Originally Posted by
benjovland
Does anyone know why 285m tracks were en vogue from the 60s-80s? Examples would be the Montreal Olympic Velodrome, the Silverdome in Tasmania, the '72 Olympic velodrome in Munich, etc. I can only find a small reference suggesting that 285m was a popular distance for motor-paced events. Just curious.
Makes it spectator friendly. It's 3.5 laps to a kilometer. It allowed kilos and match sprints to start on the back straight. This only works for odd km distance events. Even number km distance events start and finish on the home straight.
Many motorpaced events would have the riders start on the rail of the back straight with the motos riding down low. They would ride neutral "parade" km to make sure the group was together and up to speed when the gun went off. It also gave the crowd a chance to "see" the team's before the race started.