Report from Nelson Ledges
07-30-2007, 09:53 PM
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Report from Nelson Ledges
I drove at a "Fun Day" at Nelson Ledges Road Course in northeastern Ohio on Friday, July 20. It was my first time at that track. Since there hasn't been much info here about the track, I thought I'd offer a report.
This was my 103rd track day, and the 16th track I've run on (see the full list below) in eight years of HPDE. As I've mentioned before, except for roll bar, harnesses, stainless steel brake lines, and racing pads, my car is bone stock. I was running Toyo RA-1s.
I have to say that although the owners have reportedly upgraded the facilities at NLRC, it is the most *ahem* modest track I've ever been to. Very rudimentary facilities and the track surface itself was rough and patched in many places. (It has supposedly been improved in the past few years.)
That said, it's always fun and interesting to drive a new track. There are almost no elevation changes on this fast 1.84-mile circuit. The most interesting feature is the carousel (in the lower right corner of this track map). Notice that it's a decreasing radius turn until you get a little past where it says "turn 8" on the outside of the turn. It's quite unusual, since you usually expect a constant or increasing radius as you exit a turn. So you head into this turn, and it just keeps going and going, and just as you think it's about to open up, you realize that it's getting tighter. But if you're right on the edge, you can't hit the brakes. So you lift a little, and get back on the gas as it finally opens up on to the back straight. It's weird and unlike any other turn on any track I've driven. You learn to go in a little slower than you think you should, and to be patient!
The next most interesting place is the right-hand kink at the end of the back straight. As you approach, it looks like you'll need to slow more than you actually do. It took me a while to build up my speed through there.
Through the keyhole leading onto the front straight, almost everyone else took a wider line than I did, but I think my way was faster.
Overall, it's fun and fast but, except for the carousel, not a particularly challenging track. I started out with laps at about 1.25 or 1.26, and by the last session was down to 1.21. A Z06 driver told me his best time was 1.19. I think with about half his horses and half his total contact patch area, I was doing pretty well.
The event I attended was the track's "Fun Day." They had two run groups, each got five 30-minute sessions. Interestingly, they offered no formal training, and had no experience requirements for getting on track. In the drivers' meeting they just asked who had not been on the track before, and then asked drivers with more experience to take these newbies around for a few laps and show them the track. They got about 15 minutes for this. Then they were on their own! (I have to say that it seemed as if some of these people had someone -- presumably an instructor or a more experienced driver -- riding with them in their sessions.)
A Vette driver talked me around a track map first, then drove me around for about three laps in the orientation session. That was plenty for me, but I wouldn't recommend the "Fun Day" to anyone with less than ten or a dozen track days under his belt, unless you go with an instructor.
The lack of experience/instruction seemed to cause quite a few off-track incidents, including an Evo that broke a front half-shaft and held up a session for 20 or 25 minutes while the tow truck guys tried to figure out how to pick the car up.
I won't say that Nelson Ledges is my new favorite track, but I had a good time, and I'd go back sometime, preferably with NASA or another well organized group.
Tracks I've driven:
Buttonwillow, CA
BeaveRun, PA
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NV
Lime Rock, CT
Mid-Ohio
Nelson Ledges, OH
Pocono Double Infield, PA
Pocono Single Infield, PA
Rockingham, NC
Summit Point Jefferson, WV
Summit Point Main, WV
Summit Point Shenandoah, WV
VIR Full, VA
VIR North, VA
Watkins Glen, NY
Streets of Willow, CA
This was my 103rd track day, and the 16th track I've run on (see the full list below) in eight years of HPDE. As I've mentioned before, except for roll bar, harnesses, stainless steel brake lines, and racing pads, my car is bone stock. I was running Toyo RA-1s.
I have to say that although the owners have reportedly upgraded the facilities at NLRC, it is the most *ahem* modest track I've ever been to. Very rudimentary facilities and the track surface itself was rough and patched in many places. (It has supposedly been improved in the past few years.)
That said, it's always fun and interesting to drive a new track. There are almost no elevation changes on this fast 1.84-mile circuit. The most interesting feature is the carousel (in the lower right corner of this track map). Notice that it's a decreasing radius turn until you get a little past where it says "turn 8" on the outside of the turn. It's quite unusual, since you usually expect a constant or increasing radius as you exit a turn. So you head into this turn, and it just keeps going and going, and just as you think it's about to open up, you realize that it's getting tighter. But if you're right on the edge, you can't hit the brakes. So you lift a little, and get back on the gas as it finally opens up on to the back straight. It's weird and unlike any other turn on any track I've driven. You learn to go in a little slower than you think you should, and to be patient!
The next most interesting place is the right-hand kink at the end of the back straight. As you approach, it looks like you'll need to slow more than you actually do. It took me a while to build up my speed through there.
Through the keyhole leading onto the front straight, almost everyone else took a wider line than I did, but I think my way was faster.
Overall, it's fun and fast but, except for the carousel, not a particularly challenging track. I started out with laps at about 1.25 or 1.26, and by the last session was down to 1.21. A Z06 driver told me his best time was 1.19. I think with about half his horses and half his total contact patch area, I was doing pretty well.
The event I attended was the track's "Fun Day." They had two run groups, each got five 30-minute sessions. Interestingly, they offered no formal training, and had no experience requirements for getting on track. In the drivers' meeting they just asked who had not been on the track before, and then asked drivers with more experience to take these newbies around for a few laps and show them the track. They got about 15 minutes for this. Then they were on their own! (I have to say that it seemed as if some of these people had someone -- presumably an instructor or a more experienced driver -- riding with them in their sessions.)
A Vette driver talked me around a track map first, then drove me around for about three laps in the orientation session. That was plenty for me, but I wouldn't recommend the "Fun Day" to anyone with less than ten or a dozen track days under his belt, unless you go with an instructor.
The lack of experience/instruction seemed to cause quite a few off-track incidents, including an Evo that broke a front half-shaft and held up a session for 20 or 25 minutes while the tow truck guys tried to figure out how to pick the car up.
I won't say that Nelson Ledges is my new favorite track, but I had a good time, and I'd go back sometime, preferably with NASA or another well organized group.
Tracks I've driven:
Buttonwillow, CA
BeaveRun, PA
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NV
Lime Rock, CT
Mid-Ohio
Nelson Ledges, OH
Pocono Double Infield, PA
Pocono Single Infield, PA
Rockingham, NC
Summit Point Jefferson, WV
Summit Point Main, WV
Summit Point Shenandoah, WV
VIR Full, VA
VIR North, VA
Watkins Glen, NY
Streets of Willow, CA
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