Stadiu Lite Track - actually under way

[Moskito]

I got the track cut in yesterday.   First time on a bulldozer - that thing's fun!  Six way blade makes some interesting gouges.   :roll:

The track has two longer, fast sections and quite a few switch backs.  The corners are increasing radius, decreasing radius, the dreaded tight 180 and a couple sweepers.  Hopefully the track flows like I was looking for it to.  I'm not sure where jumps, bumps and such are going in yet.

I'm headed back out today to push more dirt around and I think I'm going to take my Gen IV car out and see how it (the layout) feels.  It's sort of hard getting any idea of motion and flow on a machine that goes an amazing 5 mph...

The river that runs through the property is up right now, so I'll probably have to use a mini-excavator to move the car across it.  No way the car would make it right now.  We do plan on building a bridge, so it won't be an issue.  Anyone know where to come across one or two used semi flat bed trailers?

I'll try to get some pix and get them posted later.

This will be the last weekend I get to work on the place for about three - heading out west for a desert race the end of this week.  Hopefully by the time I get home, the river will be down, the rains will have decided to leave and I won't need a web footed horse to get around.  Ah, spring in Ohio - the wonderful world of wet... (sucks!)

[Moskito]

Took the Gen IV to the track today.  Tie downed it to the blade on the dozer, picked it up and drove across the river to the track.

The track is FAST.  I was actually taken back by how well it flows and how fast I was able to run the corners.  I don't think it's going to be a horsepower track - I'm hoping not...

Once we get jumps in the speeds will come down and the place will become a bit more technical to run on - not to the point of being a PITA to drive - just more refined.

The dirt is, for the most part, deep top soil.  There's one clay area, but it's small and in a nice banked slider of a turn.

I also took the Gen IV out onto the motocross track.  WOO HOO!!!  Man this thing is fun.  I was able to clear all the table tops and doubles except one double/table/triple thingy that spooked me (even on the MX bike this one spooks me - but I will double it on the bike) and one at the end of a rhythm section.  I cleared it, but I didn't land it quite right.      :roll:

Lawn darted about 40 feet from the take off lip.  I knew I screwed up the second I LIFTED on the face.  WTF was I thinking???  

Had a good amount of time to watch the ground get closer.  "Hmmm, is it going to stick?"  
Doink
"YUP!"  Ground, trees, sky, ah there's the track back in front of me again.  Stuck the throttle and never came to a stop.  

I must admit that my neck is a little bit sore and I did thump my thigh on the brake bias bar, but other than dirt 9" up on the hood (I'm so glad the landing jump was soft and squishy), didn't hurt a thing other than my pride.

From what I understand there are both pics and video of the car on the track - and the lawn dart.  I hope to get them here sometime this evening.

The bike guys were amazed that I could suck them in so quickly.  Corner speeds in a car are smoking fast compared to a bike.

I also got a bunch of ride time in on the motocross bike.  Man I've missed it!

It was a damn good day!

[PilotHawK]

Forget the bike man....stick with the cars

I can't wait to run the track. Remember. TABLE TOPS, no doubles. There is no point in adding risk where it isn't necessary.

In the meantime I'm on the lookout for a bridge. Would it be possible to use culverts instead? Either way the creek crossing won't be inexpensive.

[Moskito]

Besides having a total blast, I was amazed at how well these things work.  I've NEVER driven in a vehicle so capable on a track and fully understand why I used to watch the back end of these things walk away from me in my race setup Pilot.

I can't get over how well the car lands.  It's front end is smoother and soaks up the impact of a nose down landing (my preference in general) better than my CRF450 does.

Thought I'd share a few pix - including how NOT to do a table top.  [smilie=ashamed.gif]   This is a rhythm section that was a lot of fun - well, except for that last one.

[FL670R]

Your idea of a nose down landing and mine do differ slightly...

 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:




 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

PS
Great Pictures - I just wish that I was closer to your track...

Dennis

[nuke em]

Maybe a little steep on the launch? Great camera shots! Who was the photographer? Everything survive alright.. fingers, toes , car?

Gary

[Adnoh]

Holy crap batman. Heck I was leaning back trying to pin the throttle from here. Glad to see you ok, Man that had to be fun. I do belive a detour to your place on the way to tenesse may be in orde to see that one first hand. Thats easy a 24 packer. I see it time to go long travle for the DCP pilot.  Very nice pics.  I do belive my addrinalen is flowing. More please.

[Moskito]

An update on the New Vienna Stadium Lite/quad track. Over the past 5 days I've moved a bunch of dirt and now have about 1/3 to 1/2 of the obstacles done. The more I get done, the more excited I'm getting about it - it's going to be better than the mx track on the other side of the river!

We purchased two used 40' flat bed semi trailers and will be using them for the bridge to cross the river. It will make a 16' wide bridge that will support 80K lbs.

