Move to Milwaukee- motorsports fun?

So it looks like I'm headed to Milwaukee next summer for work. Originally from Chicago, now in Pittsburgh so I'm excited about another smaller city but closer to family. The wife and I are hoping to settle down there after being transient students forever. It sounds like there is a pretty good motorsports scene with active autocross at Miller, and easy access to RA and several other tracks. I used to do a bunch of DEs before things got too busy. Going to get back into that for sure! Any opportunities for weird stuff like rallyX and ice racing? Looking forward to meeting some other enthusiasts...other than watching the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, I'm pretty removed from any vehicular fun out here.

Milwaukee has a BIG autocross scene that runs April thru October...with SCCA and Wisconsin Autocrossers (www.waiautox.org). There are 16 events total (8 each club) and are at Miller Park. Chicago SCCA and Tri State Sports Car Council have events in nearby Chicagoland as well.

The Milwaukee SCCA has a PDX series at the Milwaukee Mile infield course and an event at Road America (http://www.scca-milwaukee.org/pdx/pdx.html)

Midwest Council of Sports car Clubs also has a high-speed autocross series that runs at Blackhawk Farms (about 60 minutes SW of MKE) near Beloit.

There are ice trials and rallycross in the area-- Central Wisconsin SCC

and Wisc. Autosports Group

All in all, its a pretty good place to be...

Sounds pretty good! I find autocross a little boring but I never had the opportunity to be competitive at all. And it wasn't so convenient.

We like hiking, biking, etc, and I'm a big fisherman so I think we'll find plenty to do year round. The city seems to have some cool areas too. We love all that hipster locavore pourover coffee craft beer walkable neighborhood E36 M3...

Then you'll like Milwaukee!

For a fun drive while driving up to Road America, look for the Kettle Moraine North Scenic Drive. It was a blast in the Miata.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/kmn/pdfs/kmnmap.pdf

I will say living in Milwaukee is awesome. I have lived here since the first of the year but haven't been able to run any of the local events. i am originally from the Green bay area and was able to autocross and ice race with both Central WI SCC and Fox Valley SCC. Road America is about an hour drive to the north and Blackhawk Farms is about and hour or so to the SW. Plus you have all of the Chicagoland events within an hour or so drive as well.

I live on the lower east side, actually right on Brady St., so I know what you are talking about on all of the cool coffee shops, restaurants and bars. It seems that I try a new place every weekend and they are all awesome.

Cool, thanks for the welcome guys. We will probably live in a neighbourhood in the city. I'd love a big garage but we're not really suburb people, especially swmbo, so compromise will occur. Brady st area seems nice, as does Bay View where we have some friends.

The few memories I have from a race trip to Road America was that the women are large, people are very friendly, the food is great, and the beer is plentiful. Got to see Paul Newman there. Very unhappy, riding a moped, while his race car dangled from a tow hook.

St. Francis, Cudahy, Oak Creek, and South Milwaukee all have affordable living with big garages and are just a few minutes from Bay View and downtown. There are a few places in Bay View with 3+ car garages but they are pretty few and far between.

I would suggest staying away from anywhere north of I-94. I just moved out of Wauwatosa to Cudahy and its significantly better. Fewer hood rats (almost none!), more car guys and gals, cooler places to get out to, etc.

Don't forget that Great Lakes Dragaway is only a half hour from Milwaukee as well in Union Grove, WI.

Also circle tracks. I grew up going to slinger speedway (1/4 mile asphalt) and beaver dam raceway (3/8 mile dirt) because my aunt and uncle worked both on the weekends when I was growing up.

You also have wilmont speedway here in kenosha county. Its a dirt oval. Grestlakes up in union grove. Lots of car shows in the summer around here also with kenosha being the home of amc.

Awesome, I'm excited. My new job Will bring much more income and some more time. I will actually be able to do more than read about cars on the internet!'

Update: We moved in July, currently living in Riverwest and trying to get my 240SX track car somewhat functional. Looking into getting an AP2 S2000 as a daily driver. Maybe try to do some type of motorsports before winter? We're really enjoying the city so far, hope to meet all of you guys (gals?) at some point.

Don't tell everyone you're from Chicago. FIBS, FISH......(berkeleying Illinois bastards, berkeleying Illinois E36 M3 heads)

Enjoy a brat.

Ha! I had heard only the former. We fit in better here anyways. Plenty of brats already.

Signed up last minute for an evening DE at Milwaukee Mile and ran it in our stock auto mazda3 on all seasons. Love the track days close to home! Were any of you guys out there? I was the guy giving point bys like it was my job.

Welcome to wisconsin.

i think Milwaukee is the serial murder capitol of the US..

Don't forget Union Grove, the world's oldest continually operation drag strip.

Drive For Babies

This has been voted the #1 SCCA PDX in the country. The entry fee is tax-deductible as well