Plans To Rebuild Speedway Track

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31276, 24 January 1967, Page 15

Plans To Rebuild Speedway Track

The track at the Templeton Speedway will be completely re-laid and resurfaced with a new light-coloured crusher dust compound during the winter by members of the Christchurch Speedway Association.

“Provided there is sufficient finance available we are definitely going to rebuild the track,” the president of the association (Mr R Lang) said.

Quotes of between £2OOO and £5OOO had been received from business firms for the work but they were “a bit above us,” he said. “Because of this we decided to do it ourselves.” He was unable to estimate the cost of materials. The track would be completely rebuilt, not just resurfaced. “If we are going to do it we have to do it properly,” Mr Lang said. The present base, made up of layers of clay with stones for binding, will be torn up and replaced by a new but similar composition. This will

be rolled and watered until it is almost as hard as concrete. Then crusher dust—a type of crushed metal—will will be spread. The present track is inclined to cut up rather badly on the corners, its dark colour absorbs the light, making it difficult to sight a line through the corners, and the cinder surface is extremely dirty. Spectators often get a coating of grime, especially on the corners.

Crusher dust holds the moisture much better than cinders and does not require much top dressing. It will also make the track considerably

faster and most of the present records should fall before it has been down many weeks. This season the cinders have been providing track maintenance officials with a constant headache. They have quickly been pounded into dust and will not hold water. In an effort to have the surface in top order for the New Zealand solo championships on February 5, the track will be top dressed with cinders.