The track flows really well and the speed (without any obstacles) is a bit nuts - but the stuff I'm putting in should help slow everything down. I'm really trying to make a driving type track instead of a hp track.

The track's about 30' wide all the way around, so I'm able to get a bit creative on the jumps.

Example is the first jump. Come off the fastest section of the track into a tightening radius turn (think 5th gear to 2nd) make the corner and then over a table top if you're on the inside line - or if you run the outside line (outer 10' or so of the track) it's a double. This goes into a double apex right hander that flows nicely and if you've run the double jump line, it puts you on the inside line of the rhythm section.

The rhythm section is three table tops all spaced so that you should be able to treat them like three double jumps. This is if you run the outside 2/3rds of the track.

If you ran the inside line in the corner, you'll hit the same first table top as the outside line sees, but then you'll run flat ground along side the second table and hit a large jump that will launch you onto the third table top. I'm betting it's going to be fun to "triple" in the Briggs car.

There's going to be a large - 70' or so - table top on the long straight. This straight goes into an slightly up hill left hand sweeper. Out of that there's a dog leg jog left/right and over four little "bumps" - they're spaced so I'm hoping we can sort of double double through them. They're about a foot high and more or less little rollers. Not even whoops.

After that there's a very slight downhill run of 75' or so that drops off before a left hander. I put a little rounded ski jump at the top of where it starts to drop away. These little jumps are a blast. You don't have to let off at all and you just sort of float down to the landing. They're usually very smooth and a lot of fun. I'll tweak it so the landing will be good for everything from a stock FL350 up to my toys.

There's another shorter straight that's quite wide and I think I may make a large table top with one side of it a step up, step off.

There will be one long fast section - it really is fun too. It starts out as a increasing radius right hander that opens into a semi-short straight. This then begins to make a long sweeper to the left that finally dives down into the decreasing radius left hander that leads to the first double I described above.

I want to figure out how to put a small double in the middle of one of the corners. Done right, this type of jump is a blast. I just have to make sure that I get it set up correctly so it doesn't destroy the flow of the corner.

I'm trying really hard to make this track have table tops on ALL the jumps so nobody gets hurt and on the few doubles that are integrated into the tables, I've worked on making them not be punishers if you screw up.

This will make the track more fun and let the guys that start out slow get faster as they get more track time in.

I'm hoping to have the track finished by the end of the month.

Here's a link to the track ---->New Vienna Motosports Park<----

[Moskito]

A little more update on the New Vienna track:

We purchased a used Trojan 3000 wheel loader Friday.  It's a beast.  It has a bucket on it that's somewhere around 8' wide, close to 4' high and probably 4' deep. Guessing that it's in the neighborhood of 4 cubic yards.  One bucket full is a jump!  



I'm going to have to fill the bucket on the loader up with the Bobcat, just to see how many buckets it takes.

The plan is to get it to the track on Monday and start moving massive amounts of dirt this week.  

We need to get the bridge in too, but with the rain we've had that may be a few days.

If all goes well (the weather has sucked on and off these past few days and I'm not sure what this week has in store) I'll spend most of the week finishing the track.

Now that I have major digging ability, (woo hoo!!) I'll be able to dig down through the top soil and get to the clay.  I'll use clay for the bases of the jumps and then spread about 6" to 8" of top soil over the clay.  Makes for a really stable, non-changing jump that doesn't tend to have the face and landing areas bed in so badly.  It helps keep the kickers down too.

I plan to take the camera out with me this week and get some pix of the track and the jumps as I get things built.

I plan on building two things that will require a lot of dirt.  One is a big table top on the long straight - I hope to make it around 70' long and clearable by everyone and I also want to make a step up, step off jump.  These things are a blast when done correctly - hope I can remember how to do it right!

I want this place open by the end of the month, so everyone that wants to come play needs to start making plans for a gathering in June.

Come on guys - let's see how many of us we can get to congregate for a weekend of Stadium Lite Fun!

There is camping at the track and a small town that has supplies about 5 minutes down the road.

Another thing I do want to ask of everyone with a Lite is please try to make it as quiet as possible.  The track has had a couple issues over the years with sound problems (the track's 10 years old, but under new management as of Jan '08 ), but for the most part nobody complains.  I want to keep it that way.

Even if you loose a couple hp quieting down your ride, I'd rather have a place to play because we're being noise nice and a tad slower than not having any place to play at all.  Just keep that in the back of your minds, please.

OH (thought just hit me) - If you have a trailer or a vehicle that's over 8' tall, please get in touch with me so I can give you an alternate route to get to the track.  The road that comes into the place goes under a railroad track and I think the clearance is marked right at 8'.  The alternate route only adds about half a mile and if I can get my box van around it, pretty much everyone else should be able to get into the track too.

I'll keep this thread updated as I move forward this week.

DIRT GOOD!!!