Harris Hill Raceway
{{Short description|Motorsport track in the United States}}
{{Infobox motorsport venue
|Location=San Marcos, Texas, United States|Coordinates={{coord|29.918892|-97.873258|type:landmark_region:US-TX|display=inline,title}}
|website=
|Turns=11
|length_mi=1.82
|length_km=2.93
|Surface=asphalt
|Opened={{Start date and age|df=yes|2008|06}}
|Address=2840 Harris Hill Road
San Marcos, TX 78666
|miles_first=true
|track_map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-height=270|from=Harris_Hill_Raceway.map}}
|Nicknames=H2R
|Record_car=McLaren 720S GT3
|Record_year=2021
|Record_driver=Oliver Millroy
|Record_time=1:10.348
|Record_team=Inception Racing
|Image=Harris Hill Raceway USGS TNRIS 20150120.jpg|Image_caption=Harris Hill Raceway in 2015}}
Harris Hill Raceway (H2R) is a paved road racing track in San Marcos, Texas used for both auto and motorcycle racing.{{Cite magazine |last=Moran |first=Gwen |date=June 21, 2011 |title=From Paycheck to Pay Dirt |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/from-paycheck-to-pay-dirt-blazing-your-own-trail-as-a/219847 |url-status=live |magazine=Entrepreneur |volume=39 |issue=7 |pages=91–95 |issn=0163-3341 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701000000/https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/from-paycheck-to-pay-dirt-blazing-your-own-trail-as-a/219847 |archive-date=2011-07-01}}{{Cite web |last=Freehill |first=Lynn |date=November 14, 2012 |title=Beyond Formula 1: Real people racing around Austin |url=https://austin.culturemap.com/news/sports/11-13-12-09-35-beyond-f1-real-people-racing-around-austin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027215418/https://austin.culturemap.com/news/sports/11-13-12-09-35-beyond-f1-real-people-racing-around-austin |archive-date=2022-10-27 |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=CultureMap Austin |language=en}}
History
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.{{Cite web |last=Rivers |first=Bo |title=About Us |url=http://harrishillroad.com/aboutus.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725104334/http://harrishillroad.com/aboutus.php |archive-date=2008-07-25 |website=Harris Hill Road}} The track was founded by Bo Rivers with his daughter Dacia and her spouse Eric Beverding. The track was paved in December 2007{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2007 |title=The track is paved! |url=http://www.harrishillroad.com/121107.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221084915/http://www.harrishillroad.com/121107.php |archive-date=2007-12-21 |website=Harris Hill Road}} and officially opened in June 2008. The track broadened its offerings to driver education, corporate events, and team programs in response to the Great Recession, and gained sponsorship from Austin-area Mazda dealers.{{Cite news |last=Ogle |first=Lisa |date=February 4, 2012 |title=Roger Beasley Mazda partners with Harris Hill Road in San Marcos |page=D1 |work=Austin American-Statesman |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2012/02/03/cruising-through-news-lotus-austin/6694564007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102190650/https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2012/02/03/cruising-through-news-lotus-austin/6694564007/ |archive-date=2023-01-02}} The track had 200 members {{As of|2011|lc=y}}.{{Cite web |last=Mashhood |first=Farzad |date=August 12, 2011 |title=Driving course gets real with teens |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2011/08/12/driving-course-gets-real-with/6687967007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926092719/https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2011/08/12/driving-course-gets-real-with/6687967007/ |archive-date=2022-09-26 |access-date= |website=Austin American-Statesman |language=en-US}}
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.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=September 4, 2020 |title=Two of Our Tracks Have Gotten Makeovers! |url=https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/articles/2014163-two-of-our-tracks-have-gotten-makeovers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301194126/https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/articles/2014163-two-of-our-tracks-have-gotten-makeovers |archive-date=2021-03-01 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Track Night in America |publisher=SCCA |language=en}}
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),{{Cite web |last=Lyttle |first=Kevin |date=March 4, 2017 |title=COTA offers wider-ranging racing schedule this year |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2017/03/03/cota-offers-wider-ranging-racing-schedule-this-year/10101393007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102190435/https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2017/03/03/cota-offers-wider-ranging-racing-schedule-this-year/10101393007/ |archive-date=2023-01-02 |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=Austin American-Statesman |page=C2 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=H2R Challenge |url=http://harrishillroad.com/h2r-challenge.