Good track / Bad track?! Ugh!

CMP is a blast. Summit is probably my fav, barber is great, haven't been to VIR yet (but going in a couple of weeks), beave is great, gingerman sucks but is still a racetrack. I agree with what was said before.... pavement+curves = a great day no matter where you are.

 

BeaveRun

NJMP thunderbolt

 

Putnam's a blast, excellent traction just about everywhere in the dry, and the traction is quite good in the wet/damp as well, surprisingly. Only one corner with questionable safety, and there's not many who manage to crash there, anyway (T10). Easy track to learn to about 80% pace, but that last 20% can be surprisingly challenging. Huge pity that there's no motorcycle club racing there.

Mid-Ohio has one of the better layouts out there, the facilities are quite nice, and safety's not a huge concern in most areas of the track. Traction is quite good when it's warm and dry. In the wet, well, don't waste your time and risk your equipment, IMO. That said, I love riding the place, and I doubt you'll find anyone who will disagree with that.

Grattan is the polar opposite of Mid-Ohio. Bumpy, abrupt, and a dizzying layout that doesn't seem to flow all that much until you've turned a lot of laps on it (I haven't reached that point yet, heh... but so I've heard). The pavement looks universally like garbage, the showers/bathrooms are not exactly the Hilton. There are a couple places on the track that are a bit eyebrow-raising from a safety perspective. But it's not unrideable (contrary to what you will think after your first few laps), it is a helluva lot of fun, and there are few tracks in the country that can teach you so much about riding, in one lap, as Grattan.






What I'm getting at is that there isn't a track in the country that some people can't find something negative to harp about. Hell, there's even a guy in this thread who doesn't like Barber. To him, I'd say go try Grattan... But I digress. If you look at a track and decide that it is unsafe or imprudent for you to ride there, then by all means, don't ride there. That's an important decision for each of us to make as riders both collectively and individually (see Mat Mladin and Jamie Hacking at Topeka this year).

But if you look at a track and decide it's rideable (much like deciding if that girl in the bar is doable ), then your attitude has to be one that is open to learning. I have become of the mindset that every track has a whole lot it can teach you as a rider. If you spend your time on that track finding things to hate, you're not going to learn anything (or at least not as much), so you might as well load up the trailer and go somewhere else. Otherwise, get to know the track, respect it and love it for what it is, and go out and become a better rider. You'll never go fast at a track wishing it was as smooth as another track, or as flowing as another one.

 

Very well put. It's about having a positive attitude. A trackday is stressful enough without having to deal with someone complaining about something. It's amazing how friendly and helpful trackday people are. It's a terrific environment. Any kind of help you need, it's there. I remember my first trackday. I was nervous as hell. Drove my truck with my bike in back, apprehensive about unloading it. When I arrived at the track, about 4 people helped me unload it without even asking them, I knew right there what kind of people were at these events.

Cephas you're right about Grattan. It is hard to learn, bumpy, intimidating as hell, but so much fun I had to go back. I could see where it would take years to learn that track. We ran it counter cw earlier this year, it's the only track that has a "jump"!!!

 

:up: Thanks for all the info. And your right about how I'll need to form my own opinions about tracks and not complaining about everything, that's why I was mainly looking for the positive things people like about their favorite tracks and maybe not so favorite tracks. I'd have to agree about one thing said.......asphault+turns=fun. Except for that one that didn't seem to like turns hopefully someday I can voice my thought about a bunch of different tracks!!
Plus I'm still listening. Thanks again.

 

If you're in WV, Summit Main is a lot of fun, too.

 

iv been to Barber and like it its a fun track been to Jennings GP its a fun track and eat tires up quick but its all good cause im havein fun been to a few other tracks and i like them to its all good if your havein fun

 

I've been to all the southeast tracks numerous times and I think Barber is the safest track we go to. I guess everyone has their own opinion on safety though. I'm pretty sure everyone will agree that it's the nicest southeast track by far. And I'm with whoever said Road Atlanta was the most fun.:up:

 

Barber to me looks like a place you could play golf at, that's how meticulous they are with the facilities there. It's a great and technical track. I do however prefer Road Atlanta. The facilities there are crap, but the track is amazing.

 

It's looks used alright... i'll give you that, but FYI.... every year the track record has been broken, so it's not "completely shagged".

 

Yes... you seem to be the minority. All you can do is complain at tracks surfaces that run on "real" experts... as in AMA racers?

Barber is a great track all around!

