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Glenn Donnelly Interview


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I had a chance to chat with Glenn Donnelly one-on-one about the test at Brewerton Speedway on May 10. I apologize the interview is rough around the edges as we had some cell phones ringing other things but I wanted the folks here at DTD to get a chance to get it here before anywhere else. I hope you enjoy the video and thanks for watching.

Hot lap number one from Brewerton on 5/10/11

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Track owners Like Randy Williamson at Merrittville will be the first to tell you that dry slick is better for racing as long it is not dusty. When it is too tacking cars get tore up and everyone is really "too fast." A smooth slick track with no dust sounds like a winner to me!

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Great information. I've been waiting to hear how this turns out. It will be interesting to see how it races and how it reacts to rain. I also noticed Glenn said they put 2" of the material down. That really doesn't seem like much, particularly if it gets pushed up. Then they'll be down to the dirt and dust. Did I hear it correctly?

Thanks for posting. I've already shared the link with some of the Florida race boards.

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AARRGGHH! The sound of tires squealing on what looks like a dirt track! Nevertheless, there was no dust. Should be interesting to see how it holds up with about 22 or 24 "ground pounders" on it, going full bore.

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When dust totally impairs a fan's ability to watch in comfort (or worse, is causing a hazard to the drivers) it needs to be addressed.

I remember an earlier experiment using something called 'road bind', which was a liquid that was added to a dirt surface in hopes of eliminating dust...it didn't work as well as expected, as it caused major tire wear issues when it was applied at CCFS for a Sunday night event a few years back. I also believe (can't confirm this) that Glenn dug into his pocket and bought all competitors a right rear tire and totally reworked the track to try and minimize any further damage prior to starting the night's race.

It's good to see something like this not just being talked about, but being tested, and 'setting the track' for feature conditions (i.e. worst case scenario) is a good way to acquire some data and be able to make adjustments for wear and surface conditions.

Something key here: If you can make conditions and amenities friendly to the wives/girlfriends/significant others of the world, you're going to get more fans in the stands...

Certainly has people here talking, doesn't it? :yes

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I just wonder about 4 things really...

1.Even if the tire wear isnt bad with the 50, it is getting to hot, so how are the tires going to fair after the heat cycles... Just because it doesn't wear them doesn't mean it wont hurt them, and if it takes new tires to win because they seal over or the heat cycles lowers their effectiveness, your just as screwed as if you wear it out.

2. So it doesn't take a lot of water to prepare... what happens when its to wet? IE Watering it to much, or that mid-show 10 minutes rain shower. So theres no dust, but when it rains and stops and you have to cancel because you cant work it, whats the use? Dust will still get some fans, cancellations get none.

3. I know its not muddy "feature conditions", but when its wet, and it sticks to cars, how much fun is the stuff going to be to try and get off the cars? I can't imagine any wax like or wax based product getting into say, the fins of a radiator, to be a whole lot of fun to clean out.. If its more abrasive on tires, image when its in the moving components on cars.

4. And #4.. What is this stuff, and whats its environmental impact? Will it /biodegrade/decay? If yes, does it smell? If a track smells like a state campground bathroom on a hot summer day, would you want to go there? And if yes, how long does it take to decay? 70 grand is a pretty steep investment if that 2 or 3 inches only lasts a season or less.

Im sure they've thought of a lot of these questions in the development of the product... But actually... I just have another thought...

#5. If its less to prepare, it means it in theory should be more consistent. If its more consistent, the racing will suffer. Is half the fun of dirt racing the fact your constantly chasing the race track, and not just the changes in the car during the course of a feature?

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i think its more or less trial and error just like everything else til they get it figured out. as far as dust up until the last few years i didnt care what track i was at and how dusty id stay til the end, now if its so dusty you cant see the cars in front of you ill leave. same with caution after caution after caution, i used to stay now i just say ive had enough and leave. maybe its a part of getting older? <_<

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I think the CVRA has figured out the dust problem. Maybe Brewerton can call them.

I'll behave myself, in spite of coming up with a good one liner. :whistle:

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Let's say it works great, that means we have improvement in dirt racing. Let's say it doesn't work, well, you go back to what we have now. I'm not sure I see the downside to trying something to make things better. Geez, I can think of alot of tracks that have tried to solve the dust problem. I still miss Flemington. Hopefully someday someone will find the solution. I know one thing, if no one tries, we'll never find the solution.

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