Oregon Raceway Park

The first time you roll into Grass Valley, OR on your way to Oregon Raceway Park, you might be reminded of Thunderhill and what Willows must have been like before that track was built. Grass Valley is a small town in the middle of farm and electric windmill country with some great people who are all very happy to have this very cool new racetrack in their area. And those of us that are into auto racing and high performance driving are sure happy they helped make this fun racetrack possible.

Oregon Raceway Park, or ORP as it has become known, is situated a couple miles out of town in the middle of farmland. There are not any large hills, but don’t think for a second this is a flat boring track. It’s quite the opposite. ORP boasts one of the largest numbers in overall elevation change for a road coarse.  There are 16 turns in this 2.3-mile racetrack, and many of them are blind due to the hilly terrain. Many times a driver will be accelerating and entering a turn with no real idea what awaits on the other side. But don’t let that concern you. Oregon Raceway Park is a very forgiving racetrack should you put a wheel in the wrong place and end up off the paved surface.

The track is fun and fast. It’s a perfect 40 feet wide all the way around and has curbing exactly where it is needed. Since it is a very young track, as of the writing of this post, the pavement is very smooth. Turns nine and ten, also known as “half-pipe,” are a blast. Just toss the car in to the quick right and then left and rocket out. The grip is amazing. There is a lot of g-force in that section, which can put unexpected wear on parts, such as wheel bearings. It is very important to have the proper racetrack preparation to make certain the car makes it through your day at ORP. While it’s a great venue for driving and the people of the town are wonderful, there are no race shops anywhere close.

One of the pleasant surprises of spending a day or two at Oregon Raceway Park in Grass Valley is the view. Standing in the paddock on a clear day there are amazing views of mountains in the distance to the north, west and south. And that’s not all that can be found in the paddock. On most days, the fine folks from the Grass Valley Country Market and Deli are on hand with their traveling lunch trailer to take care of the needs of folks that are hungry or thirsty.  And even if they are not at the track, it’s just a quick drive into town to visit the main store. Not too quick, though. There’s a school zone between the track and the town.

Talk to anyone that has driven ORP and they will tell you it’s worth the drive to experience one of the newest additions to the high performance driving and racing venues of the Pacific Northwest.

But before you head down, make sure your Porsche or Audi is in the best shape for the trip down, back, and great fun between. Bring it in to Motoring Unlimited for an track day inspection or any performance upgrades you've been dreaming to get. You will find us here.

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