Santa Pod lays a whole new quarter mile of goodness
What do you do when you’ve already got the fastest drag strip in Europe? Yep, that’s right.. Rip it all up and make it even better! Well, that’s what Santa Pod decided to do recently, in order to start the 2013 racing season off on the best possible footing!
Work began in the early morning of Monday 4th March to resurface the drag strip at Santa Pod Raceway. Having spent months planning and testing the best possible solutions to enhance the world-famous strips’s grip and durability, a decision was made to upgrade the track surface in order to take advantage of the latest developments in aggregate technology. Not only will the new track be a better surface for the tens of thousands of racers that pound its surface every year, but it promises to offer much more for many years to come!
The work was carried out by Britain's largest independent aggregates company; Breedon Aggregates, who conducted material trials on the track late last year to ascertain the most suitable material to cope with Santa Pod’s unique set of requirements. Breedon Fibretex was selected as the correct product for the task. Its benefits include very high durability and exceptional deformation and fretting resistance, with a smooth, homogenous surface ensuring excellent ride quality together with good climate resistance. The new, resurfaced section extends the length of the track from the “bleach-box” area behind the start line to the first turn-off beyond the finish and was levelled with the aid of lasers. The procedure included planning, regulating and surfacing.
Despite the weather doing its best to upset such well-laid plans, the track re-surfacing was completed on the 10th March. No less than 20 large lorries were needed - in continual rotation - in order to cope with the constant flow of material needed.
Surface preparation by Santa Pod's track crew began once the surface installation was finished. One thousand litres of specialised track wash was supplied for the task by lane-sponsor Autoglym, and thanks to the generosity of Rachel Hodges and Jerry Cookson, with their provision of the Shakespeare County Raceway's rubber-sled to augment Santa Pod’s own, the preparation process was soon underway!
Keith Bartlett, Santa Pod’s CEO said, ‘As part of our continual programme of improvements to Santa Pod we took the substantial decision to upgrade the surface during the off-season. To retain our crown as Europe’s fastest and best-loved MSA-accredited quarter mile venue, it is imperative that we take advantage of the latest development in aggregate technology, ensuring that our racers will continue to enjoy the best-prepped surface and fastest possible running conditions this side of the Atlantic. Our wonderful track crew still have an awful lot to do before we unleash the 8,000 horsepower leviathans down each lane for the Festival of Power at Easter, but I know that their dedication and hard work will see this wonderful new surface offering even more grip, more entertainment and, who knows, even potentially faster times, than guests have ever enjoyed before. It’s going to be a great season of racing!
For more details on Santa Pod, visit santapod.com.
