Alex Witherspoon will be bringing his Ford Focus RS in the Intermediate group
Event Link:
Track Night 2019: Portland - May 17
Pictures from Event:
Video from Event:
1st Session Waylens Video
2nd Session Waylens Video
Event Debrief
This was useful as a shakedown for the new changes to the car’s suspension - but my energy dropped and I was too tired to complete the 3rd session. We had a lot of traffic on track, but it was still open enough to get usefull data. Also we had a few folks really learning the track for the first time, and some incidents with cars running off-track. Combined with wet weather, I called it quits early. I was definitely the weak link, but the car needs some improvements I’ll need to dial in - the suspension is too soft front and rear by a bit - though it’s close, and I’ll need to play with that. - Also the tire pressure I normally run at 30 PSI cold, was too low, and I was struggling to get up to temperature, and I felt this the most in hard braking as the car was slightly unstable. I also had a rotor warp on me in the front right, so I’ll need to replace that.
Overall, I hope to do much better by the next session.
Event Details
The event is free for spectators, and it’s encouraged to come watch! Hop on over after work and check it out and stay for as little or as long as you like! Children are welcome and usually have a blast, just remember to bring earplugs for them as it can get a bit loud with the sweet sweet sounds of engines and tires. There is even an open time for anyone to drive the track at slow speeds to see the track layout around ~6PM. If you miss the event, I am sure some of us will be uploading videos later to YouTube. My video content will be added to this page after the event is complete.
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is located in Portland, Oregon, just south of the Columbia River, less than a mile west of Interstate 5. The track hosts SCCA, ICSCC, Pirelli World Challenge, IndyCar, OMRRA motorcycle road racing, and SCCA autocross events. The facility also includes a dragstrip, a motocross track and also hosts runs/walks, swap meets and obstacle course events. The road course is almost perfectly flat and runs clockwise with two possible track configurations (with and without chicane). Track Night in America will utilize the one that includes the hard right chicane at the end of the front straight and includes twelve turns at a length of 1.967 miles (3.17 km).
PIR is built on the former location of Vanport, Oregon, which was destroyed on Sunday of Memorial Day 1948, when a dike on the Columbia River broke and flooded the area. After the flood, all that remained were the paved streets and concrete foundations of destroyed buildings. The first official races took place on these old city streets in 1961 at the Rose Cup Races as part of the Portland Rose Festival. Since then, the Rose Cup has become an annual event. At the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008, the road racing course at PIR went through a renovation. The track was reconfigured and repaved with a new foundation in some of the corners and new asphalt. Turns 4 through 7 were widened and reconfigured. Turn 7 was expanded to 78 feet wide and sharpened to slow down racers prior to entering the back straight. FIA specification curbs were installed on the track. The track reopened on February 23, 2008, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and an open house for patrons to drive a slow lap with their street cars.
Below is the schedule for when different groups and heats will be running!:
EVENT SCHEDULE *Tentative schedule, this event may begin later than scheduled.
3:00PM - Gates Open 3:30PM - Worker Meeting (includes Run/Work participants) 3:45PM - MANDATORY KONI NOVICE MEETING (Novice Paddock) 4:30PM - KONI Novice Group: Paced Laps, MANDATORY ADVANCED GROUP and INTERMEDIATE GROUP BRIEFING 4:50PM - Intermediate Group: Session 1 4:55PM - KONI Novice Group: Briefing 1 (Novice Paddock) 5:10PM - KONI Novice Group: Session 1 5:30PM - Advanced Group: Session 1 5:35PM - KONI Novice Group: Briefing 2 5:50PM - Intermediate Group: Session 2 6:10PM - Track Tour Laps (Open to All) 6:30PM - KONI Novice Group: Session 2 6:50PM - Advanced Group: Session 2 6:55PM - KONI Novice Group: Briefing 3 7:10PM - Intermediate Group: Session 3 7:30PM -KONI Novice Group: Session 3 7:50PM - Advanced Group: Session 3 8:10PM - Track Close 9:00PM - Gates Close
- Times are an approximation (Weather and on-track issues can play havoc with a schedule, and sometimes officials might have to improvise to make sure everyone gets the most out of the event.)