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- Buttonwillow Racetrack -
(about twenty miles west of Bakersfield, Ca., right off I-5)
This here is the track map for Buttonwillow - the battleground for the first and last rounds of our AFM race series. Buttonwillow is one of the more challenging race tracks in northern California due to its technical, high speed, banked, off-camber, and sometimes blind layout. Many riders struggle here. I consider Buttonwillow a lot like I used to consider rain races back east. When it rains all rules get thrown out. Everyone who usually dominates now gets their asses kicked. Big horsepower doesn't matter as much anymore. If you are dialed in, you are going to do well. No one it seems, really loves Buttonwillow. It's in the middle of NO WHERE too, so people rarely practice there. I for one, love the place. But then I'm easily amused..
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- Infineon Raceway -
(Sonoma Ca. about 30 minutes north of San Francisco)
Formerly, and much more affectionately known as Sears Point, Infineon has gone under many changes over the past few years. Thankfully safety has been one of the main focuses of the tracks improvements. Infineon is a tight, technical track, rarely giving a rider a momtents rest. Elevation changes are great as well, with the entrance to turn six totally blind and downhill. Infineon rewards rider skill far more than machine power. Four out of the AFM's races are held at Infineon each year.
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- Thunderhill Raceway -
Thunderhill was obviously named, at least in part, for its high speed - horsepower rewarding layout. None of the other tracks in the AFM series get you into sixth gear at 12,000 rpm quite like the way Thunderhill does. Open liter bikes come on to the front straight in third gear, with their front wheels climbing into the air. It's one hell of a sight to see. And the sound will stop you dead in your tracks. The Cyclone is a tricky part of this track. The map here does it no justice. You run up into it by climbing what seems like the side of a cliff, then the track simply disappears from beneath you AND turns sharply to the left while you basically fall off the back end of that same cliff you just climbed. Needless to say, you don't want to go into the Cyclone at speed on your first time around!
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