RACETRACK REVIEWS
One Lap of Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR)
Author: Author: Les Moscariello; Crush Hardware L.L.C / Photos byLisa Theobald - HotShotsByLisa.com
Hot fun in the Florida sun!
 New Digs
During the 2008 racing season, Moroso Motorsports Park was sold to a group of racing enthusiasts who were intent on building a new Motorsports destination for Drag Racing, Roadracing, karting and more. The new owners of the facility wasted no time getting busy with a total renovation…and I mean TOTAL renovation. The surfaces of the road course, karting course and the drag strip were completely removed and discarded. This was not a temporary fix scenario; we’re talking a complete re-surfacing here. The transformation literally began from the ground up, starting with fresh dirt. By November of that same year, the old Moroso was gone and the new Palm Beach International Raceway had emerged. One very noticeable difference was that the drag strip and the road course were now completely independent of one another. This would allow as many as three events to be run simultaneously. Although the road course officially held its first event in November of 2008, it wasn’t until March of 2009 that motorcyclists would have their first taste of the new venue. Initial feedback from the racers confirmed that the track had lots of grip. While that is generally considered a good thing, it also meant you could really burn through tires. The other subject on everyone’s mind was the fact that the track is completely surrounded by concrete walls. For the most part, those barriers aren’t right next to the racing surface and S.A.V.E. Safety Barriers have been installed in the likely impact points. There is also adequate runoff in the majority of corners. Unlike other courses, there are no gravel traps. All of the runoff at PBIR is either asphalt or grass. Initially, asphalt runoff areas might seem like a bad idea but in practice they actually work pretty well. When you ride off through dirt or gravel, it’s likely you have no better than a 50/50 chance of staying upright. By contrast, with asphalt runoff you have a larger braking area to stop safely prior to hitting a barrier, improving the odds of crash prevention. If you fall while cornering and slide into an asphalt runoff area, you tend to just continue sliding. If the turn has gravel or grass runoff you now have the problem of tumbling to consider. While not all of the corners at PBIR have asphalt runoff, the most significant braking areas (Turns 1, 6 and 10) are so equipped. The remaining turns sport grass runoff. Hot Lap As you fly past the start/finish stripe you are only just getting settled down from the exit of 11, bringing you right to the outside edge of the track as you head for Turn One. Arriving at your brake marker, you will get on the binders pretty hard, downshifting twice before turning into the start of this flowing chicane. Don’t be fooled; there is actually a lot more room going into One than you would initially think. Hitting the apex through Turn One, you will immediately transition from hard left to a sweeping right- hand Turn Two as you steadily roll on the throttle. The exit of Two points you towards the apex of Three. It is helpful to note that if you blow the entry to Turn One, your best option is to stand it up and ride through the large asphalt runoff area. If you run off prior to arriving at Turn Two you can safely re-enter before Turn Three but wait for the corner worker’s signal.
|