Kawasaki Concours Forum
Riding => Rides and Stories => Topic started by: Graffixnfun on May 22, 2011, 08:12:14 AM
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I had a work conference in Savannah, GA. It was at the Westin Golf Resort and SPA which has a conference/expo center attached. I road from Greenville, SC down. It was nothing special, just super slab. I figured I could use it as an opportunity as a shack down run for longer trips. Most of my riding is down in the mountains of NE GA, E. TN and W. NC so I get to avoid the slab most of the time. Any way I show up to the conference and work the first couple of days when I run into when of our manufacturers who also rides. He was thinking about buying a Concours so I told him to take mine for a test run.
He asked me which way to go and I said take a right at the end of the hotel drive way and take a cruise. I didnt know where it went but it wasnt a very big property so I didnt think he could get lost. When he came back he had the biggest grin on his face. He said "I think that is a race track, it has banked curves and hash marks". I assumed he never rode a real good road because he was from MN (no offense to MN peps). We were not in any gear and were actually in dress clothes because we didnt expect to do any riding. He insisted I go ride it right then so I did. I made the same right he did and went maybe a 1/4 mile. There was 90 degree left to a less aggressive right. I saw the red and white hash marks and then I am on a true straight away. All I could think was "Holy $h!T this is a race track!!!!!" Turns out it was a 1.5 road course that you could just get on and run! Needless to say I told my buddy who was there that the race track existed so we ended up with my connie and his GTI running it. Below are some pics. We would have had more but we were completely unprepared for what we stumbled across and used what we had.
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pic 3
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your saying that this is just an open to the public track??????
I'm in Greenville, SC also.
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it is for hotel guests. I asked 5 Westin employees but I couldnt get anything more valid than "we ask that you do a lap and check and see if anyone is on the track". There has to be some catch but I didnt have any more time to find out. I was planning on calling to see if I could get more info. One employee told me they run classic porsche races, ferrari club races, etc. We had customers run their Jags and Classic cars for a few laps. I can only assume there must be a waiver some where but no one knew and no one came to the track to talk to us about running it. There is NO staff working the track and they do gate it close at night. I found out from one of my customers at the event the hotels jogging trail map shows jogging down one part of the track to get to a trail to jog. I am assuming if you did a 20 minute session some one would have to come out but I just didnt have that much time. I was supposed to be "working" but lets be honest, if someone gives me an opportunity to run on a race track I am taking it! I will call and see if I can get more info. Also if you google maps the hotel you can see the track
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let us know when or if you get info. sounds like a weekend get away to me!
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did some searching and came up with afew tidbits. indy lights ran on this track in 1997 and was closed after that. then reopened with vintage auto racing.
just found this vid. is this the track you were on.
One Lap around Hutchinson Island Race Track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k19duK3MWNg#ws)
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It used to be a track years ago, I ran it in '98 when I first moved to Savannah. It wasn't "open" at the time but nobody stopped you if you got on it and rode it. I didn't know it was open for guest of the hotel though.
I went to a Senior Golf tournament a few weeks ago but was in the car and got to ride it to where I needed to park.
I may have to check into this a little further.
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A good use of SPG points for sure!! 8)
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did some searching and came up with afew tidbits. indy lights ran on this track in 1997 and was closed after that. then reopened with vintage auto racing.
just found this vid. is this the track you were on.
One Lap around Hutchinson Island Race Track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k19duK3MWNg#ws)
Yes that is the track!
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Very cool! It sounds like a good SE rally spot! ;)