Best and worst tracks in the wet

steveespo · Jan 27, 2026

Let's talk about the best and worst tracks we all drive in wet conditions. Discuss why regarding grip and consequences of mistakes.
My worst two are Mid Ohio for grip level and Road Atlanta for consequences from a mistake leading to an off. Best for grip Watkins Glen, best for consequences is COTA since the F1 amount of run off is unmatched. Indy Road also is forgiving of mistakes but I have not driven it in damp or wet.

biggsy · Jan 28, 2026

Good thread.

I feel as though Summit Point Main isnt bad in the wet. Has decent amount of runoff at T1 and nice space before, during and after the carousel. It rained during my last session on my first ever track day and I had good control of the car. I have worked as a flagger also during wet conditions and only accidents came from people over driving the cars.

@mikeD4V or @sldghmr can chime in for SP

steveespo · Jan 28, 2026

biggsy said:
Good thread.

I feel as though Summit Point Main isnt bad in the wet. Has decent amount of runoff at T1 and nice space before, during and after the carousel. It rained during my last session on my first ever track day and I had good control of the car. I have worked as a flagger also during wet conditions and only accidents came from people over driving the cars.

@mikeD4V or @sldghmr can chime in for SP

I've driven Summit Point at least a dozen times but oddly it never rained. It is now an 8 hour trip so not in the range of "tracks worth more than a 6 hour haul" category for me. Mid Ohio is just on the edge of that group at 7:15 hours. Well that can be another discussion thread.

ajaquilante · Jan 28, 2026

The best track in the wet was Pitt Race... paved in pure magic for wet driving.

VIR is probably one of the worst tracks in the wet currently from the stand point of paving and sealer coupled with its layout.

honeybadger · Jan 28, 2026

COTA is a ton of fun in the wet. kerbs are FIA kerbs, so they have decent grip. and lots of run off as you said. Pretty safe track to push on if you want to learn.

I had a lot of fun with Road America in the wet too. Only Canada Corner and Turn 5 were scary brake zones in the wet. But I didn't drive it with standing water. Only the transition from dry to wet and then again as it was drying. I was having a ton of fun until Canada corner + cooling slicks bit me and I flew off into the gravel

steveespo · Jan 28, 2026

ajaquilante said:
The best track in the wet was Pitt Race... paved in pure magic for wet driving.

VIR is probably one of the worst tracks in the wet currently from the stand point of paving and sealer coupled with its layout.

I did enjoy Pitt in the wet. Did feel like I could actually find the grip instead of just hoping it was there.

GAR944 · Jan 28, 2026

Calder_Park_(Australia)_track_map--Road_only_courses.svg.png

Hopefully you guys never get to experience what is possibly the worst wet track experience ever. Way down the other side of the globe in Melbourne Australia we have Calder Park. On a friday night they will run the drags and you may get a fresh layer of traction compound from tyres particularly at the start area.
On Saturday they can have a track day. Corner 10 is a hard accelerating sweep onto the front straight which also matches up with the first half of the drag strip.
You go from clean asphalt to rubbered lane and compound to relatively clean asphalt back to the next lane then a thin strip of asphalt. Add water and it becomes lotto as to which end is going to plow the outside wall. Have been in the passenger seat when doing 5 360's down the front straight, don't know how it was kept off the walls. It was so bad that the track lost its licence to host our V8 touring car races.
If you survive that, 2/3's down the front straight is what i call the Great Lakes. There is enough undulations and straight bumps and dips that you get standing water for you to aquaplane on at max speed in 5th.
To be honest its a disgrace of a track but its open and close. We all check the weather first and the drag schedule.

Stan Whitney · Jan 29, 2026

Hallett last spring after the recent repave was very sketchy. The repaved corners and sections were fine, but the old track straights had a lot of seam sealer. It was near impossible to go straight with a rwd car at speed. Tank slapping in 3rd and 4th on the straights and chutes was unexpected.

steveespo · Jan 29, 2026

GAR944 said:
View attachment 108628 View attachment 108629
Hopefully you guys never get to experience what is possibly the worst wet track experience ever. Way down the other side of the globe in Melbourne Australia we have Calder Park. On a friday night they will run the drags and you may get a fresh layer of traction compound from tyres particularly at the start area.
On Saturday they can have a track day. Corner 10 is a hard accelerating sweep onto the front straight which also matches up with the first half of the drag strip.
You go from clean asphalt to rubbered lane and compound to relatively clean asphalt back to the next lane then a thin strip of asphalt. Add water and it becomes lotto as to which end is going to plow the outside wall. Have been in the passenger seat when doing 5 360's down the front straight, don't know how it was kept off the walls. It was so bad that the track lost its licence to host our V8 touring car races.
If you survive that, 2/3's down the front straight is what i call the Great Lakes. There is enough undulations and straight bumps and dips that you get standing water for you to aquaplane on at max speed in 5th.
To be honest its a disgrace of a track but its open and close. We all check the weather first and the drag schedule.

