Tag Archive for: Course

Bobcat Equipment On Supercross Course

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Bobcat Equipment On Supercross Course: Europe’s largest ever Supercross course in a stadium has been built using Bobcat compact equipment, in unusual and demanding conditions.

JLFO built the track for the Paris SX leg of the French ‘SX TOUR’ Supercross Championship in the versatile new U Arena in Nanterre in the outskirts of Paris, which was opened in October 2017.  This event had been held for more than 30 years at the Palais Omnisports venue in Paris Bercy, before relocating for the last three years to the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq.

Bobcat Equipment On Supercross Course

To build the track for the Paris SX held on 18-19 November, JLFO teams employed a fleet of machines including three Bobcat compact loaders, a Bobcat compact excavator and a Doosan wheeled excavator to move and shape nearly 4000 m3 of soil to prepare the largest Supercross course ever completed inside a stadium in Europe.

JFLO, Supercross Track Specialist

Based in La Bastide-l’Eveque in France, JLFO specializes in organising events in the car, motorbike and quad bike sectors.  With more than 200 major events to its credit, JLFO has forged a strong reputation in the construction of off-road tracks for car, motorbike and quad bike racing, as well as handling all of the logistics to accompany the events.

Many Constraints

The work of the Bobcat and Doosan machines in Paris comes off the back of the Supercross SX events held the last three years in Lille, where the JLFO teams had used a fleet of Bobcat equipment to meet the challenge presented by only three days being available for assembly of the track and just one night for the disassembly, skillfully handling thousands of cubic metres of earth, while at the same time protecting any grass surfaces.

The challenge of installing the track for the Paris Supercross SX in the U Arena was just as immense.  The deadlines were the same with three nights for building the track and only one night to dismantle it.  The first job was to protect the lawn and the soil during the weekend. The construction of the track also had to be done at night by the teams in Nanterre.  So for three nights, JLFO teams were mobilized to deliver the soil and build the slopes, bumps and other obstacles as required for the track.  The Supercross course was finalised on the Thursday before the event, with pilot tests carried out on the Friday.  The biggest challenge was dismantling the track overnight on between the end of Sunday and Monday.  No less than five earthmovers were used, including a Bobcat E62 compact excavator, two Bobcat T870 loaders, a Bobcat T650 loader and a Doosan DX165W-5 wheeled excavator.

Nearly 4000 m3 of Soil

 The volume of soil used to prepare the track was considerable: comprising nearly 4000 m3 on a floor area of ​​10.000 m2.  The soil was transported in ten 20 tonne trucks from a location in Aubervilliers, six kilometres from the U Arena.  The soil was spread in five layers by the Bobcat compact excavators and loaders to create the bumps and hollows of the track.  Only the Freestyle bump was an intrinsic structure in itself, which saved about 400 m3 of soil – it was also covered with earth.

Jean-Luc Fouchet, Founding President of JLFO, explained: “Our three Bobcat T650 and T870 loaders and the Bobcat E62 compact excavator allow us to work with the utmost efficiency.  When you make a hump in the track, you can climb on it and compact it. We can modulate it and we do not need another machine. With compact track loaders, you can quickly move to stand back, look at the shape and correct it if necessary,”

The Bobcat T870 loaders are the largest loaders the brand has ever made. To achieve the feat of preparing and dismantling the track in such a short time, JLFO used three experienced Bobcat drivers.  For the duration of the event, Bobcat loaders and compact excavators were at work for the regular repair of the track after the races.

In total, a team of 70 people completed the assembly of the SX track in Paris over three nights and for the disassembly over the last night. The event welcomed over 40,000 spectators on the Saturday and Sunday.  As an operational partner, Bobcat invited some of its customers to attend the show over the weekend.

The team was mobilized again on Monday 20 November in Lyon for the next stage of the SX Tour championship.  As well as Lyon and Paris, Bobcat is also partnering with JLFO to prepare the Supercross tracks at the Montpellier and Amnéville events that form part of the Championship.

