Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Club Circuit
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Club Circuit Notes:
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is located halfway between Columbus and Cleveland in Lexington, Ohio. The track is a synonym for motorsports in the Buckeye State, hosting regular professional events for IndyCar, NASCAR, and IMSA Series. Club events for NASA and SCCA are also held regularly at the track. The local businessman and passionate racer Les Griebling opened the raceway in 1962 as a weekend pastime for club racing that grew up to be a full-fletched racing venue apt for top-notch competitions. There are four distinct seasons in Lexington, with mild summers and freezing, snowy winters, and 141 days with precipitation throughout the year.
The FIA Grade Two Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has two possible configurations: the Pro Course and the Club Circuit. The Start line is apart from the finish line and sits right beside sweeper turn number 3, in the fastest straightaway. There are several blind corners with heavy banking in the eastern section, and speeds as high as 180 mph (290 km/h) are possible in the western part before The Keyhole. The average velocities of both circuits are around 80 mph, with average lap times around 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Club Circuit Notes:
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course's Club Circuit configuration delivers 3.862 kilometers through 15 turns including the original chicane section located in Lexington, Ohio, representing the facility's traditional layout used by motorcycle racing and amateur club events since the track's 1962 opening. This FIA Grade Two circuit maintains the longer 2.4-mile routing that includes the chicane complex before the Keyhole, contrasting the 2.258-mile Pro Course that bypasses this section via a 1990-added straightaway segment used by IndyCar, NASCAR, and IMSA professional series seeking faster lap times and additional overtaking opportunities. The Club Circuit's 15-turn layout emphasizes technical precision through the chicane's direction changes before drivers navigate Mid-Ohio's signature Keyhole and Carousel corners across rolling Ohio countryside terrain featuring varied elevation changes and natural landscape contours.
The Club Circuit's character derives from the chicane section's technical demands and traditional Mid-Ohio rhythm preservation. The chicane complex adds two corners and technical challenge compared to Pro Course's bypass straight, requiring brake-turn-throttle transitions before the critical Keyhole approach where corner entry speed determines lap time potential. Motorcycles particularly favor this configuration as the chicane provides additional technical sections rewarding two-wheel agility, while amateur and club racing utilize the Club Circuit for driver development and traditional Mid-Ohio experience. Ohio's humid continental climate creates dramatic seasonal variation—summer track temperatures approach 35°C with high humidity while spring and fall events operate in cool conditions, with afternoon thunderstorms common during racing season. The 380-acre facility's natural terrain design follows landscape contours rather than bulldozed-flat philosophy, creating off-camber sections and elevation-masked corners throughout both Club and Pro configurations. The Club Circuit sees primary use by AMA motorcycle racing, SCCA, NASA club events, and track day organizations seeking the full 15-turn traditional Mid-Ohio challenge. The configuration particularly appeals to purists valuing Mid-Ohio's original character over the 1990 bypass modification, where chicane preservation maintains historical layout that defined Ohio road racing for three decades before professional series adopted the faster Pro Course alternative.
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