I am extremely interested to hear of the accomplishments of others on Frenchtown Road. My personal speed record is 143 mph (achieved on a motorcycle). Is this the all-time high or have others gone faster? I believe 143 mph is probably near the upper range of what is possible, although one on a Hayabusa or driving a McLaren F1 could probably surpass my record. The key is not so much having a high potential top speed, but a quick acceleration and the ability to finesse the road.

I believe there is only one area where it is feasible to attempt a competitive speed record (I am distinguishing between a speed record and a time record with a speed record simply being one’s top speed achieved. Time records will be addressed in another post).

Although it seems logical to attempt a speed record on the hill pictured below, it is actually not a very good location. Yes, the hill allows for a sudden burst of acceleration, but the road is banked poorly making control more difficult and the corner at the bottom is somewhat troublesome in that you have to prepare for entry in advance and the line through the corner is somewhat awkward:

This is the corner I am referring to:

However, the corner featured above is crucial as it sets one up for the sweet spot on Frenchtown Road. I have achieved far better results with the section I will detail below. One initiates accelerating at the apex of the corner detailed above and then maintains maximum acceleration until the slight rise I will discuss shortly.

Below is a look back at the corner from which one begins maximum acceleration. In other words, the faster one can take this corner the better:

This slight decline immediately following the above corner gives a kick to one’s acceleration and sets one up for one’s maximum speed on this flat and straight section. Think of that slight rise at the horizon point as the goalpost because that is where one will hit one’s maximum speed:

Here is a better glimpse of the slight rise I am referring to:

Followed by a look back at the route one will have just traversed:

Once one passes over the slight rise, glance at the speedometer and then ease off the accelerator to start bleeding off speed which this hill will assist with (In the picture one can also observe another view of the crucial rise I keep referencing):

One should be back to normal speeds by the time one gets to this corner or one will go off the embankment:

This is by no means the official or only location on which to establish a Frenchtown Road speed record. If one can fare better elsewhere, I would love to know about it. However, the section detailed above is what has worked best for me and is based on extensive trial and error as well as a hell of a lot of experience.

Good luck.