“I think we have all been surprised how quickly the track has matured, and it gets easier to manage”
Tim Long, Clerk of the Course, Ffos Las Tim Long
land, which will make Ffos Las completely energy self-sufficient. In the early stages of the sward development, frequent tight mowing to encourage tillering and minimise clippings, along with judicious fertiliser use, was key to producing a quality racing surface.
The first year also saw the mammoth task of installing the 9,127 metres of running rail - the jumps track is divided into twenty metre sections to ensure fresh ground for each meeting, requiring ongoing running rail movements, although the flat tends to run across the full sixty metre width; most British courses are between twenty and forty metres wide.
Aeration was, and continues to be, another key factor in establishing the
racing surface, with a contractor providing a verti- draining service three times a year - although the course does have its own smaller machine for decompacting take off and landing areas -
The home straight
supplemented by regular slitting, especially before irrigation.
A pair of Briggs 40m boom irrigators
make light work of watering the course, fed from the 55,000 cubic metre attenuation ponds via a ring main, with hydrants every 200 yards. Humber Palmers organic fertiliser was
used initially, but Arwyn comments that a Yara 21:8:11 compound meets the turf ’s needs better. “As the surface drains well, we have to be careful to avoid leaching, so applications are made little and often with a Vicon spinning disc spreader,” he says.
The strongly established turf has seen
AFT Trenchers Ltd AFT45 For compact tractors from 20hp
With chain or slitting wheel, augers or conveyor to quickly install drainage systems, pipes or cables as and when needed.
Tel: +44 (0)1787 311811 Email:
info@trenchers.co.uk www.trenchers.co.uk 108
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