Do you like Grattan?

I'm a little biased because we've been having private days there for many years, but I think Grattan is very fun. It's got its quirks but you have a few types of corners, elevation changes, etc. The pavement isn't as scary as it may look and has good traction, except in the wet.

 

many people think grattan is a slightly smaller barber lots of elevation and mostly blind corners
track is very slick when wet and has a lot of sealer.
Definitely worth the drive April is a crap shoot on weather could be the best or worst day of the year

 

I liked Grattan alot. BUT the cold days gave me my first lesson about spinning my rear wheel on the throttle.
The tire snakes where slippery. (doesn't happen normally on my 600cc bike)
Since you did Autobahn IMO I liked Grattan more than the half of Autobahn, Maybe the full track would be fun.

Midwest is a big place, Have NCM setup for May, Road America in June. THAT's a must.
And we have a rain check need to use for Mid-Ohio.

My Home track is Putnam, Grattan has elevation changes and some blind corners that Putnam doesn't.
Would say, it's worth at least one trip. You decide if it's worth the second.

 

Grattan is an excellent track. With the different corner types and elevation changes it is very technical. If you can ride Grattan well, you can ride anywhere.
The biggest downfall at Grattan is that it is slippery when wet. As for an April day there, just watch the temperature trends for that week. You never know about rain there regardless of the time of year.
Is it worth the drive? Absolutely!

 

So much this! I'll go against the grain and say I'm not a huge fan of Grattan, but only because I can't ride it well... A big part of that is I'm lousy at making passes there, so I'm in traffic a lot.

April's a risk. Even if there's no rain, Grattan is a track that when it's green, it's green... And it can be green for a lot of sessions in the early spring/late fall.

Regardless, it's a must-do track at least once if you live in the midwest.

 

Warm & try absolutely one of the most fun tracks I’ve ever ridden. In my top 5 & I’ve ridden 25 tracks.

Cold or wet no thanks. April would be hit or miss.

 

Where abouts are you living? Sounds like you may be in the Milwaukee area? I'm in MKE and plan to head to Grattan the first week of June for my first time.

 

I’m also in Milwaukee.

 

After reading this thread, I a bit worried about being signed up for both days in April... which I expect to be cool, with a good chance of wet. Hope it turns out to be worth the 8.5 hour drive.

 

I love Grattan. I never bother with April dates. Weather doesnt work for me. Now May 18-19th weekend . . .

 

really way to early to tell on the weather i live 20 minutes south of the track all day yesterday and most of today were warm with bright sunshine would have been a great track opener. if you do ride in the wet there on street tires go slow and feel out the track the sealer has a few places it is super slick most is manageable.

 

I bought a set of rains for the wet, so I wouldn't be on street tires in that case... however as I ride a slow intermediate pace, I stick to street tires (Q3s) without warmers in the dry. Here in green bay, we had 2 really nice days, but they are talking 6 to 12 inches of snow tomorrow... looks like the track forecast isn't much off of that. I guess my question on cold is... how cold is an issue? I have ridden blackhawk in the mid 40s and had all the grip I needed... is that going to be an issue with the sealer strips?

 

Grattan sealer is slippery and it's not just tar snakes on the front straight the seal pretty much all the corners. if the sun is out 50+ is ride able.
There are a few spots that tend to weep water they have done a lot drainage work to slow this hopefully it worked.

I haven't been to black hawk yet so i can't compare.

Get a coach to tow you around.the line there is very blind and virtually impossible to stumble around and figure it out.
Ask early tech registration or in the riders meeting.
Current fore cast doesn't look good for Saturday but pretty nice Sunday.
But the track is built in a pocket and a lot of time the rain will split and miss the track.

Wife and i are headed to the Dragon for our wedding anniversary so we wont be there.Be safe and have fun it is a great layout

 

We had awesome weather... even still Saturday track conditions were scary. Sunday was much better, but still had some slick spots. I'm really glad I came out to ride... great people, no traffic and a cool track layout. That said, I think that is my last day at Grattan... though I believe it does get better when its hot, its a long way to travel from Green Bay and not worth the risk of rain and slick sealer.

 

Glad you enjoyed it june and july are hot but normally dry and very fast weekends

 

Anyone here doing Grattan May 18th weekend? The posts above about it being bad during the cooler days makes me worry a little bit.