Waterford Hills

Why this record matters

Waterford Hills is a club-built road course on Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club land in Independence Township — not a stadium product, not an Alan Wilson design. The path around the hills has been the same circuit since 1958–59. Reconstruction in 2018–19 changed surface, drainage, rumble strips, and some width/banking — not a new track. It is still operating.

What they built

• 1.5 miles (club / Ajax Paving). Secondary reviews sometimes print ~1.42 mi.
• Turns: 12 (club / contractor); 8 in some databases and MotorTrend 2013. Clockwise.
• Hills and elevation (published ~50–56 ft). Named corners include Hilltop (Turn 4), Swamp 1–2, Gulch. Bleachers at turns 2, 4, and 6.
• Club speed envelope: over 120 mph on the back straight; corners from ~25 mph to ~80 mph.
• 2019 full asphalt reconstruction (Ajax): remove-and-replace, edge drain, concrete rumble strips, pit row, revised banking. Concrete apex patches removed.
• Same OCSC property also holds ranges, archery, and a quarter-midget track — those are not Waterford Hills road-course stills.

Who runs it / who owns the land

Operator: Waterford Hills Road Racing Inc. (WHRRI) — independent all-volunteer club. Events run to SCCA GCR for regionals except where WHRRI supplemental rules apply. SCCA and NASA licenses honored; a WHRRI license is accepted at Midwest SCCA Regionals. Championship points need OCSC membership + WHRRI membership + a valid WHRRI license.

Landowner: Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club (OCSC), private nonprofit founded 1943. IRS lists OCSC as a 501(c)(4) civic league, EIN 38-1312323 (tax-exempt since July 1945). Contributions to OCSC are not 501(c)(3) deductible. Do not confuse OCSC gifts with Save Tracks Dot Org Foundation gifts — ours fund the public record only.

WHRRI occupies a portion of the OCSC grounds (track began on unused ~80 acres; club figure for the whole OCSC property is more than 200 acres).

History

• 1943 — OCSC founded; IRS recognition July 1945 as a civic league.
• Spring 1958 — Bob Gubbins, Harry Barnes, Les Smith pitch a gymkhana on unused acres; MSCC rents land for $50; 4/10-mile dirt course cut.
• 4 May 1958 — First MSCC gymkhana. August: Pioneer Time Trials; neighbor dust complaints.
• 9–10 Oct 1958 — First paving: one lane, 7,510 ft × 12 ft. Trials the next morning on warm pavement.
• Jan 1959 — Formally named Waterford Hills. Early drawings tied to Ed Lawrence and the sports-car committee — club-built, not a named signature architect circuit.
• 20 Mar 1959 — Ed Lawrence killed in practice at Sebring.
• 9–11 Oct 1959 — Second paving (24 ft straights / 30 ft corners); inaugural Ed Lawrence Memorial Races. Bob Clift wins first trophy (C-Modified Corvette).
• 1 Oct 1961 — Stirling Moss visits; published club line: “If you can go fast at Waterford, then you can go fast anywhere.”
• Spring 1964 — Consent judgment among OCSC, the road-racing club, and neighbors cuts season, days, and hours. WHRRI rules still cite township ordinances and that judgment for sound and schedule (<75 dBA at the property line; quiet hours 10:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m. in club rules).
• 2018–19 — Sixtieth year + full reconstruction. Michigan.org still carries “Rebuilt, Repaved, Race Ready.”

What’s next

Status 22 Sep 2026: operating. 2026 WHRRI calendar runs through October open-track days. No public sale listing. No rezoning watch found. Use the calendar as operating proof, not as a promotions module on this page. Watch Independence Township Planning Commission packets for any OCSC / Waterford Road filings.