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Moroso Motorsports Park
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Moroso Motorsports Park features a drag strip and a 2.25 mile road course. A paved road course for karting is apparently a recent addition. The drag strip is used for much of the road course, which has two very long and fast straights. Moroso is owned by Dick Moroso of the Moroso racing parts fame.
Much of the information on this page was contributed by Mike "doc" Cobine. Chris Ingle revised and modernized the "Hot Lap" in early 2005.
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Moroso Motorsports Park is a drag strip course where the drag strip is used for much of the course. It is 2.25 miles long and has two very long and fast straights. Moroso is owned by Dick Moroso of the Moroso racing parts fame. The Moroso web page has been down for some time. Try calling the Track Office at the Phone Number below for more information.
Camping is available outside the Main Entrance. Beware: you are in the swamps and mosquitoes can be very bad.
Track Office Track Phone: (561) 622-1400
Track Maps Getting to Moroso Motorsports Park Moroso Motorsports Park is located about 10 miles west of West Palm Beach, Florida, on the Beeline Highway 710. It is directly across from the Pratt Whitney plant so if no one in a gas station knows how to find Moroso, they will know how to find Pratt Whitney.
From the Florida Turnpike Get off the Turnpike at Palm Beach Gardens and go west, which is right at the traffic light to the end of PGA Boulevard. If you need food or gas, you can go straight at the light into the Publix shopping center. At the end of PGA, turn right and follow Beeline (710) to Moroso, which is on your right. Take the main entrance which is the second entrance. The first entrance is not used for road racing and is only occasionally used for drag racing.
From the north on I-95 Get off I95 on PGA Boulevard and go west to the end of PGA Boulevard. At the end of PGA, turn right and follow Beeline (710) to Moroso, which is on your right. Take the main entrance which is the second entrance. The first entrance is not used for road racing and is only occasionally used for drag racing.
From the south on I95 Get off I95 on Blue Heron and go west, which is left at the traffic light past Denny's and McDonald's. Go straight across Military Trail to Beeline Highway (710). Follow 710 about 8 miles to Moroso, located on the right side just past Pratt Whitney. Take the main entrance which is the second entrance. The first entrance is not used for road racing and is only occasionally used for drag racing.
Main Entrance The main entrance to Moroso leads to a gate. Most park on the right side of this road and walk to registration, as you must go there before entering the facility.
A Racers' Guide to Moroso Motorsports Park Impound Impound is located at the scales near Pit In. As you leave the track during the race, they will direct you to impound.
Tech Tech is located in the south end of the False Grid near the rest rooms.
False Grid The False Grid is next to the rest rooms and entered from the north end only.
Timing and Scoring Timing and Scoring is located in the building marked Press Room upstairs near Pit Out. It is crowded and noisy and they prefer not to have anyone up there unless necessary.
Stewards' Trailer Stewards' Trailer is on the north side of the rest rooms.
Control/Chief Steward Control and the Chief Steward are located upstairs next to Timing and Scoring in the building marked Press Room near Pit Out.
Sound Control Sound Control takes its readings from the north end of the False Grid outside the track.
A Worker's Guide to Moroso Motorsports Park Flagging and Communications workers meet generally 1 hour to 45 minutes before green track on the track side of the False Grid near Pit Out. Everyone is in white and hard to miss. Virtually all workers except Registration can be found in this general area.
Tech is located in the south end of the False Grid. Timing and Scoring have already climbed into the tower, the only air conditioned area at the track.
A Hot Lap Driving the Course Practice sessions start from the pits. Enter the pits near the scales and gas pumps located close to registration, but on the track side of the main fence. Races start from the false grid, located near the rest rooms and entered from the north end. The false grid then enters the track at Pit Out.
Leaving the pits, you have a long straight with a slight esse curve known as turn 1. There are two very severe FIA curbs here that can destroy a car's front suspension at speed and can throw the unwary driver out of control to crash into the divider barrier between the front and back straights. The curbing on the left side should be avoided at all costs. This should only be taken by two abreast, never three abreast. Also never run out through the grass to drivers' left by turn 1. There is a ditch hidden be the grass that runs perpendicular to the track that can cause damage.
