I found this article posted on another Forum and liked it so much I am posting it here also. I have only been to 5 of the tracks (Laguna Seca, Daytona, Road America, Willow Springs, and Lime Rock) so I guess I have a lot more exploring to do. I am a little surprised that Road America isn't higher on the list. One of my favorite tracks didn't make the list...Chuckwalla Valley Raceway (www.chuckwallavalleyraceway.com) near Palm Springs in California. I know it doesn't have the history of the older tracks, but it is well suited to producing a lot of smiles in a Radical. What tracks have you been to and what are your thoughts on the list?
Charley
https://www.thrillist.com/cars/the-best-race-tracks-in-america#
Let's see. I'll list where I've been and see how many make the list.
Road America is a blast - fast, flows, hard on brakes. I have a lot of hours there racing Chump Cars and HPDE days. It was my first street car tracking experience too. Diving into turn five was what made me switch from a manual R8 to an R-tronic. I can't heel-toe to save my life. LOL. The Carousel is my second favorite corner on the track. The little VW Cabriolet Chump Car would pass just about anything there - plant foot, turn right, smile away.
Brainerd - did it in the rain. Wow. Street car with street tires. Wow. I'd like to see it in the sun.
Mid-Ohio is one of my all time favorites. Smooth, flows, doesn't eat tires or brakes and most of the corners are blind and fun.
Autobahn in Joliet, IL was another Chump Car place. Enjoyed it a lot. It had set of corners that I never got right.
VIR - the big track. 24 hours of Chump Car racing - in the rain! I'll never forget flying through turns 7-10 at 3:00 a.m. in heavy rain in our little VW Cabriolet.
Michigan Roval - once again, Chump Car Racing. It was fun seeing how close I could get to the wall at our topped out 102 - not close and was the slow line.
Six years ago I did a four tracks in three weekends with some dear friends from MN and CA.
We started out at Spring Mountain. That place is fun. Been there three times in an R8 and enjoyed it every time and can't wait to get there in April in the Radical.
Then we went to Thunder Hill - the old, original track. That place flows and throws just about everything there is at you. Killer place, I want to get there again with the new toy.
Following that we did Laguna Seca. What can you say - it's epic. I love turn 5. Hit it right and you get sucked down in the seat and pull the G's.
From there we went to the only track that's ever scared me - Sears Point. Another iconic place but all I saw there was concrete walls. I never got the esses right, spun in 6 (and saved it nicely, thank you) and saw concrete walls. Once was enough.
Willow Springs was fun too. I attended with an auto group that had no clue how to run an HPDE day and there were a few sketchy people on the track. Just because you have 700 HP in your Mustang and have done one track day doesn't make you an advanced driver. He was scary! - and I can say I've passed an Aventador. hehehe.
We have a local track called AMP - Arizona Motorsports Park. I've enjoyed it in the Audi and am thinking it's going to be fun in the Radical. It's a nice, smooth place.
And lastly thus far, Buttonwillow this past weekend in the Radical. Definitely liked it in the CCW direction. I'll definitely go back.
Tracks on my list: COTA, Chuckwalla, Wild Horse Pass (formerly Firebird Raceway), Inde and Miller.
Barber, Road Atlanta and Daytona would be a fun but I live in AZ now and not Ohio so I'm kind of done with the east coast and mid-west.
Looks like I've been to 6 of the 17.
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'WOW-What a Ride!'"
