New Track: Palmer Motorsports Park

[Phokaioglaukos]

PMP Whiskey Hill Raceway: 2.3 miles long, 40-feet wide, over 190 feet of elevation. The road course is a 15-turn rollercoaster ride around a scenic and secluded alpine wilderness.

DelVal BMW CCA has a driving school scheduled this year already and SCCA has races scheduled for late summer. About an hour farther away from us than WGI.

Skinny web site HERE.
In-car video

[Jack Ruse]

It looks like fun, but it appears the track will have severe penalties for poor judgement or bad luck.

[Phokaioglaukos]

SCCA and DelVal have assurances that the track will meet safety standards. DelVal told me that the runoff is much better than appears in that video. Might all prove true.

[Phokaioglaukos]

New video posted. Lots of improvements made. DelVal BMW CCA is there soon--wish I did not have a schedule conflict!

VIDEO.

[cmac]

The Precision Track Time group has a one-day event there on Friday July 9.

https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/201...ime-102006

I don't know too much about their operation but they promise lots of time on track...

[Jack Ruse]

I'm doing a mid-week DE in June at Palmer. I will give everyone my impressions when I get back. So far everything not on the track looks fairly close and very hard.

[997S22]

So, Jack, how did you like Palmer? Haven't gone there yet.

I'm doing a mid-week DE in June at Palmer. I will give everyone my impressions when I get back. So far everything not on the track looks fairly close and very hard.

[Jack Ruse]

Palmer is a work in progress. The track is a fun track that will get better as they work out normal new track "issues". 2.3 miles, 14 corners and 200 feet of elevation change (it seems like more) will keep you busy. The track has a good flow with a number of corners that have great camber to keep you planted an your speed up. The up hill sections help the higher HP cars and 14 corners keep the lower HP cars in the mix. The track videos with all rock, most of the time might give some folks second thoughts, but after several laps to get comfortable you realize there is available run off where you need it and you learn to ignore the rock walls (like you do the blue bushes at Glen). The event I went to had a wide range cars and driver experience. It was a clean event with very few off track issues.

Some of the curbing at the apexes and at track out still needed to be completed when I was there. Drainage is another issue that they are still working on. The event I went to had one day dry with heavy rains over night. the second day was damp with occasional light showers. The front straight had a 20' to 25' section of water run off up to about 1/2" deep, directly across the track, most of the day. One car got sideways in it and hit a wall (only bent metal of the event). At another point on the track an apex had standing water most of the second day. Track management acknowledged the issues and were working on them. One turn could have a better camber layout that they were planning to get to next year.

I will definitely try to go back next year. it is a 5 1/2 hr trip for me but worth it.
Jack

[997S22]

Jack, thanks for info. It is closer for me so I should get up there and try it.

[StoogeMoe203]

I have a race up there this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes, that is if I survive.

Any special advice or wisdom anyone wants to pass along would be greatly appreciated. It looks like it's one of those places where you just have to be there. No amount of video watching or track notes is going to help much.