I'm considering doing some trackdays at Grattan this year. Never visited there before. I know STT Monte has logged a lot of miles up there. How would you compare/contrast the surface (including runoff, curbs, etc) with Mid Ohio and Beaverun?
I ran my first trackday at Grattan in 2008. Great technical course along with mild point and shoot turns. Its technical but once you take a few laps the track will come to you. Its not a track you'll master on your first time there thats for sure! As to the track surface, its rough in a few places but yeilds surprising grip as well. Mid-Ohio is in my back yard and I would say all around Mid-Ohio is the nicer track but I plan to go back to Grattan as well as Mid-Ohio. Hope this helps you out.
Grattan is at best, a dump. but it has the most fun, yet challenging layout I've ever been on. 165 down the front straight, braking with the rear tire skittering on the uneven pavement into the blind apex, 85 mph, right hand turn one. back on the gas dwn to turn two, nevermind the cognitive dissonance of the myriad pavement patches as you begin your turn in @ t2 and swear to god that the front's sliding out from the kitty litter at the apex, but there's still plenty of traction and you're back trying to set up for T3, where turn in is as much an act of faith as anything; another blind apex corner, this time to the left, turn three is also off camber and down hill. set up too far inside and turn in too early, you're liable to run wide and off the track at the exit- look out for the pond! set up too far on the out side and you run out of cornering clearance and you've also just washed out your front end. Hit it right, though and it's nirvana, wondering how in the f@c# did i make that?!?! squirt back up the hill and late apex t4 for the sprint to T5, before which, you have to decide "do I have the balls to brake after the hump/jump?!?!?!" wait, wait, wait put the bike on the right side into 5, through the esses and into the bowl and out into T9, a fast, right hand sweeper which is more treacherous than it looks- I recall seeing a buell suspended 10 feet up in a tree after it flipped over the armco, about 2-3 years ago... blast down to the BusStop/t10, where you turn in and the pavement suddenly drops off, en route to the apex and then run up the hill, accelerating through 11 and 12- watch out for the dip in the logical line @ 12, btw and haul ass down the straight, back to t1. all the while, contradictory thoughts raging in your head: "this place is great! vs omg, this place is such a shithole!" the facilities would confirm the latter- hope you're wearing flip-flops if you use the shower... and the mind boggling array of blind apex and/or off camber curves will have you begging for more, if the sketchy looking pavement doesn't scare you away first. Also, it's a good idea to avoid the turtles crossing the track: some of them may be endangered, and you're liable for a hefty fine if you inadvertently kill one. Deer and geese can present problems as can night crawlers littering the track in the am, should it have rained the previous night, which can also result in latent springs appearing in the middle of the track, too. The people there are the bestest, though, from Sam and his family, to the best track marshall anywhere.* I haven't been back since the partial repave a year ago last fall- I heard it improved things quite a bit, but the place really needs a couple mill thrown at it, which will never happen, ever. Still, it's worth the drive, at least once in your life. Cheers, Lance
Well.... neither Grattan nor BeaveRun are in teh same ballpark as Mid-Ohio IMO and I've logged a lot of time at all three. Grattan only looks expensive... Seriously, Grattan is a track that is tons of fun and can ber run CW and CCW with equal fun. I like it best CCW or "backwards" but not everyone shares my passion. If you can ride at Grattan you can ride anywhere. For 09 we have opened the pool to our riders and have some cool program options available via the Grattan Track Day Club. BeaveRun is cool but I just never really got "friendly" with it and both Bonnie and I both have had big crashes there. I have a lot of fun there and our riders all seem to like it a lot. Mid-Ohio flat out rocks. It is my favorite track (Grattan and Barber tied for Second). Part is that it has something for everyone and I ride there a lot. Since the repave the surface is great but slippery when wet. Try em all and pick a favorite.
Great description Lance and its even better going Counter-Clockwise (backwards) Just as much fun as Mid-Ohio in my opinion.
Thanks Mark, I really need to get back there. I don't miss much about Michigan, but I miss Grattan and the friends that I've made riding there.:up:
Thanks to all for the informative replies. Just to confirm: was the recent repave at Grattan a partial or full? I gather it was partial?
Grattan is a riot!! My first lap, I thought....Hoolllyyy CRAP what did I get myself into...but before lunch I was in love with it. I agree with Monte...Mid Ohio is my fave. I live 20 minutes from the Beav...and am losing my attraction to it a little more every time I ride it. I wish they would build the south course. BTW, Jeff, are you related to Ric and Michelle Crowell, or their daughters Janine and Tracy?
Grattan has a great layout. You'll be hard pressed to find a more technical track. Mid-Ohio would compare, as it's technical as well. Both have great elevation changes also. BeaveRun is a lot of fun. Short track, basic layout. Still a good time though.
Grattan is where I started, and will always be special to me. But after riding Southern tracks for a couple years I saw it in a new light when I went back. Hopefully the repave helped. That layout with fresh pavement would be heaven.
grattan is like a dirt bike course .. it's the only track where I've gone air born, and then you look ahead ... "hey where did that pond come from? Oh shit, drop the bike quickly to the right, and the you hit this 180 degree bank" mid-ohio is easily one of my favorite tracks, when it's not raining.
I'll always have a soft spot for Grattan. Its the track I've put the most laps in on by far. I haven't been back there in about 5 years though as I live in Buffalo now. Definitely a fun track. I'd love to get back there even for a track day.
