The new Istanbul track

[jhansen]

I don't know if any of you caught the Turkish Grand Prix over the weekend, but the new Istanbul track is rather interesting. It is 5.378 km long and has plenty of racing room. The Turn 8 complex is very intriguing with up to four apexes in this corner. There are a number of overtaking opportunities as well. I think it should make for a fabulous sportscar racing venue.

The curtain closer for the LMES is looking very promising indeed.

[Adam43]

It was a good circuit the prototypes and the GT cars will look amazing through some of those corners. I can't wait.

[Erki]

Any inf about what at o'clock does the green flag wave? Day->evening would be quite nice I think.

[skycafe]

That turn eight complex should be really something with protos passing GT cars! It is a good thing there is a lot of runoff there.

[BSchneiderFan]

Yep, should be a great race. Good track, and I think there'll be a lot of mistakes.

[tblincoe]

Absolutely fantastic track and I would love to see sportscar going through the Turn 8 complex.

[SALEEN S7R]

The race should be good, just how good though remains to be seen. The F1 race IMO wasnt that exciting, the GP2 races however were extremely entertaining, but then they are 1 make single seaters and racing is always much closer thanks in part to that. How will sportscars fair? Well the LMP battles generally tend to get spread out rather quickly, even at places like Monza where overtaking is at its easiest. The GT1's and GT2's however with less downforce are able to overtake a little bit easier as they showed at Monza in FIA GT this year.

Im not saying the race wont be good, im just saying dont go expecting something great as it might not live up to expectations. IMO.

[Adam43]

Even if they do get spread out they will be an awesome sight through some of those corners. On top of that we shall get some on-board shots and be treated to the drivers attacking some challenging corners.

All that is missing are some trees.

[jhansen]

Yeah Adam, it does look a bit barren. But the elevation changes were awesome and a nice surprise for a newly designed track.

The Turn 8 complex may even make the discussion on "best sportscar racing turn" once we see them run on it.

As for the field spreading out, I'd say that's pretty much a given over a 1000K race regardless of class. With that said, the LMES has some good competition and I expect this is true regardless of the circuit. But the Tilke tracks are nice and wide, which can only help a series that has four different classes going at once.

[Net-Ranger]

Just imagine how the Lister Storm will sound thundering from the turn 8 complex to the fast section...wow

[lemanfan]

Yeas turn 8 is now my second favourite corner after Eau Rouge.
I so onboard lat with Alonso during the race and he was almost flat there. No braking only small lift of the throttle.

[The Badger]

I gotta admit that I actually turned on the TV to watch the F1 . Just because i plan to do the LMES race in Istanbul this year ..... it looks like a great circuit and good for viewing too . I can have Kebab's instead of fish & Chips there !!!

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

All that is missing are some trees.

I don't think Xavier Pompidou will be too upset about that at all !!!

[Dani Filth]

i was thinking about the LMES race and how the LMPs and GTs would look on the track . i think it will be a super track for sportscar racing too

[The Badger]

Has anybody any advice about Istanbul or the track itself even ?

[isynge]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Has anybody any advice about Istanbul or the track itself even ?

No idea on the track, although it does sound as though they need to do a bit of work on the access. That said, taxi prices in Turkey are so hilariously low it might pay you to book one for the day to take you there and back.

As far as the city itself goes, it's fantastic, although November will probably be disconcertingly cold and wet - so don't go thinking it's going to be balmy and Middle Eastern - it'll probably be too early for snow in November, but possibly not a million miles off! Opinions vary, but I like to stay in Sultanhamet and use the tram if I need to get over to the business part of town, Taksim Square, etc. If you really want to splash out the Yesil Ev is one of the more atmospheric hotels I've stayed in.

Still mulling over myself whether I'm going to go - must say I'm tempted.

[Mal]

It will be interesting to see what crowd they manage to pull in. If they have marketed it properly I would expect a pretty big turnout after the hype of the GP and that this is one of the first oppurtunity for the locals to see live racing.

Turn 8 looked awesome - getting the line right with 4 apexes must be really tough - then throw in a couple of GT2's and the sight of the prototypes through that corner will be awesome.

I wonder what the lap times will be?

[Dani Filth]

they were doing 1m24-1m27 with F1. so add about 10 seconds

[Boro]

Turn 8 looks like a Frankenstein creation after mixing equal doses of Pouhon and Spoon Curve

[Dani Filth]

it instantly became one of my favorite turns

[spectre200]

Originally Posted by The Badger

I gotta admit that I actually turned on the TV to watch the F1 . Just because i plan to do the LMES race in Istanbul this year ..... it looks like a great circuit and good for viewing too . I can have Kebab's instead of fish & Chips there !!!

Badger,

I didn't make it to the Ring as planned, so I'm thinking about a combined long weekend plus race in Istanbul if I can get reasonable flights. Problem is, I can't find any useful info on where the circuit is located or how to get there. Also, is the date still 12/13 Nov, as per the LMES website? If you have any advice, it would be greatfully received. Cheers!