Waters Blot

[Yannick]

Only recently, I've seen yet another interesting blot shape that I turned into a track. It appeared as a nicely shaped drop of water in the bathtub that was on its way of drying out.
First, I tried to capture the original blot shape as precise as possible by just drawing lines onto a sheet of paper. Then I made a 1960s style road circuit located in a somewhat hilly woodlands region out of it, shown below.
Clicking on the links next to the thumbnails will open a larger version.


http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...g/95662e11.jpg

Next, I took this b/w drawing as a basic track, to showcase the blot shape and make a few edits.

The first edit is one that was meant to further emphasize the blot shape and make the track easier to redraw from memory, thereby ironing out some of the 'natural' looking corners that are generally considered to be creating a good flow to a track. So this is a simulation of what a track based on this Blot Of Water would have looked like in the days before I had come across the MyTracks message board.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...e_clean_25.jpg

Of course, I've also edited the 1960s version in a way that preserves most of its 'natural' flow - the importance of which I have learnt from you fellow track designers on here.
The following design is the outcome of that and my 'official' 2000s era-styled version of the circuit called Waters Blot.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...t_clean_25.jpg

And just for fun, I tried to come up with a pseudo-Tilkefication of the basic track, complete with new pitlane, bowed straight kinked up into short straight pieces (see Fuji), a kinked backstraight somewhat reminiscent of the one in Turkey, a section of two bowed sweepers in place of a straight (see Shanghai) and an 'Arena' section (see Nürburgring GP track).

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...d_clean_25.jpg

Please let me invite you now to comment and also post your edits of the basic track.

[Tathrim]

Love the Tilkefication idea. But the version I prefer the most is thew '60s version.

[V8_TURBO]

A drip of water........what an inspiration. I like the track itself, some nice corners in there.

[Yannick]

Thanks for the comments. Keep them coming

Somehow, I expected the 1960s version to be the one that you on this board would favour. But still, that version has some problems, even when not taking into consideration its safety risks, when driving on it with today's cars, like a lack of overtaking opportunities.
That's why I moved and lengthened the pit straight and the straight that comes before it on 'my official' 2000-era edit http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...t_clean_25.jpg
and tightened the corner at the end of the bowed backstraight and removed that kink leading down towards the first of the two 180-degree sweepers.
What would you have done to update the track? And have I really messed up the original with my additional pseudo-Tilkefication?
I know everyone is busy at the moment with their own series , but please feel free to post your edits anyway, and thanks in advance for your replies.

[formula1fan]

How unique! Using blobs of water for track designing! Keep it up.

[Yannick]

Well, drops of water have that 'natural flow' that is required in track design

Two of the tracks in my archive thread are also based of drops of fluids, but back then, I tightened the corners and sharpened the edges to sort of amplify the shape, like in the 2nd version of Waters Blot above. After having been on this board for a while, I know now that doing this is not always to the benefit of the resulting track.

Thanks again for your replies.

[Yannick]

Here is the photo of the original water blot that inspired the design. It took a while until all pictures on the film had been taken and the film was ready to leave the camera to be developed. I'd like to apologize for the lack of contrast in the pic, but water is transparent after all ;-)

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...g/1b9dd0c6.jpg

[Lustigson]

Cool!