New donington layout

[WSRfan82]

Just been looking on MCN and watched and looked at the new layout of donington park for the 2010 british gp and i have to say i dont like it.

Why mess up a perfectly good track set out with the silly new loop there putting in. just recover the track put new grandstands in and facilatys. i think the original set out would be great for an f1 race. short track lots types of corners fast and slow, its a real drivers track. so why wreck it?

[ShiftingGears]

Just been looking on MCN and watched and looked at the new layout of donington park for the 2010 british gp and i have to say i dont like it.

Why mess up a perfectly good track set out with the silly new loop there putting in. just recover the track put new grandstands in and facilatys. i think the original set out would be great for an f1 race. short track lots types of corners fast and slow, its a real drivers track. so why wreck it?

I always found that loop on the 1993 configuration quite awful, and I think the new configuration will be better.

[Robinho]

one thing about the new loop into the infield is the elevation, apprently it will be the steepest uphill section in F1 coming back up the hill towards the current start finish - presumabley the downhill section into the (assume its a) hairpin will be pretty focussing, plus as far as i'm aware the best bits of the original track are being retained

[Mark]

The crainer curves and the old hairpin etc are being kept. The back section was never anything special anyway.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Just been looking on MCN and watched and looked at the new layout of donington park for the 2010 british gp and i have to say i dont like it.

Why mess up a perfectly good track set out with the silly new loop there putting in. just recover the track put new grandstands in and facilatys. i think the original set out would be great for an f1 race. short track lots types of corners fast and slow, its a real drivers track. so why wreck it?

The current layout is way too short for F1. Hopefully the new section will something to the track. I remember from playing ToCA that the Melbourne Loop really harmed the flow of the circuit. Although it did produce extra overtaking when the Touring Cars went there. I bet F1 cars will still find this a difficult track to pass on. Maybe more so than Silverstone.

[wedge]

I always found that loop on the 1993 configuration quite awful.

Senna wouldn't have passed as many cars on the first lap with that configuration.

Donny's got everything you want from a race track: undulations, flowing corners, chicanes and hairpins that test the driver.

Melbourne - Goddards produces good side by side battle whether it be bikes or cars.

Watching cars at Melbourne right by the paddock is one of the best places to watch and appreciate the skill of drivers because its very easy there to get it wrong go wide on the exit and most importantly - power oversteer.

[call_me_andrew]

Could I see a picture of what you're talking about? Or at least a link to a picture?

[WSRfan82]

here is a link to a pic of new plans of donington park

http://www.grandprix.com/jpeg/misc/doningtonparkplanoct08-lg.jpg

[Dr. Krogshöj]

My only pain is that they are messing up the big green areas that make Donington Park what it is. The big spectator hill overlooking the Craner Curves will be destroyed to make way for the new loop. The old Coppice will be missed, too.

[shazbot]

It actually doesn't look to bad to me. The old track is still pretty much intact(the good bits anyway) with the addition of an infield section. From memory the proposed new section has a fair amount of elevation change. As a driver I never liked coppice but that's a personal thing.

[philipbain]

I think the new layout works quite well, it also makes good commercial sense as the new configuration allows the GP circuit to be split into 2 shorter circuits that can be run simultaniously. The thing I will miss most about the new layout is that the new pits are being pu in the place where you could get the best view, from the top of the raised banks on the inside of the straight, you could see from the old haripin all the way round the lap to the final corner. On the whole though i'm glad that the GP is leaving Silverstone which is featureless and quite frankly a bit tatty in places.

On the whole though i'm glad that the GP is leaving Silverstone which is featureless and quite frankly a bit tatty in places.

Amen.

Silverstone seemed to have a "fcuk you" attitude to its customers....£109 for general admission to a flat aerodrome....and thankfully Bernie had a "fcuk you too" attitude to Silverstone.

The BRDC made a nice shiny new club building for its self and nothing for the average punter. Bunch of w_nkers.