We have a track similar in Brainerd Minnesota that uses the drag strip as part of the straightaway too. treacherous if any moisture is on it. One of our founding members (RIP Gary), had a terrible accident in his GT350 there.

Junkyard Dog · Jan 29, 2026

Stan Whitney said:
Hallett last spring after the recent repave was very sketchy. The repaved corners and sections were fine, but the old track straights had a lot of seam sealer. It was near impossible to go straight with a rwd car at speed. Tank slapping in 3rd and 4th on the straights and chutes was unexpected.

I am unfamiliar with this term "tank slapping?"

blacksheep-1 · Jan 29, 2026

ajaquilante said:
The best track in the wet was Pitt Race... paved in pure magic for wet driving.

VIR is probably one of the worst tracks in the wet currently from the stand point of paving and sealer coupled with its layout.

After watching you run Homestead in the rain, with slicks, and lapping the Field I would've thought that would be your favorite rain track.

Stan Whitney · Jan 29, 2026

Junkyard Dog said:
I am unfamiliar with this term "tank slapping?"

It's a motorcycle term in origin I think, when things get unstable and your body gets tossed around and into the frame/tank. In this case its starting a snap oversteer oscillation in both directions.

racer47 · Jan 29, 2026

steveespo said:
We have a track similar in Brainerd Minnesota that uses the drag strip as part of the straightaway too. treacherous if any moisture is on it. One of our founding members (RIP Gary), had a terrible accident in his GT350 there.

Old Brainerd was very cool. That was a long straight. The new track just isn't the same.

As far as rain, I've seen Nelson Ledges in Ohio destroy many cars in the rain in the late 80's and 90's. I ran there a lot in GT1 and it was fast, rough and not very forgiving, even bone dry.

ajaquilante · Jan 29, 2026

blacksheep-1 said:
After watching you run Homestead in the rain, with slicks, and lapping the Field I would've thought that would be your favorite rain track.

I forgot about that one. Light rain Homestead is good, too much and Turn 1-2 turns into a lake if I remember correctly from Grand-Am days...

captdistraction · Jan 29, 2026

Worst would be mud-ohio for sure, both on and off track, followed by every AZ/SE Cali course. Best - laguna seca. That stupid f*@#ing track drains so quickly that if you're out on wets and it stops raining, you are absolutely borked.

captdistraction · Jan 30, 2026

Rain does make for some dramatic photos - especially when boating around Austin, but not in Lake Travis.

Stan Whitney · Jan 30, 2026

Got my favorite.

TeeLew · Feb 1, 2026

ajaquilante said:
I forgot about that one. Light rain Homestead is good, too much and Turn 1-2 turns into a lake if I remember correctly from Grand-Am days...

As well as the tunnel.

Sumfoo1 · Aug 31, 2026

Probably a dumb question but what do yall run for wet tires ? One of the tracks I drive at feels like “dry” is still a heavy dew on the track

GAR944 · Aug 31, 2026

Sumfoo1 said:
Probably a dumb question but what do yall run for wet tires ? One of the tracks I drive at feels like “dry” is still a heavy dew on the track

Depending on sizing, something with way more grooves than what we run in the dry. I go from a Nankang CRS back to a stock Michelin 4S. If you run an 18' wheel you have more choice for a proper wet track tyre. So usually something narrower as well. Getting water under the tyre at speed is not a fun ride. The other question is, if its that wet, what are you doing out on track. Bent cars are expensive, ask me how i know, if you aren't racing, do you really want to play. Very track dependant of course. If you have a place with LOTS of run off it can be a great car control experience. None of the tracks near me.

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Best and worst tracks in the wet

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steveespo

@21CarProductions @NJS58 Racing @NJS58 Eurosport

biggsy

steveespo

@21CarProductions @NJS58 Racing @NJS58 Eurosport

ajaquilante

honeybadger

steveespo

@21CarProductions @NJS58 Racing @NJS58 Eurosport

GAR944

Stan Whitney

steveespo

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Junkyard Dog

blacksheep-1

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Stan Whitney

racer47

Still winning after 30+ years

ajaquilante

captdistraction

captdistraction

Stan Whitney

TeeLew

Sumfoo1

GAR944

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