Greenwood Roadway Revival

[Stix37867]

I saw IAF's facebook shared this but I wanted to make a dedicated post on here:

"I am asking for you to take a couple minutes and vote for the following project http://www.dreambigg....aspx?entry=904 (http://www.dreambiggrowhere.com/entrydetails.aspx?entry=904). You will have to use facebook to vote. I had to click log in with facebook in order for my vote to be counted so I understand if you don't have facebook or don't want to use it to vote. You will not receive spam from this as your facebook info is only used to verify who you are. You can vote once each day and voting closes October 21. We are currently in first place but there is still a lot of time left and each vote helps.

The project above is in regards to an old raceway located in central Iowa that was in operation in the mid 60's. http://greenwoodroadway.com/ It has since been closed for quite a few years but some people have been wanting to repair the track and facility and get it operational again. If this project gets the most votes it will receive some funding which will be used to hire some race track consultants to do a study on the track and area.

Please consider voting and if you do vote go back every day up to Oct. 21 and vote again. This is a picturesque area and I truly believe if this project can move forward that it would be a place that people would come from all over to race at. I have included some more links about the track below:

Google Map's link to the area in question https://www.google.c...25&z=16&iwloc=A (https://www.google.com/maps?q=16299+Quebec+St,+Milo,+IA+50125&t=h&hnear=16299+Quebec+St,+Milo,+Warren,+Iowa+50125&z=16&iwloc=A)

A link to a website about the track and an event they had there earlier this year http://www.greenwoodrevival.com/about/

Article comparing the tracks similarities to a track in the popular video game Gran Turismo http://www.gtplanet....d-raceway-iowa/ (http://www.gtplanet.net/gran-turismo-deep-forest-greenwood-raceway-iowa/)

Thank you all in advance for taking the time to vote!"

I will be reminding everyone to vote each day......your welcome:banana:

[AutoMods]

I will be reminding everyone to vote each day......your welcome:banana:

go ahead. you can remind our facebook page too everyday if you'd like

[Sleeping]

From reading it seems as if the owners have no intention on selling or revive?

[Stix37867]

Where did you read that at?

[Sleeping]

No reliable source. Was just doing some reading. Comments from parade laps and gt comparisons and such.

[Stix37867]

Well it sounds like our local scca regional exec has been talking to him for the last year about this. It's still early in the planning stages obviously but I've got to assume he wouldn't dedicate the effort if the current owners weren't interested in selling or renewing the track. I could see how they might be worried that if they sold it could potentially be turned into farmland with the current price of land anymore. If someone came in with a plan and support to revamp it's former glory, they may consider the option.

[sparkles]

This would be awesome if it happened. Unfortunately, I bet it doesn't. That track is in such bad shape it would take a lot, and I do mean a lot of money to get back to what it would need to be to put on regular events. It will always live on as a video game track I guess. http://www.gtplanet.net/gran-turismo-deep-forest-greenwood-raceway-iowa/

[slow ride]

Yea, it was built so cheaply that it needs 100% resto, but it's a f'n cool track. I drove around it one time when the road rally had a stop there a few years back. I'd love to see this happen, but it's not going to be easy.

[Stix37867]

Ehh maybe I'm wrong but a large chunk is already completed i.e. the layout/design. Hiring someone to design a track for your location and moving dirt to fulfill that design is pretty costly. This already has the layout and just needs minor dirt work to bring it up to safety requirements. It's pretty obvious that the road itself would need a complete overhaul but they probably would have had to widen it anyway. I think it could possibly happen if the right investors were sold on it. Still a long shot though.....

p.s. Go Vote!

[sparkles]

I voted.

Isn't the owner or owners into big heavy equipment? I thought I heard a while back that they used the facilities to train people with bulldozers and things like that?

[Stix37867]

You are correct. It's actually only about 5-10 minutes from some land that my father has owned for nearly 40 years. Apparently he had a chance to buy the land that the track is on for about $100 an acre back then. Now it's used to train and certify large machinery operators. They haven't seem to destroy the track layout or the land adjacent to the track any besides clear some trees so that's a plus.

[SledgeWS6]

I voted, and remember you can vote once per day. It's for a $5,000 grant correct? I guess $5,000 down; a couple million to go. Dirt work isn't cheap, not to mention the run-off mitigation you'll have to set up with today's standards for large developments. It's not like you can just go out, carve the land how you want it, slap down some cement and call it good.

[AutoMods]

better keep voting, i see there is another project not too far behind in votes

http://www.dreambiggrowhere.com/Vote.aspx

[SledgeWS6]

better keep voting, i see there is another project not too far behind in votes

http://www.dreambiggrowhere.com/Vote.aspx

Honestly, I feel like a dick for not voting for the current #2 right now.

