Several significant safety improvements have been made to the 2.3-mile road course at Barber Motorsports Park, and most of the changes have been made with motorcycle racing in mind. A 250-foot section of Armco barrier outside of turn three, (which Roger Hayden crashed into, breaking his leg during last year’s Superbike race), has been moved up to 27 feet back as far as it can go. The run-off area and gravel trap at turn four, (a left-hand hairpin and the number-one passing spot in the middle of the track), has been expanded. The Armco barrier on rider’s right between the two chicanes on the back straightaway has been pushed back as far as it will go. A gravel trap has been added at the turn 11/12 chicane at the end of the back straightaway, where Mat Mladin ran off during last year’s Superbike race one, and the new trap contains 700 tons of gravel. The exit of the final corner has been reshaped, using 30 truckloads of dirt, and the Armco barrer has been moved back. Finally, eight sections of curbing have been lengthened. “When Mr. Barber built this place, he wanted safety to be the number one priority,” Mark Whitt, Operations Manager of Barber Motorsports Park, told Roadracingworld.com Friday. “We didn’t know everything when we built this track, but we’re learning and we’re willing to make changes to make sure it is as safe as it can be.”