Roadgrip USA has been on site in San Diego’s North Island helping to transform an active naval air base into one of the most anticipated additions to the NASCAR calendar.
For our Airports division, working on airfields is business as usual. Runways, taxiways and military aviation facilities are environments our teams operate in every week. What is less common, however, is converting one into a race circuit.
For this 250th birthday celebration of the US Navy, the North Island’s operational military airfield is being temporarily transformed into a street circuit for NASCAR and our team was responsible for removing the existing airfield markings and installing the sporting lines and pit lane markings to help bring the circuit to life.
Motorsport has a long history of utilising unusual locations, but few venues are as distinctive as North Island.
Located on Coronado Peninsula, directly across the bay from downtown San Diego, the naval air station is one of the most important military aviation facilities in the United States.
The temporary circuit combines that existing airfield infrastructure with specially adapted sections of roadway and hardstanding, creating a layout unlike any permanent NASCAR venue. Wide expanses of aviation pavement, long sightlines and the unique backdrop of military aircraft and San Diego Bay provided a setting for the race.
Aside from our work at Formula E’s iconic Tempelhof Airport circuit in Berlin, opportunities to combine motorsport and aviation environments in this way are rare – yet many of the same principles apply.
Precision layout, visibility, durability and accuracy remain critical whether the users are pilots or racing drivers.
One of the most impressive aspects of projects like North Island is the speed at which they come together.
Temporary circuits require extensive planning and coordination to ensure that every element is installed accurately and safely within a relatively short timeframe. Our team had to first remove the lines from the naval base using UHP water blasters, before painting the sporting lines and pit lane before the circuit can be handed over for competition.
Unlike permanent race tracks, these facilities have to work within the constraints of an existing operational environment. Every marking must integrate seamlessly with the surrounding infrastructure while still delivering the standards expected at a major professional motorsport event.
Roadgrip USA is proud to have played a part in transforming an active naval air base into a race-ready circuit.
Learn more about Roadgrip Motorsport and see our global projects, or contact us to discuss your requirements.
