Racing circuit pantheon

[Apical]

I think I must go to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Then I can talk nonsense with a bit more authority.

I will have some time after Catalunya MotoGp & before Assen. I would like to go there & have a look around.

Not planning on riding or anything like that. Walking the track maybe.

Anyone know if that is possible, dates somewhere between the 20th & 24th of June this year. What say you JanBros ?

[JanBros]

here is the calendar for june, so plenty of action.
http://www.spa-francorchamps.be/en/agenda/2019-06

I don't know if you can actualy see the Blanchimont as a spectator, I've only ridden it, never walked arround. Too big

here is a great pic of the back of the track, click on it and you can zoom in. behind the yellow/red, there is a drop of

http://www.sportinterface.com/wp-conten ... 831156.jpg



for me as a rider; Pouhon (had to look up what corner you were talking about Kenup, as in Belgium we call it "the double lefthander" ) is the greatest corner in the world (or maybe better said, my world). It's fast but not super fast, it's wide and long and you can take different lines (maybe for GP-level riders there is only a single line, but I'm talking club-level). All the way from La Source to Les combes I lose a lot of time with my KR1S (250 2-stroke) compared to all the horsepower from 600's and 1000's, but from Les Combes all the way to Stavelot, I take back about half of those who passed me. Especialy in Pouhon where I can slalom through slower riders going inside or outside at choice. It is a corner totaly controlled by the throttle : more gas go wider, less gas go deaper. LOVE IT

[Apical]

Thank you so much JanBros. Good pic. You are right it would be a longish hike. doable I think. the calendar looks rather busy. Seems like I can do a guided tour.
Will have to do some more research. thanks again JanBros.

[JanBros]

elevation changes of the track :

http://i.imgur.com/MaQGVXK.jpg

seems there are more corners for which we have other names.
Rivage is generaly known in Belgium as "Bruxelles"
Les Fagnes (= 12 and 13) we call "Pif-Paf" as in flicking the bike right is the "Pif" and than directly the other way is the "Paf"

[Apical]

Wow, have you seen the news on the main site "Belgian Region Approves Loan To Prepare Spa-Francorchamps For EWC And MotoGP" At first I wondered if it was an April fools day story, seems to be real. Amazing! in a good way.

https://motomatters.com/news/2019/04/08 ... ment-88794

I hope it comes to fruition. Wow! Even a race in the endurance w/c would be excellent, maybe SBK is more likely than MotoGp.

Let's wait & see what happens, this could be great.

[CLX]

It's so good I'm afraind of comenting and jinxing it.

---

While we're at it, I'm not sure where Termas Rio Hondo stands in the grand scheme of things, but it's certainly one of my favorite modern circuits.

[Tourn46]

While we're at it, I'm not sure where Termas Rio Hondo stands in the grand scheme of things, but it's certainly one of my favorite modern circuits.

I really like Termas... I know the location is far from ideal for the teams... but it has everything - long straight, hairpin, sweeping corners, corners with several lines, and a last corner made for battle.

[MiniNinjaMk5]

Am maybe going to Sepang for the race later on in the year.

Has anyone been, and have recommendation or otherwise?

Know temperature/humidity will be horrendous (although I'm British, so anything above 20 degrees falls into that category )
But it looks like Kuala Lumpur is fairly close and therefore stuff to do there.

V grateful if anyone has any stories!

[Apical]

Yes MiniNinjaMk5 I have been to Sepang circuit, once. MotoGp last year.
Actually it is a long way from Kuala Lumpur to the circuit. In my opinion you would be better staying near the airport, KLIA. A lot of teams & riders stay at the Sama Sama hotel at KLIA. that's where I met the Maniac 29 & saw Marc Marquez dancing in the travelers bar, thanks Gordon.
You can catch a train to KL from KLIA easier & cheaper than a Taxi. KL is great for touristy stuff. Plenty to see & do. Wifey recommends the Petronas towers tour. Not my cup of tea.

We stayed at the Movenpick hotel. It's dry, no alcohol, not much partying but nice & quiet. It's closer to the circuit which was good Friday & Saturday. On Sunday after the races the police blocked off the roundabout 200 metres from the hotel & we had a 20 kilometre detour in to KLIA and back again, nightmare!
Plenty of teams & famous faces at the Movenpick, breakfast with Paolo Simoncelli, Eugene Laverty, Max Biaggi & Jack Miller to name a few.

Traffic was not too bad Friday & Saturday. Sunday morning getting to the track the traffic was atrocious, leave early, as early as you can. Crowds are big on race day, organization not so great. Masses of people trying to get thru 2 turnstiles, where we went in, nobody even looking at tickets or passes. After we got through they opened the other turnstiles, wtf?

At the circuit it was stinking hot, 1 million percent humidity. Even after some acclimatizing in Darwin it felt hot. I would recommend air conditioned hospitality if you possibly can, it is well worth it.

