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]

Greg,
I wrote a few things too a couple weeks ago. Here's my take:

Agree with you on T1. It will be fast. I asked Fred about adding an exit "offramp" there like T1 LRP (big bend).

T3 will not be flat in a car with high HP/weight ratio! But carrying speed through there will be critical.

T4 is a very late apex. You have to enter from very far left on the little extended section of asphalt. Too early Apex on T4 will most certainly screw up T5.

T7 was changed from my original drawing because of a couple ferns found where I drew the track... "wetlands". That was originally straighter. The name ought to have something to do with that.

T8 is my favorite corner. I called it the "Archimedes screw".

Throughout the track, early apexes will kill speed.

Fred's corkscrew will be very difficult to see while laying down in a formula car. The twisty there reminds me too much of the screwy section in the north infield of NHMS where you end up driving over the curb. That curb broke a suspension clevis on my Citation FB. At Palmer, the drivers are going to run right over whatever is there on the right hand side. I view it as accidents waiting to happen.

BTW, I'm here on 914World because I'm building a 993 conversion. I'm more often in the formula car world of apexspeed.

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"?].

[GregAmy]

Good notes. I like the idea of that turn name relative to the ferns; it's trivia like that we need to get written down before it's lost...

I don't recall there being a whole lotta space outside T1 Flugplatz for Runoffs...and the exit of that turn goes out to the entrance of the tunnel...I expect to see Aarmco or Jersey barrier outside T1.

Unrelated trivia: know why LRP has that runoffs there? It's not "runoff" it's the entrance to the never-built "Mountain Course". There was going to be a course that went out that direction, over the creek, made some turns up on the hill, then returned and merged back where T2 is (Big Bend exit). That has been there since the track's origin, never used. I'm told there's still evidence of the mountain course out there, but of course a half-century later it's all grown in...

I got smart early in my "racing career" and quickly dumped my Merlin Formula Ford for the safety of a rollcage...Showroom Stock Rabbits, anyone...? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Looking forward to getting some speed time on this track.

GA