Just in case anyone is headed for Mid-Ohio this year, I was there this past weekend and I'd like to pass along a word of warning. They have repaved the pavement patches going past each of the apexes. During the paving process, they brushed the surface of the patches, so they now have grooves in them. (Not deep slots like on some highway turns, but more like the texture you sometimes see on sidewalks to prevent people from slipping.) The good news is, this gives the pavement added grip. The bad news is, tires now wear like the dickens. Quite a few people are finding that their tires are wearing out a lot quicker than they ever expected, and they are cording tires and getting stuck without replacements. So if you're coming to Mid-Ohio, you might want to consider bringing extra tires, even if you don't expect to need them.

Oh, and I hear the track is aware of this problem and may be repaving those patches late summer or early fall, and organizers of events late in the year have been told that they might be cancelled.

 

The ground the grooves into the pavement during the 2nd week of April. Like you said, people were cording their Hoosiers after the first session Sunday morning.

 

Wow, I had heard it was rough, but that sounds really rough. Thanks for the heads up as we'll be there this weekend for the SCCA National.