From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway:

Infineon Raceway Completes Repaving of Road Course;

Circuit to Receive First Test on Friday

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) — One of the final pieces of a comprehensive modernization project has been completed at Infineon Raceway with the repaving of the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course.



The new race surface will be used for this first time on Friday, Aug. 22, with a test session for this weekend’s San Francisco Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) event. The facility had been closed since Aug. 4.

The $1 million project included repairing and stabilizing existing pavement, adding new drainage and repaving portions of the road course that had not been resurfaced over the last two years. This marks the first time the surface has been repaved since 1986.

Portions of the road course that were repaved included Turns 1-3, 6-8 and 11. More than 3,000 feet of French Edge Drains were also installed to keep water from draining under the track — the raceway is just 15 feet above sea level and is based at the bottom of a mountain range that borders the Sonoma Valley. Moreover, additional curbing was added at Turns 2, 6, 8 and 10. The track was resurfaced with 5,400 tons of polymer-modified asphalt that is designed to withstand the heavy usage at Infineon Raceway. Turns 4-5, 9-10, 12 and the Chute were repaved prior to the 2003 season.

“We are very pleased with the quality of the new surface,” said Steve Page, president and general manager at Infineon Raceway. “It will make a terrific racing circuit better.”

The repaving of the road course continues the raceway’s ongoing modernization project, which has transformed the facility into one of the premier motor sports and entertainment venues in the country.

The raceway has spent more than $60 million over the last three years in upgrades, including a new permanent grandstand at start/finish, hillside terraces around the perimeter of the raceway, underground pedestrian tunnels, a 16-turn go-kart facility, a new system of shuttle roads and a new drag strip, complete with a 660-foot concrete launch pad. There have also been several safety improvements, including increased runoff at virtually every turn, and pit stalls to accommodate a 43-car starting grid.