Looking Forward: Ridge Motorsports Park
Looking Forward: Ridge Motorsports Park
The Tire Rack Time Trials National Tour Powered by Hagerty just keeps speeding along this month with yet another event right around the corner taking place July 24-25 at Ridge Motorsports Park in beautiful Shelton, Washington. Situated about 90 minutes southwest of downtown Seattle, the lush circuit with over 300 feet of elevation change is a euphoric experience for many drivers.
More than a motorsports complex, “The Ridge” is set in a rural location only minutes from the Olympic National Forest and Hood Canal. The track also presents stunning views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens in the distance. It’s an amazing, dreamlike vision of majestic trees and colorful wildflowers; and an awesome vacation destination for those needing an excuse to “get away.”
A Shorter Nürburgring
Running through a lush forest, Germany’s Nürburgring is a “bucket list” track for many motorsport enthusiasts. But you can skip the expensive flight to Germany and embrace the same kind of experience on the 16-turn, 2.47-mile circuit at Ridge Motorsports Park!
Each lap of The Ridge presents high-speed straights and sweeper turns. There are grip-filled compressions and challenging esses; and blind, weightless crests sure to thrill. A long carousel bend challenges drivers to walk a tightrope between speed and grip, followed by a double-apex turn descending unto another valley and cresting into a heavy braking zone. Finally, there’s a breathtaking plunge down a ridge and through a technically difficult sequence of turns before it all starts again!
Check out the video below to see what The Ridge has to offer.
Recording Records at The Ridge
This is the second consecutive year Time Trials National Tour has visited The Ridge. That means there are official SCCA Time Trials National Tour track records drivers will be aiming to beat during the upcoming two-day event. Some current class lap times include:
Overall/M1 – Tony Scalici: 1:47.761
S5 – Benjamin Pullen: 1:59.058
T1 – Steven Zimmerman: 1:58.236
U2 – Jim Larfield: 1:58.166
Packed Schedule for Washington
It will be another jam-packed weekend of on-track action for Time Trials National Tour attendees at The Ridge. Everyone in the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced run groups will each have two 20-minute practice sessions Saturday morning, followed by two different 25-minute Time Attack sessions Saturday afternoon for all drivers. And once again, friends from Global Time Attack will be sharing the track throughout the weekend, which means there will be a lot of neat machinery around to gawk at and some great conversations at Saturday evening’s Hagerty Party.
A TrackSprint course is not possible this weekend. So instead, organizers have scheduled two more 20-minute Time Attack sessions for Sunday morning, then two 25-minute sessions Sunday afternoon before the KONI Podium Celebration caps off what will surely be a remarkable weekend. A driver’s best lap time from Saturday afternoon, his or her best time from Sunday morning, and the fastest lap from Sunday afternoon’s Time Attack all count towards scoring.
Want to join in the fun? There’s still time to register for the Time Trials National Tour at Ridge Motorsports Park!
Photo by Rommel Estrada
