QOTD: What's The Most Famous Racetrack Corner You've Driven?
Canada Corner. The Carousel*. The Corkscrew.
If you follow racing or even just know a little bit about famous racetracks, these names are familiar to you -- they are some of the most famous corners in racing.
*There are more than a few Carousels -- I am referring to the one at the Nürburgring.
The thing is, you don't even have to be a racecar driver to have had the chance to drive some of these corners. You might get the chance to do so, perhaps in a vintage racer, or LeMons ride, or production car. You might even get paid to do it as an automotive journalist.
I've had the chance to navigate Road America's famous Canada Corner -- it remains one of my favorite turns on that track, even after a really bad day -- and last week I finally got a crack at Laguna Seca and the tricky Corkscrew.
I actually found the Corkscrew to be, well not easy, but easier than I expected. Of course, it helps that I was driving a production car and not an IndyCar, and at slower speeds than a racer would be seeing. Still, I found other corners at the track to be trickier.
Even with relatively limited track experience, I am glad to have had the chance to drive these well-known turns. So now, I am curious, what are the most famous racetrack corners have you driven?
I don't care if you're an amateur racer who has taken these corners at high speed or if you were on vacation in German and rented a battered Opel and tooled around the Nürburgring at speeds well below triple digits. Or if your experience was something in between.
Sound off below.
[Image: Bob Cullinan/Shutterstock.com]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Turn 17 Sebring
The Tunnel Turn at the "Tricky Triangle" (Pocono Raceway). I got to push a Nascar-style Dodge Intrepid harder than I ever imagined. I was miserable with shingles at the time, making the experience that much more memorable. But for a handful of laps I didn't feel anything but pure adrenaline.
Do the esses at Riverside International Raceway count as a corner?
Laguna Seca, corkscrew, (drying track off in rental car prior to Superbike test session), at speed - turn 9 big Willow Springs racing a motorcycle,- at greater speed (but riding shotgun) - The Carrousel at Sears Point in a 1981 PA9 Osella 2 litre FIA racer with Eddie Lawson at the wheel! (apologies for not being brief!)