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United States · Elkhart Lake

Road America

America's National Park of Speed: a 4-mile parkland circuit through the Wisconsin kettle moraine, unchanged since 1955 and defined by the flat-out plunge of The Kink.

Length
6.515 km
4.048 mi
Turns
14
Direction
Clockwise
Elevation change
46 m
150 ft
In use
1955-present

Road America

Road America opened in 1955 on rolling glacial moraine near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, built by civil engineer Clif Tufte after Wisconsin banned the public road races that had run through the village since 1950. The Full Course measures 4.048 mi (6.515 km) over fourteen turns, with roughly 45 m (150 ft) of elevation change, and is one of the few major road circuits still racing essentially its original 1950s configuration. Its scale and parkland setting earned it the nickname “America’s National Park of Speed.”

The Kink

The circuit’s identity is its signature corner: The Kink at Turn 11, a blind, near-flat right-hand bend on the back stretch taken at close to top speed with almost no margin for error. It is the corner Road America is most recognized for, and a temporary chicane has at times been installed ahead of it to slow motorcycles and certain car classes.

The long, sweeping right-hand Carousel (Turns 9–10) rewards a patient, throttle-feathering line, while Canada Corner (Turn 12) at the end of the back stretch is a heavy-braking right-hander and one of the track’s classic late-braking passing spots. The closing sequence drops through the Thunder Valley dip and climbs Bill Mitchell Bend (Turn 13) before the final right-hander releases the cars onto the long start/finish straight.

Corner-by-corner

  • T1

    Turn 1

    • Right

    A fast right-hander at the end of the long start/finish straight, approached downhill under heavy braking; one of the circuit's prime overtaking spots.

  • T2

    Turn 2

    • Right

    A quick right-hand kink, more a flick than a corner, bridging Turn 1 and the braking zone for Turn 3.

  • T3

    Turn 3

    • Right

    A tighter right-hander taken after a short burst of speed, leading onto the run down to the Moraine Sweep.

  • T4

    Moraine Sweep

    • Right

    A fast right-hand sweep that barely scrubs speed, carrying momentum down the straight toward the Turn 5 braking zone.

  • T5

    Turn 5

    • Left

    A heavy braking zone into the first left-hander of the lap, dropping to first gear at one of the slowest points on the circuit.

  • T6

    Turn 6

    • Left

    A left-hander taken up a short uphill chute out of Turn 5.

  • T7

    Turn 7

    • Right

    A right-hander following Turn 6 that opens onto the descent toward the Carousel.

  • T8

    Hurry Downs

    • Left

    A quick downhill left that feeds the long, sweeping Carousel.

  • T9

    The Carousel

    • Right

    The entry to the Carousel, a long right-hand sweep held in second gear with the throttle feathered to carry speed without running wide.

  • T10

    The Carousel

    • Right

    The exit of the long right-hand Carousel, releasing the cars up the chute toward The Kink.

  • T11

    The Kink

    • Right

    A flat-out, blind right-hand kink on the back stretch, taken at near top speed with no run-off to spare, it is the circuit's signature corner and one of the most committing in North American road racing.

    The Kink's combination of speed and minimal margin has made it the corner Road America is best known for; a temporary chicane has at times been added ahead of it to slow motorcycles and certain car classes.

  • T12

    Canada Corner

    • Right

    A heavy-braking right-hander at the end of the back stretch, downshifting several gears; a classic late-braking overtaking spot.

  • T13

    Bill Mitchell Bend

    • Left

    A left-hander climbing out of the Thunder Valley dip toward the final corner, held in gear up the rise.

  • T14

    Turn 14

    • Right

    The final right-hander, releasing the cars onto the long start/finish straight; a clean exit sets up the run to Turn 1.