Mike in Chi

Just got the latest Club Racing News.

After savoring seeing my name listed in a winner's list ahead of Greg Fishman (it was the Safe Driver Awards which are listed alphabetically), I was thumbing through the rest of the magazine.

There was the Nord Stern Region ad for their Loonacy club race at Brainerd International Raceway.

It claimed to be the Fastest Track In North America.

It seems to me I used to have a couple synapses which fired that Willow made that claim. And wasn't Bridgehampton known for being wickedly fast?

I know Brainerd has a couple of 100+ turns. Is Brainerd indeed the fastest?

Jim B? Anyone?

(Jim Bob and Dirt Track Racer, we ain't talking ovals here.)

PS Last year Nord Stern had the best ads of the year for their club race.

Kurt R

Brainerd will probably give you the highest top speed of any track, which would give it the title "fastest track". The front straight is almost a mile long, and turn one is banked so that almost any car can take it flat out. I've never driven the track in the P-car, but I've maxxed out the VW I used to race. Good description of the track here.

BTW, SCCA won't race there anymore, they had problems with the runoff area in some of the turns, but the track wouldn't fix them. Seems like the owners are more interested in drag racers than road racers.

3 mile track, a good lap time should be in the 1:55 - 2:00 range.

Mike in Chi

Thanks Rockfan

They must be refering to top speed on one section of the course.

If I did the math correctly, that's a 90 mph lap.
E cars were close to that at Sebring week before last.

I wonder which road course has the fastest average lap speeds?

Also I spent a lot of time in your fair burg doing ads for Heileman once upon a time.

JackOlsen

I think the highest average speed over the course of a lap would be the better way to measure. Otherwise, any airport course (or even an empty stretch of freeway) would qualify as "faster." Willow claims to be "The Fastest Track in the West" -- and it's not hard to get an average speed of 100 mph over a good lap -- but they're kidding themselves. Any big oval (like California Speedway) would allow a higher average speed.

But it doesn't seem to be a very useful measurement, in any case. It's easy to get up to redline in 5th on an oval. It's challenging to not quite reach that point on a track where you're making a more aggressive turn while you're going that fast.

DAR951

Talladega...

And not just for stock cars... For years, world closed course records were set here, and I think most still stand... that is what you asked

But for road courses, RA's gotta rank at or near the top any way you measure. Track record is just under 2 minutes for 4 miles (120 mph ave.)and speeds through the traps into turn 5 are in excess of 160 mph...

Jeff Curtis

Yup, the Nordstern ad posters were downright hilarious!

I have 3 out of 4, given to me at the Mid-America Club Race in Iowa, just prior to the Nordstern race, had 'em dry mounted and hung them in my office...you should see the looks from people when they read "Add a few teenagers barfing from the balcony and it's just like Daytona".

On the fastest track in North America subject, I guess one would have to define what "fastest" means...lap times -vs.- overall length or the fastest straight??

FWIW, I think ALL tracks are fast.

***If anyone can get me the remaining poster, I would be much grateful for such a feat...PM me if you can help me out.***

James Achard

Watkins Glen is pretty quick too. I averaged 87mph in my F car there and that was no where near the front of the pack...

Cheers, James

Mike in Chi

Jack and DAR

Without a doubt, a superspeedway oval would be the fastest average speed. Donahue in a 917 had the closed course record at Talledega for years and years.

I had tried to indicate I was wondering about road courses.

As Jeff and Rockfan point out it could be judged a couple way, highest speed attained or average speed for one lap for a given class of car.

Sounds like something to research on the results page of pca.org, but unfortunately, the CEO expects me to accomplish something today.

Kim
Not only are all tracks fast to us turtles, but all the other drivers are fast too.

mitch236

The problem with these sort of claims is that what criteria does one use. If a track has a long straightway and short, tight turns it still could have high average speeds while being a "slow" driving track because let's face it, fast turns are fun. I am thinking about the comparison of two of my local tracks, Moroso and Sebring. Moroso has a loooong front straight leading into back to back slow boring 180 degree turns, while Sebring has shorter straights but faster, fun turns. My overall "feel" is that Sebring is the faster track but because of the long straights at Moroso, it may have the title

Mike Buck

It may not be the fastest track in the country, but it was pretty freaking amazing to watch Wayne Jackson turning 1:11's in a 966 at the Summit Point Race in 2001. The 1:13-14's put up by Michael Levitas, same race, in what used to be a street C4 are just as amazing. Watching them come out of 10 and drag down the straight was nuts . . . 170mph probably. Mike could pull him, but the 966(open top 962 basically) would dominate under braking/turning.

1:11 is an average track speed of 96-97mph. Considering how tight turn 5,6,and 7 seem to me and how relatively poor the surface is . . . their speeds just seem absurd.

Al P.

170 heading for 1 at SP requires BIG brakes and even bigger cahones!

Jeff Curtis

I'll second that!

Back to my original statement, in some way, shape or form, any darned race track is FAST!

I'll share one of the incredible scenarios I've witnessed time and time again that always impresses me...and Mike Levitas was involved in it a few times:

At VIR, coming out of 17 onto the straight, side by side racing in what has to be 160+mph drags...about the same as what it would take to do that at Summit.

Jerrygreene

>The problem with these sort of claims is that what criteria does one use.

Mitch - Might I suggest the " time over/pucker factor" as a criteria. I've not driven a ton of tracks, but BIR does offer 15 - 20 second soul searching moment. The track as mentiond is used for drags alot, so it has a long straight away into a bank turn # 1 taken flat out. Top speed is achived still going twoards turn 2. THe track is 3 miles long shped like a big "B". So form the last turn to turn 3 is about 1/2 way.
So to test the "time over pucker factor" @ for example the kink at RA, ( which is a blast) you have to psyc your self up only after you are headed for the straigh shute before the kink. At bir, you have this mile + before you hit the banking, running flat out to just about turn in,.in 2. Then, thru 2, read "Pucker factor" still going strong till you finally brake for turn 3.
Just a suggetion for future claims of top speed?

clubrcr

I can only make the claim by what I have driven. But I have to say that Daytona is the fastest track, among tracks with road courses. I know that the gears have to longer and the my top speed is higher than any other track. I think if you have raced there you would agree. Not a hard track to figure out, but the roughness of the track and your overall speed will demand your attention at speed, esp. coming off the banking

JackOlsen

If a fast club-racing 911 is your guide, then a 1:18 at Willow Springs is an average speed of 115 mph. A 2:09 at Road America is 113 mph average. Do any other road courses beat those two?