Montreal track to be resurfaced

Stock-Car Montréal, promoter of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge, initiated major track resurfacing work this week on crucial portions of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the upcoming August 29-30 NASCAR race. The work, carried out by contractor Construction DJL in close cooperation with Shell Bitumen, will enable drivers of the Grand-Am and NASCAR Nationwide Series to negotiate the Montreal track's demanding bends on a smooth surface worthy of the great international racetracks.

"It's no secret that we have had serious problems with the track pavement in several corners of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve these past few years," explained François Dumontier, promoter and spokesperson for the event. "In the tight segments of the track, those that are the hallmark of le circuit and offer the greatest challenges to the drivers, the asphalt has to withstand the extreme punishment from hard braking into the corners followed by harsh acceleration. We firmly believe that the formulation of the premium grade Bitumen binder selected for the project combined with the expertise of the contractor will greatly increase elasticity and allow enhance road performance during the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge next August 29-30."

The asphalt laid out this week on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a unique formulation created by Construction DJL, a leader in Quebec's road construction industry, from a mix of specially selected aggregate and Shell Cariphalte Racetrack Bitumen technology. The aggregates picked by Construction DJL meet the standards of North-American racetrack while the binder developed by Shell Bitumen is especially formulated to meet the demands of high-powered racecar circuits. Shell Bitumen technology is proven worldwide. It has already been used at the F1 circuits of Sepang in Malaysia, Sakhir in Bahrain, Singapore, Hockenheim, and Nürburgring in Germany and at Ferrari's Fiorano test track in Italy. The Bitumen technology used on portions of the Montreal track was produced in Quebec and mixed by Construction DJL. This technology is a first for North America in racetrack surfacing work.

The binder used by Shell Bitumen has a much higher cohesive strength that enables it to withstand horizontal sheer forces when a racecar brakes into a corner, then accelerates out of it. Shell's new Bitumen concentration gives a track surface a greater elasticity and allows enhanced road performance in terms of resistance to extreme heat. It has been formulated to reduce the chance of cracking, rutting, stripping, and aging prematurely under the extreme conditions of our varied climate and temperatures.

"It will always be difficult to predict how the track surface of a corner will react during a race a Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Therefore, over the past few months, we have established a strong relationship with representatives of Shell Bitumen Canada and Construction DJL in order to develop a suitable solution to this problem. At this point, we feel we are on the right track," concluded François Dumontier.

Tickets for the NAPA Auto Part 200, presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 29-30, 2009 are currently on sale. To order tickets and see NASCAR stars on track in Montreal, call 514 397-0007 or order online anytime at www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca.