Road Atlanta

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Template:Short description Template:Motorsport venue

Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a Template:Cvt road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams. The track has 12 turns, including the famous "esses" between turns three and five; and Turn 12, a downhill, diving turn. The track is owned by IMSA Holdings, LLC through its subsidiary Road Atlanta, LLC, and is the home to the Petit Le Mans, as well as AMA motorcycle racing, and smaller events throughout the year. Michelin acquired naming rights to the facility in 2018.[1]

History

File:Road Atlanta logo.svg
Generic logo (used since 1998)

In 1969, David Sloyer, Earl Walker, and Arthur Montgomery purchased a Script error: No such module "convert". plot of farmland in Braselton, Georgia, with the intent to build a world-class road racing facility. When a Can-Am race had to be canceled due to flood damage, the series organizers chose Road Atlanta to replace it. The track then began to take form quickly, taking only six months to excavate, grade, and pave the road course.

File:Road atlanta esses.JPG
The esses during practice for the 2006 Petit Le Mans

The first race was held on September 13, 1970. Vic Elford, in a Chaparral 2J, won pole and Tony Dean, in a Porsche 908/02, won the 300 km Can-Am event, with Stirling Moss as the Grand Marshal. Throughout the 1970s, more top-level series came to Road Atlanta, including Can-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA Camel GT, and Trans-Am.[2] The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) held their annual national championship, the SCCA Runoffs, at Road Atlanta from 1970 to 1993.[3] The first road race in NASCAR Busch Grand National Series history took place at Road Atlanta in 1986.[4]

The track was sold in 1978, and was passed from one owner to the next—culminating in bankruptcy in 1993 under the Whittington Brothers (Don and Bill). Business executives Frank Drendel, Jim Kanely, Eddie Edwards, George Nuse, and Bill Waddell formed a partnership to purchase the track. They spent the next three years making gradual improvements to the facility. New buildings were constructed, others were renovated, the track was widened and resurfaced and the grounds were landscaped.

In November 1996, Don Panoz purchased the track and made Braselton the base of operations for his motorsports-related ventures. Panoz introduced the first major changes to the track, removing the Dip and creating a chicane at the end of the long back straight. These changes brought the track up to FIA standards, so that international events could be held. A new pit and paddock area was also constructed on the infield side of the track, allowing for larger events, and a 10,000-seat terrace area was constructed around the new Turn 10 complex.

In 1998, major racing resumed at Road Atlanta with the first edition of the Petit Le Mans endurance race. The race attracted worldwide attention, and included entries from the Le Mans-winning Porsche factory team. The race would be the first race of the American Le Mans Series and included a spectacular accident where a Porsche 911 GT1 backflipped and flew into the side barriers. Petit has continued to be an annual event at Road Atlanta, and a marquee event in the ALMS.

Prior to the 2007 Petit Le Mans, the entire track surface was repaved. The works also included moving the walls in the esses away from the track, with the intention of improved driver safety and better sight lines for spectators.[5] In the late winter of 2007–2008, the circuit was again modified with the reconfiguration of turns 4 and 12, for the ostensible safety benefit of motorcycle racers (the racing line for cars remained essentially unchanged).

In April 2008, Road Atlanta hosted the 4th stage of the Tour de Georgia, one of the largest cycling stage races in the United States. The stage was run using standard racing bikes instead of the more aerodynamic time trial bikes. Slipstream Chipotle won the stage with a time of 19:38.86, while Astana and Team High Road finished second and third respectively. Used in local cycling events, the circuit is run counterclockwise (in reverse), owing to safety issues from the downhill Turn 11 to Turn 12, creating a steep climb from Turn 12 to Turn 11, and a much safer route for cycling.

The October 2008 Petit Le Mans had a four-day crowd of 113,000 people with an average weekend crowd of nearly 80,000 fans.[6] The race entry list includes a number of new and returning cars.

