Infineon upgrade work continues
California's Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) is continuing upgrade work to the twisting road course, with the installation of extra run-off areas.
The bridges at Turns 1 and 6 (Carousel) will be removed, and the adjoining hillsides will be graded back to create additional runoff for both racecars and motorcycles. Once the grading is complete, new bridges will be installed, with the Turn 1 bridge being moved west toward Turn 2 by approximately 100 feet.
This latest $2 million project is part of Infineon Raceway’s comprehensive three-year modernization plan, which began in 2000 and is near completion. Much of the $60 million project has focused on competitor safety and has included:
- Additional runoff at virtually every turn on the road course.
- Repaving of the entire road course.
- Creation of a new pit road that accommodates a 43-car starting grid.
- Permanent separation of the road course from the quarter-mile drag strip.
The grading of the hillside at Turn 1 will give competitors approximately 130 feet of runoff, which is 100 more than they currently have. Moreover, the abutment at Turn 1 should no longer be a factor once the new bridge is built and positioned 100 feet further up the track.
"This is a long-awaited piece of the overall track improvement puzzle and it's terrific to see that work actually under way," said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway.
An additional 80 feet of runoff will be created at Turn 6 by grading the hillside. The new bridge will be positioned in the same spot, overlooking the Carousel, but will obviously be much longer, taking the abutment out of play.
“Competitor safety will increase immensely once we are done with this project,” said Jere Starks, vice president of facilities. “The runoff at Turn 1 has been a major point of contention, especially with riders on the AMA circuit. I believe they will be pleased, as will the other sanctioning bodies, when they return to the raceway.”
This marks the second major off-season project at Infineon Raceway as the road course was repaved in August. As part of the repaving, more than 3,000 feet of French Edge Drains were installed to keep water from draining under the track surface — the raceway is just 15 feet above sea level.
Curbing was also added at Turns 2, 6, 8 and 10. Portions of the road course that were repaved included Turns 1-3, 6-8 and 11. Turns 4-5, 9-10, 12 and the Chute were repaved prior to the 2003 season.
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