Nelson Ledges Road Course activities suspended indefinitely

"SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman" (dasborgen)
05/19/2014 at 11:50 • Filed to: Nelson Ledges, Road Course

UPDATE: a friend of mine said this

Yep, more than a few riders got hit with chunks of flying asphalt. One rider took chunk in his windscreen, a couple of radiators were lost and a bunch of other miscellaneous stories of riders being hit with debris. Not good.

and another said this

big shakeup after the bike weekend, the long term management team got sacked, and now this.

I have no idea why but nelson ledges, located close to Akron, OH suspended all activities there over the weekend

http://nelsonledges.com/NNwhatsNewDeta…

Sad news as now Mid Ohio is the only road course in operation in Ohio

DISCUSSION (39)

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 11:43

Maybe somebody got hurt due to something with the track rather then driver error?

Reigntastic > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 11:46

Anyone want to help me make a road course in Texas? I've been talking with my close friends/business partners about it, and I am serious. I figured we would start with a good dirt course and eventually move onto a paved track; treating it like a car club with memberships would allow for upkeep but also cultivate a vibrant community of drivers.

Reigntastic > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
05/19/2014 at 11:54

Sounds like the road surface is shot, to me.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
05/19/2014 at 11:54

I just got an update after your reply..... it's in the main post.... you were right

OPPOsaurus WRX > Reigntastic
05/19/2014 at 11:56

sounds like an awesome plan. the only detail you should change is do it in Massachusetts.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 11:56

Oh damn, it happened when bikers were on the track?

Grindintosecond > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 11:56

Wow. sounds like a repaving investment is needed. Probably some sections beyond patching help.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Grindintosecond
05/19/2014 at 12:01

that's a small part of it all....

Nelson Ledges also invented the tire wall, as a by-product of being close to Akron, Pittsburgh, Youngstown where some big tiremakers would dispose of old tires before the advent of recyling...... Tires are strewn all along the walls, making a haphazard bunch of tire walls.... Sadly, this is NOT efficient at all.....

There are huge costs necessary beyond repaving and cleaning up to make functional tire walls too.... The facilities are pretty bad.

BoulderZ > Grindintosecond
05/19/2014 at 12:01

This. I hope there was at least some planning/saving for it, too. The cost of paving our local road course was eye-opening. I think it's kind of like owning a house. As soon as you have a new roof, you should start saving for the next one, almost. Something expensive is always waiting for repair/replacement. Entropy sucks.

phenotyp > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 12:01

Damn. I grew up near there. I can still hear the radio commercials: "Nelson Ledges RACE WAY PARK!"

Bad Idea Hat > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 12:05

I was trying to rack my brain, and maybe it was you who said it, or someone else on Oppo, or somewhere else entirely, but I've heard that Nelson is kind of sketchy all around.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Reigntastic
05/19/2014 at 12:11

Location? Texas isn't exactly hurting for road courses. Houston has MSR; Austin has Harris Hill, Driveway Austin, and COTA; Dallas has MSR and Eagles Canyon; I'd mention TWS, but its closure is too sad to deal with.

The only real problem with racetracks in Texas is that they're all a 45 minute+ drive from the major metro areas (COTA aside), and getting any closer is going to be pretty difficult with the way the suburbs are expanding across the state. Your only other options are to either go even further out in the middle of nowhere (revenue issues) or be the best track in a given area (read: giant, humongo ongoing investment from which you'll never see a positive return on capital).

I like the idea of another track here, I'm just skeptical of location/success.

Reigntastic > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
05/19/2014 at 12:34

I'll agree that there is competition for road courses, but good dirt tracks are typically harder to find. Ms. Corn runs one near San Marcos, but otherwise they're all just ovals. Middle of nowhere would be the plan, location-wise it would be relatively close to Houston and Austin, compared to the drive to MSR from either.

This is all in the long term pipe-dream planning stages, of course. Land would have to be purchased, and investors located. Because of that, lots of the ifs are very flexible, and can be planned out. My big priorities would be accessibility and catering to the local car culture. Once you have a few car clubs supporting you, WoM can work wonders.

Reigntastic > OPPOsaurus WRX
05/19/2014 at 12:38

The land costs would break my back, I figure. Move to Texas! We have land, and low taxes.

2BWise > Bad Idea Hat
05/19/2014 at 12:41

Nelson has been sketchy for a long time. In the last few years they at least finally repaved the bridge, but it was only a matter of time until the track became unusable. They have been bringing in money over the last few years without any signs of investing those funds back into the facility. I wonder if this might be the end of this track forever.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
05/19/2014 at 13:32

yup

NoahthePorscheGuy > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 13:35

I did a track day 3 weeks ago and there were cones out because it was so bad. The majority straight was coming undone as Oaktree. I crapped up my front bumper pretty had. This is very bad for NORPCA. We have 944 fest in 3 weeks with over 100 944s and other cars coming most of who had already paid.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/19/2014 at 13:39

Damn that stuff is crazy, would be pretty scary to go to a track, and still be worrying about debris and shit.

MotorCity > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 00:00

Great track layout, but surface needed to be repaved ten years ago. And there are still a few areas in the woods where cars could get between the tire walls and into the trees. With the investment needed and the down turn of road racing entries since the 2008 recession, I fear that this track will turn to weeds in the very near future and be lost forever.

MotorCity > MotorCity
05/20/2014 at 00:03

This was fun though.

