Thompson or Palmer?

Thompson is basicaly flat and a bit of a mismash. think of it as a slightly bigger small car sized go cart track. Fun in something like a miata or lotus.

Plamer is a completly different kettle of fish. Think of it as a hillclimb with a road down the back and a decent straight. On one hand palmer rewards smaller cars, on the other it also rewards HP because it has a big climb, so in a way it evens out the differences between both types of cars.

Thompson is very easy on the car.

Palmer will work the suspension and engine hard, lots of tight bends and uphill stretched where you are using max power in 2nd and 3rd so not a huge amount of airflow. No problem in a more modern car, but 50's and 60's older vintage type cars suffer.

If you have some driving experience, and a mechanicaly good car, Palmer is the choice hands down. You cant really compare the two, like I wouldnt compare LRP with a coned off parking lot.

I see you have a 308 GT4, if its mechanicaly robust palmer will be fine, thompson will be easier to drive and on the car..

 

I've driven Palmer, really fun track. I have not personally driven Thompson, but friends who I trust who have driven it do not recommend it.

Cheers,

Ron

 

Close by to where?
Pretty much all the tracks you name are reasonably served by the scda. see scda1.com

If you have not done so, I highly recomend doing a skip barber racing school.
You might also want to go to NYMS near albany, really reasonable, a great fun track lots of runoff areas.

Best to go to track days with SCDA or nasa and experience a number of different tracks.

Are you planing on drivign or trailering a car to the track.

 

My friend started racing a Spec Miata last year and has a lot of good things to say about Palmer. (he's also a Monticello member).

The nice thing about the northeast is there is an astonishing number of DE events at most of the tracks within 3-4 hours of New York.....PCA, BMWCCA, SCDA, FCA....all open to any makes

As for driving schools, check out the (new) Lucas Oil School of Racing. It's really great and getting better; they will be doing schools, lapping days and maybe some races in the northeast this summer. While some Spec Miatas are not so "spec", they are in the end driver's cars, so skills matter. If you're starting out, the best investments are track time and a good coach/instructor....

 

LRP is to me the classic NE track to learn on.
Monticello is great because its somewhat safe, and if you are a member can get in a lot of days on one track.
The Glenn is the single most fun track i have driven, its just epic.
Palmer is great, but maybe a bit much to begin with in terms of learning.
NYMS is really a lot of fun.

in a Miata
LRP, Palmer and NYMS are awesome, and while the straights at the Glenn may take some time in a Miata, its the most fun you can have with your pants on.

 

Hi

I Have been to both, raced at Thompson and instructed at Palmer. Agree that Thompson is a
a small track and rewards momentum cars, has some technical sections (back side coming off the oval) and is generally a fun place.

Palmer is a beast of a track and I second what it will do to the vehicles. This track has it all from a technical perspective, and NOT much run off room. If it rains that adds a new dimension to the equation so it is not for newbies with high HP cars.

A good school Bertil Roos, Skippy or equivalent is always recommended as is seat time with instruction.

Good luck.

 

Interesting to hear about Palmer - I grew up in Massachusetts and I'm really want to check it out sometime when I am back. Looks like a fun track though here in ca, I'm more used to rocky desert runoff than granite boulders....


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SCDA would be great for what you want. Elivan and Ian, the principals, are great resources for the transition you want to make. Palmer would be my choice, but both are fun.

 

+1000

 

Do you mean NYST - New York Safety Track? It's about 1:20hr west of Albany. If so, I totally agree - it's a super fun track for nimble cars. Good staff, friendly atmosphere, food on site.
NYST | New York Safety Track

It hosts a lot of motorcycle events, but offers dedicated auto track days. Never been to Palmer, but the stats are similar: 2.1 miles, 18 turns, 450ft elevation. I spent $299 for a day and got nearly 3hours on the track.

"..lots of run-off areas." Yes, but they're all grass, which might as well be grease if you have an off-track excursion.

No business relationship to me, but I really like the place, so here is a YouTube teaser.. https://youtu.be/fl8kYMOhwrY

Cheers, - Art