Street Track Failures: Episode 42 - West Michigan

[@AeroGuy07]

The number of 90° turns pleases me.

[@jack4688]

Remember ToCA Race Driver 1, 2 and 3? Remember the real cars dressed in fake-looking liveries and must’ve surely been race-spec cars that didn’t really exist? That’s exactly what I thought of when I saw that day-glow yellow Supra along with the Mustangs, Corvettes, the BMW M-Coupe with the ridiculous rear wing and the Porsche 993s 😂

[@FlashoftheBlades]

A former roommate of mine originally hails from Grand Rapids, and I wonder if he knows about this circuit. It’s not a horrible layout, but I can’t help but question the idea of putting the pit entry right on the racing line. I continue to await the addition of the Dallas Street Circuit that F1 used in 1984 and Trans-Am in 1988, as well as the A1GP Beijing Street Circuit.

[@Draidd]

as a Grand Rapids native, the turn 1 to 2 complex doesn't even exist anymore, the Grand Valley State University Engineering building replaced the road where turn 1 and 2 took place

[@Typhooon342]

Hermann Tilke must've seen the Michigan M™ just before he started designing Abu Dhabi

[@MrSchrootenstein]

More street track failures

[@themanwithsauce]

I lived in GR for my first decade out on my own and even when I moved there in 2012, people still spoke fondly about the racing of the track, despite the issues it had. Oh, and in regards to the "Michigan M" - The grocery store chain "Meijer" is based out of , and tends to sponsor all amateur sports in, Michigan. So you should probably call it the "Meijer M".

[@Axle0Bullitt019]

Yes, thank you!

[@Axle0Bullitt019]

As a native Michigander the Michigan M should be actually dubbed the the Mejier M as that is a Famously Michigan company that was founded in Grand Rapids. Also I am shocked at myself for living in Grand Rapids at that time and not knowing that this event ever happened.

[@guitarhello7047]

This supra livery is really nice

[@Hammerhead547]

If you get a chance, you should check out the curasao road circuit that F3000 raced at in 1985. The story behind the event and the event itself is quite interesting, as is the fact that they thought this event would bring F1 to the dutch west indies.

[@namenamename390]

The line leading up to the naming of the "Michigan M" (pretty good name btw) maybe doesn't have the best phrasing, it kinda makes it sound like you've never seen the letter W.

[@jacobf.8992]

Could've called it the West Michigan "W"

[@theorupturetan4670]

The attendance being so high doesn’t really shock me. The western side of Michigan has a really strong racing culture plus it could’ve drawn in people from northern Indiana since at the time the Indy RC wasn’t built yet. Still a shame this couldn’t continue or even have moved the event to Gingerman Raceway about an hour south

[@themanwithsauce]

Grattan Raceway is even closer. I lived in downtown GR and I used to attend SCCA amateur events up in Grattan for years. It was about a 15 minute drive from my home in East GR to the track. FOr a few years, the "Track Night in America" program hosted events there, and for ~150$ you'd get an hour and a half of track time in the middle of the week. Not a bad deal. The labor day autocross was also a huge hit. Sadly, a lot fo these events don't happen anymore, and the track seems unable/unwilling to do races like this anymore.

[@zachbauman8563]

I can't believe I didn't know about this since Grand Rapids was my home town

[@Robnolte07]

Finally the track in my home state. A track that I remember going to back in 99

[@2lo4sno]

I can't remember which year, but my wife and I went to one of the races. GVSU's downtown campus is at turn 1 and my wife worked for human resources; so we got tickets. It's my first and only professional race I have ever been to. I can't say the track was the greatest with all of the 90 degree turns, but blazing through streets I drove on was always cool. I also liked the free roam nature of a street circuit. My grandparents had an apartment near turn 5. They were not as pleased by the race weekend chaos.

[@Teleman2112]

It is so interesting to see a street track in a city I have been to fairly often. Now whenever I go back to GR I will be looking out for where this track was at. If they ever do bring track back to Grand Rapids, I would totally go down and watch the race.

[@toreyblakeley6503]

Didn’t expect to see my home town show up as one of these videos lol. While it’s considered a failure, still cool to see if get recognized. I never went to any of the races but I definitely remember them happening when I was a little kid.

[@johnshoemaker6684]

I was there spectating both years and truly enjoyed the various different levels of racing and can confirm that top tier Trans Am cars did race and were absolutely impressive.

[@LJW1912]

Really appreciate the track map for in the top left, much easier to follow the track layout

[@tomanderson6335]

They'd definitely have to come up with a different layout for a revival, as the street linking turns 1 and 2 no longer exists.

