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‘T'Oetcowe
Welcome to Road Atlanta and the 1990 SCCA
Vavoline Runoffs. If you've visited the track in the
past, you know you can expect great racing, great
scenery, great people and great times. If this is your
first visit, the following guide will help you to get
the most from your Road Atlanta weekend.
Getting There
Road Atlanta is located in scenic North Georgia,
only 30 minutes north of Gwinnett Place Mall and
an hour north of downtown Atlanta. From north or
south, take 1-85 to Exit 49. We're five miles west on
Highway 53.
When You Get There
If you’ve already taken advantage of our Advanced
Ticket Discounts, you’re ready to park your car and
join the fun. Our gate staff will show you the way.
If you need to purchase tickets, they're available at
the gate. We suggest you purchase a Supcrticket for
the total Road Atlanta experience: the cars in the
paddock, the drivers, the pit action, all up close.
Where to Go
Once you’ve parked, you’ve got plenty of choices.
You can wander through the paddock and see the
teams tending to some of the most exotic
high-performance racing machines in the world.
You’ll also see the drivers, the nation’s best, before
they take to the track. Speaking of the track, you
can check the ongoing practice, qualifying or race
action from the pit & paddock side or from the
300-acre infield area. Our SCCA Valvoline Runoffs
race schedule on pages 4 & 5 will help you to
identify the cars. Just behind Press Tower, you’ll
find Jim Fitzgerald Memorial Park, complete with
picnic tables and a gazebo for our fans enjoyment.
Your children will love the playground area located
7*
right next to The Park and the one in the infield
across from the Tower. Try some of the new items
at our Paddock Grille concession stands. We think
you'll be very pleasantly surprised. You’ll also find
vendors offering everything from ice cream to pizza
to barbecue in the paddock and infield areas. Be
sure to check the collection of racewear and
souvenirs at our novelty stores, another part of what
makes Road Atlanta a great entertainment
experience.
What to Bring
Plan your visit to Road Atlanta as you would any
other weekend outing. You’ll want to bring
sunglasses, suntan lotion, a hat, beverage cooler and
other such items. You may also want to bring field
glasses for following the distant action. And be sure
to pick up a Race Program, you’ll find lots of useful
information on the cars, drivers and facility.
What to Look For
The Races — Road Atlanta is one of the world’s
most scenic, most challenging and at the same time
safest roadracing course. Here’s a brief circuit of
the 2.5 mile track: The races begin at the start-finish
line directly in front of the Tower. The cars streak
towards Turn One. where you'll find an excellent
view from the bleachers at the Camel spectator
bridge which provides access to the infield area.
Turn One is the fastest comer on the track and leads
into a full-throttle uphill into Turns Two and Three,
a sharp left right combination. The racing gels very
close here and you can sec a lot of action from this
point. The drivers open it up for Turn Four, a
sweeper, and arc under full throttle heading downhill
into the Esses at Turn Five. This section is one of
the prime areas for watching the race with lots of
jockeying for position between cars. Front Turn
Five it’s a drag race down the quarter-mile straight
to Turn Six, a very hard right. Another short straight
to Turn Seven which, though slow, is the most
important comer on the track because it leads to the
back straight The driver that can get a jump off
Turn Seven will be rewarded by extra speed - and an
edge over the competition - at the end of the
mile-long back straight. Though this section
contains sweeping Turns Eight and Nine, it’s a flat
on the pedal with speeds of over 170 mph for the
fastest cars. Top speed occurs at Turn Ten, the dip
at the end of the back straight. The cars come out of
the dip and up the hill towards the Nissan Bridge,
still under power, but facing one of the toughest
portions of the race course. The Nissan Bridge area
is another one of the most popular spectator sites,
because the drivers like to dice in this comer. It’s
hard on the brakes approaching Turn Eleven, then
back on the gas for the right-hander under the bridge
and down the hill from Turn Eleven into Turn
Twelve, the right that leads onto the front straight.
Look for the drivers mixing it up here, especially on
the final lap, because the checkered Hag is only a
few seconds away.
The Faces — Road Atlanta is great for the sport of
people-watching as well. Road Atlanta events like
the Valvoline Runoffs draw over 85,(XX)
competitors, sponsors, media and spectators from all
over North America, all drawn by the promise of the
best in roadracing action and excitement.
Getting Home
Leaving Road Atlanta is easy: five miles cast to 1-85
and then north or south. 1-985 is seven miles west
on Highway 53. Please drive carefully when you
leave and, please, don’t drink and drive. We want to
sec you back at Road Atlanta for our next weekend
of racing.
1990 S.C.C.A. VALVOLINE RUNOFFS
What
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Valvoline
Runoffs is an annual race competition to determine
National Champions in 22 sports car competition
classes.
Where
The event will be held at Road Atlanta in Brasclton,
Georgia, the scene of die National Championships
for die last 20 years. Road Adanta’s 2.52-milc,
12-tum road course is located west of 1-85 at Exit
49, 30 minutes north of Gwinnett Place Mall.
When
The Valvoline Runoffs take place October 8-14.
Monday through Thursday, October 8-11, arc set
aside for practice and qualifying. Friday, Saturday
and Sunday feature races in 22 competition classes.
How
The Valvoline Runoffs is an invitational event.
Competitors in the eight SCCA divisions compete in
National Points events. Accumulated points for
winning and placing in a race determine standings,
and the top drivers from each division arc invited to
The Valvoline Runoffs. It is one of the few series in
motor racing that docs not determine champions
based solely on final point standings; to win the tide
you must win The Valvoline Runoffs. This
arrangement, of course, heightens die drama of the
event.
On the average, 25 to 35 drivers in each class arc
invited. Over 5(X) cars compete each year, making
The SCCA Valvoline Runoffs the largest single
motorsports event in the world.
The twenty-two competition classes fall into five
categories:
Formula Single-seat, open-wheeled cars similar in
appearance to "Indy cars"; in fact, SCCA Formula
classes have been a stepping-stone for drivers who
later went on to compete - and win - at Indianapolis,
drivers like Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal and Roger
Peaske. The fastest of the Formula cars will hit a
top speed of 175 m.p.h. at Road Atlanta.
Sports-Racing - Single-scat, closed-wheel full-race
machines. Sports-racers have served as training
ground for professional GT competition. These cars
tend to be closely matched, placing die emphasis on
the driver rather than the machine. Top Speeds: 160
m.p.h.
GT - "Street cars” modified to die nth degree, the
most advanced producuon-based race cars in their
field. A GT-l car will hit top speeds of 170 m.p.h.
Production One of the most popular divisions, as
it has retained much of the original flavor of SCCA
racing. Austin-Healey, MG and Porsche remain die
most competitive cars in these classes. Top Speed:
130 m.p.h.
Showroom Stock Basically what the name
implies; street cars with very few modifications
allowed. A popular class, due to the rcladve
economy and close competition. Top Speed: 135
m.p.h.
STAY 3. SEE
HALLCOUNTY
For information about lodging,
dining attractions and special
events, call (404) 536-5209
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