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About Race City
BMWCC uses Race City Motorsport Park in SE Calgary as its summer training facility.
Race City is one of the busiest venues in North America with drag and stock-car racing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in addition to numerous driving schools and practice sessions during the week. The facility includes a two-mile road course, a paved half-mile oval, karting area, paddock (which we use as our skid pad), and several areas suitable for classroom instruction.
A Lap of Race City's Two-mile Road Course
Exiting the Pit
- Wait for pit marshal to direct that it is safe to enter the track.
- Accelerate onto the main straight keeping right to avoid any traffic.
Main Straight (after pit exit)
- Keep to the right about 3-4 ft from the edge of the track.
- As you approach the braking area for Turn 1, ease the vehicle all the way to the right side edge.
Turn 1 (High speed left hander)
- Brakeat the appropriate brake marker while continuing to travel along the right edge. Avoid the temptation to start turning left.
- Look for the turn-in point, which is a small depression in the asphalt at the right side edge. The right front tire should approximately touch this depression as the turn-in point.
- Hold a constant left turn on the steering wheel to achieve a very late clipping point near the end of the left side curbing.
- After clipping, do not let the vehicle move more than half a track width to the right. Brake in a straight line to the middle area of the track.
Turn 2 (Medium speed right hander)
- The vehicle should be about the mid point of the track width at the turn-in point.
- Hold a constant right turn on the steering wheel to achieve a very late clipping point near the end of the right side curbing.
- Keep the vehicle at the very right edge of the pavement at the end of the curbing.
- Brake in a straight line while staying as far right as possible.
Turn 3 (Slow speed left hander)
- This is the slowest corner on the track and most vehicles will have a tendency to understeer or push through this corner. It is important to brake enough prior to the turn-in point so as not to overshoot. Although a slow corner, it is important to get this one right as it leads onto a fast section of the track. Better to slightly over-brake and have the clip point and exit perfect.
- The clip point is fairly late on the left side curbing.
- Let the vehicle move to the right edge of the track on the exit of this turn. You should be at the right edge just prior to the start of the right side curbing.
Turn 4 (Medium speed left hander)
- Run down the edge of the right curbing for the entrance to turn 4. Avoid running on the curb as it will have a tendency to jerk the car to the right.
- This corner will probably require a slight brake prior to turn-in. This will settle the front of the car for good bite on turn-in, which is near the end of the right side curbing.
- The clip point is approximately at the mid-point of the left side curbing.
- At speed, the vehicle will drift to the right side curbing on exit. Keep a constant left turn on the wheel to bring the vehicle back to the left side of the track to prepare for the turn-in for turn 5./li>
Turn 5 (High speed right hander)
- You should be approximately one car width from the left side of the track at the turn-in point. Do not start too far from the left. Some vehicles may require a short shift to a higher gear as this corner is quite long and fast and you do not want to shift during the corner.
- The urn-in is started quite wide from the curbing. Continuously bring the vehicle closer to the curbing through the turn until the clipping point, which is very late. The last 10 ft of the curbing will appear to be straight and it is this straight curbing that is the clipping point.
- Keep the vehicle as far to the right as possible after the end of the curbing.
Turn6 (High speed left hander)
- Fromthe exit of turn 5 to the entrance of turn 6, you are climbing a slight hill. Stay to the right edge.
- Thereis a slight depression at the top of the hill near the turn-in point. If you stay at the right edge of the track, you will minimize theaffect of the depression.
- Most vehicles will require a slight amount of braking.
- Start the turn-in for the clip point, which is at the end of the left-side curbing.
- Stay as far to the left as possible on exit after the curbing.
Turn 7 & 8 (Medium speed chicane)
- The chicane is entered from the far left edge of the short straight after turn 6.
- Start the turn-in and aim for the right-side curbing clip point. Heavy braking is required after the right-side clip point on the way to the left-side curbing clip point. Missing the first clip point on the right will make the next section more difficult, which will then require more braking.
- If the turn-in and clip points have been properly executed, you will be able to apply full power at the left clip point.
- The third clip point is on the next right-hand curbing. Maintain a steady turn on the steering wheel and the vehicle will enter the back straight all the way to the left-side straightaway curbing.
- If you find the vehicle sliding over to the left-side straightaway curbing, DO NOT pull the wheel to try and regain the pavement. Just ease the gas slightly and drive parallel to the curbing until it ends. Then, gently edge back onto the straightaway. It is very easy to overcorrect and end up leaving the track on the right, backwards into the swamp.
Turn9 (High speed left hander)
- Stay to the left side on the back straight.
- Wait until you can see straight up the hill through the kink before you turn in.
- The braking point is around the bottom of the hill just past the right-side curbing. You are climbing a hill and will brake more than you would think. Complete all braking before the crest of the hill.
- Stay near the middle to right side of the track at the crest of the hill. There is a curbing on the left but you need to be at least a full car width away from it. This will make turn 9 a long sweeper.
- The clip point is near the middle of the left-side curbing. After the clip point, aim the vehicle for the far right side at the start of turn 10.
- Heavy braking is required after the vehicle has completed turn 9 and you are aimed at the far right side.
Turn 10 (Slow speed left hander)
- Turn 10 is relatively slow, quite long and quite hard on the right-front tire. As such, it is better to slightly over-brake before turn-in. This is the set-up for turn 11, which is the most important turn as it leads onto the longest straight. Better to enter slow and exit fast.
- The turn-in is started about a car width away from the left-side curbing. Throughout the turn, the vehicle is brought closer to the curbing until at the very end you have started to nibble it with the left-front tire.
Turn 11 (Medium speed right hander)
- The turn-in is immediately after the left-side curbing finishes at the end of turn 10, and is somewhat blind.
- Start to accelerate at the turn-in and get the vehicle close to the right side wall at the clip point.
- Allow the vehicle to exit from the right-side clip point and travel in a smooth arc across the track to the left-side curbing where you will be at full power.
- Continue to accelerate while staying about a car width from the left-side wall. Stay to the right side of the painted line down the middle of the drag strip, unless you are passing. Avoid straddling the line, as there is a metal plate near the end of the pits.
About the Winter School Track
Dependant on weather and ice conditions, BMWCC uses Northern Alberta Sports Car Club's (NASCC) seasonal ice racing track located either on Telford Lake in Leduc (»map) or on Rob's Lake near Ferintosh (»map) as its winter training facility.
The track is a seasonal facility plowed across the thick snow-covered lake. Because the track is seasonal, it can be (and often is) laid out somewhat differently from season-to-season. In addition to the ice racing track, BMWCC will also provide a plowed skid pad area on which to develop and practice specific skills.
Obviously there are no buildings in the middle of a frozen lake, so theory sessions will be held indoors in Edmonton on the first afternoon of the school. This allows for a comfortable environment in which to complete the registration process and absorb the necessary theory in advance of hitting the track. »more
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