AMA’s Chevy
Truck Superbike championship heads inland for its fourth round
in Georgia this weekend. After the slower pace of Sears Point
the bikes will be modified for the high speed corners of the
Road Atlanta Raceway.
The layout and surface of the track have been modified over
the past ten years, making it safer and more enjoyable for the
bikes to race on. A chicane has been added in corner ten, slowing
the pace of the long, back straightaway and improving safety.
This will be the best viewing area for spectators as the riders
wheelie out of the fast double corner then dive hard on the
brakes as they enter the penultimate turn, setting themselves
up for a good drive onto the short front straight. There’ll
be a lot of passing on the brakes and riders will be straight
back on the throttle as they fight to cross the start/finish
line first. Anything can happen in those last few bends!
Most of the 2.5 mile racetrack gives ample passing opportunities,
it’s only the esses that riders will be force to fall into
line. Corners six and seven require the most focus, making sure
the bike is well balanced and stable so the rider can stay on
the right line to get a good drive onto the long back straight.
This is made doubly difficult with the addition of a concrete
section that has been recently added to turn seven. It has a
slippery surface making it difficult for the riders to get traction.
The HMC Ducati team found this
a problem during testing last month and this will be where they
will focus their attention the ensure Doug
Chandler gets the right drive through the corner to maximize
his speed along the fast back section. The conditions of the
turn could be different this weekend but that won’t be
determined until Friday’s practice. It’s a problem
that will affect the entire field - some riders during testing
rode around only to lose the right line for the crucial drive
onto the straight but Doug chose to drive right through it.
The track begins to drop off after turn eight and bikes will
wheelie as they head onto the downhill slope coming into turn
nine, banked right over on the edge of the tire, the bike will
tend to wiggle and become unstable as the tire begins to spin-up.
Gaining speeds up to 314km/h (198 miles) will cause the tires
to heat more than usual.
Already the HMC Ducati team has
experimented with different sized rims to reduce tire spinning
so their focus during Friday’s practice and qualifying
will be on loading the front end of the bike to stop the bike
from wheeling. Another solution will be to change the bike’s
gearing so it’s not in the main power band.
