MOTOAMERICA SUPERBIKES AT MID-OHIO

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a comprehensive motorsports facility in Lexington, Ohio, which sits on 380 acres and features a permanent road racing circuit with two primary race track configurations: 2.4 miles and 15-turns or 2.258 miles and 13-turns. Mid-Ohio hosts a number of racing series such as IndyCar, the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, along with other club events such as SCCA and the National Auto Sport Association.

The track was the brainchild of Les Griebling, who convinced a number of friends from the local business community to invest in a road course for weekend sportscar racing. A few hundred acres of pasture in northwest Morrow County were quickly identified as a suitable site and ground was broken in 1961. By the following year, a challenging course designed by Griebling was ready for action.

By following the contours of the land, a series of twisting and plunging corners was created, linked by a fast kinked back straight. Two signature corners – the Keyhole and the the Carousel – provide additional challenges for the competitors. The original course was mildly modified earlier in 1963 to address concerns that it was too slow. Oak Tree Bend (which, as its name suggests, wound around an oak tree) was removed and the Thunder Valley section added in its place. Some small traces of tarmac from the original bend still remain within the infield.

For nearly 20 years, the circuit continued under Griebling’s control, with a variety of race organizations making it a regular stop on their schedules. Can-Am and F5000 both raced at Mid-Ohio, with notable names such as Denis Hulme, Peter Revson, Bruce McLaren, George Follmer, and Jackie Stewart all coming to north-central Ohio to sample its unique challenge. CART IndyCars arrived in 1980, with Johnny Rutherford taking victory in a Chaparral.

The circuit is also home to the Mid-Ohio School, which was founded in 1993 to offer licensed drivers and motorcycle riders programs in defensive driving, high-performance driving, and high-performance track riding.