A CURRENT Premier League stadium looks completely unrecognisable after having 7,000 tonnes of dirt dumped on the pitch.
The ground has been transformed into a bike arena ahead of hosting the World Supercross Championship on July 1.
Aston Villa’s home of Villa Park will play host to the event, which will see 40 of the world’s best racers compete for a £197,000 prize purse.
Brits Max Anstie, who finished second in the world last year, and Dean Wilson are amongst those competing.
The event will form part of the British Grand Prix, with motorsport fans given the chance to see racers jump as high as 40ft in the air.
As part of the process of transforming the pitch, 350 trucks were used to load 7,000 tonnes of dirt onto the Villa Park surface.
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It will be the first time in the club’s 149-year history that Villa Park has been used for a supercross event.
Villa Park was announced as the event’s host in December, with club director Nicola Ibbetson saying at the time: “We’re proud to be hosting the WSX British Grand Prix as this exciting sport expands across the globe.
“Alongside welcoming P!nk and Bruce Springsteen next summer, Villa Park is establishing itself as the perfect venue for a unique range of major events.”
Plans are in place for the surface to be converted back into a football pitch in time for Villa’s first home match of the season.
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Unai Emery’s side are set to host Everton on matchday two of the new Premier League campaign.
However, their pre-season friendly against Lazio will instead take place at nearby Walsall’s Poundland Bescot Stadium.
Villa Park’s transformation comes after the London Stadium was also converted to host a different sport.
West Ham United’s pitch was converted into a baseball field for the MLB London Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs earlier this month.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
