Like track racing, but also fond of clubbing? Why not mix the two and have a go at the Minidrome? Those crazy chaps at Red Bull have pushed the envelope of what's possible with a wooden track. You might think Calshot is a short lap, but that's nothing compared to the Minidrome, which at 7m by 14m is small enough to fit on the ground floor of a club, with spectators watching from the mezzanine.
Sounds crazy? Well, it is. Our back-of-the-fag-packet calculations make that 36m round the outside of the track, less on the racing line. Red Bull are also claiming it's the steepest track in the world too, meaning it must be somewhere approaching wall-of-death steepness. Single rider races and insane short track pursuits are planned. The rules make for interesting reading:
- Fixed gear bikes only – no brakes – THIS IS TRACK RACING PEOPLE!
- Run street gearing, not track gearing – keep it small or you'll fall off the wall
- Minors can enter, but a guardian has to sign a waiver
- Don't worry, there will be foam crash pads in the centre of the track
Sound like fun? We think so! but NZ isn't exactly on the doorstep so we'll have to pass on the April 4 meet. Here's hoping that Red Bull bring the minidrome concept over to the UK, either that or someone else builds one – anyone out there got some chippy skills?
For more info, head on over to www.alltrack.co.nz
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.