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    Thunderhill Raceway Park

    4.8 (61 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Thunderhill Raceway Park Photos

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    Leung T.

    Race track just under 3 hours north of San Fracisco. 3 mile & 2 mile or combined 5 mile track plus skid pads for drifting. All good fun. This weekend. Was off track 3 times in to total. Usually carrying too much speed in to a turn. Flat or off camber. Couch had me work on the line for smoothness rather than speed. I also stayed in 4th gear the last 2 sessions (less power down low to get going again so I had to maintain momentum) Best time Sunday was 3 seconds slower than Sat but much less drama.

    Great friends and a great driving experience at a great track.  Sure do miss you, Ric.
    Mark F.

    Thunderhill Raceway Park is located outside of Willows, California in the north-central part of the state. It may be a long drive to get there, in which case you can leave early or stay at one of the many hotels n Willows. Note that the California Highway Patrol has a sizable presence in Willows focusing on the safety and well-being of motorists and citizens in the area. There are also stores and quite a few dining options in Willows. The raceway itself, despite its somewhat remote location, has quite a lot to offer including a gas station, burger stand, meeting facilities, pro shop (with helmets, gloves, snacks, drinks, and souvenirs), parking and covered parking, repair facilities, storage, skid-pads, and more. The track is clean, well-designed, well-maintained and can be configured as a 2-mile, 3-mile or 5-mile course. The track and facilities can be rented, or you can sign-up with one of the track-day outfits to enjoy a day of performance driving. I've been coming here for years and really enjoy the track. It's a challenging mix of technical combinations of corners, as well as nice straight sections and elevation changes. The team here is consistently friendly and helpful and add to the fun of visiting this top-notch track. The place is very well run. Make sure to check your tires and brakes before coming to Thunderhill because they will get a lot of work negotiating this track, especially in the heat (which is typical in the Central Valley. Please be sure to bring a cooler with bottled water and stay hydrated!!!

    Melanie B.

    Quite a ways away...had to leave in the early morning for a track event hosted by OnGrid back in March (2020). Note: I was not the driver! but was able to ride passenger and check out the entire lot. As someone new to the track scene, and not completely participating, my experience might be different from those who do this as a hobby. I would say the track is well-maintained. We spent our time on the west side, and I got to feel what it was like to go around a few laps. The G-force is not a joke! They have a burger truck on-site that was surprisingly delicious. I spent majority of my time spectating, so if you plan to tag along as a guest/supporter, I encourage bringing a portable chair, snacks, a blanket (it can get chilly in the mornings), and something to do to pass the time. The event we attended had drivers line up by tier, so there is plenty of down time. Your furry friends are welcome, too. And there are bathrooms close by.

    Just in front of Thunderhill East main building.
    Lukas S.

    Go East. East is the longer 3 mile circuit that is more fun to drive. West is a smaller circuit that is more like a tight mountain road. Good for drifting but not really fast. Sometimes, they connect both circuit into a five mile one. The facilities are nice, the burger place is decent, the fuel pump works as it should. There is also a tire shop on-site, and an Auto-X pad and a skid-pad.

    Sally I.

    My favorite racetrack in the bay area! (Yes, I like it here more than Laguna Seca and Sonoma) I started my track day journey here at the East 3-mile track in Oct 2020 with Hooked on Driving Novice group. Every time I came here with different clubs, I met new friends and enjoyed more seat time. I was celebrating my 10th track day here a week ago back at East 3-mile w/ Cyclone. The track looked beautiful this season! I love all configurations, 2-mile CCW/CW, 3-mile cyclone/bypass, and 5-mile. Thanks all workers who work diligently at the flag stations. We'll come back soon!

    Thunderhill
    Kevin G.

    Great track, I have only been on the small on however it was a blast. I like that they had shade in the pits too.

    Turn 10
    Jim P.

