Geek Speak
The complicated explained
Circuit Design
Thefineartofmakingagreatracetrack
Round The Bend
SA’s imminent mega track
by TR ENT GIUNCO
SEASYasitistosit
back and judge modern
track design (especially
given the diminishing
‘risk factor’ as safety regulations
take over), more science and
technical thinking is involved in
the process than ever. And creating
agreatcircuitisn’tjustaboutafew
straights connected by a series of
corners–farfromit.
To be sanctioned by the FIA with
a licence to accommodate a variety
of international racing categories,
the consistency of curve trajectory,
braking zones and track-side
impact protection all have to align
with required standards. From the
drawingstagethroughtothefinal
inspection of the completed track,
it all has to comply before being
issuedalicenceandgrade.
Accordingtoexperts,inthe
design phase, a racetrack should
neverbejustacorner,followedby
a straight that leads into another
corner. The best tracks are created
whentheintendedracinglineis
thefirstpriority,whichiswhy
street tracks don’t always produce
thebestresultgiventheconfinesof
acitylandscapehavetobeworked
around.Howwidethetrackis
at any certain point also greatly
impacts the intended racing line,
speed and passing opportunities.
However,atrack’sultimate
designwilllargelybedetermined
bythegeographyandnatureofthe
land it’s being built on. Computer-
generated simulators are also a
vitalpartoftheprocessandcan
showcase a virtual track before
ground is broken on site.
Character and emotion plays
abigpart.Youcanhavethebest
design on paper, but if it doesn’t
have character, drivers won’t be
enamoured with it – either will
viewers. Tracks like Queensland
Racewayand,toalesserextent,
Pukekohe in NZ, are defined by
theirbumps.Althoughfamous
layouts like the Nurburgring
Nordschleife in Germany, Spa-
FrancorchampsinBelgiumand
MountPanorama,DownUnder,
also create theatre via the element
of risk – corners like the Dipper
andEauRougeforexample.
A man famous (and somewhat
infamous)forFormula1track
design, Hermann Tilke, sums it up
best.“Formeagoodtrackiswhen
theroadcreatessomeemotion.
Itneedstohavesomeg-forces
through the corner, acceleration
points and you have to have the
upsanddowns.Thismakesit
really emotional. And then, also the
surroundings have to be nice. Then
it is a really perfect road.”
Racetracks have also become
an integral part of new-car
development, with companies
settingupbasecampsatthe’Ring
to hone driving dynamics. So much
so that setting a benchmark time
hasbecomeamarketingdreamfor
performance-car variants.
Driverinputisalsoaveryhelpful
tool in creating memorable tracks,
especially with the increased
amount of city events.M
Ifitdoesn’thavecharacter,drivers won’t
be enamoured with it. Either will viewers
A
NOT SINCE the
introduction of
Queensland Raceway in
1999 has Australia built
a new, proper-length
racetrack from the ground
up. However, this will be
more than just a track, it
will be a state-of-the-art
facility named The Bend
Motorsport Park.
The crown jewel of the
$110 million development
is the 7.77km main GT
circuit, which is being
built to FIA Grade 2
and FIM Category Aspecifications. According
to the developers, it will
also be the world’s second
longest permanent
racetrack with a rise and
fall of 85 metres and fast-
flowing sections.
However, Supercars will
use the shorter, 4.95km
International circuit. A
3.4km West Circuit and
a 3.9km East Circuit will
also be incorporated
into the overall layout
(there are eight different
configurations in total) for
varied track events.Around 125,000 square
metres of asphalt has
been laid, of which is all
coming from a mobile unit
at the track – one of only
two units in the country.
The development alsoincludes provisions for
driver training, an off-
road course, drag strip,
go-karting, drifiting events
and, interestingly, a 100-
room, four-star Rydges
Hotel will be incorporated.114 january 2018 motormag.com.au