The phone system at the circuit had a problem on race day, not much you can do about that. Huge crowd. Be aware that may cause problems when everybody wants to use their phones.

[CLX]

How high is Jerez on your lists?

I love it as a bike circuit. Plenty of sweeping sections with some good overtaking spots and very little stop and go sections. And it's just about the right size for all 3 categories to have good races.

[Apical]

" CLX on Tue May 07, 2019 2:22 am How high is Jerez on your lists? "

I like Jerez. Jerez was one of the first circuits I learned on the video game, love it! Turns 1 & 2 are OK. Slowish but with a bit of up & down. Fun accelerating into & through 3 & 4, Sito Pons (turn 5) that leads onto the back straight is a good one. Determines the speed & sets your up for a pass into dry sack.
Sorry Dani Pedrosa. It was always Dry Sack since more than twenty years, Dry Sack in the Doohan years it will always be "Dry Sack" for me.
Then I like the rest of the lap as well Turn 7, the run to turn 8. Could have named these corners after Dani Pedrosa.
The second half of the lap is awesome. Like the way the corners flow, the speed thru the last two right handers, Alex Creville & Ferrari.
Great passing opportunity braking int the final left, Curva Jorge Lorenzo.

Didn't get to watch all the MotoGp race, kept falling asleep. Haven't seen any of the Moto3 or Moto2 races from Jerez this year.
Good to see Rins & Valentino on the podium.
Jack attacked at the wrong time & place. BLEEP that's racing mate!

Spa-Francorchamps, Woohoo it looks like it's happening. Two more articles talking up the future of Spa;
https://www.cyclenews.com/2019/05/artic ... corchamps/

https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/wo ... e-in-2022/

Planning to check out Spa-Francorchamps around the 20th of June. Any chance of catching up JanBros ?

[Apical]

Spent most of yesterday at Spa-Francorchamps WOW
Great circuit, interesting layout & beautiful setting.

Spoke to a bloke at the circuit, Gaëtan he was reluctant to comment about the changes proposed for the track.
He said " wait a year or two ". The track is in use most days, in the warmer months at least. Not sure about winter.
It will be a challenge. The circuit is nestled in the hills.
The places where there is no run-off it's because there is a big hill in the way.

Also lots of water in the landscape. It's no accident the corners are named eau rouge & la source. The spring and literally water red. Don't trust my language skills or translation skills.
Any civil engineering they do could create problems with drainage and stability.

We probably should love the circuit as it is.
I would enjoy greatly having a track day!
It's a magnificent racing facility
I envy you JanBros. Maybe another time I will ride it.

[CLX]

Sachsenring doesn't get as much love as classics like Mugello and PI but to me it's terrific. There is no other circuit like it and it's slower and tighter than others without the horrendous combination of short straights, hairpins and chincanes.

Now I'm rewatcing the race from the helicopter camera and it's terrific to see how a tighter or wider line into one corner will affect a riders line and speed into almost all the others.

It might be my favourite short track on the calendar. Or it's a tie with Jerez.

[Mikesbytes]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsport ... 36a58b2caf

[MiniNinjaMk5]

Apical - sorry for late reply but many thanks for the write-up on Sepang, really useful to know. Not sure if I will make it this year but will definitely get there at some point!

Agree about Jerez as well - lovely circuit, good access, great views, nice part of Spain so would recommend as a holiday.

CLX - totally agree about Sachsenring. It's probably one of the few places on the calendar where you can get close to the action and really feel the noise/power of a GP bike. The bikes are probably too fast for the circuit truth be told but it's still a great track, and again some lovely country side and Dresden an interesting place to visit if you want to make a holiday out of it.

[Apical]

Silverstone is worthy of it's place in the pantheon.

Yes! Silverstone belongs here with the very best of the circuits!

Great race at the British MotoGp round 2019.

2018? Oh well it is OK to make a mistake if we learn from it & do better next time. Sympathy for those sat in the rain all raceday last year.

The track layout is great, the surface is very good now. Shame about the lack of "atmosphere".
Definitely not the best circuit for the spectators from what I have heard.
I haven't been to Silverspoon, so I will have to listen to others. Maybe I will visit one day.

[Schwantz34]

Apical, I've been to Silverstone a few times for WSB and Moto GP.
Went for Moto GP in 2011 and 2017, nothing much to write home about sadly.......... aside from watching Moto GP at Hangar Straight where the speed is incredible, probably the only section where you can get reasonably close
Went for WSB, maybe 2010 (??) when Crutchlow was riding the Yamaha R1 and won both races. Sat in various grandstands that day including Maggots/ Becketts section and international straight, both are great sections of the track........... if you're watching on TV but as per the majority of the track the grandstands are awfully far away from the action. The left kink after Copse/ the pitlane exit towards Maggots/ Becketts is a decent viewing spot and pretty close to the spectators.

