The sand dune track, owned by Ron Pratte, the nationally-recognized businessman famous for his car collection, utilizes hundreds of Plastic Jersey barriers to line the inside and outside of the track.
More than 750 of the barriers – supplied by Tamis Corporation, a distributor of crowd control, traffic safety and directional products – create the course on which off-road trucks, ATVs and dirt bikes are raced. A small race track for kids is also located at the site.
Plastic Jersey barriers are most commonly used as traffic barricades on roadways and as barriers in construction or work zones. But the water-filled plastic barriers have proven to be ideal for the desert track, said Jeff Bardwell, who handles special projects for the track.
“We had previously tried concrete barriers, but they were too heavy and hard to move and store,” Bardwell explained. “With the plastic barriers, we can simply drain them and then easily move them into storage at the end of the season.”
The track also liked the 42-inch height of the barriers, after finding that 8-foot high concrete walls were too high. The different color options were also a plus, said Bardwell, who selected orange barriers for the track.