Tierp Arena is the first European drag racing track to be accredited by the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), the US-based, 80-000 member strong body that is the sport's de facto world organization. Founded by Wally Parks in 1951, who worked to get racing off the city streets and highways and into safer, organized venues, fans are privy to an up-close and personal view of teams rebuilding engines in less than 75 minutes between elimination rounds, and drivers are often found in their pit areas, signing autographs and chatting with fans.
"We've built one of the best race tracks in the world," enthused Tierp Arena co-director Lars Erik Lindberg, "one of the best facilities for drag racing anywhere." Its inaugural year saw one European Championship race, and in 2012 two European Championships and two Swedish Championship races.
If drag racing is loud, it follows that the commentary has to need be a few dBs more potent still. "The key to the audio for a drag racing audience is, of course, to make it loud," says Karl-Gustaf Kahlau, of Renkus-Heinz Sweden distributor Luthman SMTTS AB, "so the audience can hear what the commentator is saying above the noise of the cars. What they've done at Tierp Arena is to use line array modules that are powerful enough - but compact enough not to obscure sightlines. When the audience is watching a race, they obviously don't want a bulky sound system in the way.
"With our help, they decided on low profile PNX102/LA line array modules, 24 boxes in total, bolted in pairs to customized steel ground frames to make 12 independent freestanding clusters, that they could place along the length of the racetrack at ground level pointing upwards towards the audience. The installer, Mr Lennart Johansson, designed a semi modular, semi mobile transportation and multi-angle cabinet suspension system that was really well thought out and robust enough for our extreme weather conditions - up here it gets both pretty cold in winter and hot in summer; you have to be well prepared.
"The critical factor, though, is that the commentary can be heard over the massive ambient noise. These compact line array modules are matched to high efficiency Powersoft amplifiers via a weather-insulated network of pre-installed underground cables under the racetrack, and weatherproofed ground facility panels, all running back to the amp rack room in the main building." The room also serves to store the cabinets between races."
(Jim Evans)
