Originally Posted by
gsteinb
While a great way to run a race without road closures I'm not really sure why this would seem all that much safer. Rubbing wheels is rubbling wheels.
True...
I'll try to get up there sometime this summer to at least watch.
While these may be hairpin turns at 100 MPH.... they're not really hairpin turns at 20 to 30 MPH.
When I was a kid, I participated in a crit at Skinner's Butte. The laps ended with a short descent, right angle turn at the bottom of the hill, complete with curbs. They lined it with straw bales, but it was always good for a couple of crashes a year.
So, the track removes several of the variables, from speed boosts from hills, to curbs, to sharp corners.
Still, like you say, anything can still go wrong.