Nelson Ledges- Volunteered at the main gate selling tickets in 1974. The place was run down but it was local! So in pulls a brown impala rental car and I walk up to sell a ticket and Paul Newman sticks his head out and asks me where registration is. All day long women in dresses and high heels came through the gate looking for him
The paddock was unpaved gravel and you could touch the cars. Great teams like Group 44 and Bob Sharp Racing. A rickety walk over bridge to get to the paddock and the bridge had no enclosed sides. So if you were standing on the bridge when the A production race started it was like an earthquake under your feet.

Lime Rock- Spent allot of time there. Simply gorgeous location. My blood pressure would go down when I pulled into that place. Great paddock with access to the cars, Nice facilities, No traffic, small crowds. Could bump into drivers like Derek Bell, had a burger with Skip Barber, and saw P.L.N. many times there. Did several DE's there, fun track. Love the historic's and talking to the car owners.
They close the gate during club events but just tell them you are going to the paddock store and you're in!

Indy- went to the 1984 500 with 250,000 other people. Couldn't see crap, three hours to get in, three to get out- Never again.

VIR- one hour from my house- No crowds unless race day of big event (grand am).
Paddock access to all the cars, nice facilities, plenty of locations to see the races. Stuff going on every week! Ran several DE's here and the speed is awesome. Stand at the start finish line when the fast boys are going by and you are literally three feet from the car!!! Great Burgers! Nice access to cars during historic events. During club events they let you in for 10$. Shook hands with C.Shelby and talked to several owners of Ferrari 250 GTs during FCA event.

Watkins Glen- Went to the Formula One race in 1977 what a mess, and raining on top of it. But now what a great facility. Drop dead beautiful location, nice paddock access, easy viewing, nice temps during the summer. Never ran the course - one day. Big events they only want to sell a three day pass which sort of sucks if you are looking to get in for the day.

I was born in Watkins Glen and was at the Track in Diapers. My Godfather was Competition Chairman at the Track so I was at Every F-1, Can-Am, Trans-am, 6 Hours, SCCA Nationals from about 1966 til I moved to Florida in 81. Great Track, Great Area.

Sebring - Ancient, but improved. Not as bumpy as most people say as the only part of the circuit that is run on original concrete runways is the front-straight. Flat as a board, but the track really flows. I probably have 10,000 laps on the Track.

Road Atlanta - beautiful Track & Area. I really preferred the Track before they changed the back straight, put in the the left-right chicane - man it used to make your ass pucker when you went under the bridge.

Moroso ( Palm Beach International) - I have not driven it since they redid the Track & had the name change - I really liked it before, but the facilities were nil.

Daytona Beautiful facility, fun track. The banking is that Steep

Lime Rock nice area, I was not impressed with the Track.

Barber Motorsports track, Birmingham, AL - the most beautiful facility in the world, however it's a good bike track, horrible car track

Mid-Ohio, Fun!

Road America, beautiful, fun

Miller Motorsports, Utah Very Nice facilities, track is nice, but there is so much track in such a small space. No landmarks to help you set-up for turns.

Laguna Seca - everybody needs to drive the Screw

Track I really miss - Bridgehampton on Long Island

Sebring: Great track with a ton of history. It's as bumpy as everybody tells you it is.
Homestead: Probably the most boring track I've ever been to. I had a few laps with nobody around me and I almost fell asleep. Best part of a race there is the start.
Laguna Seca: What a great place. The track is an absolute blast to drive and when you're done for the day you're in one of the most beautiful places in the U.S.
Texas World Speedway: Crazy fast track. The most underrated track in the U.S. IMHO. When you break 2 minutes there you feel you like you got away with something.
MSR Houston: Fun little track and less than hour from the house. Nice to sleep in your own bed on a race weekend.
MSR Cresson: Fun place. The new section is super technical but the old section takes some guts to get around quick. I love the fact that you can drive your racecar to the convenient store on the property fill up with 104 and a glazed donut.
Moroso: I only know the old configuration and I hope I get to drive the new one soon.
Barber: Like TC says, beautiful track and surroundings. The museum is incredible but the track is so so.
Circuit of the Americas: Soon, I hope.

