96CollectorSport

http://www.roadamerica.com/news_ra.htm

They are removing the barn at the main gate, removing the bridge at turn 13 (the Bill Mitchell Bridge) and installing a tunnel between 13 and 14.
I'm not sure how you guys feel about them changing tracks, but they have done a lot to make Road America safer throughout the past 10 years. Which is good, but you still want to retain the tracks character. However, they never do what will realy make the track safer. Putting more run-off at the kink. (I know the DNR won't let them because endaged frogs or some crap.) But they are taking away 2 signature pieces of Road America, there should be a little danger at RA.

In my opinion, leave the bridge and the kink alone or they could line the whole track with pillows and lollypop's so those mean walls won't scare you!

0Randy@DRM

One other thing is you will see me there next spring-summer

Randy
PS Got the wife to approve my new toy!!!

redvetracr

make the track safer??? They are changing the track to make money, and always have!! (if you remember all that concrete was to make the Indy cars happy...all 15 or 18 of them)...the AMA doesn`t like bridges and the R/A board of directors loves the money the AMA brings more than they love the nostalgia of Road America.....
...redvetracr

z060ntrack

Race cars don't kill drivers race tracks do; safer is always better. Katherine Legge lucked out there this year big time, a slightly different angle and we wouldn't even be talking about her.

xsiveone

I agree with being safe, but there's a point in which you can take it too far. Look at Road America compared to Miller Motorsports Park. Yes, it's a nice facility and has a lot of turns, but the place bores me to tears. It has no character. If the racers don't want to race on the tracks like Road America, they should consider not racing. Danger has always been a key element of racing. If you remove it, you might as well go to Kings Island and watch the red coaster race the blue coaster.

xsiveone

BTW.. They can't do anything with the Kink other than the chicane that they've already added (for the AMA) because there is a railroad track running right behind it.

I'm sure going to miss running through the Billy Mitchell bridge. It was an exciting blind corner.

RAFTRACER

Been to Cincinnati before, huh..........

xsiveone

Grew up there in the 70's. I was at Kings Island the year that it opened. Same goes for Riverfront Stadium.

Big Red Machine!!!!

redvetracr

Sorry but I disagree! NOT talking about years ago but when a driver dies it`s because something breaks on a car or someone does something stupid....as someone who has raced (AND CRASHED BIG) at Road America the "kink" is as infamous as it is famous for being one of the most unforgiving corners on any race track anywhere and deserves respect. Unless you were there IN THE CAR with K. Legge you really don`t know who did what....besides how does the Legge crash have anything to do with the demolition of the Billy Mitchell bridge? (which by the way is sort of on the other side of the race track)...RACING IS DANGEROUS otherwise they would call it golf, anyone who doesn`t understand that should be sitting in a golf cart NOT a race car......
...redvetracr

xsiveone

Golfing is more dangerous these days. Look at what happened to PT and Jimmie Johnson.

I was watching a recent show about race crashes and it was amazing to me to hear that Dale Earnhardt was the ringleader in NASCAR for opposing the introduction of the HANS device into the series. It's ironic that the very thing that he so strongly opposed could've very well saved his life.

z060ntrack

It was the Gurney flap that came off the wing that caused the incident (no rear down force); so for sake of argument lets say God forbid Katherine had died, then you're saying it was the Gurney flap that caused her death?

BFoster

Sad news.

I've been going to RA almost every year since the late 1980's, and become more and more disappointed every year I return with the changes they make.

I understand that some of the things they've done have made the track safer for both spectators, and competitors alike, but it has really taken away a lot of the character from the track.

Now, they want to destroy the Billy Mitchell Bridge? I for one felt like the track lost something when the old wooden bridge was knocked down and replaced with the current bridge. It doesn't give you that same feeling the old bridge did, when cars pass underneath. You could feel the ground rumble beneath you.

I was also disappointed to see them put up the big catch fences all around the race track. Yes, it is safer for spectators, but one of my favorite places to watch was on the tailgate of our old blazer approaching turn 14. Now, all you see are concrete barriers, and steel fences.

They took a bunch of trees away from Canada Corner, I wasn't a fan of that move either.

Oh well, it's not going to stop me from going next year.

redvetracr

In a word "YES"...and from your perspective it was the race track that caused the Gurney flap to come off?? Every race track HAS to have some type of barrier, before the concrete and catch fences there was green Armco barriers lining the track and before that it was nothing but trees. The concrete is there (everywhere) because CART demanded it, now the Billy Mitchell bridge is going away because the AMA demanded it...CART is gone, OWRS (or whatever those primadonas are calling it this week) fields a 15 or 18 car field (yet we still have catch fences and concrete everywhere), when the AMA decides to go elsewhere the historic Billy Mitchell bridge will still be gone.
...redvetracr

Gary2KC5

RIP

robvuk

I never realized that the Billy Mitchell bridge was a problem. When I was a member of WERA and AMA I used to race there and never gave that bridge a thought. I think it's cool. I just hope they don't mess with the pavement there. That's a really fun spot on the track when the car goes light on the exit.

Joel, do you have any more details on why this is happening? I'll call George if not.

96CollectorSport

[QUOTE=robvuk;1558122718Joel, do you have any more details on why this is happening? I'll call George if not.[/QUOTE]

Rob,
I talked with Rudy earlier today and he told me he had talked with George and the reason for removing the bridge was due to an FIA inspection. The bridge's foundation also needed attention so instead of fixing the bridge they are going to tear it down and install a tunnel.
I'm not sure if that is why but, who knows.

One thing that I will miss is watching my passangers grip the door handle, door, etc. That was/is my fovorite turn at the track, it's blind, fast and it unsettles the car just to catch it a moment later. AWESOME!!

I'm all for making tracks safer, but I think you sould have some dangerous tracks so people can appriciate racing from the past but also to remember what you are doing is dangerous. Club tracks don't offer the thrill you get at RA, and never will. Too bad.

robvuk

It is a shame. I just talked to another friend of mine and he said they should just replace George instead of the bridge.

bjm

I had heard about the B M bridge getting torn down a little while ago (very sad) but had not heard about the barn, which is also very sad as it is a huge part of the character of the track. I suspect that it too needs attention $$$ as it was built a LONG time ago so they prob do not want to sink more money into it.

Also, I heard that it also had something to do with several old and recent incidents (deaths not so recent and injuries more recent) that occurred at the bridge.

I think that it is safe to say they this move is prob not so much about making money but rather safety and the FIA as it is going to cost a LOT of money to rework that area.

I am just sad to see them both go, there is not a lot of the original "character" left besides the track!!! Still the best though.

bjm

!!!

fmrfast

If the organizations that keep the track financially sound wants a few changes so be it. It is better to have a track with some minor changes rather then no track at all.
One of my favorites in the east was Bridgehampton on Long Island. In my bone stock 1989 it had a somewhat blind 130+ mph downhill right hander after going under the old wooden foot bridge. Not to mention turn 9 & 13. It's now a golf course. I miss that place. 2.85 miles of adrenalin RIP!