Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Southwest Colorado CEG'ers -Canyon Run or Track ????

I have talked to the two local raceways in Colorado. Second Creek is close to $2000.00 for track rental. PMI race track in Pueblo is $1750.00 Both Tracks have positives and negatives. Here is a link to look at the two tracks;
http://www.coloradoscca.org/tracks.html
So, how many people would be interested if we could get around 20 people to go, to keep cost around $100.00 each ?
The other question is, do we want to just setup another Canyon Run at a later date ?

Canyon Run or Race Track
Canyon Run at a later date
Race Track Second Creek
Race Track PMI Pueblo

This is just to gauge interest in another event. Let me know. -B.

Anything I can do to help, just holla. As long as it is after July. I dont have a tranny! Yet

I say lets have another get together and soon! I don't care were. Saterday was a blast so whatever happens I'm cool with.

I think it's important to note some pros and cons:
Track Pros
safe, regulated, no road debris, no 4pacs of cops
Track Cons
cost, lots of wear and tear on brakes, tires, and other parts

Canyon Pros
cheap, fun as hell , always available
Canyon Cons
85 in a 40 is frowned upon , unforseeable road hazards, traffic, motorhomes, old farts in blue corvettes driving under the posted speed limits


I'm sure I missed some pros and cons. Feel free to add. I'm going to think a while before I vote.

Derk, ur estimate sounds good to me, My two cents are that for now we could arrange at least one midsummer get together, then lets see where we are at and if everyone is financially up for doing the track. Cuz unless I can get a good job to pick me back up financially, I'm going to have to miss out, and I don't want to go all summer without another good day out with some fellow 4dr lovers

Hopefully by the time any of this happens I will have my Thunderbird SC.

i am down for either. i would rather go a track and spend $100 than get a speeding ticket or get in a wreck in the canyon and possibly pay more, plus increased insurance. not to say you cant wreck on the track (buckshot ) but the chances of hitting anything from a spin or slide is less.

granted there will be some wear and tear on tires, brakes, etc., i wouldnt drive the track any harder than the canyon. i mean, we were tearing up that canyon pretty hard. at the track i dont need to see how far my luck will run, just drive fast enough to have fun. and if for some reason you push your luck to far, chances are you'll just spin into the grass.

as randy pointed out this weekend, the only big hinderance to a track day is getting people to actually pay. we can get plenty to go (just post on coloradoracing.net), but actually getting money is another story. if we set it up, there will be plenty of time to get $100. just toss like $10 a week in a jar.

i am down for either as both are fun. i understand why a lot of people wouldnt want to do a track day, but i feel that it would be a lot of fun, and much safer. a canyon run could potentially be VERY expensive, as we almost saw on our last one on at least 2 occasions. anyway, just my .02 .

dont take this as cracking on canyon runs cause they are awesome. ive just always wanted to try driving on a racetrack. i mean, seriously, thats effin cool.

if we do another canyon run, i may have a good idea for one. im thinking boulder up canyon to nederland then over to estes park, then back. i will have to check it out though.


plus, how much fun does this look????

You know what, kingpin, I think i'm persuaded. I would still like to do one more nice little romp through some Colorado mountains, but the track is definitely sounding intimidating(in a good way) and appealing. Sign me up for the track at this point, and as Randy said at lunch, if he just took deposits, I think we could easily manage to have a safe, fun time with minimal worries about everyone paying.

wow, some of the stuff at pueblo sounds rough. . .

Originally posted by Track Info on Website:

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The road course is 2.2 miles long and has ten turns; the main straight is the entire drag strip and shutdown area. A remarkably wide range of speeds is encountered at Pueblo, CSR cars using all five gears in a five-speed gearbox reach speeds around 130 MPH at the end of the front straight and take the slowest turn below 50 MPH. The track is essentially flat except for one moderately deep but steep dip, and parts of the track are narrow and rough. The track surface is extremely abrasive, you must run hard-compound tires and stay on the racing line since torn-off rubber bits accumulate badly in the corners. It is not safe to leave the track surface anywhere around the course except on the escape roads at turns 2 and 7 and along parts of the back straight.

