PO Box 347 Rockton IL 61072 USA Tel: 815 389-3323 Circuit Length: 1.95 miles
Motels:-
Holiday Inn Beloit, Il. Tel: 815 389 3481 Red Roof Inn Rockford, Il. Tel: 815 398-9750 Beloit Motel S.Beloit, Il. Tel: 815 389-3001
This description was originally written by Ross Fosbender who has raced sports cars since 1965 and has instructed new drivers since 1967. It was distributed at a driving school sponsored by the North Suburban Sports Car Club.
DISCLAIMER: This description tells how an experienced driver in a well set-up car takes a lab at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Novice drivers may not be able to duplicate this safely and North Suburban Sports Car Club, Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs, Blackhawk Farms Raceway, and the author specifically disclaim any responsibility for damage or injury resulting from attempting to follow this description.
Approaching turn 1, ease to the left edge of the track before your turn-in point. Turn in, get on the power and hit a late apex. Your speed across the apex should carry you smoothly to the left edge of the track near the concrete bumps coming out of the turn. (If the car straightens out easily in mid-track, you can enter the turn faster. If you have to lift, or feel as if you may leave the track, you probably turned in too soon, apexed too early, or missed the apex.)
Stay on it out of turn 1, sweeping gently cross-track to the right edge to set up for turn 2. Turn in for turn 2 later than you think you have to and steer to a late apex, ticking the end of the bumps at the corner station, still at full throttle.
Hold the car to the left coming out of turn 2. This will set you up for some short, hard braking along the left edge of the paving coming in to turn 3. Turn in and ease on the gas.
Clip an apex late on the first bumpers in turn 3. Hold the car as close to the right edge as you can while still maintaining full power. Just after the second bumper on the right, ease the car left into the short straight leading to turn 3A. The car's weight will shift from the left wheels to the right wheels, and then the car will level out for some hard braking going into turn 3A, an extremely tight right-hander. Trail brake into 3A and clip a very late apex, hugging the right edge of the pavement through the turn. Immediately upon making the turn, get on the power and aim for a late apex on the left-hand kink leading down into turn 4. You will probably have to brake a bit as you set up for turn 4.
Turn in about halfway between the last turn marker and the turn; go for a late apex and hit it at full throttle. You will drift out to the right edge of the track. Stay on the power and hug the right edge of the track to the back gate road, which is the turn-in point for turn 5. Turn in without lifting, to a late apex on the bumps at the corner station. Stay on the power and let the car drift right only as much as necessary to maintain full acceleration, then ease back to the left for turn 6 braking. (If you find yourself loose and scared at the right edge of the track coming out of turn 5, you turned in too early or missed the apex. You should be able to find a turn-in point which allows you to maintain full throttle from before the turn 4 apex all the way to the brake markers for turn 6.)
Brake hard and early for turn 6, staying right on the left edge of the track. Turn in and accelerate for an apex late on the curbing at the apex. The car will drift to the left edge of the track and stabilize, still under power, just at the left edge of the track. Cross the entrance road and turn in for the silo turn, aiming for a late apex on the bumpers at your right. You will drift to the left and should stabilize, still at full power, hugging the left edge of the track coming out of the silo turn.
(If you reach the outside of the track out of shape on either turn 6 or the silo turn, re-examine your turn-in points and be sure you are getting fully into the apexes. These two turns are critical for good lap times at Blackhawk.)
The kink before turn 7 is intimidating, and rightly so. Leaving the track here is dangerous. When you start out, lift before you turn in for the kink; but know that eventually you'll take it flat out. Approach the kink on the left edge of the track. When you can sight across the apex to the last brake marker for turn 7, turn in and hit a late apex on the bumpers on the inside of the turn. The car will drift back to the left side of the track. Stabilize it there and brake hard for turn 7.
Turn in from the left edge of the track and accelerate across a late apex right against the bumpers on the inside of the turn. The car will drift to the left side of the track. (If you get squirrelly or have to lift coming out of turn 7, you probably turned in too soon or didn't get all the way into the apex.)
Up on the front straight, check your turn 7 technique by noting your tachometer reading as you reach the end of the pit wall. Faster than last lap means better than last lap. And vice versa.
And here your are approaching turn 1 again. Quick! Back to page 1!
If the car straightens out easily in mid-track, you can enter the turn faster and carry more speed through the corner. If you have to lift, or feel you may leave the track, you probably turned in too soon, apexed too early, or missed the apex. Stay on the gas out of turn 1, sweeping gently cross track to the right edge to set up for turn 2. Align your car with the right edge of the track. Turn in for turn 2 at the pavement nubbin your instructor will show you. It's later than you think and you have to steer to a late apex, ticking the end of the inside bumpers at the corner station, still at full throttle.
