Thunderhill west Bypass
Thunderhill west Bypass Notes:
Thunderhill Raceway Park is a motorsport complex located in northern California, an hour and a half drive away from Sacramento. It is without a doubt the most versatile racing facility in America, having several possible layouts such as 2-mile, 3-mile, and 5-mile road courses, as well as a 315’ x 550’ skidpad and a 662’ x 363’ autocross pad. Thunderhill follows designs planned by Steve Crawford, who envisioned building two independent road courses next to one another: a 2.87 miles East track and a West track with 1.99 miles. The 5-mile combination of both racetracks forms the longest road course in the United States.
Thunderhill East started operations in 1993, adding the West course in 1995. The East track takes advantage of the natural elevation changes in the field, having 15 exhilarating turns where drivers often lose sight of what is coming right ahead of them. The straight segments are ample and long enough to allow easy passing between drivers. Thunderhill West is more technical, requiring top driving skills to leverage momentum while taking its ten turns, which come in quick succession. The 25 Hours of Thunderhill, the most famous event of the circuit and longest endurance racing competition in America, takes place on the combined 5-mile road course since 2003.
west Bypass Notes:
The West Bypass configuration at Thunderhill Raceway in California utilizes a bypass section avoiding or replacing portions of the western course sections at this Northern California facility. The West Bypass designation indicates an alternative routing element that creates different characteristics compared to the standard western layout. This variant serves events requiring specific technical attributes or circuit length adjustments, demonstrating Thunderhill's exceptional infrastructure flexibility across the expansive Central Valley property.
Operating the West Bypass showcases Thunderhill's role as one of America's most configurable circuits where bypass sections combine with standard routing options creating numerous layout possibilities. Central Valley's climate creates year-round racing potential though summer heat frequently exceeds 40C. The West Bypass configuration provides specific layout alternative serving San Francisco Bay Area motorsport community at this facility offering America's longest road course variants, demonstrating comprehensive scope through systematic section combinations including bypass routing options.
