Intel Corp. is Building an Artificial Turf Track -- Need Tips

[dkosawa]

As the title states, Intel is building an outdoor turf track, and we would love to hear from anyone that has any experience with turf tracks with tips and suggestions.

Our main concern is drainage. It's going to be built in the states (Pacific Northwest) where it rains a lot in the winter months. We want to make sure that it drains as fast as possible, to maximize driving opportunities between rainy days.

The current plan is to use non-padded, carpet like turf. The turf in consideration is not backed by a rubber liner, so drainage through the turf itself should not be a problem. The thought was to build a 60'x100' rectangular "sand box" about 1-2 feet deep using sharp sand. The sand would be mostly flat, maybe formed into banks around turns, and the turf would lay flat directly on the top. Jumps would be constructed out of wood and would be placed on top of the turf. Padded turf would lay on top of the jumps. Having the jumps this way would allow us to easily re-arrange the track. We haven't decided on lane dividers.

Any concerns with this approach? Should we consider some sort of French drainage system under the sand? Suggestions and comments of course are welcome. Below is a RCTech.net link to a thread that's related to this new track. Thanks in advance!

http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...rc-tracks.html

[johnnygibbon]

the astro that the new track at bury has is amazing in the rain it just drains
you can race in thunderstorms
woody may no more about the details
good luck

[dkosawa]

Originally Posted by johnnygibbon

the astro that the new track at bury has is amazing in the rain it just drains
you can race in thunderstorms
woody may no more about the details
good luck

Wow...that sounds amazing. What's Woody's Oople handle, just in case he doesn't chime in? Thanks!

[Southwell]

Originally Posted by dkosawa

Wow...that sounds amazing. What's Woody's Oople handle, just in case he doesn't chime in? Thanks!

WoOdy

[AndyG]

Originally Posted by johnnygibbon

the astro that the new track at bury has is amazing .....
you can race in thunderstorms
good luck

Proven 17/07/2011

[woOdy]

Hi,

Yes we have a type of astro that looks like a fibre not a carpet pile. In the UK they use it for dry Ski slopes.

Very grippy in the dry and the wet. We had a Regional this weekend and it rained the night before and all day and it only started to get silly in round 4 of quali.
What we have used for drainage is the guys that built it had a contract to repair a street around the corner. They took off the top layer of tarmac with a machine and it was in small peices like gravel.
They built up the track area so it was above the surounding land and compacted it.
Layed the astro ontop and this is Fantastic drainage. No need to put drains in the ground this way.

[dkosawa]

Originally Posted by woOdy

Hi,

Yes we have a type of astro that looks like a fibre not a carpet pile. In the UK they use it for dry Ski slopes.

Very grippy in the dry and the wet. We had a Regional this weekend and it rained the night before and all day and it only started to get silly in round 4 of quali.
What we have used for drainage is the guys that built it had a contract to repair a street around the corner. They took off the top layer of tarmac with a machine and it was in small peices like gravel.
They built up the track area so it was above the surounding land and compacted it.
Layed the astro ontop and this is Fantastic drainage. No need to put drains in the ground this way.

Is there much padding between the turf and the hard tarmac surface? Seems like it would be tough on the cars.