Hold the car to the left coming out of turn 2. This will set you up for some short hard braking along the left edge of the paving coming into turn 3. Turn in at the second paint stripe and get on the gas. Navigate the carousel, feeding as much power as you can. Avoid running over the rib down the center of the track as much as possible. Stay inside if you can, but not at the expense of driving full throttle.
Ease the car to the right bumper before the kink before turn 3A. Turn in gently without lifting for the kink. The car's weight will shift from the left wheels to the right wheels. Still under full throttle, clip the left bumper of the kink and level out for hard braking going into turn 3A.
Turn 3A is an extremely tight right hander. How you take it depends on whether you are able to negotiate turn 4 without lifting or braking. If you are able to run turn 4 flat out, take turn 3A as a classic turn to get an early start on an acceleration run that will carry you all the way to turn 6. Make as straight a run as possible from your turn-in point, across the bumpers at the flag station, and to the bumpers on the left edge of the track leaving the turn. This will carry you to a track-out point on the bumpers at the right track edge, which will also be your turn-in point for turn 4.
If you have to lift or brake for turn 4, a different technique is used. Carry high speed as long as possible into turn 3A, to make up for the speed you'll give up between 3A and 4. Trail brake into 3A and scrabble around it as best you can. Get on the power and aim straight across the left bumper leaving the turn to the right bumper before turn 4.
To start, use a point about in the middle of the right hand bumper before turn 4 as your turn-in point. If you had to lift or brake, have it done before you get to the bumper. Turn in and go for a late apex at full throttle. It's hard to hit this apex, but it is critical to your speed through upcoming turns 5 and 6.
You will drift out to the right track edge. Stay on the power and hug the right track edge to the grass triangle at the back gate road, which is the turn-in point for turn 5. Turn in without lifting, to a late apex on the bumps at the corner station. Stay on the gas and let the car drift right only as much as necessary to maintain full acceleration and not scuff off speed, then ease back left to line up for turn 6 braking.
(If you find yourself loose and scared at the right edge of the track coming out of turn 5, you turned in early or missed the turn 5 apex. You should be able to find a line which allows you to hold full throttle from at least before the turn 4 apex until you brake for turn 6.)
Brake hard and early for turn 6, staying on the left edge of the track. Turn in and accelerate before a late apex on the concrete bumpers inside the turn. The car will drift left and stabilize, still under full power, on the left edge of the track. Cross the entrance road and then turn in for the silo turn, aiming for a late apex on the bumpers on your right. You will drift to the left and should stabilize, still at full power, hugging the left edge of the track coming out of the silo turn.
(If you reach the outside of the track out of shape on either turn 6 or the silo turn, re-examine your turn-in points and be sure you are getting fully into the apexes. These two turns are critical to good laptimes at Blackhawk Farms Raceway.)
The kink before turn 7 is intimidating, and rightly so. Leaving the track here is very dangerous. Your first few laps, lift for a moment right after you stabilize past the silo. Eventually you will take the kink flat out.
Approach the kink on the left edge of the track. Turn in when you can sight across the apex to the last brake marker for turn 7. Be on the gas when you hit a late apex on the bumper on the inside of the turn. The car will drift to the left edge of the track. Stabilize it there and brake hard for turn 7. Showroom stocks and other cars with marginal brakes may have to starting braking immediately after crossing the apex on the kink to slow enough for turn 7, but it is better to get to the left track edge and stabilize before hammering the brakes. Do not brake when you are off-balance at the apex of the kink.
Whether you come across the track from the kink apex to the turn-in point, or approach it hugging the left edge of the track, turn in from the left edge of the track and accelerate hard across a late apex against the bumpers inside the turn. Drift across to the left track edge. (If you have to lift or get squirelly coming out of the turn, you probably turned in too soon or didn't get all the way into the apex.)
Turns 6 and 7 are both banked turns. To get the advantage of them, you must get well into the apex of each of them to carry the extra speed a banked speed bowl provides.
On up the front straight, check your turn 7 technique by noting your rev reading as you pass the end of the pitwall. Faster than last lap means better than last lap. And vice versa.
And here you are approaching turn 1 again.
By Ross Fosbender - he has raced since 1965 and instructed new race drivers since 1967. He conservatively estimates that he has 70 jillion laps at Blackhawk Farms since it opened in 1968.