Summit Point Raceway being repaved this week
Originally Posted by commasense
If the weather holds up, the Main Track will have a brand new coat of asphalt in time for Friday at the Track on 10/12. I'll be there laying down the first rubber.
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Here's a report on the new track surface, after Friday at the Track
Well, you guys were right. They should have let it cure.
The day started out great. The new track surface was smooth and grippy, and everyone was having a great time. But by the second session chunks were coming off the edges of the straights, and cracks were appearing in the places where the concrete patches used to be. Then chunks began coming out there, especially in turns one and five. By the end of the day, those turns were worse than they had ever been before the repaving, with big ruts. Several cars broke suspension parts and blew tires in the holes.
It was a disaster.
NOT!!!
The new surface is great, and there were absolutely no problems. Everyone loved it, and most people agreed that all track records are now history, and there will be new records set left and right.
All three groups (1a, 1b, 2) were completely full, and group 2 included a bunch of racers there for the NASA weekend. So at least 35 cars in each group, four 20-minute sessions for each.
I walked the track at the end of the day, looked at every square inch of the surface, and saw absolutely no sign of the slightest wear or damage from the day's activities. The surface was still perfect everywhere.
For anyone, like me, who has been going to SPR for a while, driving the newly repaved track is like walking through your house with your eyes closed. You know where everything is, and you probably won't bump into anything, but you have to be careful (at first, at least) because you can't see anything.
All the patches and cracks and other irregularities that you used (consciously or unconsciously) to define your line are just gone. Including, for instance, the red and white curbing on the outside of Turn Three. At most places around the track, the dirt at the edge of the paving is very soft, and a lot of dust has been thrown up on the surface, making it hard to tell where the track ends and the dirt begins in a few places, like the entry to Four and the exit of Nine.
Also, they covered up some, but not all, of the red and white curbing on the outside of the carousel, and it was only when I walked the track after that I realized why it had seemed so different. About half way through, the full width of the curbing is still there and visible. But from then on it it increasingly covered up, and nearly gone by the turn-in point for Turn Seven. So it messed up my estimation for where I thought I was for the turn in to Seven.
According to some of the BSR staff, they paved over everything that was paved before, and this revealed a few notches in the edges that I had never noticed. For instance, about 150 feet from the start of the braking zone at the end of the front straight, the left edge of the track gets about two feet wider for a couple hundred feet, then in notches back in a hundred or so feet from the end of the straight. It's strange, and doesn't seem to make much sense, but it was apparently there before, but either grown over, or not noticeable for some other reason. There are many similar notches around the track. They're strange, but they don't seem to serve any real purpose. They don't provide any useful driving space, they're just there.
As for the speed, everyone was praising the surface's grip and speed. I didn't hear from anyone else about their actual performance, but one fellow instructor said he thought it would be good for at least 2 or 3 seconds.
The improved grip improved my speeds through Turns One, Three, Nine, and Ten, especially. Where my tires used to squeal loudly in One, Five, and the carousel, their "talk" was a lot less piercing, and I slid a lot less.
In my second session (2003 track model, completely stock engine, drive train, and suspension, 275 17-inch RA1s) I did a 1:29.1, half a second better than my previous best time. And I hadn't been pushing hard, since I was still learning the "new" track. In the last session I did 1:28.3, 1.3 secs better than my previous best. That really surprised me, because the session was crowded, I didn't have much clear track, and I didn't think I had done better than before.
So I think that with a little refinement of the line, and some hard pushing, I could probably shave off at least 2 or 3 seconds, like that instructor predicted.
So go out and enjoy. It's like a brand new track.
Well, you guys were right. They should have let it cure.
The day started out great. The new track surface was smooth and grippy, and everyone was having a great time. But by the second session chunks were coming off the edges of the straights, and cracks were appearing in the places where the concrete patches used to be. Then chunks began coming out there, especially in turns one and five. By the end of the day, those turns were worse than they had ever been before the repaving, with big ruts. Several cars broke suspension parts and blew tires in the holes.
It was a disaster.
NOT!!!
The new surface is great, and there were absolutely no problems. Everyone loved it, and most people agreed that all track records are now history, and there will be new records set left and right.
All three groups (1a, 1b, 2) were completely full, and group 2 included a bunch of racers there for the NASA weekend. So at least 35 cars in each group, four 20-minute sessions for each.
I walked the track at the end of the day, looked at every square inch of the surface, and saw absolutely no sign of the slightest wear or damage from the day's activities. The surface was still perfect everywhere.
For anyone, like me, who has been going to SPR for a while, driving the newly repaved track is like walking through your house with your eyes closed. You know where everything is, and you probably won't bump into anything, but you have to be careful (at first, at least) because you can't see anything.
All the patches and cracks and other irregularities that you used (consciously or unconsciously) to define your line are just gone. Including, for instance, the red and white curbing on the outside of Turn Three. At most places around the track, the dirt at the edge of the paving is very soft, and a lot of dust has been thrown up on the surface, making it hard to tell where the track ends and the dirt begins in a few places, like the entry to Four and the exit of Nine.
Also, they covered up some, but not all, of the red and white curbing on the outside of the carousel, and it was only when I walked the track after that I realized why it had seemed so different. About half way through, the full width of the curbing is still there and visible. But from then on it it increasingly covered up, and nearly gone by the turn-in point for Turn Seven. So it messed up my estimation for where I thought I was for the turn in to Seven.
