FIRST LOOK AT THE GLEN HELEN 250/450 NATIONAL TRACK

    With only four weeks to go until the gate drops on the opening round of the 2009 AMA 250/450 National Championship, Glen Helen has kicked into over-drive to get the track ready for the Nationals.

 
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    In truth, the work started way back in November when MXA's Jody Weisel turned the track around for the World Vet Championship race (from that test race, it was decided that the track was better for the fans and racers if it went this original, if considered backwards, direction). After that race, Jody made some new sketches and discussed all the major issues with the Glen Helen track crew, Lori Bryant, John Ayers, John Perry, Roy Janson and dirt specialist Karl Scanlon. Over the last five months Glen Helen has been moving dirt, reconfiguring the layout and preparing to make the track appear like magic within the next week.

    One of the original goals was to get the National layout in the dirt and ready to race for the April 26 World Four-Stroke Championship. The Four-Stroke race is not just a Pro race, but it is a chance for Glen Helen to test the layout and make adjustments. By Sunday's Four-Stroke race the National track's design will be finalized, 50 percent of the fencing will be up and some of the new elements will be ready to race on. Obviously, with all the amateur and Vet classes at the World Four-Stroke Championship the full complement of rough sections and big jumps will be toned down to make it more Novice friendly, but still challenging for the Pros. The existing tabletops have been turned into step-ups to allow slower riders to jump on top, medium speed riders to jump to a hump in the middle and faster riders to clear the whole thing.

WHAT'S NEW FOR 2009?

    This year's Glen Helen National track will be different for seven major reasons:

    (1) Backwards: Although the National track will be backwards from the last few years, it will actually run in the original direction (which means that to fans with memories the last few layouts have been backwards). What does backwards mean? Since Glen Helen builds a totally new track every year, the true direction of the track has been lost over the years. The 2009 direction is much closer to the direction of the two 500 GPs and the 1999 National track.

    (2) Life's a Beach Sand section: The riders will enter the sand section (numbers 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 on the map) from the pit side of the track and get to it very early on the first lap. The sand will have dual lanes (these were tested at the World Vet in November and the ATV National race last month). There will be no crossing over from one lane to the other-once a rider selects the inside or outside lane, he has to stick with it. The dual lane sand was extremely popular with the Vet and ATV National riders. It will be used at the World Four-Stroke race on Sunday.

    (3) Triple Step-Up: The famous triple step-up jump (on the far side of the track) will be turned into a triple step-down (numbers 21 and 22 on map). It will be spectacular.

    (4) Mt. Saint Helen:  Mount Saint Helen's long downhill (32 and 33 on map) will become a long uphill. Last year's uphill (numbers 35 and 36 on map) will be a steep downhill that will go under the bridge.

    (5) Talladega: The Talledega turn (number 1 on the map) will still be used on the start, but the 45-degree banked first turn will become a 90-degree right hand turn (instead of a 180) that immediately climbs up to the top of Shoei Hill (number 39 on map). The new start will be used at the World Four-Stroke race. The starting line will only be used for the start (it will not be part of the race track after the start). To clarify; Talladega is no longer a 180-degree bowl turn. It is now a 90-degree right-hand turn that immediately climbs up to the top of Shoei Hill (where the Troy Lee hospitality tent is located), then returns back down Shoei Hill and sweeps back (by the new mechanics area - number 5 on the map). From there is runs up the inside of Talledega before heading towards the sand.

The steep hill that the riders have to climb on the start has been used before, but is most famous as the part of the track that Ricky Carmichael rode backwards several years ago after hitting a haybale. It is known by the locals as "Carmichael Falls."

    (6) Finish line: Two new spectator tunnels have been added just before Life's a Beach and the finish line will be placed on top of the step-up tabletop (between 7 and 8 on the map) before the sand. The checkered flag will be waving in full view of Glen Helen's bleachers. 

    (7) REM's Mt. Whitney: Although Mt. Whitney will not be used at the Four-Stroke race (because lap times for the amateur classes could creep into the four minute-plus realm), at the AMA National the riders will jump over the right side of Mt. Whitney (number 17 on the map) and then do a hairpin on the backside of the hill and jump back into view over the left side of Mt. Whitney. This is the equivalent of two tabletops with 100-foot drops!

    The goal of everyone involved, not just in the design of the 2009 National track, but with the new Saturday program, MXSports sanctioning, Speed TV package and Lucas Oil sponsorship is to put the Supercross season behind us and get into the Great Outdoors. The track is only one part of the big picture, but Glen Helen's reputation as the roughest, toughest and biggest track on the National circuit is a big part of what make this race a must-see event.

See you there on Saturday May 23.