Miller Motorsport Park - Lessons in Track Design
As I’m watching the final Grand Am Rolex series race on Speed Channel this afternoon, I am reminded of the price to be paid from poor track design.
As is the case with typical Alan Wilson road coarses, the corners are all 2nd/3rd gear momentum corners that make passing difficult and therefore, force drivers to make dicey moves. In today’s race, 3 premier DP teams within a couple points of the DP championship (#01 Ganassi, #10 Suntrust, #99 Gainsco) experience disaster due to cut tires and so the championship will be decided not by the drivers’ skill, but the fact that a 4.5 mile course is far too long to traverse when a driver is trying to limp his car back to pit lane. Max Angelleli’s car burst into flames from a flat rear tire that cut an oil line because Max could not get the car back to the pits in time. Similarly, Scott Pruett’s car experienced a flat left rear tire and his prilonged taxi drive around the track resulted in the tire coming apart and tearing the bodywork to pieces, shattering his championship opportunity.
Making matters worse, Miller Motorsport Park boasts the worst trackside dust and debris of any major complex in North America. In Lap 1, a DP car that had gone off track tried re-entering with dust-covered windows and struck the SpeedSource Mazda in the championship hunt causing race-ending damage to both cars and scattering debris in a pack of GT cars. Rocks and debris around the track contributed to problems throughout the 1000K race — similar to past events held there.
I thought Laguna Seca was bad (sand/rocks near edge of track), but MMP has some real flaws in design, topography, and competitiveness. This is why land selection, track design, and proper track management are critical and patience in putting the right combination together makes all the difference.
Very unfortunate indeed.
Note to Ricky Bobby: They’re Coming!
Did anyone pick up on the latest news that Jacques Villeneuve is going to be driving a NASCAR Craftsman truck, en route to a Cup ride? Can’t you just see a “car of tomorrow” sponsored by Perrier?
Perhaps “Talladega Nights” was more prophetic, than satirical 