Which tracks?

TeamBeer

TeamBeer

Member
I am kind of new to track days. Did Tally and Road Atlanta last year. I really prefer tracks like Road Atlanta and Barber that have elevation changes as well as a good mix of fast straights and plenty of turns. I also did the Skip Barber Superbike school at Laguna Seca last year. I am curious what tracks to do in easy reach of the SE. I am pretty sure I will try to do VIR. What are CMP and NJMP like? What else is within a days drive of Atlanta?
 
kawaholic

kawaholic

Member
i'm new to track days myself. out of the ones you have listed ra has the most elevation changes. i had a chance to do cmp a few weeks ago with one of the "other" orgs. fun track but pretty much flat. i THINK dirty jersey is about the same from what i've seen watching the races on tv. vir is well worth the trip. i'd have to say vir's my favorite one so far and not because it's the closest. i won't hesitate to go back to ra, i had a lot of fun there, even though it's a 7 hr. drive for me. the ONLY thing i didn't like was all the concrete walls around the track. vir has ALOT of run off room.
i'm hoping to make it to summit next year as i've heard good things about it.
 
Fastguy

Fastguy

Member
NJMP is relatively flat. Summit Main does have a little of everything.

Another track that has some elevation change is Beave Run in PA. Not sure if its a days ride from Atlanta.

They usually have a SED there as well.
 
D-Zum

D-Zum

My 13 year old is faster than your President
Visit as many tracks as you can..you'll find you love something about all of them. Pick a new one every year, plan a road trip with a few friends who share the goad of trying out track X with you.

Every track I've been to is a lot of fun when I'm there. It comes down to resources. My time off from work and money are the limiting factors.

I drove 1200 miles to Road America about 6 years ago to miss the day due to fog..that was frustrating..but that's how it goes.

In 2002 I was at Brainerd for an AMA weekend. I'd REALLY like to try that place out..the TV angles and coverage don't do that track justice.
 
Meat

Meat

Member
kawaholic;162970 wrote: ... vir has ALOT of run off room.
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That really depends on the turn. The runoff at the turn at the top of the roller coaster (T14?) on North is downhill and right into a tire wall, just past which are trees. You go off straight there and you better bail or go over the tire wall and into the trees.

Oak tree turn on South has like 30 yards of runoff. I was thrown off my bike in that turn and didn't hit the ground until about a foot before the tire wall.

But, I agree, that for the most part VIR has long run-offs, and is very worth the trip, especially for North course.
 
Meat

Meat

Member
Jennings GP is a flat track, but fun, just barely across the border in FL, off I-75. It is a motorcycle only track so the cars don't ripple up the pavement like they do at some other tracks.
 
TeamBeer

TeamBeer

Member
From what I have seen on TV VIR is on my list. If you want to talk about no runoff, you should have seen RA in the 70s. No walls! Lots of trees! No gravel, just red clay. I don't like some of the changes that Mr. Panoz has made, but they have done a pretty good job with safety upgrades like the AMA turn 12 and runoff at turn 5. They ruined spectator hill, but something had to give. Turn 5 used to have about 10 feet of runoff into a tire wall, but you could get great pictures from there.

Nobody has mentioned Barber? Tally really eats the left side of your tires. Road America is so damn long that I wouldn't think you would get too many laps in a session, but I guess you would want taller gearing there. At least they finally built a hotel near the track.

Are there ever any track days at tracks like Watkins Glen?

CMP would be a pretty easy trip.

I will probably do Jennings as a late winter or early spring date.

Unfortunately, most of my close friends don't ride and most of my riding buddies that do track days are out west.
 
HondaGalToo

HondaGalToo

Control Rider
No, no way to Watkins Glenn. Talk about a lack of runoff. No motorcycle events have been run there for a long time. For that kind of drive, NJMP or BeaveRun would be much, much better options!
 
erick1670

erick1670

Member
Fastguy;162973 wrote: NJMP is relatively flat. Summit Main does have a little of everything.

Another track that has some elevation change is Beave Run in PA. Not sure if its a days ride from Atlanta.

They usually have a SED there as well.
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:agree:
this is true but is a very short track, so for me if I have to make a long drive i would want to go to a place that is a bit longer is more fun when is more to learn at a new track.

so for me next year will be VIR north and either Road Atlanta or Barber, but that 18 hours drive turns me off
 
J

jcrich

Member
erick1670;163003 wrote: :agree:
this is true but is a very short track, so for me if I have to make a long drive i would want to go to a place that is a bit longer is more fun when is more to learn at a new track.

so for me next year will be VIR north and either Road Atlanta or Barber, but that 18 hours drive turns me off
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Your only option then is:

about-us.jpg




:D
 
TeamBeer

TeamBeer

Member
From what I remember from watching auto races at the Glen they do have a lot of armco close to the track.
 
Fastguy

Fastguy

Member
erick1670;163003 wrote: :agree:
this is true but is a very short track, so for me if I have to make a long drive i would want to go to a place that is a bit longer is more fun when is more to learn at a new track.

so for me next year will be VIR north and either Road Atlanta or Barber, but that 18 hours drive turns me off
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As far as technical tracks, how would you rate Beave Run?

Point taken on some of the long rides to some tracks.

What about Nelson Ledges in Ohio? Very fast track!
 
erick1670

erick1670

Member
Fastguy;163021 wrote: As far as technical tracks, how would you rate Beave Run?

Point taken on some of the long rides to some tracks.

What about Nelson Ledges in Ohio? Very fast track!
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Beave Run is a fun little track if they add the part that they plan to bild I would be there, as far of technical? is just a bit more than Lightning at NJMP, this is why I dint do Lightning this year.

I did Mid-Ohio and I was happy always wanted to do it, the only thing with Mid-Ohio is that the track temp has to be rigth other wise you tip toeing, dont know Nelson
 
jimgl3

jimgl3

Member
Tally taught me a lot about my riding in a very short time that i probably would never have grasped at rd atlanta. don't write off that little track - just my opinion
 
erick1670

erick1670

Member
I am not saying that a small track are fun, for sure they are. But being small is what make`s then less turns less dificult to lear how to approach it, but I do think that a small track is good for a first timers.

reason I say that is b/c last year my friend and I did the :b: SED at Beaver and for him was his first time at a track so he learn a lot that day, at the beguining of the day I lead him so he could learn the track in how to approach the turns, after lunch he was fast and talking to CR`s to get more info :adore: then after our next track day we got bump to :i:
 
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