Moving to Southeast Indiana - Where to ride?

You'd be hard pressed to find an area with more riding within a five hour radius. I'm in Indy and ride flat track, mx, supermoto, enduro, tracks days, and wifey does some sport bike races. Pm me and I can get you up to speed on other facilities if you do other riding. Big indoor week at a few places next week. A place in KY does indoor TT in the spring. You name it u can do it. Ice racing at Cedar Lake starts in a couple weekends too. Oval and road course.

As for big tracks: Autobahn north/south/combined, blackhawk, mid Ohio, Putnam, gingerman, grattan, road america, Nashville, and Nelson are just off the top off my head.

Lots to do. PM me if you are looking for other types of riding areas for other bikes.

 

are we thinking of the same putnam park?!

 

I don't know the last time Putnam was repaved but it's fine. I cannot think of any turn where the track would need it. Even any time soon.

 

Putnam does have an old surface but it's still in great shape. It has a few ripples but nothing too bad. It is abrasive on tires though, great grip. Turn 10 is the only turn with less than ideal runoff but still not much to worry. It's a great flowing, easy to learn track that's a blast to ride. Might be my favorite track....highly recommended :up:

 

Actually.... the guy that sold me my SV rode on that track (Bluegrass Motorsports Club). He knows someone involved with the whole situation. So he got on the finished track for a few hot laps. If you don't believe me he's on this web site quite a bit. Racer237, his name is Joe. :up:

 

easily one of my favorites, probably one of my strongest tracks, so many passing opportunities... it figures no one races there. like you siad, i don't mind the abrasive surface considering the crazy grip it provides and the only area that's starting to show signs of wear is driving out of 9. it's not that bad though and definitely doesn't need a repave anytime soon. i dunno where grant came up with that...?

 

There's a video of a bunch of cars making laps there also. Maybe I should take a snowmobile there!:up:

 

Just seemed noticeably rougher than just last year like the freeze season was really hard on it. And being from the Midwest it seems that freeze damage doubles every year so just kind of expecting it to go to hell by 2011/12. Honestly, with more thought it's just 2/3/4 that seem really rough to me. The tight line through 2 seemed like it was 6 inches wide before you were in some confidence sapping rumble strip feeling crap. The breaking zone from 3 to 4 felt the same. Maybe I'm just not good enough to ride through it with confidence or my fork needs a rebuild.

That said, neither Barber nor Road Atlantas surface give me anything like the impression Putnam did. Again, it's not the whole thing but from 2009 to 2010 I noticed a bunch more chop through there.

 

Interesting...I didn't make it to Putnam in 2010.

 

I've been going to Putnam since '94.
It's a nice little track and close to home.
Sounds like you may not have made it to Barber yet?
Go to Barber one time, and you'll forget that Putnam ever existed. :up:

 

I've done 2 trackdays and 1 WERA race there. It is the finest facility I've been too, it's as smooth as glass, but it's an 8 hour drive to get there. Putnam is 45 minutes from home...that's why I like Putnam so much. I like Rd Atlanta as much as Putnam also, just a longer drive. I wish we raced at IRP and Putnam, just a bummer being in Indiana and not any races here. Then the Bluegrass mishap...

The Barber Museum is worthy of an all day visit also!!!:up:

 

MCRA will be putting trackdays on at putnam park this year, we lost our track at gateway, we will be having club racing along with the trackday and there will be expert and amature gt as well as exprt and amature gt lights with a sportsman class for new racers, there will also be a race clinic for those wanting to get thier race lisence as well as a try the track group for newbies wanting to try the track dates are posted on putnam parks web site more info on MCRA is on our web site soon to be updated MIDWEST CAFE RACING ASSOCIATION please plan on attending and racing, thanks geno

 

IRP was scary in 98. I walked what used to be the whole track last year. There isn't much left of it that is race worthy. Outside of that, with the speed of the new bikes, it's doubtful too many racers would care to go back. That wall staring at you (in 4 I think it was) was not confidence building.

I rode Putnam this year and it's perfectly fine. None of you ran Nelson Ledges when you had to dodge chunks of pavement when drafting, or when they outlined the potholes with orange spray paint. And not too long ago Grattan was working it's way down the food chain. It's a perfectly good place for trackdays and testing.

 

Cycle Jam at IRP, now that was great.
I didn't like T1 with the inside wall nearly taking your head and elbow off.
I got lost a few times going through the parking lot, it just wasn't layed out that well.
And coming out of the last turn onto the dragstrip/front straight, that stuff was like ice for some reason.

Yeah, can't wait to go back.

 

I see them racing little open wheel cars around IRP now and then (I live in Brownsburg and go by there quite a bit). I don't know what track/course you guys ran bikes on but I wouldn't use the same one I see the cars on. Too many drop-offs into ditches with concrete culverts and armco barriers for my liking.

Gotta get to Putnam for something this year. I've only ridden TGPR and Nashville so far.

 

I ran IRP 97-99. I loved that place! I guess I was too dumb to figure out how bad it was. Loved that 1st turn coming onto the straight, especially when it was raining. Then again, I was on an RD400 so it's not like I was at high speed.

 

That last carousel turn was fun. The 1/2 mile straight was fyn. The parking lot.. Meh.

 

I just got into doing a few track days this past fall but unfortunately just got notice from my job that I have to move to our corporate office in Rushville. It was really amazing and outstanding. It was really fantastic.

 

I raced at IRP 30 times, it was the Shizzle. :up:

The first 5 corners were as fast, smooth, and flowing as any in roadracing, dammmm what a blast that was......

I miss it......

 

I have several laps at Bluegrass - Son & I went there to do the slave labor thing and build tire walls back in 2009 - they owe us a track day....

I was able to drive it before it was paved in my car, then a ride in an Audi after the first coat was down.

If it ever opens it will be Sweetness.....