Buttonwillow Circuit report

[pcaram]

I joined BMWCCA going up to the new Buttonwillow Circuit track last weekend. Overall, my opinion is that the BW Circuit track is my second favorite track of the ones PCASDR goes to with CWVR being my favorite. I really hope PCASDR can find a way to visit that track some time in the future as a special treat understanding that cost is a huge factor.

The track itself is fun to drive. It feels like a fast track because each lap has three straights. The front straight allows for faster speeds than all other straights I've experienced except for Big Willow. The other two straights I got up to speeds comparable to the front straight at CWVR; a little slower. Because of the speed, I wore completely through the front brake pads on my BMW M3. I was at roughly 40-50% left on my front Pagid yellows and figured I would be OK. Nope. Only half-way through the second day I had to stop driving because my pads were toast. One other person pitted next to me had the same issue and the other was really concerned about their brakes. So if you go to the Circuit, make sure your front pads are really meaty because you will need them! Don't go unless the pads are over 60%.

The turns have a lot of subtleties associated with them. Since almost everyone (including the instructors) hadn't driven the track before we were all "in it together" trying to find the best lines to navigate the turns. I was in a special student group where I worked with an experienced instructor (ie. long-time racer) collecting data on an AIM Solo and looking at the results to determine ways to improve my driving. Hopefully I'll have less 'coasting' in my future track days! We both also took different approaches to a couple of the turns and used data to help decide which approach and line seemed to work better. An awesome experience.

As of last weekend, the facilities at the Circuit are incomplete. There is a large building that is not quite complete so our club couldn't use the interior. We were able to use the covered outside patio, however. The permanent bathrooms weren't done yet. The pit area is a lot like the pit areas at the other track at Buttonwillow. There are some large solar panels installed that provide shade to at least one part of the lot.

There is a new Chevron gas station with a convenience store being constructed outside the track just off the 5 at Lerdo Highway. It wasn't quite done yet last weekend but I suspect it will be open soon. Another building is starting construction on the property next to it. It might be yet another gas station!

Now for the bad news. First, there are no garages yet at the Circuit nor are any even under construction. Maybe they will put in garages eventually but it won't be this year, that's for sure. There are quite a few Tesla Superchargers installed in the paddock. Awesome if you want to track a Tesla. We had a couple of instructors who did that. But they are installed right in the *middle* of the paddock next to the main building. I assume they were put there because of the logistics to install the power. These chargers are open to the public; so while your "controlled" event is going on you've got random Tesla drivers from the general public coming in to use the chargers. It's not ideal.

The track is a lot of fun to drive. I can see our Red group drivers really putting down a ton of speed while the rest of us figure out how to navigate some tricky turns.

I would assume the driver registration cost for a track event at the Circuit would have to be higher than the normal registration costs. As a reference point, Buttonwillow charged us about $35K (base) for the weekend compared to approximately $30-31K (base) for the original track. Both costs are significantly higher than the rental costs at CWVR or Willow Springs.

[dcarusillo]

Thanks, good report.
Did anyone at the event have the T on when the ancillary facilities may be finished?