Slipstream - September 2006

The Eagle is Landing
Photo by Richard Miller
by Richard Miller
There I was, tearing down a 2000 foot straight shifting into 6th,
hitting the rev limiter, then heavy braking into a left over crest
and a diving right, leading to hard left…. Well not quite as I was
in David and Linda Cook's 4WD pickup bumping along the rough
graded track at 5 MPH. Eagle Canyon Motorsports Park is well under
way and looks to become a great race track. And here's a shot of what
the down stream side of that left over crest into the diving right looks
like now:
Eagle Canyon Motorsports Park
Lots of dirt being moved (500,000 tons so far) and as you hopefully
can tell, lots of elevation change.
I just heard of this new race track being built up in Wise County,
just west of Sanger off of I35 a few weeks ago. Of course, if I had been
paying attention, I would have seen the interview in the Fort Worth
Star Telegram last March with Rob Lay and the Cooks. So I had to go
visit. After all, according to David Cook, the track is using only about
200 acres of the over 400 acres they own. The rest of the area may
become off road trails for motorcycles and other off road vehicles.
Maybe I could fit a performance rally course in there. Or at least a
RallyCross course.
Well, what I found was a couple of dedicated race people and
their team working very hard in the Texas heat to bring a new track to
the area. Of course, we have all had the experience of new tracks being
planned and even having the rough grading done only to have the
track fade away. But this one feels different. David and Linda Cook are
dedicated to bringing a high quality FIA approved track to the area.
The lime treatment of the dirt is now finished and the base course is
about to start. (In fact by the time this makes into print, the base
course may be complete.) And then PAVE, PAVE, PAVE! The track
should be ready this fall. The only caveat seems to be how much time
the Cooks will have to be away from the track to get Linda's Corvette
Z06, named Shania, ready for the next 24 Hours of Daytona. I did
mention they were racers did I not? Actually, car preparation should
not take much time as Shania is actually being prepped by Nick Cole,
son of Edward Cole, previous CEO of General Motors. Nick is one of
the co-drivers when the Eagles Canyon Race Car heads for Daytona!!!
According to David, the location of the track was chosen because
of the elevation changes. As most of us know, Texas tends to be on the
flat side. But Eagles Canyon Motorsports Park is sited on actual hills
and canyons. The course has been laid out to take advantage of this.
Those racers used to the banking of Texas Motor Speedway being
considered an elevation change may be surprised while those who
have raced at Hallett will be pleased. I take that back, every one will be
pleased.
To keep up with the pace of construction, check out www.eaglescanyonraceway.com.
Photo by Richard Miller
David and Linda Cook
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