[@jeffreypostma6832]

The scenery around this track is actually quite nice, which is a bonus. Tha track itself is pretty horrible though. And that must be one of the worst pit lane entrances in this series...

[@AeroGuy07]

In the late 90s or early 2000's we had one SCCA sanctioned race at Lunken Airport on the east side of Cincinnati. I was there, I know it happened, but I highly doubt that any video of it exists. Of course, now I'm going to see if I can some footage of the race.

[@DaytonaPrototypes]

Love the footage. Check out the 90s race cars, Viper, Supra, Mustang😃

[@TrolledBy]

I wonder if South Korean GP circuit counts as a failed street circuit. At least it was supposed to be in the middle of a city, but the city was never built around it.

[@neaulllann]

It is a failed street tracks failure

[@hi_c.v7289]

I remember recommending this like 4 months ago

[@hi_c.v7289]

Those cars look so awesome peak 90s

[@AnthroGearhead]

Indeed, especially something like that TRD Supra, how often you see this car on circuits these days

[@Oz_Darkr1d3r]

Attempt #4: Please make a vid about the failed Columbus, Ohio Street circuit

[@captainsmartass3368]

I hope you can do New Zealand Street track failures

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

Does the Detroit Belle Isle track qualify now? It's one of the best street circuits that ended up failing and I just won a sim race there on Sunday so I'm a little biased. Plus, I've seen that wee island from my 🇨🇦 homeland

[@eholanda01]

This video is very interesting, I didn't know this track or this race. Trans Am actually raced on many interesting circuits. Who knows, maybe in the future se can have news races there of Trans Am, Indy NXT or even Formula E.

[@benz4118]

This is so weird seeing my hometown as a track

[@minibus9]

awesome video

[@jimlatosful]

Wow, I live here and I never knew this was a thing

[@yukigono]

Ah ya, my home town.

[@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers]

DUDE WAS THERE A SUPRA??????????????????????

[@patrickracer43]

*sprays eyeglasses with glass cleaner* IS THAT A SUPRA!?!

[@tomanderson6335]

Turn-of-the-century World Challenge was wild...in the best sense of the word.

[@kevincorbat7084]

My home town!

[@drivingduck2234]

This looks like a track from the grid game

[@maxb148]

I would like to see an episode on the old Marrakech Street track from 2009-2015

[@loupparle]

Hey, have you ever thought of doing a video on the Targa Florio? I know that this series covers mostly modern tracks while this track... well let's just say that Tazio Nuvolari raced there. Still, it would be a cool street track to see with an interesting history!

[@Ramtamtama]

It was a street circuit (well, 3) that is no longer used, which must surely make it a candidate. The video would, however, either be over an hour in length or be split up into a series

[@TrolledBy]

I wouldn't really call a track with 71 years of history a failed circuit. The track is still used, too, although as a rally event

[@Metz087]

you should check the beijing street circuit that hosted the superleague formula in 2010. the circuit was so bad that the races took place but it was demoted down to a non championship event.

[@Unfoundrumors]

Its funny how the tracks that fail have a square shape to the layout where most of the best tracks have like maybe 1 110° turn or 2 80° and a fun turn around somewhere more like a triangle

[@mdc9642_]

A lot of them are in america which built 99% of its cities off a grid system so it makes sense why theres so many 90 degree corners

[@Unfoundrumors]

@@mdc9642_ yeah you can't change geography and unless you got godly amounts of money it's really hard to make a nonNASCAR associated track idea like this in the south or out west just because people would have to travel so far to get there

[@thomassteele9649]

I always thought that people who don't like 90° turns are squares.

[@heliofaros1344]

4:20 the kink: left = right

[@shig.bitz.3205]

Shame there's no trans am footage, but I really loved the scca stuff instead 👌

[@patrickracer43]

1:05 I count seven 90° turns with six of them being 90° right hand turns

[@haryosoo]

0:52 Is that a SUPRA??

[@hi_c.v7289]

YEEEEESSSS FINALLLYYYYYYYYYYY

[@hi_c.v7289]

GRAND RAPIDS MENTIONEDDDDDD

[@ritchiesiepman5511]

Man. Americans do like making street tracks with 90° corners (no offense)

[@danesorensen1775]

Which series were the open-wheelers?

[@tomanderson6335]

Barber Dodge

[@igorss8921]

We need nore

[@BCat2]

20 likes and i will watch every video and see how many times he said 90 degree turn

[@drivingduck2234]

Is that a supra?

[@damnmarkey]

90°

[@unovox]

Why do Americans fail so much at street tracks????😮