The worst thing is the ticket prices, prob about £90 for pay on the gate ( general admission) and even though it's been summer time when I've been the wind that blows through the place would cut you in half!!!

Can I add Portimao to the pantheon, went in 2009 for WSB and if elevation change floats your boat then your boat will be floated. Heart broken for my second hero Sir Nori Haga who lost the WSB title that day
Anyway nowadays with wheelie control it will spoil what I saw over the crest before Craig Jones corner and the lip as you approach the start finish line but I really hope Moto GP goes there. Great place

[Tourn46]

I grew up about 15 mins from Silverstone and went regularly to all sorts of motorsport events... it's a terrible track for viewing in my opinion. It covers such a vast, flat area of land and you always feel so far away from the track... I always found myself watching the screens rather than the small piece of tarmac visible in front of me.

[Mikesbytes]

There's been talk about weather conditions due to the time of year not being the best for particular circuits in particular Phillip Island and Valencia. Looking at the calendar most of the races are clumped within approximate time zones or have a 2 week gap between when there is a significant shift in time zone. https://www.motogp.com.au/motogp-2020-season-calendar

How would you arrange the calendar?

[CLX]

Have you seen the news of Jerez wanting to host F1? That’s a great way to go broke.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5IGmWZo-y1 ... blhztvx5f8

[Apical]

Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto & formula yawn.

Enjoyed my brief few days at Jerez. I've always liked the layout ever since watching the 500s etc, fun to do on the video games as well.
Not the easiest circuit to get around on foot, but plenty of good viewing points & enough grandstands. At least for the world superbike round when I was there.

Catalunya is running both MotoGp & SBK in 2020 according to the calendars I have seen. Afaik F1 won't be going to Circuito de Catalunya next year. I guess F1 want to use another circuit in warm, sunny, motorsport loving Spain.
That is fine by me, providing it does not affect the viability of Jerez. As CLX commented " That’s a great way to go broke."

I would hate to loose the current classic layout. If the proposed modifications can be done in such a way that the existing circuit can still be used as it is, that's good and the option to use the new sections of track would be open if desired. I don't like the look of the new turn one proposed by F1. Dry sack at the end of the back straight is also a great corner, hope they don't mess it up.

Related point, If F1 are not going to run at Catalunya, then there is no need for the rinky dink chicane before the last corner. If that's the case then hopefully the F1 bit can be removed, a suitable motorcycle run off area can be installed and we can have the beautiful original la Caixa corner restored to MotoGp & SBK use and forget about the awful carpark corners. Scene of the multi bike crash in the Catalan MotoGp race earlier this year. I think Jorge Lorenzo would like that.

[Mikesbytes]

What's the Almeria circuit like? https://youtu.be/-LXyNRRscc0

[Apical]

Almeria circuit, what is it like Mikesbytes? I don't know I've never been there.

Looks interesting, it's in Andalusia, like Jerez, which is a nice part of the world. Warn & dry apparently.
They have a solar thermal research facility, so I'm guessing plenty of sunshine.
Could be an interesting alternative to a cold northern winter.

The track looks like fun from Simon Crafar's video. thanks for that.

The circuit is either 4.025, 4.2 or 4.3 kilometers long, (quick internet search). It's clockwise, opened in 2001 so it has been there a while.
Something like 16 corners, more right handers(10) than left turns(6).

Check this stuff out;

https://www.promoracing.it/en/circuito. ... ia-circuit

https://www.visordown.com/features/moto ... de-almeria

[Apical]

The pantheon currently is; er that didn't work see my next post

Tracks we like, where there has been great racing.
Fast circuits with fast corners. But not just big ovals.
Interesting combinations of corners. Complexes where one curve leads into the next etcetera. Where a rider's choice of line in one curve effects track position in the next corner or series of corners.
Elevation changes, a bit of up and down.
Complex cambers so making the choice of line more challenging. Like Assen once was & Phillip island is in parts.
Not too many slow corners or stupidly slow chicanes.

Would like your feedback Kropotkin.

[Apical]

Assen, Aragon

Brands Hatch, Brno, Bathurst Mt Panorama,

Cadwell Park, Catalunya

Daytona, Donington

Estoril

Francorchamps, (Spa-Francorchamps, )

Hockenheim der Nordschleife,

Indianapolis, Imola, Interlagos,
Isle of Man TT the mountain course

Jerez,

Kyalami,

Laguna Seca, Le Mans,

Macau, Monza, Motegi, Misano, Mugello,

circuit Nelson Piquet at Rio De Janero

Osterreichring, Oulton Park

Paul Ricard, Phillip Island, Portimao

Salzburgring, Sachsenring, Sepang (SIC),
Silverstone, Spa - Francochamps, Suzuka

Termas Rio Hondo, Turkey Istanbul park

Welcome Phakisa RSA

Er, that is getting somewhat largish. Bring on the critics to cut & cull this list.