The track is available for testing on most days for $25 per car, NO emergency services provided. Contact the track manager for details.

What follows is a generic description of the track, describing its features without defining speeds, gears, or shift points -- all of which will vary widely from car type to car type.

Most of the turns at Pueblo are sufficiently well separated by straight segments that they may be treated as isolated turns. There is only one set of clustered turns (where your line through or out of a turn must be modified to accomodate the requirements of the next turn or the one after it), Turns 6 and 7.

The pit area is set up oddly; the pit lane is right at the base of the grandstand, and pit personnel are required to remain in the wide area between the pit lane and the track surface during all sessions. Entry to the pit lane, and to the track, is southbound from the access road just behind (east of) the grandstand; except for race gridding, be sure to enter the pit lane (immediately in front of the grandstand) instead of going directly out onto the track surface. Tech and Impound are usually just north of the drag strip staging area on the second access road east of the grandstand.

The front straight is substantially wider than the rest of the track. The starter's stand is close enough to the last turn that the last few rows of cars may not be able to see it at the start. Turn 1 is a high-speed slightly-banked 180-degree right-hand turn followed by a straight long enough (barely) to allow you to get back to the right edge of the track for Turn 2, a slow flat 90-degree left-hand turn followed by a short straight and Turn 3, a similar left-hand turn just less than 90 degrees. There is an exit road leading straight south from Turn 2 into the paddock. Turn 3 is widened slightly at the exit, and followed by another straight long enough for you to position yourself for the braking area into Turn 4.

Turn 4 is a high-speed slightly-banked right-hand turn of about 170 degrees, followed by a downhill straight into Turn 5. Turn 5 is a fairly fast partially-blind downhill-uphill 80-degree right-hand turn leading onto an uphill straight; if you miss this corner you can go off into some wicked-looking gullies and boulders. The pavement is rough at the entrance to Turn 5, and the apex is right at the bottom of a significant sharp dip where many cars bottom out and rub (or damage) their front bodywork.

A short uphill straight follows, leading into the Turn 6 - 7 cluster. The Turn 6 esses start as a partially-blind high-speed 45-degree right-hand turn, then left and again right leading into Turn 7; you may need to modify your exit from Turn 6 to assure that you will be able to enter Turn 7 properly. Turn 7 is a very slow and tight slightly-banked 180-degree left-hand turn followed immediately by a higher-speed flat 45-degree left-hand turn, and there is no general consensus on the best way to go through it. Some cars are able to get back to the right edge of the track after Turn 6 before braking for 7 and some cars brake for 7 while they cross the track from the exit of 6, reaching their turnin point just as they have slowed enough to enter 7. Either way, try to keep as much speed as you can coming into 7 and trail brake right up to the apex of the first part of the turn. The second part of Turn 7 is generally taken flat out; odds are that you fell down out of the power range of your engine in the first part of the turn. There is an exit road leading south from the outside of Turn 7 into the paddock.

A short straight follows into Turn 8, two flat moderately-fast 45-degree right-hand turns leading out onto the back straight. There is a slight kink in the back straight that is taken flat out. Turn 9 starts as a flat moderately-slow right-hand turn at the end of the back straight, and leads into a set of esses laid out with pylons on the drag strip staging area. The path through the esses is not always clear to the first-time entrant (and the pylons are not laid out during test days). The intent of the esses is to slow the cars as they enter the front straight, because the entry is hazardous.

Turn 10 onto the front straight is a flat moderately high-speed right-hand 90-degree sweeper. The apex is at the corner of the timing tower, and the proper line takes you across the drag strip burnout and starting area and the cover for the timing lights (which has been spectacularly dislodged at least once by passing cars). The surface changes through Turn 10 can upset a car, so you might want to keep a little in hand until you see how your car handles, or adjust your line a little to avoid the worst of the irregularities -- but not too much of either because this turn leads out onto the longest straight section on the course.

Entry to the paddock is outlined in pylons, is about halfway along the staging area, and can be difficult for the first-timer to recognize (impound is also reached from this point). Entry to the pit lane is also outlined in pylons, also difficult to recognize, and is further west.

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ok me go