AlpharettaRK

Spent the day at Road Atlanta with Panoz Racing School today and will go back tomorrow, here are my impressions of the re-pave:
We were essentially the first group, other than private test sessions to use the new pavement. After getting past a large Viper flambe that black-flagged our first session (and put oil the length of the long straight) we had a good day. Overall I guess I give the re-pave a "B". The track is quicker, I was about a second quicker that in December (set my personal best of 1'50.88 in my I-stock 944). First the good: Turn 1 is great, the turn-in bumps are gone. The curb inside 3 is smoother since they didn't replace it, just effectively lowered it with the new asphalt. Turn 6 is wicked smooth and fast, the brake zone for 10A is smoother and grippier. They rebuilt the curbs in 10A&B making the track seem wider. The entrance to 12 is wider, smoother and almost boring flat-out in the 944. Now the bad: The company that did the work admittedly (acording to a Panoz employee) was not one that particularly speciallized in race tracks. There's a bunch of new bumps along the curbing in 4, I got tired of them and rode about 3 feet off the curb. There's 1 very bothersome bump in the first right-hander of the esses. The approach to turn 7 is great, but between turn-in and the apex there's some new bumps that give me the sensation that I am lifting my right front. Finally, just past the apex of 12 they tore up a section of new pavement they were not happy with and the transition to the patch already has a bump forming. In a slow, old 944 it's no big deal, but I'm thinking some cup car guys are gonna be unhappy.
I might have to change the grade to "B-". I was expecting it to be glass smooth like Barber is, and it's nowhere close. It IS faster, but I wonder if it was worth the trouble. Some other Rennlisters were there today, too. Let's see what they have to say.

Cheers
Randy

DrJupeman

Thanks for the report, Randy.

Wreck Me Otter

What is it about hiring pavers that don't know how to build a race track? Laguna Seca will go through it's second re-paving in 2 years starting late in May because the original pavers screwed up. This is sad.

DarkSideDE

Kim -
Sometimes it is not the pavers knowing how to repave - many times it is just the lack os supervision. VIR had their track repaved - what 7 years or so ago, the same company had redone Roebling (also about 7 years ago) -- main difference - no one supervised the work that time.

Also, some tracks don't want to pay for the grinding down of the old track to lay a new track -- or look at Barber - they didn't let their track season well -- and went in with patches - only to have to repave immediately.

Since at this time, I'm only familiar with Roebling's repaving - the reports came in and the job was well done. Hopefully, folks from Road Atlanta's track will feel the same.

DHinkle

I was at the Panoz open track day yesterday and ran three sessions. The first was a wash-out as it was a lead-follow. The 2nd appeared to be shortened a bit and the track temperature was still cold. I got loose going up 1 and entering the downhill esses. The last session I ran was #3 and it was more conducive the trying to compare my experiences at Road Atlanta (a total of 11 race; 2 with PCA).

My overall impression is similiar to Randy's post. It feels as though 1; 4 & 5 have less grip. 6 and 7 appear to be much faster. I thought it was a bit bumpier approaching the breaking zone at 10A. Overall I ran a 1:38:4 and a 1:38:7 (including slowing down at 6 to pass exiting 7). Last year was my first race in my 993 RS. I ran a 1:39:9 to qualify for the sprint race and a 1:39:858 in the race (C stock record). Rod Johnson (993 RS CS) has ran a 39:388 in qualifying and a 39:546 in practice for the other two C stock records for the track.

I was on tires from Daytona that I used for seven practice sessions and the sprint race. Based on my comparative times, with the track temparture and my tires, I would expect C stock times to drop into the 37's with possible 36's with good conditions and new tires. Karl Poetl debuts his 996 at the PCA race and Greg Pickrael who I've raced against at Panoz and is really quick will be there along with some of the other faster C stock guys (Larry who?).

My final conclusion is with some rubber laid down on the track, overall the paving of Road Atlanta will make all of us faster, probably 1.5-2.0 seconds, which is in-line with what I've heard about the Roebling results on the new pavement.

Veloce Raptor

Thanks for the great report. I liked RA before, and wondered what the compelling reason for the repave was.

Speaking of ****ty paving...there is a relatively new track called MSR Houston. It opened in December 2005. Even the straightaways have nasty bumps, not to mention the long sweepers. Within 2 months of opening, large sections of asphalt in some of the turns was coming up in reams of gravel. They patched it. Then the patches began coming up. And it keeps getting bumpier & bumpier.

None of the DE groups go there any more.

Yet, in typical SCCA financial mismanagement style, SCCA invested big $ in it recently, and is using it as its preferred venue.

Wreck Me Otter

That sounds like Laguna. Asphalt coming up, large patches having to be laid, and bumpy areas, hence the re-repaving....

Veloce Raptor

Wow. Why did they repave it in the first place? Th elast time I was there (before the repaving) it seemed fine.

Wreck Me Otter

FIM/MotoGP required changes (resurface and runnoff) and I believe Yamaha made significant contributions in $$$....

I wonder what FIM/MotoGP will think of the concrete "bumper" on the inside of the apex burm...theoretically they shouldn't be in that far but if you are...bad things man...bad things....

Lemming

Can't wait to try it this weekend

Veloce Raptor

I wish I could make it. Had to back out due to other commitments...

MomentumGuy

I've been on three freshly paved tracks in the last year (Mid-Ohio, Roebling, and Atlanta), and I would have to say the repaving job here would be in third place. Not because of the lack of grip in the new surface, but because of the bumps. They did mention in the Sunday driver's meeting that they will probably re-roll the pavement sometime this summer, but I don't know how much that would help.

I can't really say if I'm faster or not yet, because I made a lot of changes to the car over the last couple months (adding a cage was the most profound change) to have an objective opinion, but my times ended up being comparable to what they were before.

There's really nothing I can add to the assessments above, but I am going to the NASA event is in two weeks. It will be good to see how well the track comes in.