Stef Schrader > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 01:04

Noooooooo!

I couldn't make it to 944fest, but 944fest! THINK OF THE 944FEST.

...

Wait, so......uh, can we move it to Texas now? Shorter tow for the Porschelump.

Seriously, though, this blows goats for anyone who's got an event scheduled there. :o(

formerracejunky > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 08:24

Sad to see it go. For the past 15 years+ it's been a shit hole. Facilities were awful, track looked like patch work, paddock area uncut. I'm surprised whole cars weren't lost out in the weeds.

While it was pretty rough, it was still one of the most thrilling tracks for the drivers I crewed for. Sucks they hit the end of the line.

RacinBob > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 08:31

Sorry to hear the news. You could average 80 mph in a CRX or a Rabbit there all day. It may have not have been the nicest place in the world but it sure was fast. PS. there is a front wheel off of my X-11 somewhere off of turn 1 that I lost 20 years ago in a 24 hrs of nelson. It still has the hub and brake rotor attached. We just put a new hub and rotor on and kept on racing. It was a tough car. This was the car before the race...

Kinja'd!!!

Teal > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 09:13

I basically grew up at this racetrack since my Dad raced here well before I was born... and is close to where he lived. I raced there for the first time last October and had a great time. The facilities were never lavish and gave the place a hell of a personality. The track is basically a family owned type of business and they do not have the cash to rennovate. This is really sad news and I can only hope that some investments can start a revival of the track and a chance to race here again a soon as possible. This SUCKS.

ncasolowork2 > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 13:08

Too bad. It actually looks like a nice track.

Guy Cosmo > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 13:11

That's a shame. They should ask all of their local supporters & participants to crowdfund improvements to the facility and keep the track alive. www.firstgearproject.com , soon to be launched, is a crowdfunding platform dedicated to the automotive & motorsports industries. Perfect match!

Jason444 > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 15:47

There is an organization running a campaign to save the track - http://savenelsonledges.com

Luke > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 15:54

Latest Update - Please help spread the facts: http://www.mvrscca.org/Nelson%20Ledge…

S2Ksarah > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 15:58

www.savenelsonledges.com

https://www.facebook.com/savenelsonledg…

XCLR8TN > BoulderZ
05/20/2014 at 15:58

To anyone who is interested in keeping this track around and alive, please visit savenelsonledges.com. Autointerests is a local high-performance driving event organizer looking at restoring and reinvesting heavily into NLRC to ensure its competitiveness in the road course community for years to come. Help them by showing support and signing the petition!!!

EvoXGSR > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 19:51

A group I run HPDE track days with in the Mid-West area has worked out a plan to save the track and has a petition up. They understand the needs of this track and are looking to follow through with a plan to save it. Please go visit their page and sign the petition in an effort to keep nelsons alive!

www.savenelsonledges.com

Stef Schrader > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/20/2014 at 20:51

There's a petition, too: http://autointerests.com/content/save-n…

Anyone know anything more about this AutoInterests group?

RacinBob > RacinBob
05/21/2014 at 00:37

From another 12 hour race. Nelson was the north american capital of endurance racing for a moment from the mid 80's till the mid 90's. These weren't races as much as wars.

Kinja'd!!!

RacinBob > RacinBob
05/21/2014 at 00:52

Another Nelson 24, 2007

Kinja'd!!!

Brian Roach > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/21/2014 at 10:51

The first time I raced (motorcycles) at Nelson Ledges was in 1999 and it was a shithole (quite literally in one respect as there was no running water and the "restrooms" were a giant multi-hole outhouse that would induce gagging from 10 feet away on a hot August afternoon).

The pavement has always been dangerous. A favorite quote from a friend of mine came one morning when someone asked if we wanted to go walk the track before practice; "Walk the track? Are you kidding? You go walk the track. I haven't walked this place in years; it's psychologically damaging".

Even back then we were *averaging* over 100mph around this place, avoiding cracked up pavement and potholes all the while hoping you didn't run off the track because the runoff was worse than the pavement and those tire walls are way too close in a lot of places. It's the only place I've ever seen anyone break a set of forks (T1, friend ran off and hit some sort of sinkhole or immovable object; front end was nearly ripped off the bike). One weekend there was a pothole in the middle of the infamous kink on the backstretch ... they painted around it with orange spraypaint and the "line" became the 3 feet between the pothole and the crumbling gator strip on the inside ... at 130mph.

Over the years they made several poor attempts at putting down new pavement on the cheap which would start to disintegrate almost immediately. And that's when they were actually making money; I suspect with the downturn in racing since the recession they've put exactly zero dollars into the place (I moved out West in 2007, haven't been there in years).

NoahthePorscheGuy > Stef Schrader
05/22/2014 at 00:41

no, seems sketchy as fuck to me.

I'm not sure what they expect from people signing a petition besides maybe gaining some person information...

fastmedic > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
09/13/2014 at 22:25

I had the opportunity to use one of those tire walls as a launch ramp at 120 and I'll tell you what it didn't work so well. which finally ended up stopping my 2012 c6 with a very large tree and I have to tell you It didn't feel very good. that being said the people up there are like family to me and I plan to keep coming so long as they are open. Paving the track would be wonderful unfortunately I don't think anybody could afford it.

Kinja'd!!!

fastmedic > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
09/13/2014 at 22:25

Kinja'd!!!

fastmedic > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
09/13/2014 at 22:25

Kinja'd!!!