Road Atlanta for SCCA Nationals??

Has anyone been. I never got there as a flag worker many years ago, thinking about going to shoot.
My wife double-booked me for the last two events at VIR and I got an itch...

I haven't been to Road Atlanta for this event before and did not
a. what access was like for non-media
b. local accommodations, crowded & over-priced like super-bowl weekend?

Thanks

Local accommodations are mostly filled by race teams, etc. However, it is only a 50-60 mile drive from central downtown Atlanta. I don't think you will have any trouble finding a normal rate hotel within 30 miles that has vacancies.

I went there for the first time this year for The Mitty. I stayed at the Best Western in Commerce, about a 30 min drive and the prices were not high.

As far as the access goes I thought is was very good for spectators, helps to have a long lens of course. I assume the spectator access is the same for an SCCA event as The Mitty. The nice thing is that there are roads in the infield so you can drive from one end to the other which is great because there is a monster valley that splits the infield with huge hills going either way.

Here is a link to my shots from The Mitty, all taken from spectator areas, to give you an idea of what is available.

http://www.flickr.com …ctions/72157629​648939874/

Road Atlanta is a great track for spectator photography. You can get close to the track in a few places with only a 4' fence. Turn 10a/b is a favorite spot of mine with plenty of shooting space & low fences on the inside and outside. The area at turns 6/7 is another good spot. On Spectator Hill you can get some good shots of them coming through the "esses." Just north of Spectator Hill, across the service road, there's a hillside where you can get some good back-end shots of cars going up the hill towards turn 6. You can also shoot down into the "esses" from that vantage point too. At turn 1 you can also get pretty close but there's not much time to track cars after they clear the pit exit walls.

The nice thing about those smaller events is less people and it's so easy to get around the place. Last month I was at the historic races and there could not have been more than 100 people there, including the campers. A big difference from Petit Le Mans where you can barely get around.