Pittsburgh Grand Prix

[Matt]

Would be a combined ALMS/Indycar weekend.

Track was drawn up as counter-clockwise, but then i noticed if ran clockwise it would have perfect runoff. Takes you past PNC Park(MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates field), and Heinz Field(NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers field). Paddock is located north of the pits. Blue sections are grandstands.



With Google Earth removed:


Feedback always welcome!

[ScotsBrutesFan]

How long would that circuit be?

[Yannick]

How is the circuit going to get upstairs onto that bridge at that kink which is Turn 3?

Apart from that, it's a great place to choose for a street circuit. And that backstretch is one helluva run.

Thanks for posting.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

How long would that circuit be?

Says it on the first image, 1,86 miles.

Originally Posted by Yannick

How is the circuit going to get upstairs onto that bridge at that kink which is Turn 3?

Apart from that, it's a great place to choose for a street circuit. And that backstretch is one helluva run.

Thanks for posting.

Would run under the highway.

[ujoint]

Oh, he.. yeah. Go Steelers. It's summer and I appologize for not being up to speed on this one. Matt, where is this proposal coming from? Just curious.

[werner]

Hmm, I'm not to enthousiast about your design. Some flaws:
-Not to many overtaking-opportunities. The only long straight is followed by a fast corner, so it becomes more difficult to overtake there.
-There are 9 90-degree corners. It is hard to not have them in an american city, but one can at least try.
-the first corner is impossible. Under the highway is a forest of steel poles. That makes for at best a very tight corner, not suitable as first corner after a sizable straight.

BTW, my critisism is on the track when driven clockwise. Anticlockwise I see some problems with runoffs.

[werner]

I've made an alternative. I think it solves all my points. Overtaking in turns 1, 9 and maybe 4, There are hairpins at 1 and 3, a chicane, and a few round corners (2, 6, 7 and 8) that did not feature at all in the original design. The Mickey-mouse section and chicane are also a nice place for spectators.

A problem that stays is turn 9. It's very narrow over there.

[ptclaus98]

Just what America needs. More street courses.

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

Just what America needs. More street courses.

Oh, jeez, post your negativity elsewhere.

I love the track!

[Matt]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

Just what America needs. More street courses.

I like street circuits because you have to use what you've got.

[werner]

I got a bit intrigued by this city. I designed another proposal, witch is more located downtown. The paddock is located near the icehockeystadiums. From there the drivers head to the citycenter, then head for the university, and go downtown again. They pass the cityhall, go along Grant Street, and back to Mellon hall again.

Turn 1 has a very wide entry, is quite quick, but very near the apex is a big building, making the corner blind. That is a feature the drivers have to negotiate more times this lap. After the corner the drivers go downhill into a tunnel under a building. the exit of the tunnel more or less marks the turn-in pont for corner 2. The corner is very bumpy, because the road goes downhill, and crosses sixt avenue. To make matters more interesting, the very sharp third corner has already to be prepared in the exit of turn 2. From turn 3 we go under the highway, and uphill again through the kink at 4. From 3 to 4 the track is pretty narrow, after 4 it is a bit wider again.
On the map turn 5 looks like a straightforward 90 degree righthander, but it is a bit more difficult, since the road goes steeply uphill from 5 to 6. From 6 we hit the fastest part of the track. The kink turn 7 is scary. Maybe the best comparison is 'maison blanche' at a very old version of the circuit of Le Mans, since there is a building on just a few inches from the apex (offcource nicely put just behind the armco) At 8 drivers can overtake in a very straightforward righthander.
turn 9 is a similar corner after a decent straight. Immediately afterwards the racers drive though the flowing corners 10 and 11, were 11 is quite narrow. From the kink at 12 there are a lot of spectators, watching the braking for turn 13, the full throttle long turn 14, and the last opportunity to overtake at 15.

[Clive Brown]

.... and idyllically situated at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers to boot....

Honorary Starter- must be Terry Bradshaw!

[IceMan_PJN]

I also dislike circuits comprised mainly of sharp ninety-degree corners, but I also have a problem with 1.86 miles. That's awful short. That might work for a lower-performance series, I guess. Between the short distances and series of tight, sharp elbows, a lap is basically a low-speed zig-zag through a series of ninety-degree turns. It's Motegi.

[bio]

My biggest problem with the original design is that, one, the top half seems too stop-n-tart: short straights joined by slow right angle turns. I don't see too much excitement here - and certainly not much in the overtaking department.

And also, in general: the track could do with some more overtaking spots.

But the bottom part looks great!

bio