"Dakotahound" (dakotahound)
06/14/2019 at 08:33 • Filed to: Track, Race Track, EMT, Firetruck
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"Dakotahound" (dakotahound)
06/14/2019 at 08:33 • Filed to: Track, Race Track, EMT, Firetruck | 7
| 9 |
One day, shortly after moving into our new home, I was looking around the area on Google Maps. About two miles away, I saw this:
Mystery Track
It is only visible on the satellite view, not on the map view, and the area is not labeled on the map. My first thought was that it is a go-kart track. The roads are about 20 ft. wide and the course is about 600 ft. diagonally from the upper right to the lower left . I estimate that the track is a little over 0.5 miles long. When I zoomed in, I could see this:
Mystery Track Closeup
I drove around, but there is no way to get close to the track, and all of the roads that might lead into the area are gated and locked. There is also no way to see into the area. None of the cars in the photograph are parked on public roads; they are all inside the gates.
I started asking people about it, but they usually just looked at me like I was crazy – no one had ever heard of it. Apparently, no one had ever seen it on the satellite view.
Last week, by chance, I was talking to an EMT driver. He told me that this week, he would be in training, and that the training course was near where I lived. So, it is a training track for EMT and fire engine drivers – mystery solved.
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> Dakotahound
06/14/2019 at 08:47 |
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For a while, the SCCA used the sheriff’s training track in OKC. Worth a shot to see if they’d give a local group access (with lots of waivers)!
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Dakotahound
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/14/2019 at 08:49 |
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Yes, it would make an interesting track - lots of turns and a reasonable straight.
66P1800inpieces
> Dakotahound
06/14/2019 at 09:36 |
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Night time electric go-cart shenanigans.
t0ast
> Dakotahound
06/14/2019 at 09:55 |
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Yep, training course is what came to mind here, though only because the KC Region SCCA regularly makes use of a similar facility owned by a nearby community college. There is only so much diversity in design that it will support since we have to dedicate the central pad to parking/grid (100+ attendees) and leave a lot of room for error between the course and the
southern pond, but the mixed surfaces help keep things interesting.
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Dakotahound
> t0ast
06/14/2019 at 09:59 |
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That looks like a great design. You could make a lot of different courses from that layout.
boredalways
> Dakotahound
06/14/2019 at 10:13 |
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Tell them it’s taxpayers funded and you have a right to lap the track once a year in a gokart!
Even if you are limited to 15 minutes.
ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> Dakotahound
06/14/2019 at 10:16 |
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The northern NM SCCA region ran autocrosses at the NM State Police track for many years until a change of administration decided no outside groups could use DPS facilities. That track was basically a big cross with a wide loop road around the outside of it. We learned that at times the instructors would use our chalk cone markings on Monday and have students run the autocross course.
While it was a shame to lose a location, it wasn’t really a proper autocross location. The track was basically a big cross with a couple of mile long, wide loop road going around the outside. It also had considerable drop offs at the edge of the pavement, so off course excursions in a big way were a thing that happened from time to time. The other problem with that layout was that it didn’t give a lot of great options for course layout at legal solo II speeds other than a whole bunch of salmons and groups of off set gates, and nothing but those isn’t a fun course. The only way to get a course with any flow was to open it up and use the various corners (and their significant drop-offs just beyond the pavement ) at speed. We usually end ed up with courses where low HP cars like 80's hondas and NA miatas were finding the rev limiter in 3rd gear, which is a lot faster than the SCCA guidelines of the fastest stock and street prepared cars hitting 50-60mph. It was fun, but we really should’ve been running under Solo 1 rules with everyone required to run roll bars, harnesses. Had we run there long enough, eventually some bad would’ve happened. There was often a wadded up crown vic or two around as evidence the State Police students periodically had off course excursions that didn’t stay shiny side up.
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Dakotahound
> boredalways
06/14/2019 at 10:24 |
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Actually, it makes me think that EMT driver training would be kind of fun - a career that I never considered.
You know, as I get older, I run across a lot of occupations that look interesting. I wish that I would have know about them as a teenager. Now, being an engineer was not total drudgery, but I went into it because I am good at math, and engineering seemed to be the right choice. Engineering was kind of a default. It is always fun to think about the other directions that your life could have taken.
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> Dakotahound
06/30/2019 at 10:00 |
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“ , it makes me think that EMT driver training would be kind of fun”
I’m guessing the training involves driving very smoothly so that the patient or medical staff don’t get thrown around.
Now having said that, I bet it could be a lot of fun if you suddenly decide “IDGAF” and attack that course like Senna would.