I arrived at HPT with very low expectations . . . if the new surface was smoother than a tractor trail after a long rain, it would have been an improvement.
After walking the track Friday night, my expectations came up a bit . . . the surface looked and felt great and the F1 style curbing looked well done and in all the right places. Saturday's first laps confirmed that Ray's contractors had done a good job pouring a smooth surface. In the early laps/sessions the surface seemed a little slick. The grip seemed to improve in later sessions/laps. This may have been partly due to the weather conditions/temps as well as more rubber being laid down. The new surface is also wider at many points around the track. The very driveable curbing adds even more room, changing the lines in many of the turns, making them much faster. Now that I could choose my line for speed instead of picking my way around the bumps & jumps, I found the track to be very fun and challenging. Not as technical as Madness but with some interesting attributes, like a banked carousel, a blind high-speed kink on the front straight, and a fun chicane on the back straight. The front-runners were running 1:47's and 1:46's. I imagine the Run-Offs Rockets will take another second or two off that. Note: Fastest FF lap was a 1:46.2 The race start was pure chaos through turns 1-3 . . . 4-wide with several cars 2 & 4 wheels off. However, there was not a major incident. The wide track, smooth flat curbs, smooth shoulders, and smooth grass areas saved the day. I made mistake passing some Vees around lap 13 and went four off and back on and then did it again in the next corner when my dirty tires decided to add insult to idiocy. Both offs were easily handled through the smooth transitions and grass. If you never ran the "old" HPT, I think you'll like the track, surface, and facilities. Chuck and those who had run the "old" track, you'll be pleasantly shocked. See you all in Topeka. Shiny Side Up, Joe Palmer TX Novakar #56 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck McAbee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 3:57 PM Subject: [F500] Heartland Park > We have heard at length about the Solo Pad at Heartland Park. > > How about the Runoff's configuration track. Joe Palmer, David Gill, Rusty > Cook, Jack Walbran.....comments please. > > I got to see a video from the test day and I noticed that the launching pads > and bumps I remember from last year are gone. What else does the track hold > for those of us who intend to participate in the Runoffs? > > Chuck McAbee > SEDIV #16 > > _______________________________________________ > F500 mailing list - [email protected] > To unsubscribe or change options please visit: > http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 > *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! ***
