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Jim (traize - on Born) and I ran the New Jersey Motorsports Park Thunderbolt track yesterday. It's a very fast and flowing track with near perfect pavement. We were the first bikes to be on the track ever which was very cool, but this also meant that the track was very green. They are still building around the track, so dust and dirt was everywhere. As much as this affected traction, it didn't. There was only 1 or 2 spots where dirt had collected and traveling through it would have caused you to slip/crash, but it was easily avoidable. I would assume that since this is such a new track, the dirt and dust will be normal for a while.
Track
We ran the track with the chicanes. It is more technical than the lightning course, but not technical at all compared to any of the tracks we have run (Summit Point, VIR, NHMS). It is a very easy, fast, and flowing track with slight elevation changes (nothing special enough to say there are any, might as well say it's fairly flat). It was tons of fun too =). Sometimes it's nice that you don't have to work hard to get around teh course.
Breakdown
Pit out is right into T1 (pretty much like T2 at loudon)
T1 is a nice medium speed right hander. There was a good amt of dirt on the inside line of this turn that was pretty much avoided the whole day. You're coming hard on the brakes into the turn at 130+. The dirt/dust on the track around T1 makes you slow down a lot, but then you realize that you could've taken it faster. It is a positive camber, slightly uphill right hander into the 1st chicane which allows you to scrub off a lot of speed.
T2 is a left hander in the T1-3 chicane that goes up hill. Nothing really special here
T3 is a blind right hander that crests the hill. I'm not sure if it goes off camber, but it sure as shit feels like it and spooked me a few times. It also caught a few people off guard as they came flying up through T2 and into 3 giving them a dirt riding excursion.
T4-6 is a slightly upill chicane (i think). I don't remember much of this as it pretty much flowwed nicely. As you come onto the straight between 6-7, you crest a blind hill where you can pretty much 12o'clock your machine, but be aware the t7 is just a 100ft-200ft or so past (while doing 100+ on one wheel, calculating distance is not on my mind).
T7 is a deceiving corner. Too many people slow down for this turn. It is a retardedly fast right hander. I have let off just to tip the bike in and gotten back on hard on the throttle.
T8 is also a deceiving corner. It's not as fast as 7, but you can carry a good amount of speed here.
T9 is another quick right hander leading to a small straight.
T10 is a hard right (on the brakes going into this one) It is a really really really really long decreasing radius tun. I treated it as a double apex right. After the turn in, you can carry a lot of speed up to where the track tightens up.
T11 is a sweeping hard on the gas left hander which leads you to the t12-13 chicane.
T12-13 chicane. I took 2 different lines through this. In the beginning of the day i was coming out of 11 and making 12 to 13 a straight shot, but quickly realized cranking over to the left after coming out of the chicane slowed me down going into 14. My 2nd line drifted wide through 12 which allowed me to turn into 13 and get on the left side of the track faster. I'm not sure which line is better, but with traffic the straight shot is out of the question without causing everyone to crash lol.
T14 is a how big are your balls corner. I go WOT out of 13 ease up turn in for 14 and go WOT down the staight. I'm pretty sure if i had bigger balls i'd try the WOT out of 13 through the front straight.
Passing
Even though there was dust all over the track, if you were passing off the line, there was still a ton of traction. Every corner has enough space to make a safe outside pass.
Runoff
Lots of run off, but it ain't pretty. It's all dirt.
Pitting
We pitted in a dirt field pretty much. Very similiar to VIR North. Pavement running across a field (which probably is supposeed to have grass on it, but is all dirt). There are garages, but I guess it's up to the organization whether or not Trackday goers use them. (i'm sure trackday goers can pay the track for a bay as well.
Food
Yeah, bring your own.... Hamburger and a bag of chips = $7, hot down with a bag of chips = $5, H20 $3.....
There are 2 Wawa's (awesome convinience store in NJ, 7-11 has nothing on them =] ) within 10 miles and plenty of other places (gas stations too) between the hotel we stayed at and the track (7 miles away).
Hotel
Pick any of the 3904780235802359823906479582394 hotels in the area....
Final Thoughts
I like this track. It's nothing like Loudon (not good or bad). It's a whole different animal and it's fun. I plan to go here again.
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Originally Posted by pangerang