    Thunderhill Raceway is my favorite "Local Track" of the three in our area (Sonoma Raceway and Laguna Seca filling out the trifecta). It's a perfect combination of safe beginner and advanced driving circuit all rolled into one. For newbies there is ample run off space, limited walls and easy to see flag stations; typically the only thing that will be seriously damaged in an "Oh Shit" moment is your pride. For advanced drivers the track provides endless nuance, fast and slow sections, off-camber & blind turns, varying configurations like Turn 5 Cyclone or Bypass and now the new 2 mile track. Facilities are well maintained including a Cafe, Club House, Pro Shop and Fuel Station with high octane options. There are independent shops on-site as well including an Aim Tire shop. Paddock parking includes two large covered areas and garages for rent. There is also a Skid Pad for rent on-site. Did I mention fast/free wifi that covers the entire paddock?! Two thumbs up to the track workers; especially the Corner Workers...much Love to you Guys and Gals! Spectator events have also discovered our humble Thunderhill with big ones including 25 Hours of Thunderhill and Lemons plus many SCCA events. If you are considering getting into tracking your car at HPDE events, Thunderhill Raceway is an awesome place! Cheers!

    1967.5 Datsun 2000 Roadster. Photo taken in 1998.
    Miguel C.

    One of my most favorite places in the world. Been driving here since 1997 when it was a 1.5 mile loop. Now its an absolute world class motorsports park. Awesome memories!

    Fun, and probably the safest track(s) I've seen. 3mile East track is the most popular but the 2mile West track is super fun and technical. When combined into a 5 mile course...magic. The only downside to the 5 mile track is that in a 20-25 min. session, it can be a challenge to learn. Autox pad is smooth and sticky asphalt especially when temps are in the mid 80's. They also have a rallycross area and the chef is capable of some amazing lunches if asked to do so.

    Bruce L.

    For a racetrack, this place ain't too shabby! Skid pad, motorcycle and car racetrack and can be used as an event center! The very first time I came out to this track was for an event called "Mini Thunder". I tore up the track with a bunch of friends in our mini coopers and had s good old time. I've since come out with my other cars for track days and had fun! They have a large staging area to prepare your cars which is partially shaded. Additionally, in the main office area they have rooms you can use to teach and talk about the track and safety amongst other things. They also have food here which is fair. The track itself is very well maintained and has recently gone over having an expansion which is beautifully paved. The top of the hill can be scary with a blind turn, but once you learn the track, you can really enjoy all it has to offer. I have also been here recently for "the lights" event which was held at the southwest part of the track. It was set up very well and accommodated all the people beautifully. Overall: as a track or a place to hold events, Thunderhill is a pretty cool hub for it all. Bring a helmet and hit the pavement!

    Sets of 3 for auto cross SRT Experience
    Clarence A.

    SRT EXPERIENCE if you purchased a brand new or used SRT model you possibly have a free pass for the SRT Experience, regular cost for this event is about $700 per person even if you are just a passenger. I was impressed by the expertise of the gentlemen and ladies on the track that day, full day event begins promptly at 8:30am and ends at 4'ish. The day consist of auto cross, time trail, head to head, and hot laps lunch and breakfast is included as well as a trophy for 1st, 2nd and 3rd competitors for best times in the time trials, depending on the amount of people groups are divided into two pairs. you are also partnered up with one other person during the auto cross portion of the day. You do not use your own car for this event, they provide you with several cars that you get to choose from all in the SRT family. For the Auto Cross session you had the option to try 4 different cars, all lined up in sets of 3's 1st for the instructor, 2nd & 3rd for students. Cars you get to choose from are 2015 Challengers SRT8, 2015 Chargers SRT8, 2015 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2015 Jeep Cherokee SRT Let me break down how our day was set up: First session: Auto Cross, Charger SRT8 2 laps, 1st lap more or less a feel for the course, 2nd lap slightly sped up, you are instructed to keep 3 car distance during this session, I did notice if you were falling behind the lead car would slow down accordingly, if you were able to keep up with the lead car, and keep a constant 1 car distance the lead car would speed up accordingly Second session: Auto Cross, Chrysler 300 SRT8 2laps, same process get feel for car, noticed that the Chrysler 300 SRT8 was a tad more rigid drive then the Charger, in all still very good handling, hitting that gas during a turn it gets squirly more so in this car I noticed then the Charger haha Third Session time trial Challenger SRT8, coned off session, more a test of handling, stay in the lines, don't hit cones, per cone hit -2sec end point you must remain in the box until the car comes to a complete stop, if you stop past the box -5 sec per axle over the line, time to beat was 32.5 seconds with no penalities, keep the car in 1st gear no need to shift in this course! Fourth Session time trail Grand Jeep Cherokee SRT8 the handling on this car is amazing, all wheel drive, I believe it is the only all wheel drive vehicle on their line up, you are higher off the ground with this vehicle, looks and feels a bit difficult to handle, once you step on that gas completely different story, this midsized SUV can handle and hug the course mind you your doing this in 1st gear only! Fifth Session: Auto Cross, Grand Jeep Cherokee SRT8, Going at the speeds on this track I am surprised none of us spun out, mind you it was raining, going in and out of turns at 60-80mph was fun, all wheel drive traction makes a big difference, of all the cars out on the track this was surprisingly my favorite, mid sized SUV literally hugs those corners, on some parts you feel the car will lean bit more due to weight but surprisingly the SUV sticks to those corners and hauls ass out, you can literally hear this SUV roaring for more gas when you straighten out your wheels hahahaha, mind you this was in the rain!! Sixth Session: Auto Cross, Charger SRT8, unleashing the gas this time around, car gets squirly on turns if you gas during the turn, you can feel the car edging out if you punch that gas, note to self feather the gas in the turn when wheels are all straight you should then punch it hahha, but so addicting punching it 1/4 way in the turn just to feel the car edge out a bit, traction control will not help you if you are gassing in the turn hahhaha Seventh Session: Auto Cross, Challenger SRT8 oddly the lead car seemed to be taking his time during this session, could be that it was raining buckets but myself and the partner I had behind me were about car lengths during this session Eighth Session: no recorded- technical difficulties on this video for me haha Ninth Session: Hot lap, Charger SRT8 head to head challenge, same model car, basically a labyrinth of twist and turns, same rules apply do not hit the cones, -2 seconds per cone, come to a full complete stop in the box, if you do not stop -5sec continue to the second portion of the race and complete the course again hitting no cones, and stopping in your box Tenth Session: Hot Lap, Challenger SRT8 let the back end whip; DO IT!! hahaha Eleventh Session: Hot Lap, Challenger SRT8 "if your not first your last" Twelveth Session: Hot Lap, Challenger SRT8 I hate cones... hahhahaha Thirteenth Session: Auto Cross, you sit in passenger seat as one of their professional drivers takes you on a ride showing you what the car or SUV can do on the track, even in the rain all these cars/SUV have handling and they show you just how fast they can go in the rain

