2024 Barber Motorsports Park - Birmingham, Alabama

The Barber Motorsports Park is a world-class racing facility in Birmingham, Alabama, designed by Alan Wilson to make best use of the topography and the landscape and features numerous elevation changes.  This track known as "The Augusta National of Motorsports" because of the green areas all around it.

It also includes largest motorcycle museum in the world (230,000-square-foot facility).

Rene Larrave, Andy Scott, Charles Smyth, Derek Mills, and Chuck Green were there the entire weekend prior to the 2024 BMW DoubleRFest event on Monday, October 14, 2024, enjoying The Annual Barber Vintage Festival and BMW Motorrad's annual US gathering.

2021 Circuit of the Americas (COTA) - Austin, Texas

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 FIA-specification 3.426-mile (5.514 km) motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas.  COTA is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix and MotoGP.

We were here for the 2021 BMW DoubleRFest.  I am riding an amazing 2020 BMW S1000RR with an Akropovic full system exhaust. 

2021 Nurburgring - Nurburgring, Germany

The Nürburgring is a motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long Nordschleife "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. 

The course is 28.2 km-long which consists of the 22.8 km Nordschleife ("North Loop") and the 7.7 km  Südschleife ("South Loop"). The course contains more than 300 metres of elevation change from its lowest to highest points. 

While it is unusual for deaths to occur during sanctioned races, there are many accidents and several deaths each year during public sessions. It is common for the track to be closed several times a day for cleanup, repair, and medical intervention. The estimated number of fatalities is between 3 and 12 per year.

The Nurburgring presents special challenges for motorcycle riders as they have to race with cars at the same time.  An unnerving experience to say the least.

2021 Virginia Internation Raceway (VIR) - Danville, Virginia

Virginia International Raceway (VIR) is a race track located in Alton, Virginia, near Danville. It is less than a half-mile from the North Carolina/Virginia border on the banks of the Dan River. 

The track originally opened August 3, 1957, and was created by a group of men using a bulldozer. The track closed from 1974 until March 2000 when it reopened using a "country club" model.

VIR offers five track configurations.  We ran the South Course on July 9-11, 2021, in one of the two (2) BMW DoubleRFest of 2021.  The "South Course" covers a distance of 1.650 mi (2.655 km).

2017 Circuit of the Americas (COTA) - Austin, Texas

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 FIA-specification 3.426-mile (5.514 km) motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas.  COTA is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix and MotoGP.

We were here for the 2017 BMW DoubleRFest.  I am riding my good old 2010 BMW S1000RR.  

2012 Motorsports Ranch (MSR) - Cresson, Texas

MotorSport Ranch (MSR) in Cresson, Texas, is membership-based track that opened in July 1999.

MSR is located on 304 acres and is configurable to three different layouts, all of which may be driven either clockwise or counterclockwise. The 1.7 mi track has 11 turns and 30 ft of elevation changes. The 1.3 mi layout has 6 turns and 70 ft (21 m) of elevation changes.  Together they make a 3.1 mile track.

At this event, I am riding a 2010 BMW S1000RR.  One of BMW's first track superbikes on the market.  All the latest safety electronics (i.e., the hand of god).  A real confidence builder beast.