For more information on Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com

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Rigby Taylor Help Course Manager Meet Expectations

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Rigby Taylor Products Help Course Manager Meet All Expectations – Whatever The Weather: Apart from weather patterns that nowadays often mean the seasons seemingly merge into one another, one of the biggest challenges facing Course Manager Justin Robinson is coping with the large temperature differences that he sees at different holes on the Henley-on-Thames Golf Club.

“It’s not unusual to record 6degC variations, on the same day, at different tees and greens due to the topography of the course”, he says. “But after 24 years here and knowing how to vary the treatment of the different greens and tees so that we ‘work with the weather’ – plus help from some world-class amenity supplies – we get things right, despite the vagaries of mother nature.”

Rigby Taylor Help Course Manager Meet Expectations

Justin ‘gets it right’ by inspecting the course every day, deciding exactly what is needed and when by every green and tee. He also works hand-in-hand with Rigby Taylor’s area sales director, Gareth Acteson, to instigate a best-in-class nutrition (spring) and fungicide (autumn) programme of turf care.

“I’ve been utilising Gareth’s knowledge for the past six years or so and the course has definitely benefitted. Based on our twice yearly soil analyses, we plan a treatment programme and I use a range of Rigby Taylor products to give me what I want and when I need it.” He also insists: “I always buy everything I use on a cost versus benefits basis.”

Justin admits that club members ‘play with their eyes’ so first and foremost he ensures the greens look lush and his choice of amenity supplies reflects this quest for top-class presentation.

He continues: “Our agronomist is this year suggesting we incorporate more bent (Rigby Taylor’s 105 browntop bent) grass species on the greens and while this plan will take at least two/three years before we see the full effect, in an attempt to stress the poa annua we have this year applied only one granular and one liquid feed between April and July.

“We’re trying to get the finer grasses on the tees and aprons; often in areas where they wouldn’t normally survive. It is difficult to get dwarf perennial rye to ‘take’ on the tees; the grass is simply not large enough to take that level of play.

Also in an attempt to improve the push-up greens (and the tees and aprons), after the members had spent all year round, due to a mild winter, playing the traditional summer course, Justin implemented a concerted programme of coring, tining and overseeding (with Rigby Taylor’s R105 treated with Germin-8, a unique treatment that stimulates and supports accelerated germination and emergence) plus liberal doses of sand – he often distributes about 100 tonnes throughout the course – “and the course very quickly recovered”.

Justin, plus six full time greenkeepers as well as part-time help from July through to September, keep the greens at 3.5 mm or occasionally down to 3 mm for competitions (and roll them three times a week), while the tees and aprons at maintained at 8 mm (10 mm in winter) and fairways at 15 mm (18 mm in winter) in the quest to consistently produce “true and pure greens” across the 18-hole course.

While Justin says he “loves producing a good golf course for the members”, he points out that course presentability plays a key role in meeting members’ aspirations. This is where Rigby Taylor has been a great help, he says.

“For example, we were having a lot of problems with daisies – being on chalk we always struggle to control these – and Gareth suggested I try the Crossbar selective herbicide. I was blown away by the results!

In addition to the Propel R wetting agent (applied in monthly liquid applications as well as tablet hose-end spot treatments), SeaQuest 100% concentrated seaweed extract is applied for added stress tolerance.

Activate XL biostimulant is also used to assist in the breakdown of organic thatch matter and increased microbial break down; indeed, both biostimulants are used all year round, especially at renovation time to help the establishment of new seed.

Justin also uses a variety of Rigby Taylor fertilisers which, he confirms, “are second to none, including Apex and especially PolyPro which I use on tees, surrounds and fairways”. The micro-granule PolyPro, for consistent, predictable and gradual release, features added calcium and magnesium for improved turf disease tolerance.

“At the end of the day,” Justin adds, “our players want the course to look good and play well. My job is to ensure that is the case, and I will utilise all my experience – and use any products necessary – to give the players exactly what they want.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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