Director: Matt Jennings - Producer: Steve Sutcliffe - Drone Pilot: Will Glover - Camera Operator: James France
Fun and demanding
When Ford was about to launch its new version of its legendary Ford GT, they turned their attention to the north and the Arctic Circle Raceway. After a short visit to North-West Norway, in the autumn of 2017, a production team from the English car magazine and website EVO arrived in Mo i Rana. The mission was almost military, to retrieve the track record. Behind the wheel, Ford placed none other than the German GT1 driver Stefan Mücke.
The introductory presentation of car and track is first class performed by Steve Sutcliffe, who was also the film's producer. It should not be underestimated that the visit was also an experience for ACR's crews.
The film is described by many as one of the best car films ever made, and was together with i.a. The Great Tour nominated for an international "Oscar" for films of this kind.
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The recordings were also put together into a video that was published on EVO's website. Both versions are also on Youtube and dozens of other websites, and they are seen by far more than one million people.
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Both videos are suitable for large screens and solid speakers .
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Surface water
The source of success
No matter where you are on the track, the track deck is tilted in one direction or another. This is to effectively divert rainwater away from where cars and motorcycles are driving at high speeds.
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ACR is designed so that no puddles are formed or that the water collects in larger stripes that cross the ideal track. This is a very demanding goal when the terrain either goes up or down, and the vertical slope in twelve curves and a course that is 11 - 13 meters wide must be taken into account.
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Engineering and crafts
The recipe is skilled engineers and dedicated professionals. ACR's track surface is today world-renowned for its quality, and the good friction prevents overturning and slippage, and ditto damage to both drivers and equipment.
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Before the track was paved, a lot of work was done to find the optimal asphalt recipe, ie the mixture of stone, the size of the stones, the rock and the proportion of bitumen. Study trips abroad were carried out, and with contributions from one of the country's leading laboratories, the prescription was finally found.
As part of this work, a separate test field was installed at Mo Industrial Park, and the friction properties of the track deck were subsequently tested with instruments and engineers from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. (see the picture)
Responsible designers were the civil engineers Terje A. Olsen and Kjell Arne Hagen at Nordland Teknikk. Executing contractors and professional skills came from the companies Øijord & Aanes and Veidekke Asfalt.
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Read more about the arena'shistory .
