Formula E Circuit Design Thread

[Beetle]

Hello, all,

It's been a while since I've posted something decent on here. And it may just be a little while longer as I actually don't have any tracks to show for myself. But Formula E, the new electric Formula racing series everyone is raving about, presents a unique challenge not just for me but for all track designers: street circuit racing within major cities. Here are the ten, if you aren't familiar:

Europe
- Monte-Carlo, Monaco (supposedly the same layout as F1 track)
- Berlin, Germany (held at the abandoned Tempelhof Airport)
- London, England (rumors of circuit near Wembley Stadium grounds or 2012 Olympic Park)

Asia
- Beijing, China (highly rumored circuit in the 2008 Olympic Park)
- Putrajaya, Malaysia

South America
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Puente del Este, Uruguay

North America
- Miami, FL, USA
- Los Angeles, CA, USA

So that's your challenge! There are only a few restrictions...

1. The track or facilities cannot run on the city's major road(s).
2. The circuit must be at least three lanes wide at all times.
3. The circuit must be within 20 or so miles from the city centre.
4. Shoot for 2.5-3.0 km in length... a little over or under is OK but try to design it to fit to that distance regulation.
5. Must have suitable facilities for paddock, event parking, spectator stands, etc.

Here's a taster of the Hong Kong Formula E track that got shelved...



Let the designing commence.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

I can't see a streets of Wembley. The Stadium is in a very Urban area, ad the only reason it gets away with the size of crowd that fit into it, is the fact that it has it's own railway station immediatley to the South, and and Underground station to the North that has it's own dedicated footpath (Wembley Way) that's 20 yards wide and 600m long.

The latest Google Earth images of the Olympic park still shows lots of construction (or perhaps dismantling) going on with temporary roadways etc. Something there might be possible but there are also lots of little bridges in that area as the Olympic Park was built on a number of small islands.

[SpeedingTortoise]

My proposal for the Formula E track in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
2.51mi/4.0km. Anti-clockwise. Elevaton taken from Google Earth.

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by SpeedingTortoise

My proposal for the Formula E track in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
2.51mi/4.0km. Anti-clockwise. Elevaton taken from Google Earth.

It needs to be 2.5 - 3 km to comply with Formula E specifications. :/

Nevertheless, I like it! Cyberjaya... sounds like something out of some William Gibson steampunk novel.

[SpeedingTortoise]

Redesign of my Putrajaya track. 1.81mi/2.92km Anticlockwise

[apri]

One quick question... Are airports allowed?

[bio]

Are there any significant differences between "traditional" and electric racing cars? I man trackdesign-wise. What are the things we have to take into consideration we didn't have to with "normal" cars, and the things we don't have to take into consideration we had to with normal cars?

bio

[ss_collins]

You have to consider the car performance (no long straights), and the circuit requirement - the pits need to be big - 2 cars per driver 2 drivers per team. They also have to be next to major power sources - ie a stadium.

[apri]

http://goo.gl/maps/dwaF0
I hope that's good (It isn't...)
Track goes counter-clockwise.

[CJDJ500]

Here is my idea for the race in Rio. It has 12 turns, runs in a clockwise direction and is 2.67km (1.66mi) in length. The start line is the red dot on the east side of the circuit, and the pit straight is the longest on the course, at 718m. The screenshot (below right) is just a view from turn 12 (the final corner). Just in case you were wondering, the pit lane exit does not run straight into harms way. It curves off, pointing to the right and towards turn 3. Any other ideas you may have? Feel free to reply.

[Metzo]

my proposal for tempelhof

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6164206

would probably be too fast the formula e cars so i added chicanes for a second layout

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6164209

[AoB Special Stage]

Given what we now know of FE racing, I think this deserves a bump.

[pirenzo]

I've been trying to draw a circuit for Florence, Italy, which has some very interesting roads up on the hillside around the Piazza Michelangelo. Unfortunately, none of these seem to loop conveniently back on themselves.

I've designed this one down by the hippodrome instead.

It's maybe a little too narrow in places, and the straights are a bit long. Also, I think I'd run it in the opposite direction (clockwise)

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6682081

[AoB Special Stage]

Don't sweat the width, some areas on the calendar are terrifyingly narrow, but another chicane on the front straight would be desirable.

I prefer Roma myself, but I had the same problems and settled on the Circus Maximus, for centuries the largest speed-sport arena in the world and still well up the order if it is counted.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6666938

[pirenzo]

My proposal for a circuit in Rome:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6698463

I preferred the roads around the nearby Baths of Caracalla. You needn't have the convoluted switch back if the circuit needed to be shorter or faster.

[Cardona18]

This is my first post here (welcome me!) and this is my first time using gmap.

I made this 1.284-mile course in my grandma's hometown of Aschaffenburg, Germany!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6713099

[pirenzo]

Hi Cardona, welcome to TenTenths.

Looks like a fast track. Where would you have the pit garages?

[Yannick]

As Formula E is significantly slower than other major open wheel motor racing series, it can safely have street circuits that would be deemed too dangerous at higher speeds. These circuits can thus be more "old-style", and that is being liked pretty much by the people over here on this board. Let's say Forza Formula E!

[AoB Special Stage]

Two Montreal solutions from Alenptetak11 of the Skyscrapercity forum, who may or may not be this person. ( https://schalensys.wordpress.com/ )

2.85 and 3.42 km respectively

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Welcome along to My Track Designs.

I look forward to hearing what the other who like the short street circuit of Formula E have to say.

[AoB Special Stage]

An ePrix from the country so oddly uninteresting you forget it even exists now that the Rally is in South America.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6884952

[MegaJK97]

Looks interesting. I tried myself on trackplanning in Dakar not many kilometres far away from your circuit. Here are the two Dakar ePrix-concepts made by me.

[AoB Special Stage]

the 'bulb' on the first one is awkward, but I do quite like the second one.

[MegaJK97]

How about that?
This Street Circuit is in Berlin, around the Brandenburger Tor on the famous road "Unter den Linden".
Runs anti-clockwise and has a length of 2,4 km.

Edit (Sadly I can't post images at the moment, the pic should be here in some days. Sry for that.

[MegaJK97]

Hello!

Today I want to show you my concept of a Formula E circuit around the historic city centre of Azerbaijans capital city, Baku.
The purple part is the space for the pit area, sectors are marked in 3 different shades of blue, corner numbers and circuit length can be found on the map.
Also, there is a part of the circuit I'm not entirely sure how I want to design it. Corner 2 has a pretty fast entry and not much run-off area, so I thought about putting a slower chicane in front of it to slow down the entry speed and gain more run-off area.
I also thought about making corner 2 fast (so that corner 3 will be the first braking point), but I think the space especially at the start of the race will be too narrow. What do you think of the circuit and those corners especially?
Can't wait for your feedback!