Flat over crest: Racing the Sandhills Open Road Challenge | Articles

I’m behind the wheel of a brand-new Toyota GR Corolla. Yes, it’s a borrowed car, and the owner is riding shotgun. We’re about to take on a 12-mile stretch of county road between the towns of Halsey and Purdum, Nebraska, as part of the Sandhills Open Road Challenge.

We’re sitting at the start line of the Loup 2 Loup Race, watching the clock tick down to our half-minute. This being my first-ever open road race, we have signed up for the 80 mph target group.

Photography Credit: Jeff Zurschmeide

Open road racing is deceptively simple. The idea is to pick an average speed and then run the road as close that average as possible.

The organizers even tell you the perfect time for the run. You can race in your daily with little or no modification; just bolt down a fire extinguisher and cinch up your three-point harness. Driver safety gear is as basic as long pants and a long-sleeve shirt–all cotton, please–plus gloves, closed-toe shoes and an SA2020 helmet.

In practice, there’s a bit more that you need to think about. First, the race includes a standing start, but your imaginary perfect car leaves the start line at 80 mph and doesn’t slow down for corners. The organizers give you a minimum speed to maintain, typically 20 mph below your target, and a not-to-exceed top speed for the straights, typically 30 mph over your target. GPS-based phone apps are allowed, so you have a prayer of getting close to your average without a rally computer.

Photography Credit: Wayne White/OpenRoadRacingPhotos.com

The roads used for the race won’t seem challenging to an experienced track day driver or club racer, but here again, there’s more than meets the eye. In the Sandhills region of Nebraska, blind crests come at you about once every quarter mile, and the GPS signals a welcome warning when there’s a curve on the far side of that crest.

At the end of the first half of the Loup 2 Loup race, I had averaged 80.313 mph, crossing the line about 3.3 seconds early. Coming back, my more experienced driving partner took the wheel and did better, averaging 80.121 mph and adding only about 0.8 seconds to my middling-poor performance. We finished 10th out of 18 cars.