By Matthew Miles:

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 19, 2015) - Seven-time AMA Pro Grand National Champion Chris Carr has played a pivotal role in the construction of the short track at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas that will be used this weekend for the AMA Pro Flat Track season finale and inaugural Superprestigio of the Americas invitational.

Roughly a tenth of a mile in length, the track has a 12-15-inch dirt base. “It’s got some good clay in it,” Carr said, “but it also has a lot of rock. We’re using a top coat of decomposed granite, which is similar to what you see on a lot of speedway tracks, to try and create a hard, consistent surface.”

Carr identified some of the hurdles that the Steve McLaughlin Incorporated (SMI) crew led by Dennis Pearson faced building a racetrack within such tight confines.

“The first obstacle was to create a track that will ride ‘bigger’ than its actual size,” he said. “This is one of the shorter tracks that we’ve had in AMA Pro Grand National history, but we wanted to create an environment where the riders have an opportunity to pass.”

Typical indoor tracks have rounded corners, Carr explained; the Orleans is shaped like a football. “It’s more of a point-and-shoot style of racetrack, where it will be very wide entering, very wide exiting with the potential for some drama at the apex of each corner.

“I think we’re going to see multiple apexes as the track changes through competition. We’re going to keep these guys guessing all night long. It’s going to be a good test of their racing skills, as well as their flat-track skills.”

In this configuration, the Orleans will accommodate 5,700 spectators. “We don’t expect a sellout, but we do expect a great show,” Carr said. “The theory behind this event has met with a bit of negativity from the flat-track community, which may have slowed ticket sales. We’re also up against a lot of competition this weekend in the motorcycle industry.”

Carr believes this event has an opportunity to grow. “Whether it remains part of the AMA Pro Flat Track calendar in the future is to be determined,” he said, “but if we did not have the Superprestigio of the Americas here in Las Vegas, the AMA Pro Flat Track season would have ended with the cancellation of the Calistoga Half-Mile.”

All for one and one for all.