Purist i find your corner and general track analyses very interesting, and i agree with most of it - eventhough i'm no specialist.
One thing has not yet been much discussed and is often left out - as far as i can see - from track design in this forum : the elevation changes. For me the 3rd dimension of a track is as important as the 2 "flat" dimensions. I have only a small and totally amateur track experience - and absolutely no racing experience except rental karting - but the 3 tracks i've driven on so far made me believe a track MUST be analysed in 3 dimensions. These tracks are folowing ones :
> Mas du Clos (France) : A lovely small track with an impressive climb at the end of the pit straight leading into a 180° right turn that goes back down at the exit. You just can't even guess the feeling driving this corner when you see the track from above.
> Charade (France) : Lots of elevation changes all the way arround the track.
> Nordschleife, everyone knows it. As it is a fast track, the elevation changes come even more into account. Many of its corners get all of their interest from the elevation changes. Some examples :
- The sharp left down in Fuchsröhre can be passed at very high speed thanks to the enormous downforce you get down there.
- The brake before Wehrseifen is quite frightening as you plunge down into the valley, and tests your braking skills and your guts. I think 99% of the people brake way too early there (me included).
- The Brünnchen exit right turn, going up again, looks easy and trustworthy, but it's a tricky corner as the topography tends to give you negative downforce. The fact most crashes on youtube are in this corner is not only because most cameraguys are posted there.
- The depression in the straight just before the Pflanzgarten right turn gives you a lot of downforce and makes a hot on the brakes at this exact point very effective. If you use this well you will always have to brake behing the Porsche that just passed you over and that braked too early - even if you have only half the horsepower.
- etc etc.
It's easier to design flat or almost flat tracks, and it's easier to make them safe. But tracks with dramatic elevation changes are just way hotter IMO
This could be a challenge idea : Take an existing track layout, add or change the 3rd dimension to make something totally new.
I find modern tracks - especially the Tilke's - often quite boring because they are just flat. Yaaay Buddh has a cool T3... but hey it's only so cool because that kind of turns have become the exception. Maybe for safety reasons it's not possible anymore but i really wish we could see new tracks that could rival with Spa. I'm sure it's not a matter of designer's talent.
To see more "3D-tracks" maybe we have to replace Hermann Tilke with John Cameron