Types of dirt for SX, SMX and outdoor tracks and track build

wwdiii wrote:

A good while back was talking to the owner of Ultimate MX in Alvin, Texas, Glen Johnson about types of dirt for MX tracks etc.  Glen...

A good while back was talking to the owner of Ultimate MX in Alvin, Texas, Glen Johnson about types of dirt for MX tracks etc.  Glen was top 50 number MX racer in his day.  He’s built his share of tracks, think he did a lot of work on Rio Bravo in Houston too years back.  Besides having a MX track, he has a dirt business which is his main business.  He knows dirt, his track has good mix.  Really good sand clay mix.  Not a clod or rock to be found I’ve ever seen.

I was telling him about a track I raced on back before electricity was discovered.  A track around Oklahoma City called Big Red, which I thought had the best of any track l’d seen.  I figured it was fluffed up Oklahoma red dirt.  He said it was probably baseball dirt, said baseball dirt makes a good track.  I played a lot of baseball and kinda knew what he was talking about.

Watching the race today in Charlotte that dirt kinda looked like baseball dirt and best I recall kinda like the dirt at Big Red.

So point of my post, what kind of dirt was used for the track today if anybody knows.  Also, who decides what material to use for the track.  Is it a different contractor for each track, or same for all tracks.  I’d guess it’s a fairly complex project for each track build.  Or is it as simple as material available in the area and local contractors.  I’ve always wondered about the process.  I’d guess outdoor tracks are native dirt with sand or clay mixed, fairly simple.  But building a track for a specific race must have a lot of working pieces, project in its self.  Me being a curious guy by nature always wondered.

Kinda thought it would make for interesting comments etc.   Thanks Billy