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Revision as of 12:50, 5 May 2006
Template:Infobox Nascar Racetrack
Road America is a road course racetrack in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Current track and facilities
The track is just over four miles long and consists of fourteen turns. The track has many elevation changes, along with a long front stretch where speeds approaching 200 mph may be reached.
One of the best known features of this course is a turn on the backside known as "the kink." Many cars have finished their race on this section of road and solid concrete retaining wall.
Non-reserved grandstand seating exists for 10,000 people, but there are numerous hillside spots where crowds of more than 150,000 may be accommodated.
The facility includes a 0.8 mile go-kart track called the Briggs & Stratton Motorcomplex. The facility includes thirteen concession stands and allows camping onsite.
2006 major events at the track
In 1982, CART (now Champ Car World Series) started going to the track. CART and Road America nearly ended their relationship in 2003 until Mario Andretti worked out a deal between the two. This 2006 event will be held on September 24.
In 1999, the American Le Mans Series began and Road America was chosen as one of its tracks. This 2006 event will be held on August 20.
Road America also holds a variety of vintage racing events, including the Brian Redman International Challenge. The 2006 vintage event will be held on July 16.
The Sports Car Club of America, SCCA, (June Sprints) event will be held on June 22-25.
The 2006 AMA Superbike event will be held on June 4.
History of the original street courses
The original street races, called road racing, were organized by members of the Chicago Region of SCCA and the Village of Elkhart Lake. The road courses were generally triangular.
The 1950 circuit start-finish line was on County Road P. Competitors went north to County Road J, then South into the Village of Elkhart Lake, and West on what is now County JP (then called County Highway X), and reconnected with County Road P for a total distance of 3.3 miles.
A second course was used during 1951 and 1952. It was 6.5 miles long, on County Roads J, A, and P. To date, one may still drive most of the original courses.
History of the current track
After the tragedy at Watkins Glen in 1952, where twelve spectators were killed, the U.S. ruled to discontinue contests of speed on public highways. This was a major blow for competition auto racing and brought the end of a long-standing tradition. The current track was started in 1955 by Cliff Tufte. The addition of Road America as a private track meant a transition from racing through the streets of tiny Elkhart Lake to racing on a big, wide, dedicated race track.
Location
Road America is located in historic Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and the city is a significant landmark for automobile racing history in the United States. Visitors from affluent communities in Northern Illinois and Chicago traditionally vacationed in the community and held gentlemen's races along the city streets.
Local impacts
Recently the original track at Elkhart Lake has come under attack—as tourists and commercial interests demand wider, bigger roads—resulting in the destruction of the original course and streets. In response to the local governance push for this change George Bruggenthies, president and general manager of Road America, had the following to say:
"Road America draws some 500,000 to 750,000 race fans, teams, and tourists during the season. At a minimum, Road America has an annual direct economic impact of $50,000,000 to $75,000,000 on Sheboygan County."
Historic impacts
The most significant impact of this course on the community is its extensive history. Books have been written centering on the life and culture of "sporty-car racing" in the 1950s, , and—as with all historical places—it has an emotional hold on the hearts of many people.
Trivia
External links
| 2008 Champ Car season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHL | Forsythe/Pettit | Minardi | Australia | Rocketsports | Coyne | PKV | PCM | Conquest | |
| 1 Wilson 2 Rahal |
3 Tracy 7 TBA |
4 TBA 14 Doornbos |
5 Power 15 TBA |
8 Bernoldi | 11 TBA 19 TBA |
21 TBA 22 Servià |
28 TBA 29 Figge |
24 Perera 34 TBA | |
| Long Beach - Houston - Laguna Seca - Zolder - Jerez - Cleveland - Mont-Tremblant - Toronto - Edmonton - Portland - Road America - Assen - Surfers Paradise - Mexico City | |||||||||