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NO. 4 • THURSDAY • FEBRUARY 8 • 2018 SEASON 3, 2017-2018 YOUR FREE BIWEEKLY MAGAZINE
Arjeplog & Arvidsjaur
Making the perfect track
A winter like this, with so much snow - how is it possible to create and maintain good ice tracks? The guys preparing the tracks at Arjeplog Test Management think it is totally doable. - But we need to spend a lot more time on track preparation than usual. It is the time spent out on the tracks that make the difference, explains Peter Nilsson. - This winter has been extreme, says Pelle Sundström. But we still managed to get good tracks in the end. - A few years ago, some of us attended a seminar at Luleå Tekniska Universitet and learnt that ice can grow about 0,1mm per hour and minus degree, so that would add up to about 25 mm per day at -10 degrees, explains Billy Fjellström. With years of practical experience, the guys att Arjeplog Test Management (ATM) prepare ice tracks for car testing every winter. This year they work on two lakes - Ullak and Uddjaur making tracks for event companies. On lake Uddjaur, the tracks are identical with famous racing tracks such as Nürburgring, Silverstone and Circuit Paul Ricard. So, what is the secret behind finishing tracks early on in the season? - We spend hours and hours every day packing the snow, so that when we eventually can start the final track preparation, we scrape and clear excess snow. As we say, no tracks are made in the staff room…
This year, the customers for lake Ullak arrived by new year’s, and the tracks were done in time. At lake Uddjaur, the first customers started dropping in around the 5th of January, by which time we had finished most of the tracks. The last track is now under completion and this is why we have borrowed a new, small tractor, to see if it is fit for the job. When the ice is 10 cm thick, they begin by running a snow mobile with a packing roll behind. When the ice has doubled in thickness (20 cm), small tractors can run on it. - That’s what works best for us. Others do differently and don’t use small tractors at all - they wait until the ice has built to a thickness that can carry larger tractors. - It is really important to keep the tracks free from snow. Just one cm of snow can isolate the growth up to 90%. Normally, the snow itself does not compose the biggest problem, it is strong winds that really complicate our job to keep the tracks clean, says Billy. Comment from the ATM customer Lapland Ice Driving, Eric Gallardo:: ”It’s common knowledge that the very large quantities of snow which fell in December were a major constraint to all the “ice track builders” as far as construction of the circuits was concerned. The ATM team were not defeated however, and applied virtually most of their resources to the Lapland Ice Driving infrastructure. This was really ”roman work”, and as a result we were able to receive our first visitors on January 5th as planned. Almost 50% of our infrastructure was open and in perfect condition from the first day, which bearing in mind the meteorological conditions were no mean feat!”
Partners of Xpress Arjeplog & Arvidsjaur ARJEPLOG: ARJEPLOG’S KOMMUN A-event and Fish shop Arjeplog Test Management Arjeplogvilt AB Cartest i Arjeplog AB Church of Sweden Cold-Nose-Huskies Cold Spot Facilities Colmis Proving Ground Coop Konsum Experience Arjeplog Fixar’n Flinkfeldts Bus Galtis Ski Resort Hotel Lyktan Hotel Silverhatten Husky-Farm -Veijejaur ICA Supermarket Icemakers AB Kraja Hotel Lapland Ice Driving MFS Freeride Presentstugan Stora Björnstugan 4MOVE ARVIDSJAUR: Anna-Lisas Souvenirbutik Coop CAR TEST COMPANIES FCA Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Jaguar Land Rover Knorr-Bremse Mando Corporation
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Pelle Sundström, Billy Fjellström and Peter Nilsson. ATM Trackteam.
If you or your company would like to be a partner of Xpress Arjeplog & Arvidsjaur, please contact Mona Piribauer, Piribauer Media: + 46 (0)70-669 29 48 mona@arjeplogarn.se