What get's me is that Donington is actually doing something to bring Britain's GP into the 21st century and all we hear is moaning, whinging and nay-saying when we should be rejoicing that somebody is doing it.

[AndyRAC]

Amen.

Silverstone seemed to have a "fcuk you" attitude to its customers....£109 for general admission to a flat aerodrome....and thankfully Bernie had a "fcuk you too" attitude to Silverstone.

The BRDC made a nice shiny new club building for its self and nothing for the average punter. Bunch of w_nkers.

What get's me is that Donington is actually doing something to bring Britain's GP into the 21st century and all we hear is moaning, whinging and nay-saying when we should be rejoicing that somebody is doing it.

My problem with Donington is that it's taken them the awarding of the British F1 GP for them to do anything. They've had the 500CC/MotoGP since 1987 and the facilities have largely remained the same, especially for the paying public - and don't mention the toilets!!!
I suppose I should wish them good luck though.

[Wasted Talent]

Looks very good to me - the bit behind the old pits was poor anyway - slow chicane, straight, hairpin, straight and hairpin and straight. Now staright is much longer to allow overtaking, and more sweeping bends

WT

[BDunnell]

If this actually ends with Donington hosting the GP, then fine.

[ShiftingGears]

Senna wouldn't have passed as many cars on the first lap with that configuration.

Donny's got everything you want from a race track: undulations, flowing corners, chicanes and hairpins that test the driver.

Melbourne - Goddards produces good side by side battle whether it be bikes or cars.

Watching cars at Melbourne right by the paddock is one of the best places to watch and appreciate the skill of drivers because its very easy there to get it wrong go wide on the exit and most importantly - power oversteer.

Yes, but I don't find any configuration of a standard chicane followed by 2 straights and 2 standard hairpins anything other than unspectacular.

[cosmicpanda]

If this actually ends with Donington hosting the GP, then fine.

Yes.

[Allyc85]

The new layout is way better than the old one. Theyve kept the classic parts of the circuit and modified the boring bits which no driver or rider really enjoyed. The new section looks good considering the space theyve got to work in, the cars will look great screaming downhill braking hard into the sharp hairpin :D

[Ranger]

The new layout is much better. :up: Hopefully they don't pave every piece of runoff.

[Rover V8]

Amen.

Silverstone seemed to have a "fcuk you" attitude to its customers....£109 for general admission to a flat aerodrome....and thankfully Bernie had a "fcuk you too" attitude to Silverstone.

The BRDC made a nice shiny new club building for its self and nothing for the average punter. Bunch of w_nkers.

What get's me is that Donington is actually doing something to bring Britain's GP into the 21st century and all we hear is moaning, whinging and nay-saying when we should be rejoicing that somebody is doing it.

Since when has Bernie given a damn about the average punter?

From what I've seen of the Donington plans, apart from the circuit changes and new pits, they're building some new toilets and grandstands and doing sod-all to improve access other than planning to make the average punter use public transport from God-knows-how-far away. Oh yes, and building a big clubhouse and lots of hospitality facilities for VIPs and corporate guests and other that the average punter won't get near.

http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft21058.html

I've been going to both Silverstone and Donington for close to 25 years, and though God knows Silverstone has it's problems, in that time it's facilities have been light years ahead of Donington's, which have barely changed since I first went there.

The big problem I think is that a lot of people are cynical enough to think that this is nothing more than a way for Bernie to take away the British GP in favour of another date in the Middle East, or Russia or wherever, while being able to blame the BRDC and Donington for it all. Donington might have started work, but they've still got to get it finished in time and pay for it all- I can't wait to see what the General Admission price for their first GP is going to be, especially if they're going to have to factor in the cost of a park-and-ride operation to get the fans in...

[wedge]

Yes, but I don't find any configuration of a standard chicane followed by 2 straights and 2 standard hairpins anything other than unspectacular.

Define standard hairpin and standard chicane.

All very well liking the quick stuff but they test more on the machine than the driver ie. good aero, whereas the slow stuff requires a different skill from the driver ie. not the size of your balls but precision and delicacy.