In September 2012, the track was purchased by IMSA Holdings as part of its acquisition of Panoz Motor Sports Group. The intention was to combine the Grand AM and American Le Mans Series. NASCAR K&N series has announced a return to the track in October 2013 as part of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

In December 2017, the track hosted its first 24 Hours of LeMons event, the Kim Harmon Scrotium 500. The series is also scheduled to return in 2018.[7]

In 2019, the track became Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta after Michelin and IMSA Holdings announced the naming rights agreement.[8]

In 2020, Michelin Raceway hosted the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler: Extreme Hill Edition and 4k Races because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In video games

The track was first included in the 1985 Commodore 64 game Racing Destruction Set.[9] Road Atlanta is featured in the 1999 PC racing simulator Sports Car GT and the Xbox video game Forza Motorsport[10] and all its subsequent entries.[11]

The track was also digitally created for Electronic Arts' F1 series ('01 – '02), then modded to be compatible with multiple PC games. Scratch-made versions of the track have also been created for rFactor, Papyrus' NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, and BeamNG.drive. It also appears in the PlayStation 2 game Le Mans 24 Hours and on iRacing.com.[11]

In November 2022, the track was added to the PlayStation game Gran Turismo 7. The track was added to the game as part of update 1.26, which was released to mark the series' 25th anniversary.[12]