    Autonomous race car day
    Doug C.

    Well run; clean; showers + bathrooms. Safety first concern. Dangerous place; an see trauma helicopters coming/leaving depending on accidents. Motocross events have high injury rate. Fatalities exist.

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    Ask the Community - Thunderhill Raceway Park

    Review Highlights - Thunderhill Raceway Park

    I recently did a track day at Thunderhill on the full 5 mile course, and the new section is an awesome addition.

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    Feel Like A Pro

    Feel Like A Pro

    5.0(27 reviews)
    86.5 mi

    So in the 5 months since my first trackday I've now done Laguna, Sonoma, Thunderhill East and West,…read moreall with Feel Like a Pro. I've continually improved, lowered lap times, and am now riding solid B-group pace all day long. There is nothing more satisfying on a Ninja 400 than having a Ducati 1299 blow by you on the straight, only to catch them in turn 3 and say "hey, remember me?" (I don't think they can hear me, but I do say it). If the Feel Like a Pro team didn't make me feel so welcome and provide a great experience, I wouldn't have been back. It's that simple. For anybody that's thought about a track day but is daunted by the unknown, give Feel Like a Pro a call. They take care of everything, you just need to ride at whatever speed and level you feel comfortable.

    I had an absolutely stellar experience renting a bike from FLAP. Went into it thinking I was just…read morerenting a ninja 400 at thunderhill but I got so much more out of it. Ryan, one of the owners, is a very quick rider and he gave me a ton of pointers as well as a tow around the track and specific advice on both how to improve as well as how to ride the ninja better. He knows his own product inside out and his knowledge was invaluable. I got a lot faster over the two days I rented. Michelle, his wife and co-owner, has only been riding for two years and is super quick too. She gave a lot of perspective on how to improve quickly and was amazing at helping get us set up. The rental experience is a total white glove service. you have a canopy and tables in a prime location. Tire pressures are checked throughout the day. Ryan made numerous adjustments to the bikes ergos (I'm a taller dude) to make me more comfortable. it's like being part of a racing team with your own pit crew and mechanic for the day. Lastly the other rentals were really cool. I didn't know anyone else at the event and we hung out together. Made some new friends! Highly recommend flap.

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    Thunderhill Raceway Park - racetracks - Updated May 2026

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