Since when has Bernie given a damn about the average punter?

From what I've seen of the Donington plans, apart from the circuit changes and new pits, they're building some new toilets and grandstands and doing sod-all to improve access other than planning to make the average punter use public transport from God-knows-how-far away. Oh yes, and building a big clubhouse and lots of hospitality facilities for VIPs and corporate guests and other that the average punter won't get near.

http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft21058.html

I've been going to both Silverstone and Donington for close to 25 years, and though God knows Silverstone has it's problems, in that time it's facilities have been light years ahead of Donington's, which have barely changed since I first went there.

The big problem I think is that a lot of people are cynical enough to think that this is nothing more than a way for Bernie to take away the British GP in favour of another date in the Middle East, or Russia or wherever, while being able to blame the BRDC and Donington for it all. Donington might have started work, but they've still got to get it finished in time and pay for it all- I can't wait to see what the General Admission price for their first GP is going to be, especially if they're going to have to factor in the cost of a park-and-ride operation to get the fans in...

:up:

[philipbain]

Oh yes, and building a big clubhouse and lots of hospitality facilities for VIPs and corporate guests and other that the average punter won't get near.

Its just reality these days that in order to raise the cash required to host these events you need to be able to sell the corporate / VIP stuff as thats where the big bucks are and at least they are properly sighting these facilities, from what I gather at Silverstone they merely converted most of the best general admission bankings to VIP areas by plonking tents on top of them, which is not serving the "real" fans in any way at all. The shame about Silverstone is that the layout of the circuit it's self is very good, fast by modern standards with some challenging sections. Unfortunately unless the weather has been particularly bad it doesnt lend it's self well to overtaking, this is where Donnington comes in, the layout of the circuit lends its self to overtaking opportunities without being overly obvious like the modern Tilke tracks (long straight, hairpin, switchback, long straight, hairpin etc.).

When it comes to the 2010 British GP I don't expect that Donnington will be perfect, but I think the change of venue will be a good thing, it will add a different dimension (height for example, Donnington is set on the side of a valley which means gradients, proper gradients!) and in the long run it will hopefully secure the British GP in the F1 calendar, something which has been elusive under the management of the BRDC at Silverstone.

[Mark]

I just hope that they do not put grandstands on the banking above craner curves. That is one of the best general admission viewing spots in the country.

[rob01]

i dont think it looks that bad and anyway
if Simon Gillett can make it happen in time then its all good!

Since when has Bernie given a damn about the average punter?

Who said he did? Not me.

I said he had a 'fcuk you' attitude to Silverstone & the BRDC. Which they richly deserved.

[Azumanga Davo]

I'm very much in favour for this new trackplan. They could have destroyed a lot of old, unique and exciting curves, but they have extended one of the more dull bits. I say well done to those who put this one to paper, it could have been a lot worse. :)

[Rover V8]

Who said he did? Not me.

I said he had a 'fcuk you' attitude to Silverstone & the BRDC. Which they richly deserved.

My apologies- I certainly didn't intend to say you did. I just don't see this as being a victory for the average punter in any way.

Donington appear to be putting a lot of effort into gin palaces to attract the well-heeled (As philipbain suggests, that's understandable given the need to attract the big money they need to finance the whole project), have taken away a couple of the best viewing spots on the infield to make way for the new pits and the new loop of track, and come up with a plan to get people into the track by public transport that includes effectively closing down an airport part of a weekend- an idea, incidentally that the the local councillor responsible for transport issues described as 'completely and utterly bonkers'

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=36789

I hope Donington pull this one off, I really do, but if it goes wrong, and we lose the GP- I won't be able to shake off the feeling that's Bernie's been anticipating thst outcome all along....

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=36789

[ShiftingGears]

Define standard hairpin and standard chicane.


It doesn't need a definition.

[wedge]

It doesn't need a definition.

Why not?

I'm very keen to know what makes a hairpin and chicane a standard one.