According to some of the BSR staff, they paved over everything that was paved before, and this revealed a few notches in the edges that I had never noticed. For instance, about 150 feet from the start of the braking zone at the end of the front straight, the left edge of the track gets about two feet wider for a couple hundred feet, then in notches back in a hundred or so feet from the end of the straight. It's strange, and doesn't seem to make much sense, but it was apparently there before, but either grown over, or not noticeable for some other reason. There are many similar notches around the track. They're strange, but they don't seem to serve any real purpose. They don't provide any useful driving space, they're just there.
As for the speed, everyone was praising the surface's grip and speed. I didn't hear from anyone else about their actual performance, but one fellow instructor said he thought it would be good for at least 2 or 3 seconds.
The improved grip improved my speeds through Turns One, Three, Nine, and Ten, especially. Where my tires used to squeal loudly in One, Five, and the carousel, their "talk" was a lot less piercing, and I slid a lot less.
In my second session (2003 track model, completely stock engine, drive train, and suspension, 275 17-inch RA1s) I did a 1:29.1, half a second better than my previous best time. And I hadn't been pushing hard, since I was still learning the "new" track. In the last session I did 1:28.3, 1.3 secs better than my previous best. That really surprised me, because the session was crowded, I didn't have much clear track, and I didn't think I had done better than before.
So I think that with a little refinement of the line, and some hard pushing, I could probably shave off at least 2 or 3 seconds, like that instructor predicted.
So go out and enjoy. It's like a brand new track.
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Doing fine, John. Thanks. How're you?
Have you gotten the Elixige to the track yet? You'll have a great time with it at Buttonwillow or Streets of Willow. It may not shine quite as brightly on Willowspring's main track, which is a high-horsepower circuit like Watkins Glen. But I'd still love to drive that track some day. As I mentioned a while ago, I only got to do parade laps on it when I was at the Streets course last year.
As for Summit Point, I now realize that all that time I thought I had an understeer problem, it wasn't my car at all. It was the track.
Have you gotten the Elixige to the track yet? You'll have a great time with it at Buttonwillow or Streets of Willow. It may not shine quite as brightly on Willowspring's main track, which is a high-horsepower circuit like Watkins Glen. But I'd still love to drive that track some day. As I mentioned a while ago, I only got to do parade laps on it when I was at the Streets course last year.
As for Summit Point, I now realize that all that time I thought I had an understeer problem, it wasn't my car at all. It was the track.
Originally Posted by commasense
Doing fine, John. Thanks. How're you?
Have you gotten the Elixige to the track yet? You'll have a great time with it at Buttonwillow or Streets of Willow. It may not shine quite as brightly on Willowspring's main track, which is a high-horsepower circuit like Watkins Glen. But I'd still love to drive that track some day. As I mentioned a while ago, I only got to do parade laps on it when I was at the Streets course last year.
As for Summit Point, I now realize that all that time I thought I had an understeer problem, it wasn't my car at all. It was the track.
Have you gotten the Elixige to the track yet? You'll have a great time with it at Buttonwillow or Streets of Willow. It may not shine quite as brightly on Willowspring's main track, which is a high-horsepower circuit like Watkins Glen. But I'd still love to drive that track some day. As I mentioned a while ago, I only got to do parade laps on it when I was at the Streets course last year.
As for Summit Point, I now realize that all that time I thought I had an understeer problem, it wasn't my car at all. It was the track.
I actually still haven't gotten the car back - been 18 weeks.
Once I slap the intercooler on there I shouldn't be having any hp anxiety... 250rwhp in a 2120lb. car w/ driver - yeah, I can swing that.
I just got back from the NASA Mid-A weekend at SPR Main. Commasense was right on with his feedback on the track!
The track is SO much smoother now, no more bumps and potholes (T5 entry) where the tarmac meets the concrete patches. It feels so much more pleasant to the car's suspension now. Some of the track out curbing is gone in spots, most noticeably at T3,T9, and somewhat leveled off what T10.
As far as grip goes, consensus was that the track is definitely more grippy. I had a fast lap of 1:25, with consistent 1:28's.
All in all, I like this track much better now, great job on the paving!!
The track is SO much smoother now, no more bumps and potholes (T5 entry) where the tarmac meets the concrete patches. It feels so much more pleasant to the car's suspension now. Some of the track out curbing is gone in spots, most noticeably at T3,T9, and somewhat leveled off what T10.
As far as grip goes, consensus was that the track is definitely more grippy. I had a fast lap of 1:25, with consistent 1:28's.
All in all, I like this track much better now, great job on the paving!!
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Here's what Elizabeth Miller, the instructor coordinator for Friday at the Track, had to say about the repaving:
I believe she's mistaken about it being wider, unless she's referring to the notches I mentioned earlier, which are probably not new, and in any case don't add any usable driving surface.
But it's good to know that the curbs on the outside of Three and Nine will be repainted.
Originally Posted by Elizabeth Miller
If anyone had complaints about the new surface, I didn't hear 'em. The track is now several feet wider almost everywhere, and very, very smooth. You can still feel some undulations in a few places, but all the hard transitions are gone.
I've been told that the improvements aren't finished yet. The curbing at the exit of turns three and nine will be repainted soon. The extra dirt at the edges will be rolled and compacted. And there is still more paving to be added in the turn 4 - 5 area.
Many people reported that the track is much faster. I don't have any official numbers, but expect it to be on the order of seconds.
I've been told that the improvements aren't finished yet. The curbing at the exit of turns three and nine will be repainted soon. The extra dirt at the edges will be rolled and compacted. And there is still more paving to be added in the turn 4 - 5 area.
Many people reported that the track is much faster. I don't have any official numbers, but expect it to be on the order of seconds.
But it's good to know that the curbs on the outside of Three and Nine will be repainted.
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