Most racetracks intentionally don’t have trees anywhere in close proximity to the driven tarmac, but the Virginia International Raceway had one, until it fell earlier in the year. Now, the track is a little bit safer since there’s no massive oak to smash into on the inside of the tightening double-apex right-hander, but it’s also a far less evocative place…
The iconic old oak had been there for around 200 years, and the turn seems to have been made in such a way so as to curve exactly around it – it was a feature, and one that made all photos taken with it in the background better. Its loss was such a tragedy, that according to Road&Track, the management came up with the idea of trying to clone the tree, and then sell saplings on to whomever would be interested in having one.
All of the tricky lab work will be done by Virginia Tech’s Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, though, currently it is not a sure thing – the cloning process can fail. We'll have to wait and see if it’s successful so that fans of the track then plant the result wherever they please, so that people two centuries in the future will be able to enjoy the sight of thousands of huge oaks planted randomly across the land.
At the track, the place where the original stood may even be covered with tarmac, as it is widened and upgraded to host the new United Sports Car series. The videos posted below show what the turn was like with the tree and what it's like now.
By Andrei Nedelea
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