[VIDEO] Two Corvettes Preview the Renovations Made to New Jersey Motorsports Park

Drivers will be moving faster than ever after renovations to the New Jersey Motorsports Park are completed in time for an exclusive debut next month.

After 16 seasons of action, officials decided it was time to update the Millville track, with off-season Phase 1 work including more than 2.25 miles of new pavement, upgraded curbing and runoff, fresh paint, and a wider entry to Turn 1 to eliminate the prior funneling effect.

As two NJMP Ciocca Corvettes driven by Director of Track Operations Mike Murphy and veteran driver Tom Smith recently take an early run on the track, you can witness the improvements for yourself on this video, ahead of the members-only debut set for March 2-3.

Afterwards, the two officials climbed out of the cars, equally enthusiastic about the positive effects of the renovations.

“I’ve had the opportunity to drive many world-class circuits around the country, and today’s experience on Thunderbolt was the best one yet – taking the first hot laps around its 2.25 miles is something I’ll remember the rest of my life,” said Murphy, who previously spent several years with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). “As I drove down the new pit lane and entered the track, there was immediately a different feeling.”

Smith predicts improved times for drivers this season. “While there is still curbing and landscaping work underway, and a slick ‘green’ new track covered with the dust and debris, after pushing for a number of laps I can say with confidence I will be going faster around Thunderbolt in 2024 than ever before,” he said. “The grip will be fantastic as the track gets rubber laid down and cleaned off when drivers take to it in earnest.”

President and COO Brad Scott calls “the buzz around here … incredible” since they broke ground on the project four months ago. “The construction equipment, trucks, and people, the designers and engineers and quality testing, every day has been a new challenge and a new milestone met,” he said.

Scott likens the project to completing a new construction house, with landscaping, paint and accessories still to be finished up – “details to be addressed once we move in, as it were.”

Phase 1 of the work includes a larger gravel pit at Turn 1, a new pit exit blend line to ease merging traffic, and curbing enhancement for a safer track experience – all aimed at creating higher speeds with increased grip levels for drivers. Phase 2 will follow with new track configurations.

Smith says he has driven thousands of laps around Thunderbolt since 2008, but his recent run around the track “was like seeing it for the first time again – something totally new to experience, while still the classic Thunderbolt lap.”

He calls the project “an investment” that should sustain the park “far into the future,” noting that “everyone on the team is committed to delivering the best product possible. I know I speak for many people when I say this – I can’t wait to see the first cars hit the track on opening day on the new Thunderbolt.”

Source:
roadracingworld.com

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