TOURS, France – Building work is progressing fast at Tours’ Parc des Expositions, with just one week now remaining before the running of Europe’s inaugural NASCAR series oval event.
Workers have been putting the finishing touches to the unique circuit, which will welcome big names from European and American motorsport as part of the EURO-RACECAR NASCAR Touring Series round (July 6 – 8).
The circuit nears completion
A temporary unbanked D-Shaped oval, the 600m long/30m wide Tours Speedway is surrounded by FIA-homologated walls that meet Formula One standards. Construction on the circuit began on Monday (June 25) with the layout mapped on the ground and the first walls transported on-site. Specialist machinery began to put these in place on the start-finish straight and at turns one and four the following day.
Wednesday saw this task continue while the technical team began installation of the poles and cables to which 200m of fencing will be added for spectator safety. This continues until Friday (June 29) as the track’s definitive outline is completed. Ground markings and final aesthetic touches represent the final step and will resume on Monday before the first track test takes place on Tuesday (July 3).
Around fifty workers have undertaken construction duties at the Parc des Expositions – where EURO-RACECAR shares a bill with the Country Bike Rock Festival – to ensure the proper completion of what is a unique project at the heart of Tours. Transport of the walls required the use of some 35 heavy goods vehicles and the process of construction saw more than 1,000 tons of equipment used.
NASCAR officials set to attend
The investment of people and machinery put in place for this project has certainly impressed the NASCAR management, who will be present for the historic European premiere. Betty Jane France – the matriarch of the series’ famous founding family who, with husband Bill France Jr., played an active role in the development of NASCAR – will be joined by her daughter Lesa France-Kennedy (Executive Vice-President of NASCAR and President of the International Speedway Corporation) and her grandson Ben Kennedy, the 20-year-old NASCAR K&N Pros Series driver who is set to compete at Tours Speedway.
Also set to attend are Mrs Helton, wife of NASCAR President Mike Helton, George Silbermann (Vice-President of Regional and Touring Series), Richard Buck (Director of Touring Series), and Chad Little, a former Sprint Cup driver who now acts as Director of the Whelen Modified Tour and the Mexico-based Toyota Series. Finally, timekeepers and consultants will also be present to lend their expertise with the Tours event running to NASCAR rules.
