YPG shows off new test track

Thursday was an awesome day for Yuma Proving Ground as it dedicated its brand new 4.5-mile paved oval track that will get put to good use testing vehicles that will help keep America's soldiers and Marines stay safe as they serve their country.

The track is the second phase of an enhanced joint use lease agreement between the Army and General Motors. In the first phase, the automaker constructed a new, state-of-the-art, high temperature test complex at YPG. In turn, GM funded construction of the new test track YPG will use to test heavy military vehicles under high speeds and at high temperatures.

This is the first time the military will have access to a high speed track to test vehicles weighing up 125 tons, said Chuck Wullenjohn, YPG spokesman. And it will definitely get a workout, 12 hours each day, six days each week, he added.

"Yuma Proving Ground is the Department of Defense's lead organization for desert testing of wheeled and tracked vehicles," Col. Thomas Payne, YPG commander, said during the dedication. "YPG has long had the need for additional and improved test tracks, as our only paved test course in past years was a single straightaway built in the 1950s for low speed testing."

He continued: "It could not accommodate the road speeds achievable by current and future vehicles. Improving our capability to test vehicles at high speeds and at high temperatures has become especially critical as swift over-the-road speeds have become key in defending against roadside ambushes overseas."

Obviously, he said, "I'm very excited about adding this track to our test capabilities in support of our defense mission."

Frank West, manager of the GM test complex, said he's "as excited as they are. I think it will be a great tool for them."

And he expects there will be many times GM will bring vehicles over for testing on the YPG track as the military already does on a regular basis at GM's facility.

"Many weeks have seen us out there each day testing Strykers, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and much more," Payne said.

With the speeches over and the ribbon cut, the new track was inaugurated with some of the next generation of military vehicles that will be put through their paces to make sure they handle and perform well, will hold up under high speeds and high temperatures and most important — help protect U.S. soldiers and Marines.

High speed is critical to avoid ambushes, explained Wade Lucas, an engineer with YPG's Natural Environment Test Office that was involved in the oversight of the project.

One of the first vehicles to navigate the track is the new, lighter MRAP-ATV. At 26,000 pounds, it can go up to 70 mph and was developed for use in Afghanistan's mountainous terrain. It's also designed to protect its passengers from EIDs (improvised explosive devices).

"It's the 'Cadillac' for protecting troops and giving a good ride," said Lucas.

Payne noted the new track is but one of several at YPG that get frequent workouts. A 4-mile gravel oval track paid for by the military also was just completed. In all, there are more than 200 tracks "that exist within the fence line" of the 853,000 acres of YPG, he said.

"This is busy place," he said, with 80 to 100 tests a day being conducted at YPG.

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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.