Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

AMA Supersport Champion Aaron Yates is raving about Barber Motorsports Park after making laps on the new racetrack.

Yates rode on the 2.6-mile road course on August 30, during a test session track officials arranged through Corona Extra Suzuki, which is based near the Birmingham facility.

“Barber Motorsports Group is nearing completion of its mega, multi-million dollar road racing facility,” wrote Corona Extra Suzuki’s Landers Sevier, in an e-mail to Roadracingworld.com. “The final wear coat of asphalt (the actual racing surface) has been laid on the 2.6 mile road course and evaluations of the surface itself, the overall safety of the course, as well as the layout and design of the course have begun. This includes automobiles (with accomplished and proven drivers) as well as motorcycles; Aaron being the first of the top guys in the U.S. to experience the track.

“Aaron’s participation and involvement in this ‘private and closed’ course evaluation was solicited for two reasons. First – Aaron has proven to be one of the most qualified guys in our industry who has enough experience to critique a racetrack with rider safety as the primary concern, and Second – Aaron lives in reasonable close proximity to the Barber complex.

“Corona Extra Suzuki’s involvement resulted only because we have readily prepared machines, and we are located in the same vicinity to the track.

“The purpose of the test was held in order for various members of the Barber Group to get honest, unbiased feedback on the racing facility that they have created.

“From my perspective, after listening to Yates’ comments following his sessions on the track, the place could most possibly become home to some of the best road racing that we will see in North America – for cars as well as bikes. It’s the closest thing we have to any of those ass-kickin’ European facilities we all watch on Speed – and in my unbiased opinion – it’s better.

“The AMA series visits several great tracks during the season, i.e. Road America, Laguna, VIR – but when it’s all said and done I think the general consensus of racers as well as spectators will be that the Barber facility will be at the top of the heap…I think Aaron would agree after his visit.”

“It was pretty good,” Yates said of the Barber Motorsports Park road course. “We did some really hot laps in my BMW (M3), which is a lot of fun. Riding in the car is a lot different than riding on the bike. I felt like, ‘Wow! This place is going to be fast.’ Then I got out there on the motorcycle all suited up and stuff and it was a lot of fun.

“I was really impressed with what they had there and the layout of the track. There’s a good bit of elevation changes, some tricky spots on the track where you get to have a lot of fun. It’s pretty challenging. You got a little off-camber downhill turns, then some over the hill turning where you’re wheelying and spinning at the same time and stuff like that. Also the layout and the track design, I think it’s going to promote some really competitive racing. There should be some good racing going on there. It was really fun.”

Yates rode Jimmy Moore’s AMA Superstock Championship-winning GSX-R750 at the test. “I only did 10 laps on the track on the motorcycle. I did about that many in car too. It’s pretty easy to learn. It’s gonna be a track that’s going to be a lot of fun to ride the way it’s laid out with the elevation changes. It’s got some challenging spots, but it’s real wide and you’ll be able to pass just about anywhere. It’s just fun.

“There’s nothing really to hit. We were flying around in my car. We had the thing sliding and spinning everywhere. There was a fast section, a left-right S-thing, and the car, you pitch it in there and the thing kind of slides out a little. Then you pitch it back the other way and it steps out about three feet and you’re running about 90 mph and you’re looking at where you’re gonna go if something happens and you spin. But then on the motorcycle, your lines are so different it’s not really a concern. There were really no concerns with that.

“I was really glad to be able to go there and see what it was like. I’ve never been by there. It’s like only one mile off of the I-20, so it’s not like you have to run down a two-lane and up through the woods 20 miles. The place is really impressive. It’s all just first-class, way different than other places. You know the other places have been around so long, and this is a brand new racetrack. To me it felt like something that you would see on TV at the world races.

“I think they were a bit concerned with the way the surface turned out, their paving. They wanted to hear what I thought about that. I’m not real sure what they’re doing right now, but I think they’re working on something. They just wanted to get my opinion on the surface of the track, which on a motorcycle it’s fine. The place is fully landscaped, grass growing, the track is ready to race. It’s just they want it to be as much as it can be.”

“We’re getting real, real close and we’re going to be real tight-lipped for another 45 days before we start talking about it,” said Jeff Ray, Executive Director of the Barber Motorsports Park, September 26. “If you want to give me a call back the first of November, we’ll probably be able to release some more information on that.

“We’re scheduled to open the thing in the Spring of 2003. Just with part of the interest in this track is that the fact that there’s not a lot of information out on it, and we’re gonna keep it that way just a little bit longer. Kind of like the girl in the bikini, let your imagination work a little bit. But we’re getting a little bit closer.”

When asked specifically if they had any problems or concerns with their racing surface, Ray said, “None that we’re aware of.”

AMA Pro Racing is expected to schedule a race at the Barber Motorsports Park in 2003.