Driving on a gravelled country road is fun, especially in turns and also if there are ruts in the gravel. Where you want to go and where you end up going are often not the same.

A Gravelot is flat plot of land that has a circuit dug into it about a 2 feet deep. A concrete roadbed is poured. After curing, railroad bed-type gravel is poured into it to a depth of 1 foot. Then it's driving time!

This would be open to the public. Bring your own vehicle, for which you are responsible. Waivers are signed, and a fee is paid by the driver. Standard seatbelts are fastened and off you go.

There are no banks in the road. The idea is to maintain vehicle control at speed. Also, "gravel groomers" dig ruts/grooves in the gravel between runs.

Laps could be timed or drivers could go for the most spectacular recoveries.

I would think that this would also improve driving skills of young drivers.

Replace gravel with ball bearings for advanced drivers?

A bodywork shop would be conveniently located nearby.
-- Gamma48, May 11 2009

You know I have often thought about posting an idea for a large, iced over, parking lot adventure destination type place. It would be exclusively for daredevils who, like me, love doing 360s in my car in the winter. The icier the better. So I get your idea and would like this as well. Maybe we could combine our ideas and have both in one place.

( You might want to change the name. It leads one to believe you're gonna die and get buried here as well.)
-- blissmiss, May 11 2009


Bliss - I have to admit that ice sounds much more fun. It would also help improve the driving skills of the general public. Perhaps pop-up barriers could be added to the ice? Or hills/vales? And you're right about the "gravelot" name as well. What would you call your iced over parking lot adventure?
-- Gamma48, May 12 2009


Flat dirt track racing is just as you describe. As is oval track ice racing in Canada. If you want to race more than one lap you can't just use gravel because the surface would instantly become impassably rutted, moist clay works better for racing action and the drifts and ruts are the same.
-- WcW, May 12 2009


/impassably/

Them's fightin words! Maybe impassable for you, you being all cityfied. But I seen ruts worse than that last time my schnauzer went into heat!
-- bungston, May 12 2009


How many inches of gravel are we talking about? I love to drive on gravel but I don't think that racing a gravel oval is going to work. After about ten laps a dirt track is a real mess and dirt is piling into the corners. Are we talking trucks here?
-- WcW, May 12 2009



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