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027215451/http://harrishillroad.com/h2r-challenge.php |archive-date=2022-10-27 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Harris Hill Road}} Longhorn Racing Academy (HPDE){{Cite web |title=Harris Hill Raceway |url=https://www.longhornracingacademy.com/track/harris-hill-raceway/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624152448/https://www.longhornracingacademy.com/track/harris-hill-raceway/ |archive-date=2021-06-24 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Longhorn Racing Academy |language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine |last=Jones |first=Niki |date=January 2019 |others=Photo by Carrin Welch |title=Full Throttle |url=https://issuu.com/austinwoman/docs/aw_jan_2019/38 |magazine=Austin Woman |volume=17 |issue=5 |pages=36–37 |via=Issuu}} and other driver training courses, SCCA's Track Night in America,{{Cite web |title=Locations - Harris Hill Raceway |url=https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/locations/1984328-harris-hill-raceway |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415235639/https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/locations/1984328-harris-hill-raceway |archive-date=2021-04-15 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Track Night in America |publisher=SCCA |language=en}} ChampCar Endurance Series,{{Cite web |title=Event Schedule |url=https://champcar.org/register/events.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219055954/https://champcar.org/register/events.php |archive-date=2022-12-19 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=ChampCar Endurance Series |publisher=ChumpCar International}} and press events.{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Mac |date=2022-10-27 |title=2023 Honda Civic Type R Quick Drive: Signs Point to "Yes!" |url=https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-honda-civic-type-r-quick-drive-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031121055/https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-honda-civic-type-r-quick-drive-review/ |archive-date=2022-10-31 |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=MotorTrend |language=en |quote=...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.}}{{Cite web |last=George |first=Patrick |date=September 21, 2012 |title=F1 dreamers can get their zoom on now |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2012/09/21/f1-dreamers-can-get-their-zoom-on-now/9944438007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207170210/https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2012/09/21/f1-dreamers-can-get-their-zoom-on-now/9944438007/ |archive-date=2023-02-07 |access-date= |website=Austin American-Statesman |language=en-US}}
Track description
Situated in the hills of northeastern San Marcos, Harris Hill was designed to feel like a drive through the Texas Hill Country.{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2010 |title=Harris Hill Road Promo |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIAb7VEv4gA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031040008/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIAb7VEv4gA |archive-date=2022-10-31 |website=YouTube |publisher=Lost Lens Cap Productions}} The 11-turn track is {{cvt|1.82|mi|km}} long and {{cvt|36|ft|m}} wide. It features positive and negative camber turns, a sweeper, increasing and decreasing radius turns, and two blind corners.{{Cite web |last=Vesel |first=Ricky |title=The Racing Line at Harris Hill Raceway |url=https://www.raceoptimal.com/HarrisHill |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031185709/https://www.raceoptimal.com/HarrisHill |archive-date=2022-10-31 |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Race Optimal}} Turn 4, named for the patron saint of impossible tasks Santa Rita, has an {{cvt|80|ft|m}} change in elevation up and down. The overall track elevation change is {{cvt|70|ft|m}}. The circuit is run clockwise (typical) or counter-clockwise directions. The longest straight is {{cvt|962|ft|m}}.{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=http://harrishillroad.com/about |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215171521/http://harrishillroad.com/about |archive-date=2009-12-15 |website=Harris Hill Road}}
Built upon {{Cvt|150|acre|km2}}{{Cite news |last=Maher |first=John |date=March 13, 2013 |title=No age-old problem for Edwards |page=C1 |work=Austin American-Statesman |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2013/03/11/edwards-motogps-texas-tornado-not-ready-to-stop-racing/10006686007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102183911/https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2013/03/11/edwards-motogps-texas-tornado-not-ready-to-stop-racing/10006686007/ |archive-date=2023-01-02}} of clay soil of the Texas Blackland Prairies,{{Cite web |date=May 20, 2011 |title=Texas Conservation Action Plan Ecoregions |url=https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/tcap/documents/ecoregions_map_tcap_2011.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031192354/https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/tcap/documents/ecoregions_map_tcap_2011.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-31 |website=Texas Parks & Wildlife Department}} Harris Hill develops bumps that add to its character.
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.{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2013 |others=Rod Metz, Craig Gleason |title=Harris Hill Raceway |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=Oph6sMeLACo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921091449/https://youtube.com/watch?v=Oph6sMeLACo |archive-date=2017-09-21 |website=YouTube |publisher=OnTheThrottle.TV}}
References
{{reflist}}