Shock news!!!
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24lemons

Original Poster:

3,002 posts

214 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83891

Herman Tilke will design the new Austin F1 track in Texas!!

There goes any hope of having an interesting circuit, but you can guarantee that there will be some over designed architectual statement building to get everyone talking.

Remember how excited we all were when we saw the hotel in Abu Dhabi or the media centre in Shanghai?...Nope? maybe it was just me!!

Seriously, I really hope he can come up with something a bit better than most of his previous efforts. It would be nice if it could be designed with the spectators in mind, ie, let them view the race at a reasonable proximity that doesnt require a pair of binoculars to see the cars!

I wont hold my breath though!

Eric Mc

125,609 posts

294 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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For goodness sake.

Is there no one else around they can use?

Has he got some leverage over Berrnie?

rufusruffcutt

1,550 posts

234 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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bangheadmoan

Not again, I'll bet the line "corners inspired by some of the greatest circuits in the world" will be used at some point again. rolleyes

DangerousMike

11,327 posts

221 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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ooo oo i have an idea

the main granstands can have cowboy hat shaped sun shades on top of them.

the 'statement' building will be in the shape of a cowboy boot with a spur, (obviously out on a flying bridge type arrangement). On the tip of the spur is where the podium will be sited.

Fire99

9,865 posts

258 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
quotequote all
Whooopeeeeeeee! Not!

So another track where the most striking elements will be off the track rather than on it.
Another opportunity to watch a piss-poor race whilst a glitzy cowboy hat / 200 ft US flag in Neons etc etc gets more coveerage than the race itself.

I know Tilke has, to a degree, one arm tied behind is back on what he can do but honestly, most of the tracks he's been responsible for have been ste for the spectator.

steve y

460 posts

240 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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Eric Mc said:
For goodness sake.

Is there no one else around they can use?

Has he got some leverage over Berrnie?
Eric, are you lost? this is not an aeroplane thread!
only kidding!jester
why not design the track in the outline of Pamela Anderson? lots of curves and very interesting viewing points!bounce

Eric Mc

125,609 posts

294 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
quotequote all
Come on - you must have noticed me on this forum before. I'm a regular poster on many forums on PH - not just the trains, planes etc forum.

Eric Mc

125,609 posts

294 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
quotequote all
steve y said:
Eric Mc said:
For goodness sake.

Is there no one else around they can use?

Has he got some leverage over Berrnie?
Eric, are you lost? this is not an aeroplane thread!
only kidding!jester
why not design the track in the outline of Pamela Anderson? lots of curves and very interesting viewing points!bounce
When it was held at Dallas they could have gone for Pamela Ewing rather than Pamela Anderson. They used Sue Ellen instead.

Pkh72

1,517 posts

215 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
quotequote all
DangerousMike said:
ooo oo i have an idea

the main granstands can have cowboy hat shaped sun shades on top of them.

the 'statement' building will be in the shape of a cowboy boot with a spur, (obviously out on a flying bridge type arrangement). On the tip of the spur is where the podium will be sited.
Perhaps all the pit boxes should be like a drive in MacDonalds too.

other fast food chains are available.

skinny

5,269 posts

264 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
quotequote all
oh great :roll-eyes: one of the few things that could have saved the US grand prix from almost certain extinction within a few years, and they've borked it.

ah well, i'm sure bernie and the VIP's will be very happy in their building designed as a tribute to an american eagle or some other such BS.

and i'm sure texas concrete suppliers are positively foaming at the mouth with excitement.

StevieBee

15,304 posts

284 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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I'm going to go out on a limb here and take Tilke's side for a moment as I don't think the deficiencies in his tracks are solely down to him.

When you build a public facility anywhere in the world these days, to get permission, the authorities will ask two questions:

1) Is it green?
2) Is it safe?

Two things that a racing track are not!

However, the authorities recognise the lure of the additional local revenue so then ask:

1) How green 'can' it be?
2) How safe 'can" it be made?

As such, what you end up with is a compromise as there is no way something will be built that offers high levels of risk when there is an opportunity and ability to reduce or even remove that risk all together. That's why we have these bland ribbons of tarmac with run-off areas so large the cars run out of fuel before they hit the barriers.

Think back the late 60s when Brands installed the GP loop. Do you think Sevenoaks District Council would agree to that today? They'd demand a run off stretching to Maidstone. And that the trees be replanted somewhere else.

All that aside, it would be very nice to see what somebody else would come up with for a change!

oyster

13,718 posts

277 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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Fire99 said:
Whooopeeeeeeee! Not!

So another track where the most striking elements will be off the track rather than on it.
Another opportunity to watch a piss-poor race whilst a glitzy cowboy hat / 200 ft US flag in Neons etc etc gets more coveerage than the race itself.

I know Tilke has, to a degree, one arm tied behind is back on what he can do but honestly, most of the tracks he's been responsible for have been ste for the spectator.
Isn't the problem that he has in fact done the opposite?
He has designed tracks designed to be good for viweing in person (i.e. view of several corners from one location). Problem is this means usually bad for overtaking.

Alfie Noakes

1,307 posts

299 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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Tilke? Bah! Rubbish!

They ought to get someone who races to design them!!!

wink

MiniMan64

19,350 posts

219 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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Why is it so bloody great to have the same fella designing the circuits over and over again, good or bad? Variety is the spice of life.

jamieboy

5,929 posts

258 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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Who would have done a better job?

Who are the top five racing circuit designers in the world today?

Castrol Craig

18,073 posts

235 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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they should have used the twitegi gp circuit as inspiration, as designed by tiff needel.....(see twitgp on twitter)

dlockhart

434 posts

201 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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Who Designed the last grand prix of the last season - Abu Dabi? that track was brand new of hosted a whole load of exciting features.

One small plus for Tilke - he designed turn 8 on the Istanbul circuit.

skinny

5,269 posts

264 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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but as well as being bland for viewing, tilke tracks are crap for overtaking. drivers probably don't mind actually driving them. turn 8 is a nice drivers corner but still doesn't address F1's biggest problem.

having read teh FIA regulations on designing a new circuit http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public.nsf/FC8A511F5... i can't see anything that enforces a succession of stupid pointless low speed corners, the general absence of flow, a mandatory long straight into a hairpin... it only says you shouldn't have adverse camber (unless you retrict the cars to 125kph) and it gives a formula for gradient change. it also doesn't seem to prescribe that each run off area is the size of a football field and made of tarmac.

so i think i'm fairly justified in my critisism of tilke, he's not designing with his hands tied behind his back, he's designing with his head up his arse.

Edited by skinny on Thursday 27th May 17:38

StevieBee

15,304 posts

284 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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jamieboy said:
Who would have done a better job?

Who are the top five racing circuit designers in the world today?
Top of the list is God (or nature depending on your point of view!)

sb-1

3,375 posts

292 months

Thursday 27th May 2010
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