The 2007 Season
NEW SHELSLEY WALSH SURFACE IS DOWN
Shelsley
Walsh was resurfaced last Tuesday, April 17th, in perfect conditions that
will stand the hill in good stead for the next decade of premier, world leading
speed hill climbing at the venue.
390 tons of planings were removed from the existing surfaces that had been laid over the entire hill in 1992 and sections in 2001 during Monday, while on Tuesday the crew got to work in dry, sunny conditions, laying 430 tons of new surface in one continuous ‘roll of carpet’ from top to bottom. The job took eight hours on Tuesday.
A new section of tarmac has been added in the top paddock where competitors previously had to peel off onto grass. This has been added at extra cost but for the good of the competitors in case of wet conditions when car tyres drag mud onto the course. It also keeps hot and sticky slick tyres on tarmac the entire time the car is at the venue.
The focus of attention when planing and surfacing was at the ‘kink’ or the ‘top left hander’ where many single seater cars had been bottoming out with their added amounts of downforce of late. Interestingly, the 900bhp, £0.75m planing machine discovered that there was a difference of surface height of 6cm at that point. Needless to say, these 6cms have been removed...
Roger Thomas, Secretary of the MAC, put in a great deal of effort choosing
the contractors for the job, eventually going for the same people who resurfaced
Silverstone circuit, Bardon Aggregates.