Jennings, grip? YES, it has still has grip. AMA doesn't run at JGP, but there have been a few top AMA riders who have ridden/tested at JGP. The track record is still being broken usually once a year when some of the Canadian Superbike teams come & test, or others. Geoff May set the track record sometime last year.

The top WERA/CCS racers, are still running low 16's, some high 15's, which is what they have been running the last several years.

Not saying it's perfect, but just that it still has plenty o' grip.

 

Sheepinion of what I have ridden:
Barber is home and rocks, I cannot think of a single thing I dislike other than you get a large number of fast people that are new so a bit erratic on Saturdays sometimes. Unlike a previous post I consider this the safest track I have ridden on by a long way. Most of the walls that look close aren't and have large well kept gravel traps that will stop you. I made the mistake of going long on the back straight once and while the wall looked close I was never that close and arced around and back on track with no issues. The place puts the Park in Motorsports Park. Easiest on tires for me. Great track for little bikes without huge straights.

TGP next closest in and a simple but fun track. Generally a bargain to ride and the pavement is pretty good. Generally a left handed track which I like as an ex-dirt track person The updates to the pits made things a lot nicer. Overall not a destination track but I like it and if you're near it is good. Runoff is OK but there is a couple of nasties that make recovering impossible as you will be coming off a bank. Great track for little bikes without huge straights.


Road Atlanta is further. FAST and I gear up near stock for the straight to stay off the limiter in 6th. I really don't care for the changes to 12 (though the old one was dangerous) or at the top of the hill after 1. In my opinion it ruined the flow of a great fast and flowing layout. Not terrible but the safety is a long way from Barber. Pits are paved but seem dirty (though whole place does). Still a fun track just not my favorite. Seems moderate on tires. Little bikes be prepared for the Gixxer dance down the back straight though they will not be just pulling you a couple of bike lengths (think 10+)

Putnam fun, fast and flowing. The last turn is a bit dodgy due to the wall but otherwise runoff seems adequate. Pits are good and paved (park in the grass and pit on blacktop. The no camping thing kind of sucks but that is not their choice from what I have heard. Seems moderate on tires. Again not really a destination track but well worth the ride and I have friends in the area so that is a plus. Seemed somewhat nuetral on bike type.

Grattan has a great layout and dodgy pavement. I go up for a private event that rocks otherwise I would not go that far for the track probably. If they ever repaved it the track would be awesome for a bit until the Michigan frost got it. A technical track with lots of variety including a monster straight. Pits are nice though the facilities show the years and wear. For me it is a great learning track since it has such varied terrain. Seems moderate on tires. Seemed somewhat nuetral on bike type, with big bikes rocking on the front and little bikes having an edge in the first half. Might favor a big bike some.

Miller is up there with Barber. Awesome facilities and pavement. The lack of things on the horizon messed with me a bit. There is more elevation change than it seems. Altitude is a factor for the bike and me since I am used to 800ft. I rode east, west and main. Main is huge and hard to learn due to the number of turns. I had the advantage of doing west then east first. Of those I think I preferred west though both at good. Full rocks but with such a long track the number of laps is small. Seems moderate on tires though I was running at a reduced pace since I was a long way from home with just me driving out there. Seems to favor big bikes on full and west and maybe neutral on east.

 

And tires, riders and bikes get better too. So I'm not sure how much merit that argument holds.

Let me put it this way, if I was going to give somebody my opinion to check out some great tracks south east has to offer, Jennings wouldn't exactly be on the top of my list.

 

Keep in mind I have only been to one track, and that is Summit in WV. It was raining, and dry, so I got to see both. I think it is a fun track to ride. Now Summit Main from what I hear is the HIGH speed track. I hit only about 120, but I wasnt pushing my street bike that hard due to having to slow down for the left hand turn! Great crew, trackdaycustoms were on hand as well, those guys rock!!

 

I dunno which tracks Ginger and Marianne liked, I'm pretty sure Mrs. Howell was lappin' the Beaver.

 

I have ridden NJMP Lightning/Thunderbolt, Shennandoah, VIR North, and Monticello North... it is a tie between Shenny and VIR for my favorites.

 

VIR North and CMP are 2 hours 15 min from my house. Both fun tracks. VIR is a great facility. I love CMP because it has a bit of everything. 90 degree turns, bowl turns, hard braking zones, fast sweeper...

 

Thoughts on Roebling Road?

 

That track looks fun! I am a fan of fast, long sweepers, and that circuit looks to be full of them.

 

boring....