Withdrawal pains are over for road racers and track addicts on the Front Range, now that High Plains Raceway is open. The four years we’ve waited since Second Creek closed seem worth it, so good is this new facility, which sprawls over 460 rolling acres just east of Byers off I-70.

The track itself is a monster, with 15 flowing, rhythmic corners spread out over its 2.5-miles. But what makes it truly spectacular is the 340 feet of total elevation change per lap. The best tracks in the world, like Spa Francorshamps in Europe or America’s very own Laguna Seca, are legendary because the heart-in-mouth thrills of their rising and falling turns. No matter how many laps you run they still give a jolt of limbic-system juice as you’re variously compressed into the seat or go momentarily weightless.

While drivers of all skill levels will enjoy the challenges of HPR, the special ingredient for us amateurs is how much run-off room the track layout gives; you’d have to be working very hard to wad up your car there, as any barriers are at a far remove from the action. This is the first road racecourse in the country conceived, planned, financed, and run by amateur club-level racers, expressly for their own type of fun.

I wrote that when I first visited HPR about a year ago, just after it opened. Though I only got to run a handful of laps at speed (and not even in a great choice of car), I was hooked.

I finally returned last weekend, for an open lapping day. These happen a few times a month, and you can purchase a full day or a session lasting either a morning or afternoon. The infield facilities have grown, and there are now all the basic necessities of life for racers—food, fuel, and facilities for waste removal. The professional management I had noted earlier continues to do an amazing job, catering to the needs of both experienced track addicts and newbies.

While anyone with a safe, fast car can just show up and run, some measure of experience is helpful, as HPR is a very fast track, and there is a certain etiquette required for safe passing—and being passed. Thankfully, there are a myriad of schools put on by car clubs (many open to other makes) that allow one to become acquainted with how you—and your car—handle high-speed running.

During my half-day, things went by without incident, and most passing I witnessed was carried out in a courteous and safe fashion. And thanks to its club racing-oriented design, there is plenty of runoff room for those who get it a bit wrong. This allowed me to push myself hard, especially in turn 7 (High Plains Drifter), a very fast uphill right hander where you cant see the far side of the track, but need to really commit in order to get it right—lift at the wrong time and you’re going to spin off.

The two three downhill complexes are also fun, featuring a high pucker-factor at first, as you rocket down through multiple turns, yet allowing for more and more speed as your courage and skill ramp up.

For speed junkies, the long strait allows speeds in the 120mph-plus range for a sustained period, though many cars (like my turbocharged BMW) benefit from short-shifting to cool the oil and other precious fluids. Otherwise my 335i handled everything with commendable acumen; though I had made sure it was running a race-spec braking fluid and had received a proper alignment first, courtesy of Bimmerhaus, the state’s premier BMW specialist.

This ensured my new tires would wear well, and indeed these Dunlop Direzza Z1 ‘Star Spec’ boots have to be one of the best values in street/track tires available, with a great ability to manage temperature, do well in the wet, and avoid the ‘feathering’ of their outer edges that afflicts many other brands. They’re also quite inexpensive. Thus shod, my faithful four-door family car had no trouble harassing numerous Porsches and other, more track-focused, machines. I most definitely will be back—quite soon. If you consider yourself an enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to see what your ride—and you—can really do. Visit High Plains Raceway.

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