The Ridge Motorsports Park

Shelton, WA

Length

2.47 miles

Turns

16

No public description is available for this track.

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Track Character

Speed: mediumBraking: highElevation: significant

Modern circuit with excellent surface quality. Significant elevation changes with a fast, flowing layout. 16 turns with good variety. Setup for damper control and high-speed stability. Brakes are pushed hard on the downhill sections.

“A car going uphill has better traction than one going downhill, as the forward motion of the car tends to push it into the track surface, increasing the vertical load on all four tires.”

Frequently Asked Questions: The Ridge Motorsports Park

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Guide

Speed Secrets — Ross Bentley

The Ridge's significant elevation changes are the defining characteristic of the driving experience. Bentley's uphill-traction principle means you should push harder in the uphill sections where the car is planted, and add margin on the downhill approaches where the brakes are working against reduced traction. The excellent surface quality amplifies the contrast — uphill grip is outstanding, but downhill sections demand discipline.

“Whether on a road course or an oval, perhaps the most difficult corner for any race driver is the fast one. The biggest problem is that the self-preservation program in the right foot takes control, causing it to lift off the throttle. As soon as that happens, the balance of the car is not ideal.”

Ultimate Speed Secrets — Ross Bentley

The Ridge's fast, flowing layout includes commitment corners where lifting mid-corner unsettles the car. Bentley's observation about the "self-preservation program" is the challenge — the excellent surface quality means the car has more grip than you expect, but the elevation changes add visual intimidation. Trust the modern surface and build speed progressively through the fast sections.

“A driver's braking analysis should include the following: braking point location and consistency, total braking distance and braking distance consistency, quickness in building up maximum deceleration, how hard the driver is braking, and brake pressure modulation to compensate for changes in friction between the tires and track surface.”

Analysis Techniques for Racecar Data Acquisition — Jorge Segers

The Ridge's downhill braking zones demand the consistency analysis Segers describes. The elevation changes mean your effective braking force varies based on grade — the same brake pressure produces different deceleration uphill versus downhill. Use data acquisition to compare your braking traces on the downhill sections versus flat sections. The telemetry will reveal whether you are instinctively adjusting brake pressure for the grade changes or using the same input regardless of slope.