After turn 1, approach turn 2 on the right under normal racing. Approach it on the left during a start or in heavy traffic, as the inside guy always wins here.turn 2 is about a 200 degree turn to the left. Turn 2 can be driven with a single apex or a double apex. If a single apex, the apex is about two thirds of the way around the corner, marked by an inside FIA curbing. If double apexing, apex early at about one fourth of the way around and again at two thirds the way around. Tracking all the way out in the middle of turn 2 will put you in the marbles so stay in closer.
The FIA curbing has added a hazard to turn 2 in that many cars are too low to get back on if they go off on the outside. If you go off, it is better to continue around on the grass than risk tearing the oil pan or transmission up by driving back over the curb.
After tracking out to drivers' right exiting turn 2, stay out and shoot basically straight until you are at drivers' left coming into turn 3. Many jump back over to drivers' left sooner but this wastes time by scrubbing speed. Turns 3 and 4 make a 180 degree turn to the right. Typically it is double apexed, with a single apex right at turn 3 flag station and an apex at turn 4 flag station. the exit and trackout area of turn 4 have been widen for a short distance and has gator strips added. Most use these to help their exit speed.
A medium straight approaches turn 5. Turn 5 is the first turn of a set of esses formed by turns 5 and 6. The apex of turn 5 is late and near the end of the inner FIA curbing. This area becomes very narrow and passing is difficult, so many attempt to pass going into turn 5. After going back to drivers' left out of turn 5, stay left and make a wide sweep through turn 6. The apex can be earlier than you expect, but it is about the center of the flag station. This turn leads onto the drag strip and the exit area is very wide. However, apexing early can put you into the grass and occasionally the grass can be flooded.
The drag strip is very wide and cars will be everywhere, meaning they forget about turn 7. This turn no longer has a flag station but does have a caution light to warn if turn 8 has gone yellow. Occasionally, a yellow flag will be given on drivers' right near the center divider barrier.
Turn 7 is a slight bend to the left as the track exits the drag strip. Most consider it unimportant, but you should try to stay right on the drag strip so that you go through 7 straight to the left side rather than turning in 7.
You may have to brake here for turn 8, moving to the right side in the little area that sweeps out into the grass. Turns 8 and 8A are very fast and are the site of many bad accidents as there is no room for mistakes before you hit the embankment. Do not brake in this area. Keep all four wheels on the course. Passing here is awkward. Before this area was widen, mistakes could mean a ride over the embankment and into the canal. In the Corvette, I am around 135 mph at this point.
A medium straight leads to turn 9, a right hand turn that is very deceptive. Turn 9 exit is in the staging area of the drag strip and is very wide. Most think 9 is a 90 degree right but it actually bends farther around. Brake hard going in and apex late. You should tack out about to the second telephone pole and aim the car at the turn 10 flag station. You want to be as far to the left as possible so that you can straighten the run at turn 10 and the front straight as much as possible. The drift of the car should make you miss turn 10 station but you should hit the gator strips on the inside and then on the outside at the trackout point if you are on the line.
Unusual Dangers If by chance you manage to get over a wall into a canal, much more rare now than once, you need to keep strapped in unto the car stops. Keep your helmet on and closed and unstrap your belts. Get out of the car and go straight up. There are divers at the track where this is most likely to happen and chances are they will be there before you get out. These canals are deep, anywhere from 9 to 12 feet, and they do have alligators in them. Usually, the car splashing in scares them away, but don't waste time in the water. Get out.
In the Rain Several sections of the track flood. With the additional concrete aprons and curbings, the apexes of many turns now flood and hold water. Let your line stay wide and drive slower the first few laps until you know where the flooded sections are. The dragstrip has many pools of water that collect and you may see cars skipping around to avoid them. Turn 8 apex floods. Turn 10 apex floods. Much of the grassy run off areas flood and you can get stuck. It is far better to slow down than to chance going off track.
Thanks to Will Hamel (ITC #51) and Doug Christensen (SRF $#89) for their assistance in writing this description.
Eating and Sleeping at/around Moroso Motorsports Park Hotels & Motels There are several motels in the area near I95 from PGA Boulevard down to Blue Heron. Winter months you are competing with winter "snowbirds" and tourists so prices will be high. Also, reservations are a must in winter. Several motels have discounts for racers at Moroso. Ask if the motel has the discount for Moroso Motorsports Park, not SCCA.
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