Virginia International Raceway facts for kids
 
Full Course
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| Location | Alton, Virginia, United States |
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| Coordinates | 36°33′42″N 79°12′17″W / 36.56167°N 79.20472°W |
| Opened | 1957 (re-opened 2000) |
| Closed | 1974 |
| Architect | Hooper D. Johnson |
| Major events | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Michelin GT Challenge at VIR (2014–present) Trans-Am Series (2002, 2009-2011, 2013-present) NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Biscuitville 125 (2013-2016) MotoAmerica Yamaha Superbike Challenge of Virginia (2015-present) |
| Full Course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.27 mi (5.26 km) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Race lap record | 1:35.434 (Klaus Graf, Muscle Milk Motorsports HPD ARX-03a, 2012) |
Virginia International Raceway (often called "VIR") is a famous race track found in Alton, Virginia. It's close to Danville and sits right by the Dan River, near the border of North Carolina and Virginia. VIR is a busy place where people race cars and motorcycles. It also offers driving schools and special days for clubs to use the track.
Contents
What is Virginia International Raceway?
VIR is a special place for racing fans. It hosts many events, from races for professional drivers to fun days for people who just love cars. You can even learn how to drive better at one of their schools. The track is known for its beautiful location and challenging turns.
How is the Track Designed?
VIR has six different ways to set up its race track. This means they can host different kinds of races at the same time!
Main Track Layouts
- Full Course: This is the most common layout, stretching 3.27 miles (5.26 km). It has 17 turns.
- Patriot Course: This shorter track is 1.1 miles (1.77 km) long and fits entirely inside the Full Course. This means both can be used at the same time!
- North Course: This layout is 2.25 miles (3.62 km) long.
- South Course: This one is 1.65 miles (2.66 km) long.
- Grand East Course: This is the longest setup at 4.2 miles (6.76 km) with 25 turns.
- Grand West Course: This layout is 4.1 miles (6.60 km) long with 28 turns.
Special Parts of the Track
The Full Course has some famous sections:
- Climbing Esses: This part is a series of turns (T7, T8, T9) that go uphill, then slightly downhill, then uphill again. It's tricky because drivers enter it very fast!
- South Bend: This is a blind left turn (T10) that goes downhill.
- Roller Coaster: This section (T14) is like a smaller version of the famous "Corkscrew" turn at another track called Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The track also has two long straight sections where cars can reach very high speeds. The front straight is about 3,000 feet long, and the back straight is about 4,000 feet long. Even with all the turns, the track changes elevation by 130 feet (about the height of a 13-story building!).
Other Track Layouts
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Grand East Course
4.20 mi (6.76 km)
25 turns -
Grand West Course
4.10 mi (6.60 km)
28 turns -
North Course
2.25 mi (3.62 km)
17 turns -
South Course
1.65 mi (2.66 km)
12 turns -
Patriot Course
1.10 mi (1.77 km)
12 turns
Famous Visitors to VIR
Many well-known people have visited Virginia International Raceway over the years.
- In 2010, part of the popular British TV show Top Gear was filmed at VIR.
- Country music star Reba McEntire visited in 2012 to watch her son race.
- In 2013, actor Patrick Dempsey (from Grey's Anatomy) and former athlete Caitlyn Jenner both raced at the track.
History of Virginia International Raceway
The track first opened on August 3, 1957. It was built by a group of people using a bulldozer! VIR closed in 1974 and stayed closed for many years.
It reopened in March 2000 thanks to Harvey Siegel and Connie Nyholm. They created a "country club" style for the track. This means people can buy memberships to the VIR Club. Members get special track time, tickets to races, and other cool benefits. Other race tracks in the United States have copied this idea since then.
Major Races at VIR
Over the years, VIR has hosted many important races:
- From 1957 to 1964, it hosted the SCCA National Sports Car Championship.
- The IMSA GT Championship raced there in 1971 and 1972.
- After reopening, the AMA Superbike Championship (for motorcycles) raced at VIR from 2001 to 2010.
- The Rolex Sports Car Series used the Full Course from 2002 to 2011.
- In 2012, the American Le Mans Series held its first race at VIR. A new track record was set by Klaus Graf in a LMP1 car.
Many famous drivers have raced at VIR, including Carroll Shelby, Roger Penske, Richard Petty, and Dan Gurney.
Today, VIR hosts many events like the Gold Cup Historic Race, AMA races, ChampCar Endurance Series, SCCA, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, and local car club events. You can also take driving classes there, even off-road! There's even a go-kart track.
Since 2014, VIR has hosted a special GT-only race as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Testing at VIR
Race teams often use VIR for testing. NASCAR teams, for example, test their cars here to get ready for road course races at tracks like Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway. Since VIR isn't on the main NASCAR racing schedule, teams can test here without it counting against their practice limits.
Car makers also use VIR to test their new or updated vehicles before they are released to the public.
VIR in Video Games
If you like racing video games, you might have already "driven" at VIR!
- All six track layouts are in the racing simulators Automobilista and rFactor 2 (Studio 397) and iRacing for PC.
- VIR is also in Forza Motorsport 6 (as part of the Porsche Expansion Pack) and Forza Motorsport 7. In these games, you can race on all six layouts during the day or night, and in dry or wet conditions.
- The North Course from VIR is featured in the video games Supercar Challenge and Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli.
- All layouts of VIR were also created by fans as a mod for the racing simulation Assetto Corsa.
Images for kids
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Full Course
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Virginia International Raceway
See also
In Spanish: Virginia International Raceway para niños
