| |
|
|
Marco
said after the Mid-Ohio tests:
"I
think we have confidence in our speed and our balance.
I'm pretty confident in my race car. We made the
tires last and we were still fast. We only ran two
sets of tires and were still third fast." |
| |
#Race
#12 :
The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio
Sunday
July 22nd
Lexington, Ohio
7721 Steam Corners Road
Lexington, OH 44904
1-800-MID OHIO
Inaugural Event
Distance:
85 laps/191.93 miles
TV:
1:30 p.m. on ABC
Ticket
Info
Race
Track Website
The
Race :
The
Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance is
an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race to be held at Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
American
open wheel racing debuted at the track in 1980. The CART
series continued to race there from 1983-2003. In 2007,
the Indy Racing League will hold an event there, returning
American open wheel racing to the venue. The race will be
held as a doubleheader with ALMS. On November 21, 2006, it
was announced that weekend of racing secured the sponsorship
of Honda.
Backstory:
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility
located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United
States, just outside of the town of Lexington. (Mid-Ohio
has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central
region of the state, from south of Sandusky to north
of Columbus.)
The track was opened in 1962, by Les Griebling. In 1981, Mid-Ohio was purchased
by Jim Trueman, a renowned road racer and the founder of Red Roof Inns. Trueman
put a lot of money into the facility, building the garage area and three
spectator mounds.
In 1982, CART added the Mid-Ohio track to their yearly
circuit. The American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am series also compete at
the track. The Sports Car Club of America hosts regional events at Mid-Ohio,
and from 1994 through 2005, held its national championships, the "Runoffs",
at the track. Mid-Ohio also hosts an annual vintage automobile race weekend
during the summer.
The track opened as a 15-turn, 2.4 mile (3.86 km) road circuit
run clockwise. The back portion of the track allows speeds
approaching 180 mph. A separate starting line is located on
the backstrech to allow for safer rolling starts. The regular
start/finish line is located on the pit straight. In 1990,
the track underwent a refurbishment. A new retaining wall was
built, the entire track was resurfaced, widened, and concrete
was paved in the apexes of the turns to prevent asphalt deterioration.
In addition, a straightaway was paved through the chicane,
allowing for two different track layouts, the original 2.4
mile circuit, and a new 13-turn, 2.25 mile (3.62 km) circuit.
In 1990, the CART series began utilizing the 2.25 mile layout.
In 2006, a second major refurbishment saw several improvements.
The entire circuit was repaved, and the concrete patches in
the turn apexes were removed. A new motorcycle "short
course" was created by connecting turn one with the backstrech,
and another motorcross oval was created by connecting the chicane
straight with the backstrech. The additional layouts allow
simultaneous use of the multiple course, for instructional
and competitive uses. The improvements also include a new motorcross
facility to be opened in the future. There is grandstand seating
for 10,000 spectators, and three observation mounds alongside
the track raise the capacity to over 75,000.
This course also hosts AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days[1] and
the National Auto Sport Association National Championship
Races.
|
