Any word on MidOhio repave?

[paulydee]

I was wondering if anyone had any detail on the repaving of the entire MidOhio track surface? I was curious to see if lap times would drop or go up.

[Hahn63]

From what I have seen in pictures. It's super smooth and the concret is gone. Can't tell but looks a little wider in spots....or maybe not. It will be fast for sure! I won't run there until the National in June.

Roland

[R2 Racing]

I have been there but not out on it yet. It certainly looks very different since there's no patches at all and all of the curbing is now uniform and a little different. From what I've heard so far from people who have been out on it is that it has a lot of grip but is eating up tires pretty quick. I guess it makes since being that it's brand new and all. I'm sure once it gets rubbed in some, it'll stop doing that as much. I've also heard that people have been having trouble consistently hitting they're marks if they were use to using those patches to tell where they were going. If you did that, you'll be a little lost I think.

As for changes to the layout, I don't think they widened anything except that the entrance to turn 13 now has flat pavement all the way out to the armco. It also looks like they may have shaved down the hump a little over the top of turn 11.

Should know more after the NASA event this weekend.

[C. Ludwig]

It also looks like they may have shaved down the hump a little over the top of turn 11.

[/b]

BOOOOOOO!!!!!

[Hahn63]

Not the hump at 11. Boooo is right Chris!! Now anyone can put the power down and get away with it! The last time they paved they took out the oil slick(read slippy spot of pavement) in 11. Oh well..guess we have to learn to drive it all over again since they took the markers away with the repave. Now they will have to redo the Midohio tape! :P

[R2 Racing]

I agree, if they did indeed shave down turn 11 and pave all the way out to the gaurdrail at the entrance of 13, they've dumbed down the course. By doing that, they've taken away some of the "character" of the track that only the local drivers really know well. But, I still haven't been out on it so I don't know for sure. Lets hope it's not true.

[tom_sprecher]

I saw this.

Mid O Repave

[C. Ludwig]

I agree, if they did indeed shave down turn 11 and pave all the way out to the gaurdrail at the entrance of 13, they've dumbed down the course. By doing that, they've taken away some of the "character" of the track that only the local drivers really know well. But, I still haven't been out on it so I don't know for sure. Lets hope it's not true.
[/b]

Turn 11 was one corner that I specifically found a lot of time at last year. If not the toughest corner technically it certainly has the highest concentration of technical challenge combined with the need for testicle fortitiude. Please, say it isn't so.