[1]Sinkholes [2] aren’t the only reason for the National Corvette Museum [3] to be in the news lately. With planning concluded, paving has begun [4] on the Motorsport Park’s 3.15-mile track [5]. Work is underway on the paddock area and autocross pad, and construction of the guardrails will start within a few days. Officials say the process of lime stabilization, an earth treatment technique used to ensure ground integrity beneath the road surfaces and runoff zones, is slated for a period within the next month, and possibly sooner, if the good weather continues.
[6]The designers of the circuit have taken inspiration from France’s famous Circuit de la Sarthe [7], known more colloquially as Le Mans. Five circuit variants are planned, which vary from the split west/east circuits to the Grand Full Course, pictured above. Over four miles of asphalt are to be laid across the terrain, separate from the autocross course/skidpad.
[8]The facilities are to include a paddock, administrative offices, classrooms, concessions, a fueling station, and a tech inspection area. The control tower (shown in this rendering) despite its lack of resemblance to any sort of tower, will house all these facilities, with the paddocks receiving their own separate building.
The park’s location alongside Kentucky’s Interstate 65 will permit easy access and a view of the track. It lies within prime territory of not one, not two, but three SCCA autocross regions, so population of the track is expected to be constant upon opening. With future development including a third road course, a karting track, and living quarters, the NCM Motorsport Park will become one of the nation’s most important tracks in the coming years.
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