Tom Pryce International Circuit

[Alwaysfirst]

This is a new circuit that I created in memory of Welshman Tom Pryce, who was killed in the 1977 South African GP at Kyalami. The circuit in in Wales near Cardiff. There is quite a lot of influence from Philip Island and Zandvoor in this circuit. It is anti-clockwise and fairly long-about 6.9km.



Elevation change is very great even though I have not shown this on the plan. Going into T2 it is steeply downhill. T3 has its apex right on a crest so it is a blind corner. Further on, T11 is very cambered like Strubben at Assen. 15 & 16 have similar elevation change and camber to Lukey Heights & MG at Philip Island. T18 is similar to Caroussel at Elkhart Lake. After this the circuit winds back to the start/finish straight through a series on undulating s-bends and sweeps. There are also numerous shorter circuit varients. Hope you like it!

[Purist]

Turns 7 and 8, considering the rest of the course, look too tight; the same goes for the 13/14 complex, and possibly the Turn 16 Hairpin. Those five corners, with the character that you seem to be trying to create for this circuit, just look kind of out of place.

[Chaynes321]

Good overall layout, but yes as Purist said a few sections were too tight so i edited them accordingly, (although looking back my chicanes look very tight), + I also changed/added other corners because i felt like it

[Alwaysfirst]

I have to admit that I only find T13 too tight. Some sections may look tight on this map but remember that the circuit is about the same length as Spa so they will not be as tight as they look, especially T16. Chaynes, I like the first half of your edit but I feel that the flow of the second half has been lost, particuarly with the removal of the carousel turn (T18).

[Mike_Wooshy]

I prefer the original, sorry chaynes, also who is tom Pryce ??/

[Alwaysfirst]

He was a F1 driver between 1974 & 1977, first for Token and then for Shadow. His great car control can be compared to Ronnie Peterson. In 1975 he managed a pole and a podium in the uncompetitive Shadow and was said to be a sure future champion. In the South African GP in 1977 a young marshal tried to run across the track to extinguish a fire on the crashed car of Renzo Zorzi. Pryce was racing with 3 other cars flat out along the straight. At this point they were hidden from the marshal by a dip in the track. The other 3 cars managed to swerve around him but Pryce hit him, instantly killing the marshal. The fire extinguisher that he had been carrying hit Tom on the head, killing him. His car carried on running along the straight with Tom slumped dead in it untill it hit the barriers at the first corner.
Hope this helps.

[mandretti39]

Originally Posted by Alwaysfirst

He was a F1 driver between 1974 & 1977, first for Token and then for Shadow. His great car control can be compared to Ronnie Peterson. In 1975 he managed a pole and a podium in the uncompetitive Shadow and was said to be a sure future champion. In the South African GP in 1977 a young marshal tried to run across the track to extinguish a fire on the crashed car of Renzo Zorzi. Pryce was racing with 3 other cars flat out along the straight. At this point they were hidden from the marshal by a dip in the track. The other 3 cars managed to swerve around him but Pryce hit him, instantly killing the marshal. The fire extinguisher that he had been carrying hit Tom on the head, killing him. His car carried on running along the straight with Tom slumped dead in it untill it hit the barriers at the first corner.
Hope this helps.

There is a video of that incident floating around somewhere on the Internet. If I can find, I'll post it.

[Ian Sowman]

I'm sure I speak for a great many people in saying "I'd rather you didn't".

[Purist]

I'd probably rather not see that particular film clip, but I am very interested to to see what Kyalami was actually like. I've only ever seen three or four photos of the place, so I don't have a great sense of the circuit.

Alwaysfirst, that course is nearly as long as Spa, but you've put quite a bit into that distance. It's kind of hard to compare, but that hairpin looks like it could be as tight as, or even tighter than, Malmedy (the long 180 after Les Combes). You'd probably be better off making 13/14 one fast right-hand kink to keep the flow and extend the run into 16. Turns 7 & 8 could be eased a bit to make a nice quick, challenging esse.

[Alwaysfirst]

Is this better?



I have loosened the top hicane (T7 & 8) & have bypassed the tight infield hairpin to make a fast right hand kink.

[Chaynes321]

7 & 8 are still too tight for me & @ 10 / 11 i would prefer a snail type corner, tight 10 with opening 11 ...

The rest is fine

[Mike_Wooshy]

Sorry chaynes I like 10/11 as they are, its original. It reminds me of spoon from Suzuka, Id rather he put that type of corner than a "Snail" BUT then again everyone to there own correct ??

[ethone]

Hehe, your second layout is exactly (!) what I thought of as improvements after looking at your initial draft. One thing though. From T17 to T2, it's probably getting too fast (thinking of Formula cars). Or too slow, depending on how wide the track is, if the sweeping turns can be taken flat out or not.

[Alwaysfirst]

The width of the track would be fairly similar to that of Spa. Yes, the speeds would be high but I would not imagine that the T17-T2 run would be fully flat out, especially T1 after the straight. It would not be too dissimilar from T1 at Philip Island although the speed would be slightly higher. However, it would be nowhere near as fast as the Schwedenkreuz and Tiergarten curves at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. I do think that a circuit like this would be ideal for F1 though. I think that there are too few really fast and challenging sections on modern circuits. Yes, there are exceptions (Spa, Silverstone, Monza) but generally more of the corners are low-speed hairpins, chicanes and medium-speed bends. Fast, challenging sections from circuits like the old Spa, the old Interlagos, Bremgarten, the Nordschleife, Pescara, original Monza, original Kyalami and Clermont-Ferrand have simply been lost. These sections are not dangerous. It is the lack of safety features that is. With adequate run-off and safety barriers these corners are as safe as any others. My rant is over but that is why I like to add fast, flowing sections such as T17-T2.

[pirenzo]

Originally Posted by Ian Sowman

I'm sure I speak for a great many people in saying "I'd rather you didn't".

Ditto.

It would be both off-topic and more than a little distasteful IMO.

Cool track though Alwaysfirst (can't we just call you 'Al' or something? )

[Alwaysfirst]

Please do! I don't mind either way!