Long live gravel traps

[Erki]

I think this weekends GP with its T1 car park showed quite well why gravel traps still have their place. Without that, Sutil's car would be much more damaged, Hamilton's car would have been lifted away without Lewis Himself sitting in it, Speed, Button and Rosberg would have collided or something, Tractor would have KO-ed Liuzzi and marshals would have been in big big danger.

Long live gravel traps. :vader:

[Viktory]

you make a very good point here. Long live gravel traps indeed.

[FIA]

They should put gravel traps back where they belong and only put a short bit tarmac round the track, as it is a "Get out of Jail" Card.

Long Live Gravel Traps!

[Valve Bounce]

Here in Melbourne, we even have a pink gravel trap just to please the women spectators and viewers.

[Rollo]

We have to thank the work of Porsche and Jackie Stewart in the 1970s for advocating safety in motorsport. Ironically it was at the Old Nuburgring in 1968when he won by four minutes in yet another downpour when people started to take notice of him.

This man quite rightly earnt his OBE and knighthood. Had we been at this very track in 1967 not 2007 then people would have probably been killed.

Gravel Traps, Seat Belts, HANS Device - long live them all... or until something better is found.

[Erki]

Here in Melbourne, we even have a pink gravel trap just to please the women spectators and viewers.

I like the coloured gravel you have there. I really like it. :up:

[wedge]

Gravel works better in the wet and asphalt works better in the dry.

We just need something that works in both wet and dry conditions.

It's so easy to describe asphalt run-off as 'get out of jail free cards' but they really do work. On asphalt the tyres will easily scrub off speed whereas the car will skate over gravel.

[Valve Bounce]

First we had safety fences - a very good idea until the poles which supported the fencing started hitting the cars. Then we had tyre walls and gravel traps.

In some corners, if we had room for an asphalt runoff before a gravel trap which is then back by a soft tyre wall fence, that would be even better. I'd like to see more asphalt runoff areas which are dead ends so that once a driver ran off, they would have to come back to the point of entry to return to the track when it was safe.

Which ever way we look at it, and there have been many contributors including Niki Lauda, F1 is now a helluva lot safer than it was many years ago. Let's face it: kubica would not have survived in that crash in one of those cars that ran around 30 years ago.

[punkologist]

I'd like to see more asphalt runoff areas which are dead ends so that once a driver ran off, they would have to come back to the point of entry to return to the track when it was safe.



I like that idea, there is a lot of them at street tracks, where there is a 90 degree turn, usually there will be a long straight "escape track" if the car goes straight ahead. It is like that at Melbourne for I think at turn 11 (the right hander at the end of the back straight).

[call_me_andrew]

Don't some asphalt runoff areas have a kind of blue paint on them that makes it more abrasive?

[wmcot]

In some corners, if we had room for an asphalt runoff before a gravel trap which is then back by a soft tyre wall fence, that would be even better. I'd like to see more asphalt runoff areas which are dead ends so that once a driver ran off, they would have to come back to the point of entry to return to the track when it was safe.


Yes, exactly! And under HIS OWN POWER, not by help from a "crane" (I put the word crane in quotes as I don't want to type "generic lifting device for moving trapped vehicles") :)

[Valve Bounce]

:up: