Red Bull Ring, Austria

[Lordbenny]

Just returned from a week on the Cannonball Run Europe, we had the 2 month old Red Bull Ring (formally the A1 ring) for the day and all I can say is....WOW. What an incredible, state of the art facility. We've hired Monza, Imola, Estoril and the Hungaoring on the Cannonball and it comes top of the list IMO as a performance road car track. If you're ever down that way check it out.

[heightswitch]

and formerly the osterreichring, a shadow of its former self as a truly fabulous circuit where once upon a time great motor races were held. matterst has a lot to answer to with regards to this circuit!!

[kiteless]

heightswitch said:

and formerly the osterreichring, a shadow of its former self as a truly fabulous circuit where once upon a time great motor races were held. matterst has a lot to answer to with regards to this circuit!!

I quite agree.

This is the original, un-neutered version:

[Lordbenny]

heightswitch said:

and formerly the osterreichring, a shadow of its former self as a truly fabulous circuit where once upon a time great motor races were held. matterst has a lot to answer to with regards to this circuit!!

I know there were a lot of issues in the past regarding the change of the circut. Im purely talking about the current set up and the facility as a whole. The pit facilities for example are the best I've ever seen as are the catering facilities, there's a petrol station, car wash, a hotel and amazing bars.

Motorsport has come a long way since the days of the Osterreichring especially with regard to saftey. Of course you can hark back to the good old days when top level motorsport was a far cry from what it is today. I can tell you that this track is better than anything we have to offer in the UK and it will probably never be used for F1!

[stephen300o]

A stunning setting there too.

[Eric Mc]

Unfortunately, for those of us who remember the original track, nothing they do to the current santiised and neutered facility will ever compensate for the loss.

[davepoth]

kiteless said:

I quite agree.

This is the original, un-neutered version:

It wasn't Red Bull that ruined the circuit; It was mobile phone company A1, who had it "redesigned" (ruined) by Tilke.

[1]

Lordbenny said:

I can tell you that this track is better than anything we have to offer in the UK

I take it you havent been to the new Silverstone. A fantasict circuit with world class facilities.

[Eric Mc]

Lorde Benny seems to be more impressed with the off track facilities - which mean absolutely nothing to me.

To me, a great circuit is defined by what it is like to drive, it's tpography and its location.

[Life Saab Itch]

davepoth said:

Tilke.

This is all that needs to be said.

Castle Combe is one of my favourite circuits and it doesn't even have any pit buildings.

I'm with Eric here.

[Lordbenny]

Eric Mc said:

Lorde Benny seems to be more impressed with the off track facilities - which mean absolutely nothing to me.

To me, a great circuit is defined by what it is like to drive, it's tpography and its location.

Au contraire Eric, the track itself is incredible, its location is in the Austrian Alps, has a small wooded section, lovely undulations and cambers and is sublime to drive, I'll post some pics up when I get them.

As for facilities....yes they're not essential but when you arrive in a spotless garage/pit lane and are invited to an amazing terrace and treated to a beautiful lunch before you take to the track it certainly adds to the experience IMO....oh, there's no road car noise limits either!

[Lordbenny]

Edited by Lordbenny on Sunday 17th July 17:01

[Eric Mc]

It may be "!incredible" but the crime is the destruction of the old circuit that was carried out to make the new "incredible" track.

Overlay the two circuits and you can see where the vandalism occured.

[Lordbenny]

Eric Mc said:

It may be "!incredible" but the crime is the destruction of the old circuit that was carried out to make the new "incredible" track.

Overlay the two circuits and you can see where the vandalism occured.

Sorry but I really couldn't give a toss what the old circuit was like. Yes I understand that it was a legendary track and that it has been made shorter and less dangerous but that's 'progress' I suppose. If it wasnt for Red Bull the circuit would have never been revived at all so lets just say that yes it has been restructured but accept it and move on. As I was saying its not just about the track, its about the experience which, for me, is more than just a great track.

Edited by Lordbenny on Sunday 17th July 17:38

[SamHH]

heightswitch said:

and formerly the osterreichring, a shadow of its former self as a truly fabulous circuit where once upon a time great motor races were held. matterst has a lot to answer to with regards to this circuit!!

I thought Mateschitz bought the circuit long after it was turned into the A1-Ring?

[Redlake27]

Red Bull have done a great job with this circuit. It wasn't them who neutered the old O'ring. They bought the abandoned A1 Ring and revitalised it.

The history was something like this:

Until 1987, Oesterreichring (also known as Zeltweg). Awesome F1 circuit.

1997-2002 , Shortened and sponsored by A1 , hence name.

2002-2010 - went into terminal decline

2010 Revamped by Red Bull.

[Eric Mc]

Lordbenny said:

Eric Mc said:

It may be "!incredible" but the crime is the destruction of the old circuit that was carried out to make the new "incredible" track.

Overlay the two circuits and you can see where the vandalism occured.

Sorry but I really couldn't give a toss what the old circuit was like. Yes I understand that it was a legendary track and that it has been made shorter and less dangerous but that's 'progress' I suppose. If it wasnt for Red Bull the circuit would have never been revived at all so lets just say that yes it has been restructured but accept it and move on. As I was saying its not just about the track, its about the experience which, for me, is more than just a great track.

Edited by Lordbenny on Sunday 17th July 17:38

I'm not knocking Red Bull or what they have done. It's great that they've brought the track back to life. The track as it is is better than no track at all.

But I will always shed a metaphorical tear for the old Osterreichring.

And I frankly can't believe that you don't care about the loss of the old circuit It was so magnificent.

[Life Saab Itch]

The old circuit goes down in the top ten best circuits that F1 ever visited. The A1 ring doesn't register at all.

[Lordbenny]

Life Saab Itch said:

The old circuit goes down in the top ten best circuits that F1 ever visited. The A1 ring doesn't register at all.

Possibly because its not an F1 circuit.

Please bear in mind that Im talking about it as a track day circuit and yes I am also taking its facilities into consideration. Whether or not it becomes an F1 circuit in the future remains to be seen (its struggling with eco-mentalists and noise levels at the moment) but as I have already said, as an incredible motorsport facility its second to none.

[F1GTRUeno]

I was seriously interested in what became of this place, very glad when Red Bull decided they were going to redevelop it.

Yes it's a shame the old track wasn't kept, and the typical Tilke hairpins are pretty terrible from what I've seen (or encountered on video games) but it's good that the track is being used.

I mean, lets face it, it's a motor racing track in the middle of the Alps, it could be a small oval and I'd still want to see a race there.