The Thunderdrome! : Mopeds, Scooters and Bikes racing on Detroit's abandoned Dorais Velodrome.

[Insomnya3AM]

So we've spent the last few week rebuilding the Dorais Velodrome, which is located at Mound Rd. and Outer Dr. in Detroit.

We did it to bring back one of Detroit's great parks - but we also did it for this: Thunderdrome.com. All of the details are on the site.

We're throwing a race on Saturday, October 16th, 2010. Practice starts at 8:00AM - Racing starts at 11:00AM.

Spectating is free - unless (for a donation of $5 or more) you'd like to get into the swank VIP viewing area that includes access to the afterparty at Paper Street Motors. Pabst Blue Ribbon has sponsored free beer at the afterparty. Thanks, PBR. Anyone can pay at the door of the afterparty for a donation of $5 or more, so just get the VIP and be done with it.

Half of all proceeds are getting donated directly to Detroit Parks and Recreation. The other half is going into a fund to further the upkeep of Dorais park and make 2011 events possible.

Woo?

 

[OnyxSSS]

saw this in the paper...used to go there when I was a teen and ride my ten speed around it...took my boys last winter to sled, and check out the soap box track,.

I give you props for knowing about this place and doing somting about it, could you imagine a weekend in the summer with a mini bike race and soap boxs running down the hill, it would be like a 1950's paradise.

Might have to hit it up sooner with my sons and thier 49cc thing

 

[OnyxSSS]

sucks thats the day of the rental

 

[GrandmaLS]

Sounds like a blast!

 

[OnyxSSS]

if anyone has any leads on cheap 49cc mini dirt bikes let me know, I can't hit the dome solo.

 

[Justindwright]

I have a 50 CC moped all stock, I wonder if I can race it? LOL

 

[DarkoStoj]

i was just back there with my jeep like a month ago :lol:

 

[4 cam tbird]

saw this in the paper...used to go there when I was a teen and ride my ten speed around it...took my boys last winter to sled, and check out the soap box track,.

I give you props for knowing about this place and doing somting about it, could you imagine a weekend in the summer with a mini bike race and soap boxs running down the hill, it would be like a 1950's paradise.

Might have to hit it up sooner with my sons and thier 49cc thing

A renegade derby race would be cool. By renegade I mean check cars for safety items and let them race as opposed to the bolt together kits sanctioned derby racing has become. I'm sure the track probably isn't in any kind of shape even for something like that. Might have to go to the thunderdrome thing just to check it all out though. Sounds cool.

 

[4 cam tbird]

Upon looking at the google satellite view, any sort of derby race, sanctioned or otherwise, would be tough being that the run out area is GONE. Bummer.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&i...364,-83.045311&spn=0.014204,0.026114&t=h&z=16

 

[OnyxSSS]

I would not be surprized if the actual concrete is burined under some sod...a simple scrape with a bobcat could dig up the strip.

YOu could have a race like the new olympic ski cross event...bmx bikes, moutain bike classes...

I could be convinced to bring my bobcat out for some escaviating, espically if it is buried and still there.

I think the event would be fun

 

[DarkoStoj]

I would not be surprized if the actual concrete is burined under some sod...a simple scrape with a bobcat could dig up the strip.

YOu could have a race like the new olympic ski cross event...bmx bikes, moutain bike classes...

I could be convinced to bring my bobcat out for some escaviating, espically if it is buried and still there.

I think the event would be fun

you got banks there that the bobcat wouldnt handle. The concrete is still there but its cracked up pretty badly.

 

[4 cam tbird]

I just read the entire thunderdrome website, ok, not quite all of it, I didn't read all the rules for all the classes, just enough to see what each class was all about. It sounds like a sweet event. I'm going to try to go check it out. I don't think I have anything else planned for that day. While I'm out there I'll take a look at the derby track and see how bad it is and what kind of run out exists. You can see what looks like a path for a return road to truck derby cars back to the top of the hill. That's a plus.

Hell, a rough surface of the derby track is probably cooler than a smooth one. It means innovation in building a car is required. None of the stuff made for sanctioned racing would work out on a real rough track. The less of the kit stuff that is useable the cooler the cars will look.

I've seen the old Flint derby track in google satellite too. If you could get something going in Detroit and get permission to access the Flint track for some clean up and to run an event a series could get started from it.

 

[OnyxSSS]

you got banks there that the bobcat wouldnt handle. The concrete is still there but its cracked up pretty badly.

we are talking about the soap box strip.
in the map its the SW corner of the park...you probably know the area

 

[OnyxSSS]

or an event like this...but minus the redbull marketing
http://www.redbullsoapboxusa.com/About-Soapbox.aspx

 

[4 cam tbird]

SouthWest? Damn, I was totally interpretting the wrong thing as the old derby track since there is no real sense for elevation change in the google satellite view.

 

[OnyxSSS]

989 feet long.
it would make some craxy designs to have suspension.

 

[4 cam tbird]

Bing Bird's Eye View FTW. Yeah, I was looking at the normal road, it is totally flat :lol:

The derby hill area is interesting. Would definitely require further inspection. It seems like the peak of the hill is alright but hard to tell what there really is going down the hill. Plus it looks like the track went down the hill SouthWesterly out to the street. That's not ideal seeming.

 

[OnyxSSS]

yea, worng spot. it has a bit of concrete at the top of the hill, the trees in the pic are on the steep side of the hill, then the starting pad, and the track runs out toward the oval, but north of it. going from the left to the right on the map you posted.

I hope that makes since. There is a real good chance that thur parks and recs neg that the conctete would be burined under sod after years of shitty upkeep of JUST the grass not getting cut.

 

[OnyxSSS]

Bing Bird's Eye View FTW. Yeah, I was looking at the normal road, it is totally flat :lol:

The derby hill area is interesting. Would definitely require further inspection. It seems like the peak of the hill is alright but hard to tell what there really is going down the hill. Plus it looks like the track went down the hill SouthWesterly out to the street. That's not ideal seeming.

that road is how you get up...see my next post about the derby track part.

 

[4 cam tbird]

Ok so (bottom right box is first, bottom left is second, top center third)...