The Track
Sears Point/Infineon Raceway (see their official site) is a full service professional motorsports complex, providing challenging 2.52 mile ALMS and 2 mile NASCAR road courses as well as a championship quarter-mile drag strip. The different track configurations can be viewed here. This track does have quite a few walls within range of hitting, so caution is the word of the day - take this track at 8 tenths and use the time to learn, not to set records. This is not the best track for complete novices.
The track gates open at 7:00am, and will be ready for us to be driving between 8:30am and 5:00pm. As usual, please come prepared with your tech sheet completed. There will be a mandatory driver's briefing before entering the track.. Check the NCRC page for the specific event you're attending for specific routes and schedule.
There's a good track primer on the NorCal Shelby Club's web site at http://www.norcal-saac.org/ot/otbook.htm. There's a general performance-driving primer on that page as well. The Open Tracking site has a good selection of in-car videos you might peruse, in you're new to the track. Here's a nice video of the full "American Le Mans" track configuration, courtesy Bombay Digital.
As of January 1, 2004, Sears Point will institute a 103Db rule - violations will be removed from the track, and must quiet the car down or be finished for the day.
Facilities
There will be gas (credit card payment only), compressed air, and the cafe is usually open for lunch. Meet in the media room, inside, for registration and driver's meeting in the morning.
Directions to Sears Point
FROM ALAMEDA & CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES
Take I-580 west to I-80 east to I-580 west again toward the Richmond/San
Rafael Bridge. Once over bridge take Highway 101 north. Take Highway 37
eastbound. Left at Highway 121. Track is one-quarter mile up on the
left.
FROM LOS ANGELES, FRESNO, AND STOCKTON AREAS
Take I-580 westbound through Dublin and Castro Valley into Oakland where
I-580 will merge with 80 eastbound. Follow to the I-580 west exit for
the Richmond/San Rafael bridge towards Highway 101. Proceed north on 101
to the Highway 37 junction. Take Highway 37 eastbound. Left at Highway
121. Track is one-quarter mile up on the left.
FROM RENO, SACRAMENTO, FAIRFIELD AREAS
Take I-80 west from Sacramento to Vallejo. Take Highway 37 westbound
towards Novato and Sonoma. Right at Highway 121. Track is one-quarter
mile up on the left.
FROM SAN FRANCISCO
Cross Golden Gate Bridge to Highway 101 north. Take Highway 37 eastbound
toward Vallejo. Left at Highway 121. Track is one-quarter mile up on the
left.
FROM UKIAH, SANTA ROSA, PETALUMA AREAS
Take Highway 101 south to the Highway 116 east exit in Petaluma. Follow
Highway 116 southbound. Left at Highway 37 eastbound. Left at Highway
121. Track is one-quarter mile up on the left.
Entering Sears Point Raceway
Sears Point has expanded the paddock and added
garages, additional buildings, and grandstands
around the paddock, but the paddock is in the same location as it was
before. After entering the track through gate 1,
you turn right into the paddock area (where the
vending icon is on the map). The paddock is located where the "Media
Center" and "Start/Finish Grandstand" text is on the map.
The paddock is much larger (and nicer) than it was
before the renovations. New garages now separate
the paddock area from the turn 11/turn 12 portion of the
front straight. The grandstands now separate the paddock from the turn 12/turn 1 front straight. The new garages
are off-limits during the NCRC event - don't try
to use them. We'll probably enter the hot pits using the
access road the goes through the center of the garages (you can see the gap in the garages on the map) or through the access road
between the media center and the grandstands.
Exiting Sears Point Raceway
The Sears Point Main Gate will be closing at 6:00pm sharp. Please
allow adequate time to load up your vehicles and to get to the main gate
by 6:00pm. Plan on hitting the perimeter road back to the main
gate by about 6:50pm.
Accommodations
Best Western Novato Oaks Inn
215 Alameda Del Prado
Novato, California, United States
Phone: (415)883-4400
Courtyard by Marriott
1400 N.
Hamilton Pkwy
Novato, CA 94949
(415) 883-8950
On the high end of the price/nice scale:
Embassy Suites Hotel
www.embassymarin.com
101 McInnis Parkway
San Rafael, CA 94903
415-499-9222
DoubleTree Hotel*
(stay here if you want to earn brownie points with your significant
other)
DoubleTree Drive
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(800) 222-8733 or (707) 584-5466
And if you're trying to save a few bucks:
Marin Inn
250 Entrada
Novato, CA 94949
(415) 883-5952
Days Inn*
300 Fairgrounds Drive
Vallejo, CA 94590
(800) 329-7466 or (707) 554-8000
They say this is 0 miles, yes,
zero miles from the track
Food
Wild Fox Restaurant
225 Alameda del Prado
Novato, CA 94949
(415) 883-9125