Barber Motorsports Park

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Barber Motorsports Park
Location Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
Owner Barber Motorsports
Operator ZOOM Motorsports
Broke ground
Opened 2003
Architect Alan Wilson
Former names
Events Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
AMA Superbike Championship
Miles first True
Layout1 Road course
Surface Asphalt
Length km 3.7
Length mi 2.3
Turns 16
Banking
Record time 1:20.613
Record driver Max Papis
Record team Chip Ganassi Racing
Record year 2004
Record class Daytona Prototype


The Barber Motorsports Park is a large multi-purpose racing facility on a 740-acre (300 ha) site in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, located on the eastern fringes of the city, near Leeds.

Track

The park, which opened in 2003, features a 16-turn 2.3mi road course, designed by Alan Wilson, viewable from several naturally wooded or grass-covered banks.

The track has hosted numerous motorsport races including Grand-Am, Vintage Racing Series events, and AMA Superbike. It serves as the home of the "Porsche Driving Experience" and the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School. It also hosts the Keith Code California Superbike School and the Jamie James Yamaha Champions Riding School.

On October 12, 2007, the IRL's IndyCar Series conducted an open test at Barber. Track officials indicated they are exploring a race for the 2009 IndyCar Series season.


Sculpture

The infield of the track is adorned with a number of large sculptures, including a series of large steel spiders and dragonflies, a pair of lions and a sisyphean figure pushing a boulder.

Museum

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum features a collection of over 900 vintage and modern motorcycles and racecars. It is considered the largest motorsports museum in the world.Template:Fact The racecars includes Lotus and other international race cruisers. The internationally acclaimed motorcycle collection includes bikes dating from 1904 to present production. There are bikes from 16 countries that represent over 140 different marques from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Track records

  Driver Time Avg. Speed Date Vehicle
Official Max Papis 1 min 20.613 sec 102.713mph 9 October, 2004 Riley-Lexus
Daytona Prototype
Unofficial Tony Kanaan 1 min 9.743 sec 118.722mph 12 October, 2007 Dallara-Honda
IndyCar
Motorcycle
(official)
Mat Mladin 1 min 25.047 sec 97.358mph April, 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000


External links



Grand-Am circuits

Daytona • Hermanos Rodríguez • Homestead • Virginia • Laguna Seca • Lime Rock • Watkins Glen • Mid-Ohio • Barber • Montréal • Infineon • Miller
Former Circuits:
California • Iowa • Long Beach • Mont-Tremblant • Phoenix • Road America • Trois-Rivières