How is the sprint track at Road America these days?

1

USPKS announced it is going to RA with their revised 2020 schedule, so I was wondering…

…about the RA kart track. I raced there in 2009 in a Midwest Sprint Series race when I was at the big track for a work event. My recollection is that it was bumpy and probably among my least favorite tracks. Maybe just a bad weekend, not sure. Have they done anything to the RA track in the intervening 11 years?

Also what happened to Shawano? That track is my all-time favorite of any kart track in the world. Would have been great to go back their again.

2

They just repaved it a couple years ago and it’s smooth as glass now. Very excited to see more racing there. Route 66 has been there a couple times now and it’s been great.

The layout was always great, but yeah it was almost unusable for big events because of how rough it got.

Shawano still exists and last time we were there (couple years ago) it was still very smooth and the surface was in good shape. The issue is that it’s gotten very abrasive and it absolutely destroys tires. To the point where USPKS allowed all the classes that ran one set of tires for the weekend, a second set on Sunday out of necessity. They run a lot of drifting events up there now and the cars do a number on the surface layer of asphalt. Plus, the cars kind of tear up the infield a bit too. But it’s still in nice shape. Just out in the middle of nowhere.

3

Good to know. Elkhart Lake is a nice little town too.

Too bad about Shawano – that track is, for me, bar non the best kart track in the world. And I did not even do well there.

Running down the big hill in the pouring rain in 30 kart train was so much fun.

4

I was at RA last year for the June Sprints. I watched a club race on the kart track. It looked smooth then

5

They had a race last weekend I think. I drove the rentals there in august 2019… pretty smooth track.

6

I just posted a video at Road America from this year’s first club race. Super smooth, but limited grip.
Was also at Shawano for the first time ever this year just for a practice day and it was a ball. Probably my new all time favorite track.

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Shawano/USAIR is one of the best in the country. Would you believe it sold for $250k a couple of years ago?

It’s location makes It difficult to grow a sustainable business it seems, but heck in some states 250k barely buys you a kennel :joy:

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Best track in the world in my book. There is nothing like it. I raced on 10-12 tracks Germany and on several tracks in Italy. As well as practiced in a race kart in England, France, Spain, and Quebec over the years and there is just nothing like the Shawano. Most Euro tracks I have been to are relatively flat and dull. Shawano is kartings Spa Francorchamps

My list of top, fun tracks is:

  1. Shawano
  2. the old Moran track in CA
  3. the old Charlotte track
  4. Ampfing
  5. Sonoma
  6. SRA near Montreal
  7. Wackersdorf
  8. New York Race Complex - this may be the raciest track I have driven
9

I remember the racing surface at USAIR being very abrasive back in 2010. We were there for the SKUSA Summernats, and Lukas Johnson was quite fast that weekend, but literally burned off his front tires in one of the mains. I think that track has always been hard on tires, and has favored a stiff setup.

Road America is fantastic. The track is super smooth, and the layout options provide plenty of fun possibilities. One complaint would be that the surface is extremely low grip, and takes a while to build any rubber. Definitely worth going there, as there’s nothing quite like being mid-race and seeing cars/bikes going into turn 8 on the big track. So fun!

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Track is coming around after repave. Still on the low grip side but track started to take rubber late last year.

From everyone I’ve talked to about new tracks and repaves, it is typically years 3-4 where you start seeing rubber laid down after oils have seeped out enough.

Have to be careful when running kerbing. A lot of over running of them and there are a couple of rather large holes behind them. Don’t apex inside the kerbing and you’re fine.

Still a great place to run. Hard to argue against racing there when you can watch the big track at same time :+1:

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