Jungle Airport

[the_calculator]

This is an abandoned, single runway, airport in the middle of the Venezuelan jungle.
The runway is the main straight and 24 meter wide.
Coming off the runway a 12 meter wide track has been cut through the rainforest.

I wanted to create low/medium downforce racetrack with loads of straights for slipstreaming.

Interesting features (wich I think) are coming of the 24 meter main straight onto the 12 meter wide racetrack.
This difference in trackwidth results in having to apex late, thus leaving room for a competitor to dive in.
The reverse happens on the last corner where, because of this trackwidth difference, the track opens up allowing an early apex.

Please comment.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Why do I see Monza...

OK so no main straight or Roggia chicanes
A variation on the Lesmos
And an oversized r-l-r version of Ascari

[bio]

Simple but effective. I like it.

bio

[Yannick]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

Why do I see Monza...

OK so no main straight or Roggia chicanes
A variation on the Lesmos
And an oversized r-l-r version of Ascari

Why do I see A1-Ring/Red Bullring? ;-)

Both good and fast tracks, here they are mashed-up into one, with an interesting middle section added to them.

SBF, wouldn't you agree that the blot shape of Monza is one of the more basic and easily recognizable ones? Yet, it's one of the most effective ones, too.

[bio]

To be honest, I never understood this "reminds me of..." thing. Two tracks that have similar overall shapes might offer totally different driving and racing experience. The devil is, once again, in the details...

bio

[Purist]

Bio, that may be true, but some of us have that built-in pattern recognition that's always on, and looking for similarities of all kinds.

It looks like quite a nice, quick circuit. It's definitely a good one, Calculator.

Me, I see Monza, bits of the Osterreichring, and a few hints of Continental Divide Raceway, just off the top of my head.

[bio]

Originally Posted by Purist

Bio, that may be true, but some of us have that built-in pattern recognition that's always on, and looking for similarities of all kinds.

I got the WHY part. What I don't see is the relevance.

bio

[ScotsBrutesFan]

I think relating a design to a real world circuit when done positively is flattering to the designer.

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

I think relating a design to a real world circuit when done positively is flattering to the designer.

Exactly. Not sure where you're coming from, bio. :/

[bio]

Originally Posted by Beetle

Exactly. Not sure where you're coming from, bio. :/

Well, for me that's never felt like flattering - but I understand that's my interpretation and not necessarily the other's intention. And I'll explain why i never liked it: for me one of the key parts of track design is originality. When I spend a lot of time creating something I think was worth creating, something that's unique in a way, I don't quite like to see that someone's first reaction to it is being reminded of something else. It's like you have a band, you're trying to make some unique music pieces, and when someone hears it he says "wow, you sound like Nirvana!" - though that's a compliment because Nirvana played good music (though not my taste ), the main message there - though not necessarily meant - is that "you play music that's not original". If originality is one of the goals you'r after when you design tracks, seeing that your track reminds others of other tracks will never be a compliment - even when it's fully meant to be.

And please, someone enlighten me: in what way is the fact that a track's general blot shape resembles an existing track flattering? What's flattering about one shape resembling another? I don't quite see it. Making one blot shape resemble another isn't a feat IMHO.

Please, note that all I said here was my opinion only and I'm fully aware of it, so I don't think that others think the same way or share this opinion.

bio

[ScotsBrutesFan]

If the existing real world track provides good racing, I feel that by offering a positive comparison my intention is to suggest that this new design would likely offer equally as good racing.

By the same token if I viewed a track as resembling a real world circuit, but with in my view a poor corner sequence or a critical or dangerous layout of a section I'll say that too.

[werner]

What Bio said.

Also I think the track is nice and could produces exiting races. To increase the challenge, you might try to include a few more corners were you can make a difference. For instance I'd tighten the R200-turn a bit so it is not full throttle anymore and/or make the esses after the hairpin tighter or further after the hairpin for a higher entry-speed.

[the_calculator]

Quite a commotion, but any similarity with an existing track is unintended.
However all those tracks you refer to (Monza, Osterreichring...) are among my favorites.
So maybe in my subconciousness...

This track really started out me wondering how trackwidth would affect the theoretical racingline (not really taking in account the real racingline, wich could be "slow-in-fast-out" for example).
I took the widest radius through corners and started playing with them, resulting in the two corners below.
Next I had to turn these into a racetrack to post them here, since this forum's not called "My Corner Designs".
Really took me about half an hour to complete the rest of the layout.

Thanks for the comments everybody.

[bio]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

If the existing real world track provides good racing, I feel that by offering a positive comparison my intention is to suggest that this new design would likely offer equally as good racing.

By the same token if I viewed a track as resembling a real world circuit, but with in my view a poor corner sequence or a critical or dangerous layout of a section I'll say that too.

I see, but then it's not the fact that the track resembles an existing one is the good thing, but the fact that it's a good track.

And let me put emphasis on this once again: I of course have nothing against your intentions and realize you mean it as a compliment. It's just how I concieve it.

bio