Holtville - old WW-II bomber training base in the Imperial Valley - LONG straights and tight turns. If your brake fluid is going to boil, it will there. Figure 110ºF+ so if you're going to have vapor lock, you'll have it there. At or below sea level - if you're going to make power, it's here or nowhere...

Riverside. Now the site of the Morena Valley Mall. There was a May Company where Turn 6 used to be last I drove by. Last time I drove there it was on the Can-Am course with the mile-plus back straight. Rolf Stommelen died there in one of the last IMSA GT races.

Portland International - just a few laps as ot was the site of the 1980 Parade driving event.

Willow Springs. Too much understeer on cold tires in Turn 9 - expensive mistake.

I forgot one.
No Problem Raceway (New Orleans): Fun little track but it eats tires. But you can get the best cup of Gumbo about 10 minutes from the track when you're done.

First race I ever participated in was while I was in the Air Force and was really forbidden by AF policy--much like getting a sunburn. Had a Triumph TR-2 and got a third in class on an airport course at Fort Sumner, New Mexico on September 29, 1957. For you historians that (Fort Sumner) is the former home of Billy the Kid.

The famous Jim Hall was also there but don't remember what he was driving.

It's been a few years since I've been out on track, but here are a few good'uns!


VIR....I've run 4 configurations - South Course, North, Patriot, and Full....Absolutely a beautiful facility and a blast on any configuration! If I could only choose one track, VIR is a no-brainer!

NCMS (Rockingham) Roval....Arriving through the tunnel under the 4th turn and pitting in the NASCAR garages was really cool! The 24 degree banking through turns 1 & 2 is a real thrill, especially as the backstretch wall comes up real quick off 2! I can only imagine what Daytona would be like. The novelty wears off pretty quick, and it becomes a kind of boring ride.

CMP (Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw SC).Pretty challenging layout. They re-did turns 12-13 in about 07 or so which really improved the flow through there. Watch out for the fire ants!!

Bulitt- Where in NC are you? I also am only about 1:15 from VIR...

I am tied between Barber and Road America as the most beautiful track in America. The scenery is just so gorgeous. Road America is a better track for competition, but Barber has a slightly better atmosphere.

Road Atlanta is just pure awesome. The 10A-10B complex and the hill under the bridge that follows it is one of my favorite sections of track anywhere.

Mid-O is great.

I went to Indy for the last USGP. It was epic, but not because of the track. The F1 course was mickey mouse. That said, there are only two places in the world that feel like that when you walk through the gates. You can feel the history of Indy, just like you can feel the history of Daytona. The sheer greatness that bears down on you of a combined 156 years of competition is overwhelming.

To me that is where they Fuch'd up. It used to be a Haul-Ass long straight that went down into a Dip where 10A-B is and then Flat-out under the Bridge & down to the S-F Stand. I know why they did it, but Man was that Fun/Scary before.

Watkins Glen is Home, fast and fun.

But I had a taste of Mosport, and that is the scariest best track I have ever been on.
The up keep until late was a little questionable but still amazingly fast and scary.

I just hope the Glen Gods don't shun me for that statement

Lime Rock - My home track, where I've logged over 10,000 track miles. I love it! I remember when there was little more than a tech shed and a press building next to the pit lane. I watched Holbert Racing and Dyson Racing there every Memorial Day for years.
No slow corners. 1.53 miles long and fast. Each turn is faster than the last.
Get into a rhythm and keep your right foot planted. My best lap: 1:01.4.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway - I never drove there when it was known as Bryar Motorsports Park. The road course crosses the Nascar oval twice onto the hillside where a section of the old track remains. The sudden/steep transitions make the track much less enjoyable, but the overall layout is lots of fun. There are some real danger spots. Turns one and two are the south end of the oval and I've seen more than a few cars hit the wall there. Turn three is the slowest turn, coming off the fast shortchute after turn 2, and there isn't any runoff room if you screw up. My best lap: 1:16.0

Pocono International - I've raced three different configurations of the long track, never any of the short track configurations. Nascar 1 is exciting because its so fast and steeply banked. Running counterclockwise, the Devils Elbow comes up suddenly after the Tunnel Turn (Nascar 2), so one goes from flat out at near terminal velocity through a long flat turn immediately into max braking for the slow 150 degree turn. The infield section is fairly boring. Almost half the track is taken in top gear flat out so you really find out how fast the car can go. My best lap: 1:50 ?