[Stix37867]

^what for the gluten free food? Ehh my sister said there are plenty of those around already so don't feel too bad.

When I said before that there wasn't much needed to be done, I meant when compared to starting from scratch. Either way it's not cheap and is a long shot but even if it doesn't work out it's still a better gamble than gluten free food or a hippie clothing store.

Vote tonight if you already haven't. The record is 3764 or so votes so we might as well beat it.

[SledgeWS6]

^what for the gluten free food? Ehh my sister said there are plenty of those around already so don't feel too bad.

Not really. Des Moines needs something better than Whole Foods, which is still really expensive for organic food.

Anyway, back on topic. Just voted again :)

[Xboosted23X]

It would be interesting to see if they could get the track going in todays standards. Also with the future of MAM is more drive for another local track. Also with it being so close to Des Moines might help some attendance numbers.

[Stix37867]

Let's get another round of voting done if you guys could.

I just got got back from my first time at Blackhawk Farms Raceway over in Illinois from this weekend and wow was it a blast. Besides running two classes each day, also got to watch some decent PDX groups run. One car was running pretty good till he caught fire. Also had a sweet evo, couple Porsches and even a McLaren MP4-12C show up but didn't run. Anyways, a lot of locals were there which definitely made it a good time. A lot of close fun competition with wheel to wheel racing. It reminded me of what MAM use to be and what this track could be. I'll have to post some video once I get it edited. Some of the most fun I've had thus far in club racing.

[sparkles]

How far away is that track in Illinois? Is it worth planning a weekend to go that far for just open trials?

[Xboosted23X]

Here is a lil video of BHF.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfG2M2NnLxc
It looks like it would be a good trip to make.
Word is that MAM is up for auction at the end of the month. Banks reserve is 2.5 mil I think. A interested party has a offer in at 2.3 that would keep it as a track but the bank hasn't accepted that offer yet.

[slow ride]

That's a badass run at blackhawk

[sparkles]

That looks like a blast.

[Stix37867]

It is a huge brakes track. If you don't have prefect brakes, this track will be a nightmare. Definitely worth taking a vacation day for. Small but technical...so it gives you plenty of chances to work on driving technique and really learn to drive your car. It has both understeer corners and oversteer corners so you get a little of everything. Oh and did I mention brakes?! You'll definitely want equipment that can handle heat. Due to the heavy braking and lower speeds, you won't get the brakes to cool much between corners so the last thing you want is to go into a corner with brake fade.

As for MAM, we are staying optimistic on the deal. Sounds like they want to finish the track as planned and start promoting it more. Not sure how much is true but apparently the road course was making the money while the drag strip was bleeding.

[sparkles]

Last I hear, MAM was turning to gravel with all the flooding. Anybody been there recently?

[Stix37867]

I was there in early July late August for one of my races. Track was as good as always. Now the parking on the other hand is turning to gravel. From what my father told me when they originally built it, the parking area was supposed to get another layer of asphalt once it settled after a year or two. That never happened so the few inch thick asphalt that is there is really beat up. The track though is perfect. I was sooo close to beating my record there this summer with about 1/4 degree too much camber in the rear so it was really loose.

[Stix37867]

Finally only two days left of voting so could everyone please go in and vote once again. The second place has gotten within nearly 100 votes and winning this will help Eric with his sales pitch to their "experts".

http://www.dreambiggrowhere.com/entrydetails.aspx?entry=904

[Stix37867]

Here's one of my races at Blackhawk Farms last weekend. Took a hard hit off the start after a missed shift up front. It put me back a ways but it made it fun driving back through the field.

http://youtu.be/6URogrGDvvQ

[AutoMods]

Here's one of my races at Blackhawk Farms last weekend. Took a hard hit off the start after a missed shift up front. It put me back a ways but it made it fun driving back through the field.

http://youtu.be/6URogrGDvvQ


looks fun, nice job . i watched about half. was that 30 minutes non stop?

[Stix37867]

Just about. This one was a non points race so it was restricted to 20 laps. The points races here next year are a 30 minute race and a 40 minute race. For you guys out in eastern iowa, I would definitely try to do a track day out there next year. It's not nearly as far as it is for me and well worth it. So much fun!!

[Xboosted23X]

A nice lil bump at the beginning. How common is contact in the races?

[Stix37867]

Normally nothing that major. That was the result of a missed shift up front and inexperienced drivers hitting the brakes instead of swerving to avoid or even lightly bumping the car in front. That hit bent my frame rails in front of the shock towers so it is fixable. The hit broke the differential of the car in front of me so he got it pretty bad too.

Normat contact is pretty minor. A light bump draft in the back for sometimes the occasional tire rub on the side of the car is usually the most we get. And all that is only in spec miata. Most other classes have zero contact but we are the most competitive class so occasionsal contact is expected. It is racing after all.