The Lewis Hamilton Hype/Europhoria Challenge

[shambles]

Lewis Hamilton looks set on becoming a World Champion, and a very marketable entity for Formula One. Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, his previous movers and shakers in cultural terms have each rewarded with their successes a second Grand Prix to their home nation.

Let's assume the same happens with Lewis, and Britain needs a second F1 standard race circuit. One stipulation, it has to be an existing British Road Course.

Turn any British road course circuit into one worthy (and I say that with baited breath, F1 should be made to feel worthy of it's prescence at a circuit) of an F1 round.

Go!

[duke_toaster]

I'm working on one, it's not the most used track but due to its layout I think that it would be a good place for F1 with extention.

[shambles]

Brilliant, can't wait to see it.

[nickyf1]

Im gonna look into knockhill, it would have a good title! The Scottish GP.

[shambles]

[Dylan14]

Here's the Oulton Park F1 track:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1161662

[jab]

Paul, yours seems a bit strange and perhaps a bit too long. But better than the current proposed extension IMO

Here's mine - uses the old Melbourne Hairpin btw, thus keeping with tradition and not really touching much of the current track

[shambles]

James, I accept what you say that in terms of what it looks like, it looks like Snetterton has sprouted a mole, however in terms of a unique challenge, I think it both A] enhances the circuit and B] retains it's character.

The exit of Palmer to through Hill I feel would be quite scintillating. In terms of length, considering Snett is about 1.9 miles at current, I can't see the extension pushing it beyond any unreasonable length?

As for yours, how insanely long would that stretch from Starkey's to Melbourne be? :P

Dylan, not bad, but I had to laugh because you've put some of your circuit in a lake! :P

[jab]

Fair enough

Here's the Gmap version of mine

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1163152

The run from the exit of Coppice to the new/old Melbourne would be just over a mile, I think. I've retained the Foggy Esses in case it's too long for any series

[duke_toaster]

Whilst I'm doing finishing touches to mine, try guessing what it is

And that Donington would need a LOT of runoff ...

[Purist]

Oh, I think a Le Mans type sandback would do the trick.

Seriously though, the start/finish straight at Fuji is just under 1500m. The flat-out run on the Indy GP circuit was 1920m, I believe, and from La Source to Les Combes at Spa (practically flat-out for F1) is 2030m. So that Donington proposal wouldn't be anything too outlandish. (Now, if they would only be allowed to keep those wonderful crests that allowed the Mercedes and Auto Unions to get airborn on the old Melbourne loop.)

[duke_toaster]

I chose my base track based on the shape of the original circuit and its nearby expansion room. Brands Hatch has ressie problems. Donington would have a problem extending the Melbourne section as it would be involved with 2 county councils. Outlon Park would need to be emascuated to hold F1 due to the elevation changes. Sadly, Knockhill is in the middle of nowhere and would need to be pretty much rebuilt.

Therefore, I have chose to upgrade Rockingham Motor Speedway to F1 grade.

The circuit will be the same until the run up to the double-90 hairpin (whatever it is currently called, I have renamed it Surtees). The next right hander is taken later (Moss) and there will be a chicane feeding them out on to the straight coming out of what used to be Tarzan (Sheene). The straight currently leading up to the hairpin that sends the cars back to the banking is used, but at the end there is a pair of right handers (Clark and Hunt), with a short straight leading on to a new right hander (Bell) which sents the track back to the current circuit for a while (Flockhart and Mansell). Then comes an un-named right hander which feeds them down a slightly downhill straight.

The track here momentarily leaves the oval through a tunnel under it.

Hawthorn is the only corner that is situated outside of the oval, and could be the trademark corner of the track. It's a left hand carousel type hairpin, banked rather shallowly at 8 degrees.

Then comes a short straight and Duke, a chicane with some reasonably high entry speed.

The cars are fed out back on to the oval back straight and go to Resta, a longish left hander that bypasses the banking. Then back to the main staight, and that completes a lap.

[duke_toaster]

Well, this is a little rule bending because it is only used for clubbies but part of it is was used by F1 teams for testing. Yes, it's Elvington.

This circuit tests 3 things - engines, brakes and balls.

As you can see, this circuit is like a hybrid of Monza and Ile de Notre Dame - long straights with very tight chicanes and 90 degree corners, many of which leading out to the aforementioned long straight so exit speed is vital.

The circuit may be a little long, and so may the two straights on the runway. It might be a little pants, but polishing turds isn't that easy. This track took me about 15 minutes.

Now, a lap

A long straight leads down to a 90 degree right hander, Le Mans and then follows up another 90 degree, but this time the left hander at Monza. A more open corner at Nurburgring feeds the cars on to a large expanse of tarmac.

Next up is a semi-hairpin, Spa. Paul Ricard is a rather different corner on the track, a triple apex left hander after a right hand kink, but unlike turn 8 it isn't regular. On the whole it opens.

The cars are then fed out on to the dominating theme of the circuit - the runway. Zandvoort is a switchback/chicane followed by Hockenheim which resembles bus stop chicane at Spa.

