Story Credit: Jared DePouw
Photo Credit: Jared DePouw
With all the anticipation from being away for nine agonising years, the 100k+ fans in attendance this past weekend at Road America were not disappointed. Between the Verizon IndyCar Series, Pirelli World Challenge, and entire Mazda Road to Indy, there was no shortage of action both on and off the track. Never before in all the races I’ve attended have I seen such a massive paddock, and with the exception of Long Beach and the Indy 500, the most spectators I’ve seen in a race weekend. With the weekend being my Father’s Day weekend with my dad in attendance, he was absolutely blown away by everything. From the size & layout of the facility, down to the abundance of track amenities it truly was an historic Father’s Day weekend for my old man.
At any natural terrain road course, elevation changes provide not only a challenge for the drivers but they also create opportunities for spectators to see the action from different perspectives. It’s for that reason that Road America ranks up there as one of the greatest road courses in not only North America, but the world. The best example at Road America is Turn 5 and the steep hill up to the Corvette Bridge and Turn 6.
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As someone whose only visit to Road America prior to one of the open test days last September was in iRacing, you just don’t get the sensation of the elevation changes in the simulator. There are many other big elevation changes at Road America, the other big one being the lead up to the start/finish line. Perhaps though the most fun hill climb to watch is the exit of Canada Corner (Turn 12) and the run up to Turn 13.
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With such natural beauty and challenge, it’s no wonder that Road America is such a great track for the 100k+ spectators in attendance this past weekend. It was also nice to see all the different concession stands being ran by local charities to help fundraise and keep more tourist dollars in the local community. My father and I stayed in a hotel in Manitowoc which is about 35 minutes from Road America, with lots of farmland and rural beauty to admire. The two of us were extremely impressed not only with the abundance of race fans no matter where we went, but the welcomeness of everyone in Sheboygan & Manitowoc counties.
As we look forward to Iowa in two weeks, RealOpenWheel will be at The Fastest Short Track in the World with lots of coverage between Jared and Megan!
