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Buttonwillow, CA
Live motorsport conditions at the circuit
Temperature
91F
Humidity
21%
Wind
8 mph
Pressure
1007 hPa
Density altitude
2,434 ft
Track surface
86F
No public description is available for this track.
Elevation Change
80 ft
Precipitation
none
Alerts
1
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued June 12 at 6:49PM PDT until June 13 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA
“Bumps and potholes in the road shift the weight bearing down on your tires. Your suspension does its best to iron this out, but bumps nevertheless reduce road holding and make the curves less predictable. As long as you are delicate with the wheel as you go through them, then there is no drama.”
How to Drive — Ben Collins
Buttonwillow's significant bumpiness demands smooth inputs. Collins' principle of being "delicate with the wheel" over bumps applies throughout the circuit. Avoid aggressive steering corrections over the rough patches — let the suspension work, and accept a slightly wider arc rather than fighting the car over every undulation.
“Race track features like bumps, curbs, hills, and banking can affect the race car's behavior. The results may be good or bad, but they will show up in data. In bumpy corners lateral G's vary more than usual as the chassis struggles for grip. Steering corrections, if present, are out of phase with the G graph.”
Data Power — Buddy Fey
On Buttonwillow's bumpy surface, Fey's data analysis principle reveals why the car feels unpredictable: the bumps create lateral G spikes that the driver cannot control through steering. The solution is softer compression damping that keeps the tires on the surface, combined with a driving style that accepts slight understeer through the rough sections rather than chasing the grip with rapid corrections.
“The three secrets of high performance driving are: Smoothness, Smoothness and, Smoothness. Upon closer examination of this driver, you would discover that he or she makes no unnecessary movements of the steering wheel which would unbalance the car by shifting weight back and forth on the vehicle's suspension.”
High Performance Drivers Manual — Scott Blazey
Buttonwillow's bumpy, dusty surface punishes aggressive inputs more than almost any other track. Blazey's emphasis on eliminating unnecessary steering movements is the key to survival here: every correction over the bumps adds another weight transfer event that compounds the instability. Drive with the minimum steering angle that keeps you on line, and let the car move beneath you through the rough sections. Smooth drivers are consistently faster at Buttonwillow than aggressive ones.
Find HPDE organizers, car clubs, and sanctioning bodies that run events at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.