Donington Park pit plan unveiled

[lazyitus]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/...

Bosses at Donington Park in Leicestershire are planning to build a new pit complex ahead of the British Grand Prix at the circuit from 2010.

Work will begin in the autumn and the new facility will feature a race control centre and a media centre.

Donington Park spokesman David Fern said that a "totally new complex will be built with all of the pits fitted out to the latest specifications".

The track will also be lengthened to three miles (4.8km).

[zac510]

There is a diagram of the new layout in this week's Autosport. I don't have it handy, but the pits will be after Coppice (I'm not sure what will happen to the old ones) and Goddards will be extended into the infield to create the track length.

[woof]

I can't see it happening
The track extension is as bad as the original Melbourne loop - basically imagine coming back up from the hairpin and instead on turning left back on the straight you headed infield (initially back up the back straight) and then heading downhill into the infield. Then a loop back to the start straight. It look dangerous to me - oncoming cars braking heavily to go down into the melbourne loop with cars also heading up the loop with only maybe 10meters to seperate them ?

There's no plan for building a grandstand of any type

And here's a story from last year about the traffic chaos
at the Renault World Series
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/...

If the race ever happens - it will be chaos - and probably an incredibly boring race - i can't see many overtaking p for an F1 car

[Nic Jones]

Anyone found a diagram online yet?

I'm intrigued to see it now!

[bigburd]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/...

"Chief executive Simon Gillett said about £100m will be spent on overall improvements at the circuit. "

Local MP : Mr Taylor said: "We need significant work to ensure serious disruption to the road network and major inconvenience to local residents isn't a feature of the race weekend."

He also called for investment outside the track that will benefit the 7,000 people in the village.


Sounds like the £100m does not include the access roads beyond the circuit perimeter

[The Londoner]

Two or three days ago it was pointed out by the local authority that no application has been made yet for planning permission for this redevelopment. Given the length of time this will take to go through once it is made, no doubt with an inquiry due to the nimby factor, can anyone see them being ready by 2010?

[esselte]

woof said:

There's no plan for building a grandstand of any type

Isn't most of the stuff at Silverstone temporary...?

[bigburd]

esselte said:

woof said:

There's no plan for building a grandstand of any type

Isn't most of the stuff at Silverstone temporary...?

Think so...nothing more than scaffolding in most cases

[woof]

Nic Jones said:

Anyone found a diagram online yet?

I'm intrigued to see it now!

This is pretty much it - quick sketch

[RobbieMeister]

Someone is having a laugh - and I think I know who the little chap is!

[kevin ritson]

Not only does that get rid of an overtaking spot but if that's the only change then having a chicane as the first corner is going to be carnage (remember the Nurburgring before they put the hairpin in?)

[jon-]

woof said:

Nic Jones said:

Anyone found a diagram online yet?

I'm intrigued to see it now!

This is pretty much it - quick sketch

That's the best thing I've ever seen. I know, lets just randomly draw something that's remotely plausible to make it look like we have some sort of plan to host the GP come 2010.

RIP British GP

[Nic Jones]

Interesting, thanks for that, maybe they'll not ruin the track completely for club racing then!

kevin ritson said:

Not only does that get rid of an overtaking spot but if that's the only change then having a chicane as the first corner is going to be carnage (remember the Nurburgring before they put the hairpin in?)

The seem to cope alright most of the time in Australia, Monza and Imola where there are chicanes as the first corner.

[kevin ritson]

Not sure they do - there's always a fair old amount of incident down there. Whilst it makes for good TV, having a safety car for 10 laps and 12 cars left in the race doesn't...

[zac510]

Plenty of doom and gloom killjoys in here!

[mikee boy]

That layout looks quite good, especially considering the gradient available in the new section.

[Marc W]

If they are going to leave the old pits and build the extra loop into the infield, I'm not sure how they are going to have enough space to fit everything thats needed in.

[zac510]

Also it would make sense to have the pits on the outside so that the trucks don't have to pass under or over the circuit, no?

[Mr_Yogi]

Doesn't really look like anywhere an F1 car could overtake... Maybe they'll remove the essess for the GP and have a decent length stright?

Appart from that it looks quite good.

[woof]

Assuming the start will be were the new pits are - there's no place for spectators to watch the start !

Here's a google map version I've just quickly mocked up
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en...