A racetrack is a protected area in which you may use the described procedure (racetrack) to descent from the fix and establish onto the approach course. Racetracks are generally provided where aircraft arrive from a variety of directions and sometimes when limited protected areas exist.
A racetrack is similar to but fundamentally NOT a hold.
The two may well be aligned in most cases.
The racetrack differs in that entry into the racetrack is restricted when compared to the entry into the hold. This means sometimes in order to be allowed to enter the racetrack an entry into the hold must first be achieved to establish onto the inbound course before proceeding outbound on the racetrack.
Racetracks are entered similar to holding patterns but considerations:
- Offset entry from sector 2 is limited to 1 minute 30 seconds, after which a parallel track is to be flown until the time or DME is reached;
- parallel entry shall not enter into the racetrack until establishing onto the inbound track (in other words enter the hold then go outbound)