Harris Hill Raceway (H2R) is a paved road racing track in San Marcos, Texas used for both auto and motorcycle racing.[3][5]

Harris Hill Raceway
H2R
Map
LocationSan Marcos, Texas, United States
Coordinates29°55′08″N 97°52′24″W / 29.918892°N 97.873258°W / 29.918892; -97.873258
OwnerBo Rivers[1]
Address2840 Harris Hill Road
San Marcos, TX 78666
Broke groundSummer 2007[2]
OpenedJune 2008; 16 years ago (2008-06)[3]
ArchitectDavid Donovan[4]
Websitehttp://harrishillroad.com/
Surfaceasphalt
Length1.82 miles (2.93 km)
Turns11
Race lap record1:10.348 (Oliver Millroy, McLaren 720S GT3, 2021)

History

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Harris Hill Raceway was conceived as a local place to drive high-performance cars, responding to the lack of club-based tracks in Central Texas.[5][6] The track was founded by Bo Rivers with his daughter Dacia and her spouse Eric Beverding.[3] The track was paved in December 2007[7] and officially opened in June 2008.[6] The track broadened its offerings to driver education, corporate events, and team programs in response to the recession,[3] and gained sponsorship from Austin-area Mazda dealers.[8] The track had 200 members as of 2011.[1]

In summer 2020 the track re-paved the rough surface and brought the back section between turns 6 and 7 inward to allow construction of FM 110.[9]

The track includes a sports car club and a motorcycle club that each hold regular hours for members. Harris Hill also hosts H2R Challenge (Miata, 914, and Mustang classes),[10][11] Longhorn Racing Academy (HPDE)[12][13] and other driver training courses,[8][1] SCCA's Track Night in America,[14] ChampCar Endurance Series,[15] and press events.[16][17]

Track description

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Situated in the hills of northeastern San Marcos, Harris Hill was designed to feel like a drive through the Texas Hill Country.[18] The 11-turn track is 1.82 mi (2.93 km) long[14] and 36 ft (11 m) wide. It features positive and negative camber turns, a sweeper, increasing and decreasing radius turns, and two blind corners.[19] Turn 4, named for the patron saint of impossible tasks Santa Rita, has an 80 ft (24 m) change in elevation up and down. The overall track elevation change is 70 ft (21 m). The circuit is run clockwise (typical) or counter-clockwise directions. The longest straight is 962 ft (293 m).[4]

Built upon 150 acres (0.61 km2)[20] of clay soil of the Texas Blackland Prairies,[21] Harris Hill develops bumps that add to its character.[16]

The property contains a clubhouse with amenities, a garage with a mechanic, a banked dirt oval track, and a rally course just inside the paved track.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Mashhood, Farzad (August 12, 2011). "Driving course gets real with teens". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on 2022-09-26.
  2. ^ "Silt Fence Construction". Harris Hill Road. June 25, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21.
  3. ^ a b c d Moran, Gwen (June 21, 2011). "From Paycheck to Pay Dirt". Entrepreneur. Vol. 39, no. 7. pp. 91–95. ISSN 0163-3341. Archived from the original on 2011-07-01.
  4. ^ a b "About Us". Harris Hill Road. Archived from the original on 2009-12-15.
  5. ^ a b Freehill, Lynn (November 14, 2012). "Beyond Formula 1: Real people racing around Austin". CultureMap Austin. Archived from the original on 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  6. ^ a b Rivers, Bo. "About Us". Harris Hill Road. Archived from the original on 2008-07-25.
  7. ^ "The track is paved!". Harris Hill Road. December 11, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21.
  8. ^ a b Ogle, Lisa (February 4, 2012). "Roger Beasley Mazda partners with Harris Hill Road in San Marcos". Austin American-Statesman. p. D1. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02.
  9. ^ "Two of Our Tracks Have Gotten Makeovers!". Track Night in America. SCCA. September 4, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  10. ^ Lyttle, Kevin (March 4, 2017). "COTA offers wider-ranging racing schedule this year". Austin American-Statesman. p. C2. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  11. ^ "H2R Challenge". Harris Hill Road. Archived from the original on 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  12. ^ "Harris Hill Raceway". Longhorn Racing Academy. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  13. ^ Jones, Niki (January 2019). "Full Throttle". Austin Woman. Vol. 17, no. 5. Photo by Carrin Welch. pp. 36–37 – via Issuu.
  14. ^ a b "Locations - Harris Hill Raceway". Track Night in America. SCCA. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  15. ^ "Event Schedule". ChampCar Endurance Series. ChumpCar International. Archived from the original on 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  16. ^ a b Morrison, Mac (2022-10-27). "2023 Honda Civic Type R Quick Drive: Signs Point to "Yes!"". MotorTrend. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31. ...body-rattling track surface, the result of Harris Hill being built atop unstable clay ground just like what lies beneath the Circuit of the Americas tarmac F1 runs on. "It's quite bumpy," Verstappen observed dryly halfway around lap one.
  17. ^ George, Patrick (September 21, 2012). "F1 dreamers can get their zoom on now". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07.
  18. ^ "Harris Hill Road Promo". YouTube. Lost Lens Cap Productions. July 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31.
  19. ^ Vesel, Ricky. "The Racing Line at Harris Hill Raceway". Race Optimal. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  20. ^ Maher, John (March 13, 2013). "No age-old problem for Edwards". Austin American-Statesman. p. C1. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02.
  21. ^ "Texas Conservation Action Plan Ecoregions" (PDF). Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. May 20, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-31.
  22. ^ "Harris Hill Raceway". YouTube. Rod Metz, Craig Gleason. OnTheThrottle.TV. May 16, 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-09-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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