Road America
Road America claims to be the "World's Fastest Permanent Road Course," with a whooping speed average of 95 mph, and there are not many other raceways able to object to that. It was paved in April 1955 in 640 acres (260 ha) of rolling hills in the Kettle Moraine, on Elkhart Lake, 60 miles north of Milwaukee. Clif Tufte, a highway engineer, came up with the idea of building a road course after Elkhart Lake's authorities banned street racing in the early 1950s. The 4.04-mile track with 14 turns he designed and built is a staple part of many high-profile motorsports series such as WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IndyCar, NASCAR Cup, NASCAR Xfinity, MotoAmerica, the American Le Mans, and many others. The combined audience of these events is over 800,000 spectators every year.
The humid continental climate of Wisconsin means there's mild summer with lots of rainfall and cold, snowy winters with temperatures under 30 °F. Nevertheless, motorsports never stop in Road America, with more than 400 events a year like the famous Winter Autocross Series, taking place no matter who harsh climate conditions are. The track's layout is optimal for high speeds, with long straightaways and sweepers featuring spectacular elevation changes like the one nearing the final line, which looks like a vertical wall from the driver's seat.
Road America's Current configuration preserves the 6.472-kilometer 'National Park of Speed' layout that has defined Wisconsin road racing since 1955, featuring 14 turns across 259-hectare facility near Elkhart Lake where recent repaving modernized surface characteristics while maintaining the circuit's fundamentally unchanged geometry that makes it North America's premier natural-terrain road course. This FIA Grade Two circuit combines long straights rewarding top speed with technical sections demanding precision through corners following natural landscape contours rather than bulldozed flat design, creating the balanced character that attracts IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, and numerous club racing organizations year-round. The Current designation distinguishes this modern-surface variant from historical configurations, though Road America's layout remains remarkably consistent with founder Clif Tufte's 1955 original vision where minimal geometry changes across seven decades demonstrate timeless circuit design.
The Current configuration's character derives from preserved classic layout combined with contemporary surface quality. Recent repaving created the 'National Park of Speed' descriptor celebrating smooth asphalt and modern grip levels, but the 14-turn geometry maintains traditional challenges: Turn 5's off-camber Carousel demands precise line selection, the Kink's high-speed compression tests courage at 240+ kph, Turn 12's hairpin requires patience before Canada Corner's final complex. The 6.47-kilometer distance creates lap times around 2:00-2:10 for professional prototypes and open-wheel cars, making it one of North America's longest permanent road courses where mistakes in any of 14 corners cost significant recovery time. Wisconsin's continental climate creates dramatic seasonal variation—summer events see track temperatures approaching 40°C while spring and fall races operate in cool conditions, with afternoon thunderstorms common during racing season. Road America's 640-hectare facility preserves vast run-off areas and spectator viewing opportunities across natural amphitheater terrain. The Current configuration particularly showcases how classic 1950s circuit design remains relevant in modern motorsport, where recent surface improvements enhance rather than compromise the fundamental layout that established Road America's reputation as North America's most complete natural-terrain road racing challenge.
