Driving Road Atlanta
11-07-2005, 04:19 PM
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Driving Road Atlanta
Here is an email I sent last week to some friends about my experience driving Road Atlanta for the first time.
Last weekend I got my first chance to drive Road Atlanta, and here are my impressions:
Road Atlanta is to sports car racing in America as Augusta National is to golf. They ostentatiously call Augusta "Hallowed Ground," and that kind of sums up my feeling for Road Atlanta. It may not be the longest natural terrain racing circuit in America, or even the most technical, but it's history, location, and lay out enable it to make the claim to be one of the best circuits in the world.
It is located in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains about 45 miles northwest of Atlanta. The front straight, pits, and pressbox are built in a valley below a big hill. The turns onto and off the front straight climb over this hill gaining about 65' of elevation. The rest of the course dips into, out of, and around a creek bottom in the hills behind the front straight. In two and a half miles there is almost 350 feet of elevation change—equivalent to climbing up and over a seventeen story building each lap. There are four blind spots where you cannot see the course ahead because of the elevation change and you must aim at landmarks to be in the right place.
The course is surrounded by thick forest interspersed with cleared areas for spectators. The woods in the center of the track are roadless, dark, and inhabited by a flock of wild turkeys. To protect cars from hurtling into the woods if they leave the track the entire course is lined with concrete walls or Armco barriers. Occasionally, these are lined with tire bales to make the landing softer, but this was my first time to drive such an enclosed course and I never forgot they were there.
The driver's meeting on Saturday morning started off with a warning that they did not want a repeat of the last event when there were three cars totaled in the walls. I thoroughly agreed.
The first pic is my car in Turn 1 coming off the front straight and heading over the hill toward the blind turn in to Turn 2. It's very steep here which gives the car a lot of downforce through the turn.
The second pic is coming out of the "Esses" where you dive into and out of a creek bottom losing and gaining about 130' of elevation while turning four times. Serious fun. (Am I leading the pack or impeding traffic--I don't remember.)
The third pic is Turn 12 which leads onto the front straight. You start this section by passing under a bridge which is out of sight to the right of the picture. It's one of those blind spots because as you pass under the bridge you're cresting a sharp hill and you have to aim at a spot on the bridge to be in the right position. The feeling of cresting that hill at full acceleration and falling off the side of this steep hill with the turn at the bottom is what makes this course so unique. This is the most tense place on the course because it's the highest speed corner and if you blow it you will hit the wall on the outside of the turn at somewhere north of 90 mph.
The track was crowded all weekend and I almost never got a clean lap. But late on Sunday afternoon the crowd thinned out and I got a good lap time that would have been very competitive in my class at the Porsche Club race held here last spring. Now I know how an amateur golfer must feel like playing Augusta National
Last weekend I got my first chance to drive Road Atlanta, and here are my impressions:
Road Atlanta is to sports car racing in America as Augusta National is to golf. They ostentatiously call Augusta "Hallowed Ground," and that kind of sums up my feeling for Road Atlanta. It may not be the longest natural terrain racing circuit in America, or even the most technical, but it's history, location, and lay out enable it to make the claim to be one of the best circuits in the world.
It is located in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains about 45 miles northwest of Atlanta. The front straight, pits, and pressbox are built in a valley below a big hill. The turns onto and off the front straight climb over this hill gaining about 65' of elevation. The rest of the course dips into, out of, and around a creek bottom in the hills behind the front straight. In two and a half miles there is almost 350 feet of elevation change—equivalent to climbing up and over a seventeen story building each lap. There are four blind spots where you cannot see the course ahead because of the elevation change and you must aim at landmarks to be in the right place.
The course is surrounded by thick forest interspersed with cleared areas for spectators. The woods in the center of the track are roadless, dark, and inhabited by a flock of wild turkeys. To protect cars from hurtling into the woods if they leave the track the entire course is lined with concrete walls or Armco barriers. Occasionally, these are lined with tire bales to make the landing softer, but this was my first time to drive such an enclosed course and I never forgot they were there.
The driver's meeting on Saturday morning started off with a warning that they did not want a repeat of the last event when there were three cars totaled in the walls. I thoroughly agreed.
The first pic is my car in Turn 1 coming off the front straight and heading over the hill toward the blind turn in to Turn 2. It's very steep here which gives the car a lot of downforce through the turn.
