• From: Mountain View, CA
  • Registered: 2010-06-13
  • Posts: 257

Topic: How fast is Buttonwillow?

We've raced twice at Thunder Hill and the last race we discovered a pretty bad shake at about 80mph.  Is Buttonwillow a faster track? Trying to prioritize our todo list, so if it is we'll need to figure out why.

Hella Shitty Racing Goin' for Broken '10, Arse-Sweat '10, Arse-Freeze '10, Sears Pointless '11, Skankaway '11, Arse-Freeze '11, Arse-Sweat '12, Sears Pointless '13, Arse-Sweat '13, Northworst '13, Vodden '13, Pointless '14, Button Turrible '14, Arse-Freeze 2014,  Sears Pointless 2015, Arse Sweat 2015
  • From: Davis, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,843

Re: How fast is Buttonwillow?

Sorta same speeds:  Fast and dusty, with tons of run-off       I'd say you'll see the same speeds as at TH

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  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 526

Re: How fast is Buttonwillow?

Really dusty!

Team: V-Ram/Altamont Team: Knights of the Round Track/Reno/Buttonwillow/Thunderhill Team: Death Mobile/Sears 2010/Thunderhill/ChumpCar  Spokane/ MSR Houston/Buttonwillow/Sears. MRolla Project /Reno
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4 Reply by Evil Genius (edited by Evil Genius 2010-09-23 11:29 AM)

  • From: Davis, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,843

Re: How fast is Buttonwillow?

Hella, Mega, really Dusty.


No, really: You go off and your car, helmet, suit, shoes and eyes will fill with fine chalky dust that will be with you for the rest of your life...

Gosh, my business card says 'Tech Tyrant'
  • Spank
  • Utter Madman
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  • From: Escondido, CA
  • Registered: 2009-06-10
  • Posts: 5,864

Re: How fast is Buttonwillow?

80mph! I wish we could hit 80!


Speeds are about the same as Thunderhill, maybe a little tiny bit slower top speed, but not by much.

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  • From: Mountain View, CA
  • Registered: 2010-06-13
  • Posts: 257

Re: How fast is Buttonwillow?

Spank wrote:

80mph! I wish we could hit 80!

Actually, I think it was 70. Either way it felt like ludicrous speed when the shaking started.

Hella Shitty Racing Goin' for Broken '10, Arse-Sweat '10, Arse-Freeze '10, Sears Pointless '11, Skankaway '11, Arse-Freeze '11, Arse-Sweat '12, Sears Pointless '13, Arse-Sweat '13, Northworst '13, Vodden '13, Pointless '14, Button Turrible '14, Arse-Freeze 2014,  Sears Pointless 2015, Arse Sweat 2015

7 Reply by crazymike (edited by crazymike 2010-09-23 09:16 PM)

  • From: Sacramento
  • Registered: 2010-08-09
  • Posts: 1,665

Re: How fast is Buttonwillow?

Assuming they use the bus stop and Phil hill...
B-W has about the same max as T-hill at two spots - that is for underpowered heavy sleds... 80 is about right - but they only last for a moment instead of long enough to read three pages of the phone book.
Different tracks, really -
I'd say B-W is more lower speed work and T-hill is more higher speed work - and max's don't count as much at B-W...
...As in if you're looking 80 in the eye at T-hill on the front or back straights, you'll never get that pleasure in B-W.
Also at B-W only the front straight is straight and long enough to get the higher speeds, the other fast spots are not.
on the other hand, if they use the dogleg and don't use Phil hill it will be a lot like T-hill.

actually, in the real race mini I hit as-fast-as-I-was-going-to-get on the end of the front straight, the braking point at the mid of Phil hill and the end of the run at the sweeper - "race 13" on the page
http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com/

  • Spank
  • Utter Madman
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  • From: Escondido, CA
  • Registered: 2009-06-10
  • Posts: 5,864

Re: How fast is Buttonwillow?

Looking at mylaps results and fastest lap speed, and picking a consistent car like Eyesore's Miata-- at Buttonwillow their fastest average was 70.6mph or so, and at Thunderhill 79.5.

V8Volvo was 70.1 at Buttonwillow and 80mph at Thunderhill.

Continuing to compare the speeds, it does look like Thunderhill's lap averages are mostly in the 70s whereas Buttonwillow is mostly in the 60s

Thunderhill is more elevation change and you are in a higher gear longer. Buttonwillow has a couple of lower speed sections at the start of each lap.

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