New Track in New England, Palmer Motorsports Options

[ejm]

Around 8 years ago approval was sought to build a new road track in Western Massachusetts. After countless changes in plans, dealing with opposition from neighbors along with environmental and conservation issues the track has been paved and will open in 2015. http://www.palmermotorsportspark.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc6DxupO2o8

[roblav1]

I drew up the initial track design / layout back in 2006... and used to have it posted on my trailer door outside Garage 6 North at NHMS when we were trying to drum up funding.

The track is not narrow... the camera makes it look far worse than reality. But additional barriers and a couple spots for additional runoff are in the works. Since the track is very wide, there are plenty of alternative routes and apex options around the turns, which will help with going 2 or 3 cars wide and passing, especially in the downhill sections.

None of it though, is any worse than the uphill turn at Lime Rock(!) which is now taken flat out (or nearly so) in Formula Continental and FB.

There is a corkscrew - I call it Fred's corkscrew (Fred is the owner) because he insists that it stays. It is just before the final straight... but I've been trying to talk him out of it because (IMHO) it takes away from the flow, and you can't see it coming until you are on top of it.

[GregAmy]

I wrote the below in a racing forum yesterday..."Fred's Corkscrew" needs to stay...it's a signature piece of track that really rewards good drivers. Bad/inexperienced drivers will be tentative through there and will be given a lot of space to mess up...good/experienced drivers will be flat to the floor well before it and keep it flat all the way to T1.

This place has the potential for before "the" club racing venue in the Northeast.

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After driving this track and looking over the map...this track needs some corner names. "T1"? "T3"? Yawn....here's my suggestions. And yes, some are blatant rip-offs, so screw you.

http://www.palmermotorsportspark.com...aps.aspx?Map=0

T1: Faster than you think, a nice "yump!" corner that's going to catch a lot off-guard. Not very creative, but I call it "Flugplatz".
T2: Not really a corner. We'll call it..."T2".
T3: Nice faster downhill sweeper, easy flat for probably everyone but enough of a visual to make some wonder...Fuchsröhre.
T4: late apex, far left entry...Aremberg.
T5: Really late apex that's going to catch more than one car off-line...and into the Aarmco on exit: Bergwerk.
T6: Deceptively normal-apex climber but you're afraid to trust it because of that last corner you almost hit the Aarmco on...Klettern wiederum.
The straight between T6 and T7: Skyline Drive.
T7: Another really-late-apex right leading into a wickedly-late diving left turn...Geduld.
T8: That wickedly-late apex, diving, decreasing radius left turn that will send the impatient sluicing into the exit Aarmco: The Aqualoop. If too obtuse, Spirale. If you want more obtuse, the Fibonacci.
T9: Heading into the horizon, way up high, with only late points of visual reference...Schwalbenschwanz (translate it).
T10: Late apex downhill right-hander, very much like driving NHMS in reverse...Karussell.
T11/12: Really late apex right into a spiraling late apex left...Wehrseifen.
T13 exit, through T14/15: Not quite the significant grade as the original, but still a total-lack-of-visuals, trust-the-road-is-still-there butt-clencher, taken on timing and feel...Korkenzieher.
Exit of T15 through T1...NER Straight, Palmer Gerade, or reserve it to be named after someone truly worthy ["Fred's Straight"? "Ferguson Alley"?].

http://youtu.be/3K5jz5vcWXA