Then follows the longest straight on the circuit. Which would probably become the longest straight in F1.

Then comes up Websters, which will be a heavy braking zone down to 2nd or 3rd gear.

The rest of the track is the current National circuit.

[ss_collins]

Anyone thought of the stevenage roads

[Alwaysfirst]

I've gone for something a bit different & have chosen to get the Aintree GP track back up to standard.


Red = track
Blue = walls
Black = paved run-off
Green = horse racing track used as run-off

Whilst the area is residental the circuit would be used little more than it is now, except for the GP weekend. The horse racing track would remain untouched, although the golf course would be lost.

The pits are relocated to where the golf course is currently located. The first corner is now a quick switch to the right into a ninty-degree left hander. There is an optional chicane before the fast T5 which would probably have to be used due to the lack of run-off on the exit of the corner.

Areas inside or outside of the horse racing track can have paved run-off & where needed the horse racing track is part of the run-off.

Opinions welcome!

[ScotsBrutesFan]

As mentioned T5 looks to be the biggest problem with no run off.
Also that chicane would be on the main straight of the horse racecourse, so unlikely to be allowed to lay tarmac there.

[Purist]

I don't think that would be a problem. At Milwaukee, I believe they cover the track with dirt for horse races (at least last I heard).

[Alwaysfirst]

I wouldn't see it as a proble either. There's already 2 roads in regular use that cross the horse track. It would just need to be covered with sand & dirt, making the horse track almost unaffected. For tin tops & lower formulae the chicane wouldn't need to be used as much as there is run-off on the entry to the corner, just not on the exit, but it would be a little dangerous for F1 without it. Another positive with having it around the horse track is that there is lots of space & potential for non-permanant grandstands.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

I've commented on other folks circuits on this thread, so it's about time I put my own one up to be shot at.

I opted for Croft, essentially expanding the circuit from what it is now to utilise a bit more of the former airfield that it sits in.

The circuit is 3.6 miles (5.76km) long when using the final chicane and 3.45 miles (5.52km) with the straight on approach to the final corner.

The Start finish Straight is over 0.35 miles (570 metres) in length that's 100 metres longer than Silverstone.

Firstly in Google Earth, and then the circuit as how it looks under my graphical representation.

Comments criticisms and edits welcome as always.

[surrealillusion]

scotbrutesfan - if it knocks down the house of the guy that complains of the noise all the time near the circuit then i'll be happy with it

[shambles]

SBF, I know a lot of people would want to hunt you down and kill you for that edit, but I love it, especially considering the idea of the original challenge.I think I'd be inclined to try and retain the sunny corners, but run off as you've anticipated would be a problem. I think personally, I'd try and resolve that in another way that removing the sunnys, but still... I like.

[jab]

The circuit as a standalone is great. But not as an edit of Croft. It's like with the Brands edit Paul posted the other day - it's a great track, no need to touch it. I'm sure there are other ways to use more of the runways (combining the old and new circuits) without touching the current layout too much. I'll look into it

[mandretti39]

I used Cadwell Park for this challenge. Basically, the track remains the same from the S/F line to Gooseneck. Mansfield becomes a tight hairpin. This is where my revisions come in. Following Mansfield, there is a short straight that leads to a long, flowing S-bend. Following the S-bend, there is another short straight that leads into a Parabolica-like corner. After another short straight, there is a replica of the Abbey chicane at Silverstone. The track rejoins the original circuit at the chicane as a loose hairpin. The track then bypasses the Mountain chicane. It then follows the circuit as originally built until it reaches Hall, which now becomes an increasing radius right-hander which leads back onto the main straight. I have also moved the pit lane to the other side of the track and lengthened it. In it's current location, it is too small and there is no room to build a paddock. Hope you like it!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1193322

[jab]

Hmm, interesting choice of track. I think one of Cadwell's main attractions is the fact that it's small, has few facilities and is generally untouched by modern changes that have befallen other tracks. So I'm not a huge fan of that as an edit, I'm afraid

I've had a go at a couple of other British tracks

Firstly, a Snetterton extension using the old runway and Norwich loop

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1193418

I've had a go at Croft in response to SBF's edit



A Pembrey edit I did a while back



And here's an eccentric Thruxton edit I did a while back as well

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Mandretti: I have to say that given the original challenge, you couldn't have picked a more difficult circuit.
I'm not a fan of the circuit to begin with, but I'm afraid that particular edit does nothing at all for me.
The added loop looks just that Added and doesn't really flow with the rest of the circuit.

Jab: Your response to Croft is interesting, though at first glance it does appear have quite a number of 90ish degree corners. the corner after Tower and Cowton, and then further on, Walmire, the corner at Sunny In and then Sunny Out.
Also I moved the complex closer to my modified Sunny Out to open up the final hairpin...additionally there is the option of a straight approach opening up the corner.
The reason for that is shall we call it the "Beijing factor" of having a much too tight hairpin, and I suspect that the current final hairpin would be too tight for F1.