to Home. I have way too many laps on that track.
All the points mentioned are excellent. In a low powered car it can get boring except for the excitement of the slow corners at the end of the long straights.
That being said it is still fun to race on. As a beginner I would not recomend this track to learn on unless you are doing a Skippy school or another type of structured learning event.
In my oppinon there are way too many things that can go wrong as a beginner
(you are learning after all) and if you go off the road there is a lot of concrete to hit. Yes, there are gravel traps at the end of the long straights which help and they are moving the Billy Mitchell bridge to eliminate hitting the bridge abuttments but you are still going very fast and when things go wrong they happen at a really fast rate. (Trust me I know. The suspension on the vintage car I was driving in Sep't broke in the braking area for turn 5. Not good!!!)
So, go out and have fun. Autocross to learn car control,crew for a road racer to learn about what it takes to get out there ( plus most of us can use the help),
do some HPD's and learn how to do it the right way. Buy the best safety equipment you can ( call me for that stuff
You will not regret it if you need to use the safety stuff.
FYI: There are probably 30 (maybe more) SCCA sedan drivers in and around the Milw area. Lots of Honda road race cars too!
Give me a call or shoot me an e-mail if you want to chat.

Bob
SCCA #76 ITB (86 CRX Si)
262-317-1225 wk
Bob@pegasusautoracing.com
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com

 

Great post. A couple of additional points...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1stgenboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">In my oppinon there are way too many things that can go wrong as a beginner (you are learning after all) and if you go off the road there is a lot of concrete to hit.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Bob and I agree that Road America is a rather dangerous place to start out. If you go off, you are likely to hit something hard. And, as I mentioned, it's difficult to learn a track that is so darn long.

Since we mention this, it's probably a good idea to point out some other tracks fairly close by that ARE good tracks for the beginner/novice, tracks that are a lot of fun but also have a lot of run-off room and thus are much safer (and are also easier to learn). In this regard, I strongly recommend Gingerman in southwestern Michigan (two hours drive from Chicago) and Putnam Park in central Indiana (three hours drive from Chicago). Windy City Chapter BMW CCA does an annual event at Gingerman in June and an annual event at Putnam Park at the end of August (starting in 2006). Other chapters of BMW CCA hold events at both tracks (Buckeye, Bluegrass, and Hoosier Chapters at Putnam Park, and Motor City Chapter at Gingerman - earliest of these is Hoosier's Putnam Park event in mid-April). And CGI Motorsports holds about a dozen one-day events at Gingerman on Mondays.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1stgenboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Bob
SCCA #76 ITB (86 CRX Si)
262-317-1225 wk
Bob@pegasusautoracing.com
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com</TD></TR></TABLE>

For those who aren't already aware, Pegasus Racing has a wide selection of racer supplies. It's worth checking out their website, and stopping by their store just west of Milwaukee (conveniently located not far from Acura of Brookfield, which is one of the few dealerships in the Midwest that specializes in race prepping cars). Pegasus

 

I can't wait to race there next season, I'll only be about 5 hours away in my new town.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TeamSlowdotOrg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I can't wait to race there next season, I'll only be about 5 hours away in my new town. </TD></TR></TABLE>

where you moving to Rich?

 

I typed a nice long response yesterday but have no idea where it went...

Road America is a fun track and I have run there for many years. As mentioned, it is a bit of a snooze in a small car (ITC) but still challenging. It is not a place to run off since it will get exciting in a bad way.

SCCA and MCSCC (Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs http://www.mcscc.org) sanction road racing events there and many marque car clubs host events there. The Northwoods Shelby club is one that I am slightly familiar with and they allow street cars with minimial safety gear to 'Tour' the track- or they used to.

Both the SCCA and MCSCC are always looking for workers to help at the events and this is the second best seat in the house and a great way to learn about a track.

A couple member clubs in the MCSCC (www.madisonsportscarclub.org is one) host indoor driving schools in March of each year that detail the many options that we have for people to test themselves and their cars.

Enjoy

 

I just might get back to you on that.....Thanks for the info.

 

Thanks for all of your responses, they have been most helpful. Yeah, I am a beginner to the scene, but I'll take your advice about the track events. I have a ton of questions, but I think I'll leave it at that for right now.

Well, maybe one or two questions....
-What is meant by HPDE or HPD??
-Is Skip Barber a good school?? How long does it last??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civichbcx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">-What is meant by HPDE or HPD??</TD></TR></TABLE>

HPDE = High Performance Driver Education. These are (or should be) events emphasizing instruction, usually with strict rules about passing (e.g. only with a signal, only on designated straights). HPDE events are usually NOT competitive or timed, although some events have both kinds of run groups on the track at separate times over the course of the event - HPDE run groups for students, and separate run groups for competitive races.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civichbcx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">-Is Skip Barber a good school?? How long does it last??</TD></TR></TABLE>

You can find out details about the Skip Barber offerings on their website at http://www.skipbarber.com. I haven't attended, but they have a very good reputation. The downside is that they tend to be very expensive. In general, you have three types of groups holding track events:

a. The big name professional schools (Skip Barber, Bob Bondurant, etc). Tend to cost upwards of $1000 for multi-day schools. They provide the cars.

b. Other for-profit groups holding schools (TrackTime, Car Guys, Trackmasters). Tend to cost $500-600 for two-day schools. Drive your own car.

c. Not-for-profit groups holding schools (BMW CCA, PCA, NASA, and other marque clubs). Tend to cost $200-400 for two-day schools. Drive your own car.

As you can see, prices vary widely. (I'm generalizing to some extent, but this gives you an idea of what to expect.) The level of instruction and the format can also vary (as you can see from some of the comments above). Ask around (here and elsewhere) for recommendations.

Feel free to ask more questions. This is a good place to ask, with lots of people at all experience levels. And all of us remember what it was like when we were first starting out. We'll try to answer the best we can.

 

All great comments. I've ridden around the track with Devin (ITC Racer) at RA, and as a worker have seen first hand the damages that can happen when things go bad. Pretty much every event that MC has had at RA, at least one car doesn't come home in working order. The concrete is just too close to the racing surface in many places.

By the way, Devin had the link wrong, try http://www.madisonsportscarclub.com. Though this year we've elected to forgo the school to show you how to get involved. With MSCC & Midwestern Council (and probably SCCA), the only way you'll get on RA is in a wheel to wheel car.

Many other marque clubs offer track time at RA. Both Chicago & Milwaukee Region Porsche Clubs offer track time there. I've run with the Milwauke PCA at Blackhawk, and they put on a nice event, very well run. I think the Quattro Club also might run there, as well as the aforementioned Alfa & Shelby clubs. The Midwest F-body Association also holds events there. None of these marque clubs require you to drive their marque at the event, they're open to all.

If you want other schools, at least a few years ago, Tracktime was holding events at RA. Your car or theirs. Much cheaper than Barber.

As for me, I'm kind of a medium experienced guy. Done a number of lapping days, 1 wheel to wheel race. I've been to RA to work many times, hope to some day drive the track, but in no hurry.

 

I went there with Tracktime http://www.tracktime a few years ago.... http://www.pbase.com/soloracer/ra_08272002

Awesome track, although I will admit it was a little intimidating driving it in my daily driver. I think I prefer Mid Ohio and Road Atlanta, but I still highly recommed RA.

 

Thanks agian!

I'm thinking NASA and BMW CCA right now.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civichbcx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm thinking NASA and BMW CCA right now.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Having driven in events run by both groups, I think BMW CCA is much more suitable for a novice in his first half dozen events. The BMW CCA events give more emphasis on instruction, whereas the NASA events emphasize racing more (even in the HPDE run groups).