Watkins Glen International: I wish I lived closer! What a fun track. I've only raced there 4 or 5 times so I have a lot to learn still. My best time on the long course, with 140 hp: 2:23.5. I was there watching the Camel GT from the Applicon Ford Probe hospitality tent the year Chip Robinson destroyed a Holbert 962.

Summit Point Raceway - Another track too far away. I've raced there 3 or 4 times. Way out in the country, just like the Glen. A long downhill front straight off a fast turn makes the average lap speed pretty fast. The track surface is rather rough and abrasive. The paddock facilities are rather rustic and if it rains - miserable.

Mid Ohio Sports Car Course - 3 SCCA Runoffs and a National Race. Mid Ohio is a very technical track with each turn being a unique combination of elevation change, braking and cornering. I'll need a few more trips there to feel that I understand the track and can get around there quickly. Best Lap: 1:41.4.

Road Atlanta - I was there one time and ran the race with only two laps of qualifying under my belt. I was intimidated by the last turn and by the esses. From my last row starting position I had to pass a lot of slower cars but didn't have anyone to follow who could show me the fast way around the track. My best lap - 1:52

So what top speeds at each of those tracks Chris?

And did you use the same transmission or different ones set up for the individual track?

Chris, how do you like the new configureation at Lime Rock, or do you still run the old way. That Chicane just looks wierd.

Always wondered about the New Hampshire hillside road course - it looks neat on TV

I don't have a speedometer, and only visual data acquisition so the numbers are approximate. With a 140hp engine: LRP - 115mph; NHMS - 105mph; Pocono - 130mph with a draft; The Glen - 120mph, the longest straight is uphill; Summit Point - 125mph, downhill; Mid Ohio - 120mph, downhill.

All with the same transmission/gearing. The engine isn't that peaky so there would be only small benefit from playing with the gear ratios. My other box has LSD and shorter gears for my 180hp engine with 1200 rpm higher redline. At Pocono I would use the long box with the higher output engine. That track has one of the slowest corners and the longest straight.

They don't use any of the chicanes for club racing. I like it better that way!
Low HP cars can still be very fast at Lime Rock as long as no one gets in the way.

The New Hampshire outfield course is tricky. At the top of the hill the car gets a little light and the road bends to the right at the same time, with a huge rock straight ahead. On a wet track it can be quite dicey through there.
I'm working on an in-car video from the 2005 National to put up on youtube. On one lap I tried a little too hard through there and had to go straight to avoid a crash. I ended up at the bottom of a dirt hillside before I could turn around and get back on track.

Looking forward to seeing the video.

How much torque does that 180hp engine have?

IIRC about 145 lb-ft betwen 5-6000 rpm.

You might want to borrow mine

If not for SCCA F Production rules it would be easy to make more torque and HP.
Stock 1.8L diameter valves, 40mm carbs, stock stroke, near stock bore, etc. are major limitations.
I was able to take a class win in the first race I ran with the engine, and on a hot summer day I got within .3 sec of my best time at Lime Rock. Only 4 cars posted a faster time in that race. The one GT and 3 EP cars which finished ahead of me were no more than a second quicker. Going fast at Lime Rock in a small bore car is all about conserving momentum.

And our cars are all about momentum

Yea SCCA rules. My favorite topic..... It's hard to find classes were you can compete, on a level playing field, but that's just the nature of the beast.

So you got 180 hp of an essentially stock blueprinted engine. Wow. I'm impressed.

One of these days I've got to make the summer circuit to your East Coast tracks. Sure would be fun to watch you guys run.

Its hardly a stock blueprinted engine Randal. The valves are 7mm stem stainless steel with beehive springs, Ti retainers & ceramic lifters. The stock rockers were modified to remove about 10% weight. The cam is over .500 lift, 310 spec duration. Compression is around 12:1. Nickies cylinders, JE pistons, Carillo rods. Dry sump, etc, etc. All carefully done to stay just within the convoluted rules envelope.

Hey we should start an exclusive club that only allows members that have ceramic lifters in their motors.