The second pic is coming out of the "Esses" where you dive into and out of a creek bottom losing and gaining about 130' of elevation while turning four times. Serious fun. (Am I leading the pack or impeding traffic--I don't remember.)
The third pic is Turn 12 which leads onto the front straight. You start this section by passing under a bridge which is out of sight to the right of the picture. It's one of those blind spots because as you pass under the bridge you're cresting a sharp hill and you have to aim at a spot on the bridge to be in the right position. The feeling of cresting that hill at full acceleration and falling off the side of this steep hill with the turn at the bottom is what makes this course so unique. This is the most tense place on the course because it's the highest speed corner and if you blow it you will hit the wall on the outside of the turn at somewhere north of 90 mph.
The track was crowded all weekend and I almost never got a clean lap. But late on Sunday afternoon the crowd thinned out and I got a good lap time that would have been very competitive in my class at the Porsche Club race held here last spring. Now I know how an amateur golfer must feel like playing Augusta National
11-07-2005, 05:51 PM
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Craig:
I am happy you had a positive experience! I am fortunate to live 30min away from RA. It is an amazing track! I have done 6 weekends (DE) at RA in 2005 and 4 in 2004. I am still learning how to drive! This is ONE GREAT TRACK!
Yes, in the August PCA DE we had 3 cars totalled, 2 BMW M3's and one nice race prepped 993. It was also 96+ F. You picked the best DE weather for all of 2005 to come to RA (trust me!)
The most important thing to remember at RA is "don't look at the concrete". They keep telling us "you go where you look". I have learned to ignore the concrete, ArmCo, and tire walls.
Come back again!
I am happy you had a positive experience! I am fortunate to live 30min away from RA. It is an amazing track! I have done 6 weekends (DE) at RA in 2005 and 4 in 2004. I am still learning how to drive! This is ONE GREAT TRACK!
Yes, in the August PCA DE we had 3 cars totalled, 2 BMW M3's and one nice race prepped 993. It was also 96+ F. You picked the best DE weather for all of 2005 to come to RA (trust me!)
The most important thing to remember at RA is "don't look at the concrete". They keep telling us "you go where you look". I have learned to ignore the concrete, ArmCo, and tire walls.
Come back again!
11-07-2005, 10:17 PM
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Road Atlanta is a blast
11-07-2005, 10:29 PM
#4
Race Car
Is that not the best track 
Gotta be careful 'cause it WILL bite you if you get out of shape...........ask me how I know 
Won my first ever race there a couple years back, great place, but not for the inexperienced or faint at heart for sure.
Gotta be careful 'cause it WILL bite you if you get out of shape...........ask me how I know Won my first ever race there a couple years back, great place, but not for the inexperienced or faint at heart for sure.
11-09-2005, 12:15 PM
#5
Pro
Well I missed out on a great weekend. I did BMW a few weeks ago an had a rod put through the block of my 951. There may still of been scorched pavement right after T7 bridge.
The track is very fun and as mentioned somewhat unforgiving due to the lack of run off room except at a couple of places. There really is not a boring part on the track except perhaps the back straight which gives you time to collect yourself and monitor gauges. (Well except if your tail is on fire from a blown engine). I think as with any track you have to pick your places to try different techniques and lines, some areas just do not lend themselves to being in the wrong place (like 12 and 5) and since most every corner is fast once you are off you will most likely do some damage.
Sorry I missed the fun, it was great weather and our friends at Peachstate PCA put on a well run event. I will probably miss January too unless I get more motivated to sink more money into the 951 before then.
Jeff
Atlanta 3 cylinder 951 with oil leak
The track is very fun and as mentioned somewhat unforgiving due to the lack of run off room except at a couple of places. There really is not a boring part on the track except perhaps the back straight which gives you time to collect yourself and monitor gauges. (Well except if your tail is on fire from a blown engine). I think as with any track you have to pick your places to try different techniques and lines, some areas just do not lend themselves to being in the wrong place (like 12 and 5) and since most every corner is fast once you are off you will most likely do some damage.
Sorry I missed the fun, it was great weather and our friends at Peachstate PCA put on a well run event. I will probably miss January too unless I get more motivated to sink more money into the 951 before then.
Jeff
Atlanta 3 cylinder 951 with oil leak
11-09-2005, 01:36 PM
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Jeff - good luck with the car! I think you've got a good idea regarding a $2k engine. Meant to reply to your PM. Hope to see you out again soon!
Sorry for the OT -
Sorry for the OT -