Events

Current

Former

Lap records

The outright unofficial all-time track record is 1:01.200, set by Marc Gené in a Ferrari F2003-GA, during a 2018 Ferrari Corsa Clienti event.[13][14][15] As of October 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Road Atlanta for different classes are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
Grand Prix Circuit: 4.088 km (1998–present)
LMP1 1:07.056[16] Christian Klien Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 2008 Petit Le Mans
LMP2 1:08.489[16] Ryan Briscoe Porsche RS Spyder Evo 2008 Petit Le Mans
DPi 1:08.869[17] Felipe Nasr Cadillac DPi-V.R 2019 Petit Le Mans
GTP (LMDh) 1:10.917[18] Sébastien Bourdais Cadillac V-Series.R 2023 Petit Le Mans
LMP900 1:11.782[19] Allan McNish Audi R8 2000 Petit Le Mans
LMP 1:12.653[20] J.J. Lehto BMW V12 LMR 1999 Petit Le Mans
LMP675 1:12.781[21] James Weaver Lola EX257 2002 Petit Le Mans
DP 1:13.478[22] Olivier Pla Ligier JS P2 2016 Petit Le Mans
GT1 (Prototype) 1:15.239[23] Allan McNish Porsche 911 GT1-98 1998 Petit Le Mans
WSC 1:15.510[24] Didier Theys Ferrari 333 SP 1998 Grand Prix of Road Atlanta
Formula Atlantic 1:15.563[25] Jonathan Summerton Swift 016.a 2009 Road Atlanta Atlantic Championship round
LMPC 1:15.871[22] Jack Hawksworth Oreca FLM09 2014 Petit Le Mans
LMP3 1:15.942[26] Garett Grist Ligier JS P320 2021 Petit Le Mans
LM GTE 1:16.233[26] Alexander Sims Chevrolet Corvette C8.R 2021 Petit Le Mans
Indy Lights 1:16.496[27] Jon Fogarty Lola T97/20 2001 Atlanta 75
GT1 (GTS) 1:17.053[16] Jan Magnussen Chevrolet Corvette C6.R 2008 Petit Le Mans
Formula Regional 1:18.707[28] Kyle Kirkwood Ligier JS F3 2018 Road Atlanta F3 Americas round
TA1 1:18.841[29] Brent Crews Chevrolet Camaro Trans-Am 2025 Road Atlanta Trans-Am round
GT3 1:18.954[30] Ross Gunn Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo 2024 Petit Le Mans
Star Mazda 1:19.242[31] Peter Dempsey Star Formula Mazda 'Pro' 2008 Road Atlanta Star Mazda Championship round
Lamborghini Super Trofeo 1:20.241[32] Brandon Gdovic Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo 2020 Road Atlanta Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America round
GT2 1:20.407[16] Jaime Melo Ferrari F430 GTC 2008 Petit Le Mans
Porsche Carrera Cup 1:21.258[33] Riley Dickinson Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup 2021 Road Atlanta Porsche Carrera Cup North America round
GT2 (GTS) 1:21.321[34] Olivier Beretta Dodge Viper GTS-R 1999 Petit Le Mans
US F2000 1:21.968[35] Sage Karam Élan DP08 2010 Road Atlanta US F2000 round
Ferrari Challenge 1:22.845[36] Cooper MacNeil Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo 2020 Road Atlanta Ferrari Challenge North America round
GT 1:23.163[37] Dirk Müller BMW M3 GTR 2001 Petit Le Mans
TA2 1:23.788[38] Thomas Merrill Ford Mustang Trans-Am 2024 Road Atlanta Trans-Am round
Barber Pro 1:24.290[39] Jeff Simmons Reynard 98E 1998 Road Atlanta Barber Pro round
GT4 1:26.119[40] Jesse Lazare McLaren Artura GT4 2023 Fox Factory 120
Formula 4 1:27.406[41] Skylar Robinson Crawford F4-16 2016 Road Atlanta F4 United States round
IMSA GT3 1:27.876[24] Bill Auberlen BMW M3 (E36) 1998 Grand Prix of Road Atlanta
TCR Touring Car 1:28.064[40] Mat Pombo Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) 2023 Fox Factory 120
Formula BMW 1:28.581[42] Daniel Herrington Mygale FB02 2005 Road Atlanta Formula BMW USA round
Mazda MX-5 Cup 1:35.803[43] Westin Workman Mazda MX-5 (ND) 2024 Road Atlanta Mazda MX-5 Cup round
Motorcycle Circuit: 4.104 km (2008–present)
Superbike 1:23.828[44] Jake Gagne Yamaha YZF-R1 2023 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Superbike round
Supersport 1:28.071[45] Garrett Gerloff Yamaha YZF-R6 2016 Road Atlanta MotoAmerica Supersport round
Twins Cup 1:31.950[46] Rocco Landers Aprilia RS660 2023 Road America MotoAmerica Twins round
Supersport 300 1:40.987[47] Rocco Landers Kawasaki Ninja 400R 2020 Road America MotoAmerica Junior Cup round
250cc 1:48.329[48] Alessandro di Mario Aprilia RS250SP2 2022 Road Atlanta North America Talent Cup round
Motorcycle Course: 4.100 km (2003–2007)[49]
Superbike 1:20.731[50] Mat Mladin Suzuki GSX-R1000 2007 Road Atlanta AMA Superbike round
Supersport 1:24.328[51] Martin Craggill Ducati 749R 2007 Road Atlanta AMA Supersport round
Original Grand Prix Circuit: 4.055 km (1970–1997)
IMSA GTP 1:08.639[52] Davy Jones Jaguar XJR-14 1992 Nissan Grand Prix of Road Atlanta
WSC 1:11.670[53] Andrea Montermini Ferrari 333 SP 1997 NAPA Grand Prix of Atlanta
Group 7 1:14.000 Mark Donohue Porsche 917/30 TC 1973 Road Atlanta Can-Am
Can-Am 1:14.950[54] Michael Roe VDS-002 1984 CRC Chemicals Can-Am Championship
IMSA GTX 1:16.540[55] Danny Ongais Porsche 935/77A 1978 Camel GT Challenge
IMSA GTP Lights 1:17.118[56] Parker Johnstone Spice SE91P 1992 Nissan Grand Prix of Road Atlanta
F5000 1:17.265[57] Brian Redman Lola T330 1973 Road Atlanta F5000 round
IMSA GTS 1:17.690[58] Steve Millen Nissan 300ZX Turbo 1994 Grand Prix of Atlanta
IMSA GTS-1 1:18.803[59] Darin Brassfield Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1995 Road Atlanta 3 Hours
Group 5 1:20.000[60] Milt Minter Porsche 917 1971 American Road Race of Champions
Formula Super Vee 1:21.023[61] Mark Smith Ralt RT5 1989 Formula Super Vee Road Atlanta - Round 7
IMSA GTO 1:21.616[62] Steve Millen Nissan 300ZX Turbo 1991 Road Atlanta 300
Group 6 1:21.867[63] Mike Hall Lola T294 1974 U.S. Champions Road Atlanta
IMSA GTS-2 1:22.151[64] Martin Snow Porsche 911 GT2 (993) 1997 NAPA Grand Prix of Atlanta
Trans-Am (TO) 1:23.604[65] Paul Newman Nissan 300ZX Turbo 1987 Road Atlanta Trans-Am round
IMSA GTS-3 1:24.022[64] Henry Taleb Nissan 240SX 1997 NAPA Grand Prix of Atlanta
IMSA GTU 1:24.640[58] Bill Auberlen Mazda RX-7 1994 Grand Prix of Atlanta
All American Challenge 1:26.638[66] Tommy Riggins Oldsmobile Cutlass 1991 Road Atlanta 300
Group 4 1:26.406[67] Al Holbert Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 1975 Road Atlanta 100 Miles
Group 2 1:31.885[68] Horst Kwech Ford Capri RS 2600 1973 Trans-Am 500
Group 3 1:32.900[69] Bob Tullius Jaguar V-12 1974 U.S. Champions Road Atlanta
IMSA Supercar 1:35.388[70] Doc Bundy Lotus Esprit X180R 1992 Nissan Grand Prix of Atlanta
Trans-Am (TU) 1:39.932[71] John Morton Datsun 510 1972 Road Atlanta Trans-Am round

Track configurations

See also

References

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  58. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links

Template:Sister project

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