Somewhere, just west of nowhere, sits one of Max Balchowsky’s masterpieces. Although it has been over a decade since Reagan...
Brands Hatch, on the southern outskirts of London, is a classic Grand Prix circuit in the mold of Spa-Francorchamps, Watkins...
Any racer will tell you that even the slightest rumor of a new racecourse will garner more than a passing interest. The idea of an entirely new track to learn—and “master”—chews at every competitive fiber of a driver. When Grand-Am announced its 2008 Koni Challenge schedule, I was pleased to...
Thunderhill Raceway Park was built thanks to the efforts of the San Francisco Region of the SCCA. Realizing that two...
Of all the race tracks that I have driven and raced on in North America, Road America is up there...
Okay, it’s my turn in the barrel. Asked to “do a corner” for VR, I took a look at the previous Hot Laps. Let’s see, there was the Lefthander at Lime Rock…Road America’s Turn 1… Laguna’s 11… the Bus Stop at the Glen… Mid-Ohio, VIR—even Le Mans, for pity sakes!...
Mid-Ohio is a very rhythmic, undulating and momentum rewarding circuit that requires countless laps to understand the subtleties of the...
Although not as famous as its corner mates—the Corkscrew and the Andretti Hairpin—Turn 9 at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca is...
Turn 5 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca may not be one of the first corners that everyone talks about when discussing this track, but it’s certainly one of those corners that has more going on than it first appears. And it can be a major player in the course of...
While the world famous Cork Screw gets all the attention at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, if you account for the...
While every turn has technical challenges, there are very few corners anywhere that require equal measures of skill, perfection and...
Built in 1969, Road Atlanta epitomizes the saying, “They don’t make ’em like they used to.” While modern-day track designers try to jam as many corners into their land allotment as possible, Road Atlanta was built back in the era when it was okay for racecars to go fast. In...
Considering the résumés of the people who have raced here, I am both humbled and honored to be writing about...
One of the “old school” low-grip/high-fun tracks, Moroso Motorsports Park, is a car control circuit, rewarding smoothness and sensitivity. The...
Lime Rock’s “Lefthander” and Turn Four represent difficult challenges at one of the most demanding racetracks in North America. Mastering these Esses will, in great measure, determine good lap times at one of the most challenging tracks you will ever drive. In racing, there are three types of corners: Most...
When asked to describe one of my favorite sections of racetracks in Australia, very quickly I thought of Winton Motor...
What started as an April Fool’s joke on a long defunct track, ended up becoming an interesting insight into fear...
I’ve been asked to write a description of how to drive through a corner. Not any corner, a corner of my choice. Wow! There are so many to choose from. I could write about the corkscrew at Laguna Seca, Turn Two at Sears Point; the Festival turns at Portland, Turn...
I’ve always liked Blackhawk Farms Raceway, a track not everybody knows about. It’s in Illinois, right on the border with...
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is one of America’s most technical and challenging circuits, as most corners involve both radius...
Turn One of Daytona’s Rolex 24 road course configuration is fast and hairy, because you’ve just spent a whole bunch of time flat-out from the Bus Stop chicane on the backside, through NASCAR 3 and 4, then across start/finish on the tri-oval. The road funnels down, getting narrower and narrower...
When asked by my good friend Rick Roso to write a piece on how “to do” one of my favorite...
Having raced at “Mid-O” in karts and cars since 1964, the track’s site picture is indelibly scribed on the inside...
When I was asked to write about a corner or series of corners, Road Atlanta instantly came to mind. I live close to the famed red clay-carpeted facility; in fact, the first race I ever saw—I was four, and, yes, I remember it—was at Road Atlanta. I’d like to talk...
Nelson Ledges is a fun, fast and reasonably flat racetrack in northeast Ohio, originally raced as a dirt road course...
Summit Point’s main circuit was repaved last fall, which enhances an already wonderful track. The Chute through the Carousel is...
The historic Le Mans 24-Hour racing circuit, made up of country roads with constructed racetrack sections, has always been a “horsepower track.” “Give me an extra 40 horsepower on the field, and I’ll show you some superior driving skills…” At Le Mans, having a car with lots of straight-line speed...
Considering the resumes of the people who have raced here, I am both humbled and honored to be writing about...
Turn 17 at Sebring, which ends the back straight—and “begins” the front straight—could actually be called the “World’s Biggest Hairpin.”...
Virginia International Raceway, also known as VIR, set to the east of Danville, Virginia, is one of the finest racetracks in North America—and one of the coolest to race. Long straights and classic corners combine to keep the traffic interesting and the racing close. One of the toughest corners is...
