The Chuckawalla Valley Raceway is a motorsports park located in Desert Center, California. It is a 3-1/2 hours road trip away from all the major population centers in the area. The town gained historical relevance in 1942 when General Patton used it as a desert combat training ground for the American tank battalions assigned for fighting in the Sahara during WW2. Temperatures as high as 120 °F and only occasional winter rains configure a barren climate where only the most resilient forms of life can thrive. But even in this harsh location, passion for racing has been going strong and well since its inception in 2010.
The road course is full of exciting corners with different banking angles. There are 17 turns in total on the 2.68-mile trajectory of the track. It can be run both clockwise and counterclockwise, and elevation changes are constant, as in the 24' vertical gain in the main 1330-feet straightaway. A famous feature in Chuckwalla Valley is The Bowl in turn 13, a 10-degree banked fishbowl-shaped corner that drivers can take at high speeds to feel the G-forces working. The racetrack designer Ed Bargy used the concept of a challenging, fast-to-drive, yet secure racetrack that makes the trip to Chuckwalla Valley more than worth it.
The Chuckawalla Valley Raceway design makes it equally drivable in both directions, and the counterclockwise configuration is also a challenging and fun option. The main difference of the CCW is that drivers need to accelerate on the bowl and keep increasing speed through sweepers 12 and 11, all the way to the end of the 1330-feet straight run. The 24' slope in the main straightaway goes downhill, but drivers need to remain cautious because of the tight turn number 10 at the end. The final average speed of the CCW circuit is 80 mph, and the average lap time is 2:01.023, both very similar to the ones of the CW orientation.