Closing track from the public

[ben5732]

Enjoy driving along the track? Well make sure you make the most of it this year...

http://www.dailysportscar.com/?p=28473

[Great Dane]

On 'Mad Friday' that section is closed off anyway

[Troubleatmill]

But if it is permanently closed off... it is a sad day. Always love a drive around the circuit just after the race.

[s2driveruk]

Hmm that is sad indeed...wonder why?

[ben5732]

Indeed a shame. I love going out once its dark and doing a 'lap'

[old'uns]

i'd not be too surprised that the 'new' road will come off the roundabout, through the Test area hut and down the track parallel to the track to Indy and then off to near the existing crossroads at Arnage?

I'd imagine the ACO own the land opposite the Golf club and beyond anyway.
win , win for the local Gov and ACO, traffic still moves without too much disruption whilst race is on, ACO put a squeeze on another area to try and force more 'civilised' Corporate style camping

[FartKong]

Noooooooooooooooooooo. Wish I was taking my car this year now.

[lowdrag]

That's rather news to all of us who live here, especially since the ACO modified Arnage bend under instructions from the FIA to make it safer. The house opposite the bend that now has rather a small garden is owned by the ACO. The golf club is also owned by the ACO by the way and leased back, the monstrosity that is the new clubhouse was paid for by the ACO, but IIRC the land opposite is the property of Mulsanne town council from Mulsanne bend up to Family Village and north of that to Tertre Rouge by Ruaudin. The only time I've heard of a separate road was some years back when Panos was reputed to want to buy the ACO and close the Hunaudières straight as a private race track, building a parallel road for the public.

As always since 2004, the Mulsanne/Arnage section will be closed to the public on Friday due to excessive speed and cars pulled out of the gravel traps.

[eastlmark]

would be a shame if true. IMO Spa lost a lot of its appeal when the same thing happened there.
Having said that, time scale? how can they close it "later this year" while presumably they have not even began to build the alternative?

[eastlmark]

lowdrag said:

The only time I've heard of a separate road was some years back when Panos was reputed to want to buy the ACO and close the Hunaudières straight as a private race track, building a parallel road for the public.

This was talked about also in the 80's, before they took the chicane route there were plans for a parallel road alongside the Hunaudières. Back then there was little along there on either side other than some houses unlike now as it has become a strip of commercial centres.

[lowdrag]

That being said, they did cut down a lot of trees on the inside of Arnage bend a year or so back. It would then be that there is no road straight across to Arnage and I can't figure out how on earth they would overcome this. If the new road goes to the right of Indianapolis where the trees are cut down (coming from Mulsanne) access to the village of Arnage is lost. Furthermore, one can no longer turn left to the other villages like Moncé or Laigné. Curiouser and curiouser. I can't see it in my mind's eye.

[FredericRobinson]

There wouldn't be any need for a new road down there would there? It's got to be fine for the traffic it gets surely?

[DeanoX]

This map has appeared on twitter...


https://mobile.twitter.com/matlemans/status/464053...

Edited by DeanoX on Friday 9th May 07:05

[fatboy18]

Blimey, that's right through the woods and camping area

I can't see the point of that as the problem lies on the fast straight up to Indy corner, that's why they close that section of road off at Mulsanne roundabout! Seems odd?

[lowdrag]

The road will then go straight on at the right hand kink just before Indianapolis and a roundabout installed on the road that continues from the circuit to Laigné en Belin. I did some research and it appears that this has been under consideration for some years due to the accident rate at the crossroads. What that map doesn't make clear is how you rejoin the raod to arnage at Arnage bend.

[OvalOwl]

The "corner" at Arnage is normally a crossroads so by putting in a roundabout at the end of the new road and closing off the track to Indianapolis they are making the crossroads into two junctions; a minor one that will be a T and the major one a roundabout.

Whether the new road encroaches on the camp site will depend on how far from Arnage corner it comes in. The link was working a few minutes ago but now wants me to log in to Twitter. So I can't remember how far away from the corner the new roundabout was.

This is the area on Google Maps http://goo.gl/maps/rgLWa

[DeanoX]

Sorry was on the ipad earlier so ability to cut out the image was limited. This is the map in the tweet.

[E36GUY]

fatboy18 said:

Blimey, that's right through the woods and camping area

I can't see the point of that as the problem lies on the fast straight up to Indy corner, that's why they close that section of road off at Mulsanne roundabout! Seems odd?

Quite. Seems like a pointless waste of money.

[Rick Cutler]

I would imaging it's more the right angle corner of Indy. Probably head ons with wannabe racers all year round not just race week.

[old'uns]

rest of the year there's always Gravel,rubber marks etc at Indy, must admit never seen any broken glass, plastics etc or signs of accidents either at Indy or the Xroads?

so it looks as though the 'new' part will split the parking area at Arnage, may be not quite so bad as it sounds, access to whats left of the parking plus hard standing parking up to Indy would be nice?