Road America w/o Kink
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.
The without Kink configuration at Road America removes or straightens the circuit's signature Kink section, creating a variant distinct from the standard 4.048-mile layout that includes this challenging high-speed corner at Wisconsin's legendary facility in Elkhart Lake. The without-Kink option creates higher speeds through the section where the standard layout's subtle left-hand bend demands absolute commitment at 150+ mph. This variant serves specific event requirements or historical recreations of earlier layouts.
Operating Road America without the Kink changes the circuit's character through one of North American road racing's most iconic corners where the slight left-hand bend taken flat-out in modern racing cars created countless dramatic moments across decades of competition. Wisconsin's four-season climate creates distinct racing windows with the facility operating primarily May through October. The without-Kink configuration provides alternative layout option for events seeking different technical characteristics, though the standard Kink-equipped layout remains Road America's definitive configuration celebrating the facility's legendary status among American road courses.
