Road Atlanta facts for kids
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| Location | Hall County, Braselton, Georgia, United States |
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| Time zone | UTC-5 (UTC-4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 34°8′48″N 83°49′4″W / 34.14667°N 83.81778°W |
| Owner | NASCAR via IMSA Holdings, LLC |
| Opened | 1970 |
| Former names | Road Atlanta (1970-2018) |
| Major events | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Petit Le Mans AMA Superbike Championship Suzuki Superbike Showdown Formula Drift 24 Hours of LeMons |
| Grand Prix course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.54 mi (4.088 km) |
| Turns | 12 |
| Race lap record | 1:06.242 (Stéphane Sarrazin, Peugeot Sport, 2008, LMP1) |
| Motorcycle course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.55 mi (4.103 km) |
| Turns | 12 |
| Race lap record | 1:23.421 (Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2008, AMA Superbike) |
| Original course (1970-1998) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.52 mi (4.08 km) |
| Turns | 12 |
| Race lap record | 1:07.418 (Davy Jones, Jaguar XJR-14, 1992, IMSA GTP) |
Road Atlanta, officially known as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for sponsorship reasons, is a famous race track in the United States. It is located just north of Braselton, Georgia. The track is 2.54 miles (4.088 km) long and has 12 turns.
Many different events happen here. These include professional and amateur races for sports cars and motorcycles. It also hosts racing schools, driving programs, and testing for race teams. The track is famous for its "esses" (a series of S-shaped turns) between turns three and five, and a challenging downhill turn at Turn 12.
IMSA Holdings, LLC owns the track through its company, Road Atlanta, LLC. It is home to the exciting Petit Le Mans race and AMA motorcycle races. Smaller events also take place throughout the year. In 2018, Michelin bought the rights to name the facility, which is why it's now called Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Contents
History of Road Atlanta
In 1969, three people named David Sloyer, Earl Walker, and Arthur Montgomery bought a large piece of land. It was 750 acres (300 ha) of farmland in Braselton, Georgia. Their goal was to build a top-notch road racing track.
A big race series called Can-Am needed a new place to race because of flood damage at another track. They chose Road Atlanta as the replacement. This made the track get built very quickly. It took only six months to dig, shape, and pave the entire race course.
First Race and Early Years
The very first race at Road Atlanta happened on September 13, 1970. Vic Elford started from the best position (called "pole position") in his Chaparral 2J car. Tony Dean won the 300 km Can-Am race in his Porsche 908/02. Famous race car driver Stirling Moss was the special guest for the event.
Throughout the 1970s, more major racing series came to Road Atlanta. These included Can-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA Camel GT, and Trans-Am. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) held their yearly national championship races, called the SCCA Runoffs, at Road Atlanta from 1970 to 1993. The first ever road race in NASCAR Busch Grand National Series history took place here in 1986.
Changes in Ownership and Upgrades
Road Atlanta was sold in 1978. Over the years, it changed owners several times. In 1993, it faced financial difficulties under the Whittington Brothers. A group of business people then formed a partnership to buy the track. They spent the next three years making many improvements. New buildings were built, old ones were updated, and the track itself was made wider and got a new surface. The grounds around the track were also improved.
In November 1996, Don Panoz bought the track. He made Braselton, Georgia, the center for his racing businesses. Panoz made the first big changes to the track layout. He removed a section called "the Dip" and added a chicane (a tight S-shaped turn) at the end of the long back straight. These changes helped the track meet FIA standards. This meant that big international races could now be held there. A new pit and paddock area was also built inside the track, allowing for larger events. A large seating area for 10,000 fans was added around the new Turn 10.
The Petit Le Mans and Recent History
In 1998, major racing returned to Road Atlanta with the first Petit Le Mans endurance race. This race became very popular worldwide. It even included cars from the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The Petit Le Mans was the first race of the American Le Mans Series. It quickly became a very important yearly event for the series.
Before the 2007 Petit Le Mans, the entire track surface was repaved. The walls in the "esses" section were also moved further away from the track. This was done to make it safer for drivers and give spectators a better view. In late 2007 and early 2008, turns 4 and 12 were changed again. This was mainly to improve safety for motorcycle racers.
In April 2008, Road Atlanta hosted a stage of the Tour de Georgia. This was a major cycling race in the United States. The cyclists rode standard racing bikes on the track. The circuit is run in reverse for cycling events. This creates a steep climb and a safer route for bikes.
The October 2008 Petit Le Mans attracted a huge crowd. Over four days, 113,000 people visited, with nearly 80,000 fans on the main race weekend.
In September 2012, IMSA Holdings bought the track. This was part of a bigger deal to combine the Grand-Am and American Le Mans Series. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East also announced its return to the track in October 2013.
In December 2017, the track hosted its first 24 Hours of LeMons event. This is a fun endurance race for very cheap cars. The series returned in 2018.
In 2019, the track officially became Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. This happened after Michelin and IMSA Holdings made a naming rights agreement. In 2020, the track even hosted the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler and 4k Races. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it provided a safe outdoor space for the event.
Road Atlanta in Video Games
Road Atlanta is a popular track in many video games. It has been a main course in the Xbox video game Forza Motorsport and its sequels. It also appeared in the 1999 PC racing simulator Sports Car GT.
The track was digitally created for Electronic Arts' F1 series (´01 – ´02). Fans have also made versions of the track for other PC games like rFactor, Papyrus' NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, and BeamNG.drive. You can also find it in the PlayStation 2 game Le Mans 24 Hours and on iRacing.com.
Events Held at Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta hosts many exciting racing events throughout the year.
Current Events
- IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
- Petit Le Mans
- IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (formerly IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge)
- IMSA Cooper Tires Prototype Lites
- IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Yokohama
- Formula D
- Drift Atlanta
- Trans-Am Series
- Historic Sportscar Racing
- The Mitty
- American Endurance Racing
- TireRack.com ChampCar Endurance Series
- 24 Hours of LeMons presented by Yokohama
- National Auto Sport Association
- Sports Car Club of America
- Global Time Attack
- Z Nationals 2017
The facility is also home to the Skip Barber Racing School, where people can learn how to race.
Former Events
- Indy Lights (2001)
- NASCAR Busch Series (1986 & 1987)
- NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (2013)
- Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires (1999–2010, 2012)
- Star Mazda Series - East Championship (1999–2004)
- Cooper Tires USF2000 (2010)
- Can-Am (1970–1974, 1978–1979, 1982, 1984)
- AMA National Championship (1971–1974, 1980, 1986–1988)
- SCCA National Championship Runoffs (1970–1993)
- SCCA Formula Super Vee Championship (1971–1975, 1979, 1989–1990)
- SCCA Continental Championship (1972–1973, 1975)
- IMSA GT Championship (1973–1992, 1994–1998)
- AMA Superbike (1980, 1986–1990, 1993–1994, 1998–2010, 2012)
- American Le Mans Series (1999–2013)
- Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series (2013)
- World Karting Association
See also
In Spanish: Road Atlanta para niños
