Alan stated “The
spectacular location provided me with challenges that were
different from any of those I’ve
faced in the eighteen other road courses I've designed.
I was presented with the task of creating a track that would
not only meet all appropriate safety standards but one that
would challenge both expert drivers and sports car enthusiasts
alike, while still appealing to the exclusive membership
of the Alpine Motorsports Club.”
Alan has laid out a
facility that offers nine
(9) different driving configurations including two separate layouts that can be
used simultaneously.
Each course offers distinct challenges
for high performance cars, road-going sports cars, sport
sedans, GT cars,
and collector & historic sports cars, all in a package
that
will provide a totally unrivaled motoring experience
for Club members
and visitors.
Alan described the primary Alpine road course, “nearly
three-miles long with 14 turns and a laser-smooth, polymer
race-mix surface 40 feet wide, it leads from the pit
lane into a medium speed left/right/left combination
that exits uphill
into a long 2,300 foot, fast section that rises some
220 feet before entering a very challenging high speed
left hand sweeper
(Turn 7) that crests at it’s apex. Turn 7 leads
onto another 2,300 feet of gradually rising and then
gradually falling,
high velocity and gently curved roadway. Because of the
speed potential of this section, I’ve included
an alternate, medium speed left/right combination, midway
between Turns 4
and 7 for use when lower speeds are more appropriate.”
Wilson
continues, “Turn 8 requires straight-line, hard
braking as you enter into a downhill 180 degree left-hander,
which is the beginning of a series of three uniquely
different, switchback downhill curves that drop the track
120 feet through
the steepest part of the course into an undulating and
faster right/left/right and left sector that brings drivers
back onto
pit lane. Reminiscent of mountain passes made famous
in international rallying, this section gives the facility
its Alpine identity
and is truly unequaled in the world of motor sports.
“The 2-mile East Course turns left off pit
lane and climbs steadily up through a fast ”S” series
before joining the full road course half way along the top
straight
in a sharp,
climbing left-hand turn. Designed to be a stand alone
road course, this course provides the Alpine facility
with the ability
to operate a second independent road course, the West
Course, while the East Course is in use.”
“The West Course is a shorter, nearly 1-mile
layout that is intended for driver training purposes and even
Auto-Cross
events. Slower and technical, its 11 corners will present a variety
of challenges to a driver’s skill that will offer
Club members hours of intensive use and will be suitable
for all
types of road-going cars.”
In designing the Alpine
Motorsports road course, Wilson has met the demands of
a wide variety of potential users.
Alan
concluded, “Every type of road-going sports, touring,
or performance car will find challenges appropriate to
its design while the course will enable amateur, club
and recreational
drivers to drive side by side or pass in safety. In other
words, each driver can establish and meet his or her
own personal
driving goals, or simply enjoy … a fast drive in
the country.”
