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I guess that depends on your vehicle of choice (who are you designing the track for... the masses, F1, etc.) and what you would see as a challenging and fun lap. The reason why I do not like long straights is because they are directly proportional to long laps. Longer straights and longer laps have a tendency to showcase the top end speed of the vehicle and not the driver or the fine cornering abilities of the vehicle.
For me personally, I have never felt quite that bad about being beaten by a vehicle that could only pass me on straights and that I could either close on or pass outside of the straight areas.
Therefore, my emphasis on a mid-ranged track length of 2.5 - 3 miles in length allows for a long enough straightaway for vehicles to hit their topend and then back down to go into the rest of the course. I also don't prefer the longest straight to be at the start/finish. For example: my latest track design (the one that is being built), has the shortest straight at the start/finish and the longest is the back stretch at almost 1000 meters.
Less than 2 miles is too short for competition, especially if it is less than 14 or 15 turns. Less turns means longer straights. How long is too long? To me, anything over 3.5 miles.
Matt
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