Rocky, you are a One Man Chamber of Commerce....nice to hear the upside of
Ray Irwin's new effort.
Of course I am biased as my dad was born there, at the turn of the century,
in a stone and log cabin. I will likely attend the RUNOFFS as it is closer and
I know it will be friendly. Ultimately, it is the people that make the
difference.
Joe (A)
> Go to www.hpt.com and click on "Road." Can't believe anyone who has ever
> raced there would call it a dust bowl. I have, several times, and dust was
> never a factor.
>
> "Supposedly making improvements"? Once you're at "Road" click on "SCCA
> Runoffs." and you'll get the improvement schedule. $5 million worth.
>
> You want elevation? Turn 1 is a blind up-and-over-the brow and pucker up
> turn. The carousel is uphill fed by a downhill run. 5 to 6 is downhill, then
> uphill to 7 which for many cars is flat out but blind through 7. The second
> part of the esses is a fallaway downhill. And more passing zones (Turn 2,
> maybe going into the carousel, Turn 8, Turn 10) than Mid-O offered (one good
> zone at T4, maybe the keyhole).
>
> Ray Irwin has already taken the road course off the dragstrip so we are no
> longer dealing with the snot-slick factor when it rains. He's going to be
> repaving the whole thing. There will be a new dipsy-doodle between 5 and 6
> (downhill) which will extend the run-up to 7 (might not be flat out!). There
> will also be more paved paddock nearly doubling what is there now so you may
> not have to park on grass unless you want to. And no gravel paths through
> the paddock!
>
> As those who have not visited Kansas before, the image of "flat Kansas" is
> mostly referring to the western reaches of the state. Eastern Kansas is
> hilly. When the Solo Nationals were held in Salina -- about the transition
> from the Flint Hills to the High Plains -- people coming from the west
> commented "Yep, Kansas sure is flat," but those coming from the east said "I
> thought Kansas was supposed to be flat!"
>
> And the weather is better. A major factor in moving the '06 Runoffs back to
> the second week of October.
>
> Oh, yeah, having been to HPT many times as competitor, race worker and
> working press for pro events, I can say the hassle factor I have encountered
> there has been virtually zero. New owner Ray Irwin, an SCCA racer himself
> (he also owns Blackhawk Farms), is definitely committed to a user-friendly
> facility in that respect.
>
> I couldn't say if HPT was a low bidder necessarily, but I know it was able
> to put enhancements on the table Mid-O could not. Not the least of which is
> ample hotel rooms right there in town, not 30-50 miles away! Also super-easy
> access, not several miles down some back road. We've been doing the Solo
> Nationals (1100 entrants) in Topeka for nine years now without motel
> problems. You'll find the Topeka Convention/Visitors Bureau as welcoming as
> Richland County's was. They've already cut a deal with the hotels for
> reasonable rates. Check out the SCCA website,
> http://www.scca.com/News/News.asp?Ref=299 But y'know, AFAIK the autocrossers
> never had to cut a deal, they just showed up and rates were good. BTW, my
> motel secret is the Raceway Inn right on the Forbes Field property, less
> than a mile from the HPT entrance (spartan, no amenities [restaurant, pool
> etc], but cheap -- we always get a kitchinette for Solo Nationals week --
> 1-800-657-7215 -- tell Dave Lemon I told ya to call). Autocrossers do advise
> avoiding the clutch of motels on the south end of town (just off the
> turnpike). Most choose the downtown hotels or the ones on the north end of
> I-470 off Wanamaker Road -- about 10 miles from the track but Interstate
> almost all the way.
>
> Welcome to Kansas!
>
> --Rocky Entriken
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