A 1955 private track built from Wisconsin's public road racing tradition, still running its original 14-turn layout today.
Road America is a permanent road course near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with a main circuit of 6.515 km (4.048 mi) and 14 turns. Racing began on public roads in 1950, the private track opened in 1955, and it now hosts IndyCar, IMSA sports car racing and motorcycle championships.
Road America is a motorsport venue on a 260 ha (640 acre) site near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It has run races since 1955 and now hosts more than 400 events a year, from IndyCar and IMSA sports car racing to motorcycle championships and vintage meetings.
Where is Road America and how long is the circuit?
Road America sits about halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay, on Wisconsin Highway 67. The main course is 6.515 km (4.048 mi) long, has 14 turns and is classed as an FIA Grade Two circuit. Its layout includes many changes in elevation, and the venue is one of a small number of road circuits still running in its original form.
The long front straight allows speeds approaching 320 km/h (200 mph). One of the best known features is the kink, a turn on the backside of the layout.
The course has changed little since it was laid out in 1955. Because seating is open, spectators can move freely around the grounds, and permanent hillside seating allows crowds of more than 150,000 to be accommodated.
A road circuit that has kept its original 14-turn layout for decades remains one of motorsport's most intact places.
How did road racing begin at Elkhart Lake?
Road racing at Elkhart Lake began on public roads in 1950, when the Chicago Region of the Sports Car Club of America and the Village of Elkhart Lake organised the first event. The early course was a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) loop through the village, using County Road P and County Highway X.
The 1951 and 1952 races used a longer route of 10.5 km (6.5 mi) on County Roads J, A and P. Much of that original course can still be driven, and it received historic status on February 17, 2006, with signs marking its key locations.
Public-road racing in the United States had been under pressure after the 1952 Watkins Glen tragedy, in which a child was killed. The ban on motorised speed contests on public highways pushed the sport onto private courses, and in 1955 Clif Tufte started the venue that became Road America.
The move meant the races left the streets of a small village and took place on a large, dedicated circuit built for the purpose. The configuration has barely changed since the first event there.
Which series have raced at Road America?
A Sports Car Club of America event opened the track's racing history on September 10, 1955, and that first meeting set the pattern for the decades that followed. The Road America 500 was part of several sports car championships over the years, and it is now a race that scores points in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Open-wheel racing has a long history here too. CART ran at the track between 1982 and 2007, skipping 2005, and the Verizon IndyCar Series revived the event in 2016. The Grand Prix of Road America is now part of the IndyCar calendar.
NASCAR has also raced at Road America. The Grand National series held a race there in 1956, the Xfinity Series has run races since 2010, and two more Cup Series races took place in 2021 and 2022 before the series moved to Chicago streets from 2023.
Other championships that have raced there include Trans-Am, the AMA motorcycle series, CanAm and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Racing. The Stadium Super Trucks first raced there in 2018, using a shortened layout that skipped turns 6 to 12, while the SCCA National Championship Runoffs ran from 2009 to 2013.
What races run at the track each year?
The calendar is busy. May brings MotoAmerica Superbikes and the Formula Regional Americas Championship, June brings the IndyCar Grand Prix of Road America, and August is devoted to the IMSA SportsCar Championship endurance race and a long list of GT and touring car series.
September is the month for the Ferrari Challenge North America, and October brings the SCCA Runoffs. Vintage weekends run through the season, and the Kohler International Challenge is one of the vintage events held at the track.
Smaller formulae use the track too. Atlantic, USF2000 and Indy NXT races appear on the early summer list, while the Briggs and Stratton Motorplex hosts its own karting calendar. The venue hosts over 400 events a year in total.
What are the lap records and pole times?
Dario Franchitti posted the official lap of 1:39.866 in qualifying for the 2000 Motorola 220, and that stands as the outright lap record for the full circuit. Alex Zanardi holds the race record with 1:41.874, set in the 1998 Texaco/Havoline 200.
| Category | Time | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Official lap record | 1:39.866 | Dario Franchitti, 2000 qualifying |
| Race lap record | 1:41.874 | Alex Zanardi, 1998 |
| LMP1 pole, 2008 Road America 500 | 1:46.935 | Audi R10 TDI |
| LMP2 pole, 2009 Road Race Showcase | 1:51.010 | Dyson Racing Team |
| GT pole, 2011 Road Race Showcase | 2:05.447 | BMW Team RLL |
| GTC pole, 2011 Road Race Showcase | 2:14.126 | Porsche 997 GT3 |
The 2008 LMP1 pole came from the Road America 500, while the 2009 and 2011 poles were set at Road Race Showcase events.
What were the major incidents at the track?
The 2005 Brian Redman International Challenge began with a large first-lap incident. The driver starting fifth, Ray Mulacek in a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, accelerated early and made contact with the wall, and a chain of collisions followed before the red flag was shown. Nobody was seriously injured, and the worst injury was a broken arm.
On August 3, 2006, Cristiano da Matta, the 2002 series champion driving for RuSPORT during Champ Car open testing, struck a deer on the approach to turn 6. The animal was flung back into the cockpit, and he needed surgery to remove a subdural hematoma after being airlifted to hospital.
A serious karting accident also happened during the Super Nationals enduro on July 12, 2008. Adam Schatz, 26, from Chicago, was involved in a collision near the end of the race, and bump drafting was a determining factor. The race was stopped immediately while medical help arrived, and he died one week later.
In 2015 a Tifosi Challenge race during Pirelli World Challenge weekend saw Jim Booth's car launched into the catch fence at 150 mph after contact with Steve Hill. No drivers, personnel or spectators were injured, although debris was thrown into the spectator area.
What facilities does the circuit have beyond the main course?
The Briggs & Stratton Motorplex is a karting circuit 1.3 km (0.8 miles) long, built inside the Carousel of the main track. It hosts weekly summer events on Tuesdays, around six Saturday events in the summer, and Supermoto and small-displacement street bike racing organised by the North Woods GP series.
The Motorplex was built where an earlier off-road circuit once staged SODA races during the 1990s. A 1995 race there was broadcast on ESPN2 with a tape delay, and the loop covered 1.1 mi (1.8 km) and climbed or dropped 150 ft (46 m), with a blind jump nicknamed The Hell Hole.
In late 2006 the track began taking out the old Bill Mitchell bridge and building a tunnel that would serve as the paddock's main entrance. The tunnel was completed in May 2007. At 5.0 m (16.5 ft) high and 11 m (36 ft) wide, it carries two lanes of traffic plus two pedestrian walkways.
Removing the bridge also created a new spectator viewing area. The grand opening on May 31 was held for the AMA Suzuki Superbike Championship weekend.
What non-racing events and fundraisers take place there?
Road America hosts several events away from the racetrack. The Tour de Road America bike ride has been held since 2004, and it raised over $230,000 by 2012 for cancer charities. The Road America Inline Challenge, a skating race on the track, has been held in June since 2006.
The American Cancer Society walk and run has collected $2.5 million plus over 33 years. It takes place in late October, and a Mid-American Stock Car Series exhibition featured in the 2007 and 2008 editions.
How has Road America appeared in popular culture?
The circuit has been included in many racing video games, including the Forza Motorsport series, iRacing, Project CARS, Need for Speed: Shift and the NASCAR Heat series. Fans can therefore learn the layout at home long before they reach Wisconsin.
A special licence plate for the track was introduced by the state's transport department on October 4, 2021. The plate is black throughout, with white lettering and an outline map of the circuit, and it became the most requested specialty design in the state in 2023.
