Topic: new dirt question ??????

[WilliamEnglish]

Not sure of any enhancers, we use good old North Carolina red clay. It tightens up really well and is hard as concrete.

Larry is right. It may be that we are just fortunate to have really really good clay....but the secret is to have just the right amount of moisture. You have to soak the track...slowly. The moisture has to be under the surface. That isn't accomplished by one load of water at noon on raceday. It takes water over several days..many thousand gallons. When done correctly...and our track steward is the best I have ever seen....the track will be absolutely dust free all night...as many spectpators as we have...they will not accept dust...and hard as asphalt. It will turn black in fifteen minutes of practice and when it does...you are in business.

[justin case]

 I'm considering on CONCRETING SV SPEEDWAY

[Smowkin Joe]

I talked to a friend, that had heard from another friend, that said they used salt mixed with the dirt on pulling tracks. Supposedly holds moisture better? The dish soap thing, I always figured it was the glycerin that held the dirt together, much like it "holds" bubbles together. Then there is diluted white glue. I've never heard of it being used, but if it holds dirt together like it does scenery material on model railroads, it may be a viable option also. I was thinking of experimenting with it on an old track at a friends place...unless someone out there knows why it wouldn't work that is. Here in central Illinois, the dirt is some of the best in the country for agriculture, but makes a lousy race track.

[2budzracing]

I know clay is the best wish I could get some easily,without selling a car for it but that ain't gonna happen!
Not alot of real rivers down here in so cal to gather the good stuff from, thats why I gotta conglomerate my own solution. gonna get a base established first and use all of the theories mentioned and maybe come up with a remedy.

thanks for your input so far I am still listening and learning

I couldn't recycle my horses to make enough glue.......that would end me up in divorce court !!!!!

[Smowkin Joe]

I know clay is the best wish I could get some easily,without selling a car for it but that ain't gonna happen!
Not alot of real rivers down here in so cal to gather the good stuff from, thats why I gotta conglomerate my own solution. gonna get a base established first and use all of the theories mentioned and maybe come up with a remedy.

thanks for your input so far I am still listening and learning

I couldn't recycle my horses to make enough glue.......that would end me up in divorce court !!!!!

I don't think it would take as much glue as one might suspect. That's why I'm thinking of trying it.

[shrek32m]

ya want it tacky not dryed out and hard like c-ment grade it  water it  then pack it   just like the sprint car tracks   

[bountyhunter]

Not all clay is the same because of its content
and even a good track can have bad day do to weather conditions

I know we at ithaca have bin blest with real good clay
it gets hard but hold enough moister ta stay tacky on top95% of the time
but Ive seem car tracks here in Mich that very alot some are always slippery while other seem to get a good tackey suface!
there was an articaial that some one posted a while back that had some good info in it! think George posted it but not shure it was about track prep!

here a link that might help be sure and read Georges link
http://www.heymow.com/index.php?topic=15158.msg158826#msg158826and our track steward is the best I have ever seen....the track will be absolutely dust free all night...as many spectpators as we have...they will not accept dust...and hard as asphalt. It will turn black in fifteen minutes of practice and when it does...you are in business.


wow racing at night would be easier to keep moister on it no sun to help dry the surface out it can get tricky when its windy and 80 plus w/full sun! in middle of after noon

[mowinmachine]

 If you have the same type of dirt as we do where we rave in Norcal then its really loose stuff. We have had problems getting our track to not turn into a huge dust pile for years. Our problem is the heat. Its normally almost 100 degrees all summer. So almost as soon as we water the track it evaporates. From trial and error our group leader goes out and dishes the track, waters it for several days before the race, then we go out on it and pack it down. We tried soap once. Didn't really do much. The best thing that works for us is honestly having a water truck or a source of water close at hand. We water the track between races. The best track surface we've had was our last race last year. But it was 75 degrees and cloudy. Man that track was smooth!

[GRUBDIGGER]

THE SOAP WORKS OK IN DIRT/SAND MIXTURE. BIGEST THING IS WATER AND REWATER. THAT SEEMS TO DO THE JOB.

[shrek32m]

Not all clay is the same because of its content
and even a good track can have bad day do to weather conditions

I know we at ithaca have bin blest with real good clay
it gets hard but hold enough moister ta stay tacky on top95% of the time
but Ive seem car tracks here in Mich that very alot some are always slippery while other seem to get a good tackey suface!
there was an articaial that some one posted a while back that had some good info in it! think George posted it but not shure it was about track prep!

here a link that might help be sure and read Georges link
http://www.heymow.com/index.php?topic=15158.msg158826#msg158826and our track steward is the best I have ever seen....the track will be absolutely dust free all night...as many spectpators as we have...they will not accept dust...and hard as asphalt. It will turn black in fifteen minutes of practice and when it does...you are in business.


wow racing at night would be easier to keep moister on it no sun to help dry the surface out it can get tricky when its windy and 80 plus w/full sun! in middle of after noon

 
good old  I96 speedway    lake odessa  mi

[trbinrat]

I know it's a long shot but you might want to call around to the local dirt track speedways and ask them. This ones near you  http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/track.html


 

[BIG AL 202]

BERT FROM BERT FROM BERT'S BEAT [MOWMENTUM MAG] SAYSYOU NEED MAMMOTH POOP [THIS IS A QUOTE] MAKES THE BEST DIRT TRACK!  LOL

[dandt4238]

The fertilizer does work well.  PALMRA ran at a fair that was on the side of a hill.  The track was at the bottom of the hill and the Restrooms were at the top.  Anytime they would get real heavy rains, you guessed itthe restrooms overfilled and ran down the side of the hill.  It all collected on the area we used for the track, and the pulling track.  Best track I ever raced on, low dust, good grip and easy to prepare.  As long as we didn't race near one of the heavy storms the smell wasn't to bad either.  I would not recomend doing this on purpose though.  Just thought I'd share.  Good Luck
Dean Jr.

[BIG AL 202]

A LITTLE LIME WILL KILL THE SMELL [I RAISED PIGS FOR A COUPLE YEARS] THAT KINDA PUTS THE COST UP THERE. MOST OF THE DIRT TRACKS AROUND  BUT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LOT OF YEARS. THEY HAVE CHANGED HANDS OR PAVED OVER SO MOST DON'T KNOW WHERE THE DIRT CAME FROM, OR WON'T TELL. OH YA I'M IN MICHIGAN.

[monkeyward71]

seriously im with squidd, pack some manure in there. fastest cart track i raced on had cow poo poo and it held moisture well and would rubber down fairly good