I’ve been to Road Atlanta several times, both as a spectator and competitor. I never had much success as a competitor, but I always enjoyed the track. It’s a blast to drive, both fast and challenging.
In 1993, I was in the pits when my pal, Randy Pobst, won the SCCA Run-Offs in his SSC Mazda Miata. It was exhilarating until a post-race inspection resulted in Randy’s disqualification.
I was behind the wheel of my Geo Storm when the harmonic balancer on the engine went flying off in turn 12, ending our race and ruining our weekend.
I was in the paddock in below-freezing temperatures trying to get our red Mazda RX7 to run correctly. We never got the car to run right, and it took several hours after leaving the track to get feeling back in my feet.
I was in the pits unable to drive due to a nasty sinus infection (I was dizzy just sitting still) while my pals Mike Guido and Bill Boye drove my white Mazda RX7 in a 14-hour race. All I could do was sit and watch while they raced my car.
The next year, I was in the scorers tower visiting with the race director when Mike Guido, behind the wheel of that same RX7, was hit from behind in turn 2 and pushed into a wall, totaling the car.
Now that I think about it, I’ve had nothing but bad luck at Road Atlanta. Even so, I’m looking forward to racing there. It’s a great track.
Here’s a map of the track for your reference:
