HIGH PLAINS RACEWAY, CO updates

[Darrel]

The starter stand is in place.

[Darrel]

The time is near for the green flag.

All the corner bunkers are wrapped with tires and conveyor belt. There are less than 100 tires left out of 16K.

The conveyor belt was used to wrap around 16 corner stations. 3/4" belt 3' wide that weighs 20 lbs per linear foot. The shortest belt was 25' long and the longest was 66'(1320 lbs). We had about 7-10 people working to wrap the corner stations. We did 8 stations on Saturday and 5 yesterday. The other 3 were done earlier.

Channel locks and vice grips were our friends.

[Darrel]

After last weekend was canceled due to a blizzard, they finally were able to open for the first open lapping day at HPR.

[Marty Rogan]

Glad to hear you guys finally had your first track day at HPR! Congrats on a job well done.

Was that you driving? What kind of car was that? It sure looks like fun!

I have my first track day of the year coming up on April 25th, at Road America. I can't wait to get back out there!

Enjoy.

Marty

[Darrel]

Not me, the car was a lotus. Model is on the youtube page.

There was a driving school put on by go4it racing with pettiford tuesday through thursday.

Finally we had good enough weather that we opened for a full day in friday. They must have had 50+ cars throughout the day. I particularly liked the tumbleweeds blowing across the track in the first lap.

jadub--Jeff Winter was on the track with his 280z, he could tell you a lot more about it.

Bolting the tires was a big job, then we had to bolt conveyor belt to wrap around the corner stations. At 20 lbs a linear foot, it was a big job. The shortest piece was 37', the longest at 66'(1320 lbs).

Edited April 6, 2009 by Darrel

[Marty Rogan]

Not me, the car was a lotus. Model is on the youtube page.

There was a driving school put on by go4it racing with pettiford tuesday through thursday.

Finally we had good enough weather that we opened for a full day in friday. They must have had 50+ cars throughout the day. I particularly liked the tumbleweeds blowing across the track in the first lap.

Thanks, it was hard to tell from the video. If I had to give up my Z and get a newer track car, I would love to get a Lotus Elise. The power to weight ratio is outstanding. Plus the low weight keeps the cost of tires and brakes down too, just like the Z.

Marty

[Darrel]

More vids and impressions of HPR.

http://generic-racing.com/phorum/showthread.php?t=4312

http://generic-racing.com/phorum/showthread.php?t=4313

[Darrel]

These are comments and vids by Paul Leonard on the Generic Racing forum. He also did the sims for the track.

HPR first report

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I had a great time at the HPR lapping day yesterday. This track is going to prove difficult to master. Figuring out the best lines won't be so hard, but actually hitting the proper braking points and apexes, and not losing your concentration during a 2' lap will be difficult.

It is very busy ... congratulate yourself on one turn, and you'll miss the next.

T1 is faster than I thought (At least 70 mph in my car). I think it can be a great place to overtake someone, or to set up an overtake entering T2.

T2 was tough for me to enter late enough. If you turn in early, you get pushed out wide and lose lots of speed exiting. It's a very long turn, and it will be proper to dive in deep and enter late, but you'll have to counter that with protecting the inside line (55-60 mph).

T3 following is also a challenge. It can be tough to see it as you leave T2, and you never quite know if you can take it flat out. I got the the point of just a sustained lift, but I think once the track improves and you can see more markings, many cars will be flat out (75 mph). The kink following is of course flat out in every car.

The straight is long, and I hit the same top speed as Pueblo (125 mph). As you brake going up the hill at the end, the apex to T4 (Bikers Berm) is very hard to see. The plastic poles they've stuck in the curbing help. I never got in close enough to this apex, which could be taken at probably 90 mph. I think I'll apply some Rogaine to my genital area before next time.

I think T5 (Niagara) can be taken WAY faster then I was going (60 mph) It has lots of camber, especially close to the apex. But again, this is tough to hit. A lot of these turns really sneak up on you. Not sure if it's the lack of markings, or the elevation, the unfamiliarity, or the general business.

T6 (Dannys Lesson) is your basic late apex, but does afford good overtaking opportunity against those not watching their mirrors. It also allows those with good cornering skills to exit much faster and gain some ground over the next long straight. 45 mph.

