NTAXS 2015 Schedule

Winter Autocross - Lone Star Park - Sat 1/31 (Non Points)
Autocross #1 - Lone Star Park - Sun 3/8
Autocross #2 - TMS Bus Lot - Sat 4/25
Autocross #3 - TMS Bus Lot - Sat 5/16
Autocross #4 - TMS Bus Lot - Sat 7/25
Autocross #5 - TMS Bus Lot - Sat 9/19
Autocross #6 - Lone Star Park - Sun 10/18
Autocross #7 - Lone Star Park - Sat 11/21

Made it a sticky (SCCA schedule too).

How do the course sizes/times at TMS compare to LSP? Looks like nobody is running any events at LSP for the next 3-4 months, I may have to make a trip up to TMS for a change.

LSP is not available during the horse racing season.

LSP is a much larger lot than TMS, but with a lot of relief/undulation, and several unusable sections of asphalt. It is not hard to build 70-80 second courses there, but they are not always as "good" as what can be done with 50-60 sec courses on the same lot. The older asphalt and sections that are prone to gravelling under hard braking or very abrupt transitions make the site better-suited to flowing courses and larger-radius turns, which can mean higher average speeds, even though the top speeds aren't significantly faster than other sites.

TMS is generally a little lower-speed, but extremely smooth and clean, so designers can predict what cars will/won't handle with more certainty. That requires smaller safety margins, in-general. If the grid is located outside the lot, 50-60 sec courses are not difficult to run, with more focus on technicality and challenging turns. If the grid is on the lot (like ER, SCCA) then the courses are closer to 40-50 seconds. One very nice perk to TMS is that the surface is VERY gentle on tires. You are more likely to heat cycle-out tires that have plenty of tread remaining if you run there a lot.

True dat on tire wear at TMS. I enjoy running events all over and then going there to get a nice polished tread face.

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Originally Posted by OZMDD

LSP is not available during the horse racing season.

LSP is a much larger lot than TMS, but with a lot of relief/undulation, and several unusable sections of asphalt. It is not hard to build 70-80 second courses there, but they are not always as "good" as what can be done with 50-60 sec courses on the same lot. The older asphalt and sections that are prone to gravelling under hard braking or very abrupt transitions make the site better-suited to flowing courses and larger-radius turns, which can mean higher average speeds, even though the top speeds aren't significantly faster than other sites.

TMS is generally a little lower-speed, but extremely smooth and clean, so designers can predict what cars will/won't handle with more certainty. That requires smaller safety margins, in-general. If the grid is located outside the lot, 50-60 sec courses are not difficult to run, with more focus on technicality and challenging turns. If the grid is on the lot (like ER, SCCA) then the courses are closer to 40-50 seconds. One very nice perk to TMS is that the surface is VERY gentle on tires. You are more likely to heat cycle-out tires that have plenty of tread remaining if you run there a lot.

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Good info, I haven't been to a TMS event since 2006~ or so. I will be giving one a try this season at some point, I prefer the larger/faster courses. Would consider Mineral Wells but it is such a long drive and I have heard the surface has turned into garbage.

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Originally Posted by Labora

Would consider Mineral Wells but it is such a long drive and I have heard the surface has turned into garbage.

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Not necessarily garbage, but not pristine.

I haven't been out there in ages but it use to destroy tires. I've heard a Mountain has grown in the middle also.