Icy Tracks

[The STIG]

Reading about the adventures at Mallory park with the snow and ice - How do you de-frost a racing circuit after a recent cold snap like the one we've just had. Ok, so it's not normally a problem, but winter series do run and of course there's the Plum Pudding.

I would imagine that snow is easily dealt with with ploughs, but what about the ice? Can you use rock salt on a race track and does it affect the cars when they start racing, or is something else more similar to the chemical used at airports required?

Genuinely curious about this now!

[flagwaver]

Circuits don't like rock salt. Hence the skating that was last years (this years due to the weather) Specsavers Rally at Croft and the interesting time that was had at the Rockingham stages this year.

[M Greenslade]

How do you de-frost a racing circuit after a recent cold snap like the one we've just had?

Easy, wait until April!!

Bladders........

[Ian Briggs]

I have seen them spreading salt on Oulton, mind you, they can probably get it free after two minutes work with a shovel

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by M Greenslade

How do you de-frost a racing circuit after a recent cold snap like the one we've just had?

Easy, wait until April!!

Bladders........

I've been at both Oulton and Mallory in April (different occasions, obviously) in snow. British GTs at Oulton, TVRs at Mallory IIRC. So wait 'til June would seem to be better.

[crmalcolm]

Not sure if it would work on race tracks, but I've heard that some runways have pig urine spread on them from local farmers?

[mmm_five]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Not sure if it would work on race tracks, but I've heard that some runways have pig urine spread on them from local farmers?

Urea is a common anti-freeze used in airports for plane de-icing - as salt corrodes the aluminium of which the planes are mainly constructed.

Can't they just use under-track heating elements, or put a dome over the whole circuit with air-conditioning

[touringlegend]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Not sure if it would work on race tracks, but I've heard that some runways have pig urine spread on them from local farmers?

Apparently this is what Knockhill uses on occasion!

Glad I don't have a single seater..

[Hepatic]

we occasionally use it at work but it does not de-ice, it only prevents icing and only in certain humidity conditions. if a track is already covered it would be useless and the little pellets its dispensed in are a bit like ball bearings and can be just as slippery...

not sure what you could use on a circuit really. if it was all fresh snow and no ice i guess clearing it fully and then keeping cars running on it might be enough. Ice and it's probably just not possible unless you play in rally cars.

[m1fcf]

An expensive option maybe, but what about those jet-dryers that NASCAR use to clean /dry their tracks? I guess they are pumping out hot air, which presumably would melt the ice, then dry the track, and as long as cars are moving for the rest of the day, it should be OK?

[TFHarv]

Tyre Socks? seems like the easiest solution. Why clear a whole track when you can put booties on the cars - cute too, you could get different colours for different teams.

[bravo]

I guess the circuit owners would be much more welcoming of rock salt if the competitors all rolled upto assembly with their studded ice tyres on....

[TFHarv]

Originally Posted by bravo

I guess the circuit owners would be much more welcoming of rock salt if the competitors all rolled upto assembly with their studded ice tyres on....

They could probably do quick fixes on some of the drainage issues

[Tom Bee]

I was marshalling at Three Sisters in November. Me and a few other marshals were asked to drive on the track before the racing started to clear some of the ice. I would definitely do it again, it was great fun!

[Chris Hobson]

Mallory used over £1,000.00 of salt on Christmas eve and Christmas day plus a lot of bloody hard work from the circuit staff.

The track was free of ice except for Edwina's and the Bus Stop - hence my decision to allow racing for the cars. We all decided it was too icy for the bikes! (We would have had to clear the aforementioned bits for them to race) - but they still turned up and the sight of a fully kitted rider pushing a bike on slicks through a snow covered paddock had even me wondering if they were a few pence short of a shilling!

[The Flagman]

At Kart tracks they won't use salt because of the corrosion it causes to precision engineered metals.

It is quite common for cars to drive on circuits to clear - have done it at Fulbeck more than once. Neighbouring PFI has a little more resource available from its members and has a small gas blower that sends hot air onto the track to melt ice. Towed behind a quad bike a few low speed passes do the trick. Dare say it would produce decent toasties too. Don't like to use it too often as it consumes gas at some rate.

Given the apparent change in climate these matters might become more frequent. In summer we may be dowsing with water to avoid the track melting. Anybody know of track melting?

[Matthews Dad]

Originally Posted by The Flagman

Given the apparent change in climate these matters might become more frequent. In summer we may be dowsing with water to avoid the track melting. Anybody know of track melting?

Oulton Park! Touring car meet 2008 (If memory serves) very hot day and track breaking up at Island and Knickerbrook where the cars were turning sharply,

Icy tracks common for me but I do rally marshalling as well

[ascarracinguk]

it will take some really extreme temperatures for the track to melt....it realy depends on what tar content was used in the asphalt in the first place...santa pod use a jet dryer which gets darn hot..plus look at the states, they have far hotter temperatures than we ever will have and theyre fine. personally i dont subscribe to the whole global warming BS....i havent seen a thermometer reading above 0 degrees for a month LOL!..complete rubbish