by Jason Howarth
Road America, one of Wisconsin’s premier race tracks, held a ribbon cutting on Thursday morning to celebrate the completion of replacing the track’s racing surface. Established in 1955, Road America has been the crown jewel of Plymouth, but its racing surface has been in dire need of repair. For the first time since 1995 the track got a much-needed facelift, with milling and grinding of the entire 4.048-mile racetrack, including the pit lane, beginning on October 3. Later in October fine grading, a new base layer, and a new final surface asphalt layer was added and the refurbished race surface can now cure to be ready for the 2023 racing season. The race track otherwise remains persevered in all its iconic glory, including its original track configuration.
Advanced Materials Services consultants, Walbec Group engineers, and their team from Northeast Asphalt were the proud laborers behind the upholding of Road America’s tradition while ensuring it was the best modern race surface possible. “Our goal was to put the track back exactly as we found it to maintain its distinct features and preserve the track’s significance in the racing world,” said Craig Donze, Engineering Manager for the Walbec Group. Donze then went into further detail about the process saying that the “high-quality aggregates were locally sourced from Wisconsin, and the team used a highly polymerized asphalt mix to maximize durability. Multiple tests were performed throughout the project to ensure the surface would handle the weather and racing stresses. Teamwork from initial planning through construction resulted in a racing surface that will provide competitors and racing fans enjoyment for years to come.”
Other major goals associated with refreshing the track was to improve drainage, which included increasing the size of culverts and placing new conduits under the track. “This was a massive endeavor, and we are extremely excited to have a new racetrack for competitors and fans to enjoy,” said Mike Kertscher, Road America’s President and General Manager. Kertscher stressed the desire to keep the track’s design and vision exactly how Road America’s founder Clif Tufte had envisioned. However, said classic vision now comes with a new coat of paint to revitalize the racing experience at Road America for fans and drivers, starting in 2023.