T7, High Plains Drifter, is pretty cool. Long, fast, cambered, sweeping uphill. I saw many folks not drive this correctly. It requires patience to enter, and you do not want to unwind when you think you've left the late apex. You'd better hang on to that turn for another second or two. 95-100 mph.

T8 surprises you after you crest the preceding hill. It's a slow turn (40 mph), but there will be lots going on as you protect the braking zone yet, till try to get set up for the Bobsled.

Speaking of which, no amount of simulation can prepare you for the descent into Hell. Your car will fell like is has 2X the horsepower as you slalom down this smoothy. 9a and 9b, although very close together, had speeds of 80 and 100 mph. The bottom turn T10 is another hair-grower. You'll have a chance to not give up any time here if you dont brake too much, but any offs will be devastating.

T11 (entering the Ladder) has a very, very late apex. Although the curbing stretches much of the length of the turn, I still apexed at the end of it. It's decreasing, uphill, with great camber, so you can get on the gas more than you realize. You enter at 50 mph and track out at 70 mph. I think this can be a creatinve passing location.

T12 is another blindy. Not much going on here. Just don't get lazy and forget to clip it.

T13, 14 and 15 .. the Corkscrew. Very very fun. It's hard to see the entrance, but set it up properly and you'll have 10 mph more exit speed than everyone else. Is a very fun left, right, left, also. You'll like to think that the cheering crowds are watching your awesome line as you head back in front of the (soon to be) grandstands. I think that you can take the 2nd and 3rd kinks flat out if you enter the first one properly.

Leaving this corkscrew is also where you leave track to enter pit lane. Be cautious of the car in front of you. If you plan a pass on the inside left, and he decides to leave the track, there could be trouble.

Finally, although the pit entrance to the track is smooth, I found it difficult to see oncoming cars. You basically join T2 right at the track out point, so if you don't see the traffic, you'll be in someone's way. I was craning my neck as much as possible, as using my mirrors as well, and still neglected to see cars at times. Maybe it's my sports racer, or whatever, but there are other cars out there with even less visibility than mine.

All in all - a great track! We can be proud of it. Hopefully we'll have more facilities in the future and it can become a national destination.

__________________

HPR videos

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I'm lazy - these are just raw, unedited videos. But at least they are near-native quality. I took these with my Cam-FX bullet camera Friday during the lapping day at High Plains.

Weather was fantastic most of the day. Barely any breeze, and fairly warm in the morning. Pretty good turnout ... about 40-50 folks, I reckon.

The track surface is smooth as glass, and just about as slippery right now .. very green. The only rubber I saw laid down was where folks had spun. My tires really never got any heat in them, and they just came off track with a polished look.

Curbing is interesting. Only about a foot wide, with plastic poles stuck in it along it's length. By the end of the day, probably 5 or 10 of them had been destroyed. Most likely by Miata drivers, I would hazard a guess. Those guys should just enter RallyCross events and get it over with.

The track is terrific, though. Very busy, lots of techincal sections, always got to be alert. Several high speed turns .. a few which I never got the nerve to take at the limit. It will be great when it gets some rubber down and more markings.

The first ... I'm following Dan G around the track in his Spec M3.

Look closely as he enters the corkscrew and you can see him lift a tire (34 MB).

http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.c.../HPRSpecM3.wmv

Next, my Radical during one of the rare clean laps (31 MB).

http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.c...RCloudyLap.wmv

Finally, a scary moment. High Plains Drifter can be taken flat out in my car IF you enter late and don't encounter dust on the pavement. Enter early, and discover dusty roads, and prepare to leave the track at 95 mph (8 MB).

http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.c...DrifterOff.wmv

http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.com/files/HPRSpecM3.wmv

http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.com/files/HPRCloudyLap.wmv

http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.com/files/HPRDrifterOff.wmv

Edited April 7, 2009 by Darrel

[Darrel]

A few of the clubs in Colorado have had their first event at HPR.

The Z Car Club of Colorado will have their first event at High Plains Raceway on May 23rd. If you plan to attend, get your reservation in.

www.zccc.org

www.highplainsraceway.com