Racetracks offer paving rehabilitation contractors some of the most demanding and challenging expectations in the industry today. Racetrack smoothness and mat quality are of the highest concern, because together they add up to safer, faster tracks. There's a saying in the industry, "a smooth milling job, equals a smooth ride." Any irregularities in the milled surface are picked up and often magnified by the paving process, resulting in a rough ride. Contractors across the globe are finding that the new Caterpillar^® PM-200 cold planer offers enhanced features and all the power needed to easily handle the toughest specifications...even those with "racetrack-quality" expectations.

A Cat PM-200 was recently put through its paces on one such demanding racetrack project, in Italy. Quality and consistency were top on the minds of crewmembers for Italian contractor Betonvilla SpA, when they accepted the challenge of milling a segment of the legendary Monza National Racetrack near Milan late last year. This seasoned contractor relied on a new Cat PM-200 cold planer to get the job done quickly, and with the highest performance available in the industry today. The PM-200 milled a 3000-meter portion of the Monza circuit to a precise depth of 4 cm, and a width of 5.5 meter. The total area of milled material for the project came to 16500 square meters-or 1585 tonnes.

Betonvilla, an industry leader since 1962, provides contracting services for a variety of public and private infrastructure projects, including road building projects-like the Monza milling project, as well as highways, viaducts, basins, bridges and galleries. They also manage mining operations to provide materials to support their production and sale of concrete and bituminous conglomerates.

Sections of Monza's circuit had developed cracks due to water penetration, and required milling and resurfacing. The Betonvilla crew found the existing asphalt base to be extremely tough and well compacted. The rigorous conditions required maximum milling performance, and put the PM-200 to the test. The machine milled continuously for eight hours the first day, and completed the project in four additional hours the following day.

Betonvilla's jobsite supervisor Walter Quadri, was impressed with the machine's performance and versatility. "[The PM-200] can carry out many different types of jobs...from small applications in Milan's downtown, to much bigger ones on the highway nearby," he says. In fact, the PM-200 was designed to meet a wide variety of application needs, with plenty of power, a tight cutting radius, and four steering modes for excellent handling and manoeuvrability. And, operator comfort and simple operation minimizes operator fatigue and enhances productivity.

Betonvilla has owned and operated competitive paving equipment for years. Their recent purchase of a PM-200 shows that the contractor is pleased with the Caterpillar commitment to paving, and that they believe in the Cat brand and the services of the Italian Cat dealer CGT.

Caterpillar and Bitelli^® have a long history of racetrack rehabilitation. Back in 1997, a Bitelli Tigre SF 200L cold planer was entrusted to work on the renovation of the famed Enzo and Dino Ferrari Racetrack, in Imola, Italy.

Similarly, a Cat PM-200 was recently used in Monterey, California, USA where Fonseca/McElroy Grinding Co. Inc. (FMG) was hired for a project to mill and replace 5.1 cm of surface material for the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The entire project, including a section of complete reconstruction to a milling depth of 15.2 cm, required removal of over 6800 US metric tonnes of material.  "The machine performed great overall, whatever the depth. If you want to cut 30 cm or 2.5 cm, it cuts," Mike McElroy, the co-owner of the company, commented.

Today's generation of Caterpillar cold planers, like the racetracks themselves, will continue a legacy of performance for years to come.