rec.autos.simulators

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basis

Yeah - but not Sears Point.  A nice venue - but never to be visited by F1.

F1 engineers regularly visit a number of tracks to see what can be learnt
from a safety point of view - he certainly wasnt there looking for the next
venue for the F1 calender.

Doug

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Steve

Too narrow, Too short, No proper pitlane, and frankly - to dangerous.

Furthermore - F1 already HAS a venue in the US. Whilst the track might suck
there - the facilities are great.

Doug

But not correct.....regarding the "new" Sears Point.  When I say "new" I
mean not only the current track....but the one that is being constructed
still.  The track's "Five Year Plan".....is still three seasons from
completion and much of the problems you have pointed out....have already
been fixed to F1's liking.

**Too narrow:  The track has been widened to about 50
feet....everywhere....and the entire racing surface will be repaved during
this winter....all new asphalt.  The track will meet or exceed all F1 specs
after the re-paving is completed (in terms of curbing, width and safety).

**Too dangerous (not enough run-off):  All armco barriers have been moved
back off the track substantially, including moving a bazillion yards of dirt
and hillside....back away from the track.  The worst area was down through
the esses.....there's more run-off room there now than on most current F1
tracks.

**Bad Paddock/Garage Facilities:  That was true two years ago....not today.
The "Winston Cup Garages" as they are named.....were constructed two years
ago.  They are equal to many of the current F1 track's garage and paddock
area.......and currently much better than Indy's facilities (I have been to
both).  And, light years better than Silverstone's garages and
paddock.....which I've been to, also (last year).

**No proper pitlane:  Not true today....it was widened and lengthened.....it
now accommodates all 43 WC starters.....is right in front of a 50,000 seat
grandstand....and is one of the best pit lane facilities in WC racing today.
A 21 car F1 field would all be pitted directly in front of the 50,000 seat
grandstand (it has 26 pit boxes....I believe).

Do not count out automatically, a "second" F1 race in the United States!  F1
is looking to minimize the heavy transportation costs of bringing the F1
race to Indy (USA).  Adding a second venue, shortly after Indy.....would be
a way to do that.  With Sears Point essentially now being a road racing
track....inside of a "natural earth" stadium.....with spectacular views of
not only the race track (without obstruction....you can follow a car around
the entire racing surface from 90% of the seats in the house).....but
spectacular sweeping horizons of the North Bay of San Francisco and the
gorgeous rolling hills of the Sonoma Wine Country.  That in itself......is
very attractive to the F1 promoters....since the Sonoma Wine Country is very
well known in Europe....they believe the location alone of Sears
Point....would bring many Europeans to the event....and the team's personnel
would welcome a visit to this area of the US (unlike Indianapolis....also
known as "India-no-place!")  In addition, Sears Point is bringing in
ultra-high speed fiber optic cable networks......just 200 yards off one of
the main trunk data lines to the Internet backbone (runs down Highway
#37...right next to the track).  That access will be optimized for cable TV
transmission as well as data and voice communication.....with all camera
stations around the track able to just "plug-in" to the fiber optic network
being constructed around the track.  The TV companies say it will be the
best road racing facility in the world....for television coverage....from a
technological standpoint.  I think that has gotten F1's attention.......very
much!

I think you guys might want to re-think whether Sears Point can handle an F1
race!

Tom

PS:  By the way....CART is looking to come back to Sears......and IRL is
trying to find a suitable date for themselves as well.  Do not
forget.....who just spent $30 million dollars....to have their name placed
on the Sears Point track.  "Infineon"....remember....they are huge and they
love racing and they are a European based company with lots of financial and
social ties to F1 racing.  Do you think Infineon did this for a single
NASCAR race....and an NHRA drag race?  You would be fooling yourself if you
thought that.

--
Scott B. Husted
PA-Scott
ICQ# 4395450
http://www.Husted.cc

Me too Pez, and I think that is why we only see them at the road courses
where speeds are not as great and they more or less act as penalties for
over running a corner. We can't forget that Jimmie Johnson flew over the pea
trap at T1 at Watkins Glen last year or year before and exploded the
styrofoam against the wall, so it also depends on the track layout how
effective it would be. His throttle stuck IIRC and he used the slight
banking in T1 as a ramp (unwillingly & literally), carried the whole trap in
the air and that is no small trap.

Nope, they need a wall that can absorb shock like the armco at Pocono this
weekend (whatever material they can make work to their satisfaction) AND
pavement all the way down to that barrier. This to give the tires something
solid to slide on thus scrubbing more speed. I distinctly remember hearing
DW and other announcers discussing this at either Daytona or Tally this
year, how the extra pavement inside the backstrecth kept someone from
hitting the infield wall as hard as they would have in the past at that
track and praising the track owners (ISC I guess) for having the foresight
to pave the area.

Dave

Dave

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Steve

For those of you familiar with the track, do you think F1 would use the
Chute if they raced there?

-Tim

attention.......very

-Tim

know they would be well under that with the current

<points snipped>

But what about overtaking, Tom?  Surely one F1 priority for any track
atm is to make sure that there is a remote possibility of overtaking.
Sears doesn't seem to have that.   More like the Hungaroring than
Sepang, don't you think?
--
Peter Ives (AKA Pete Ivington)
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