Longest Straights (Merged)

[pirenzo]

Well, I'm bored

I've used the measure tool on Google Earth to investigate the lengths of some famous straights. I have included flat out kinks in the measurement, e.g. Hangar Straight includes chapel curve.

Silverstone		Hangar Straight		900m
Snetterton		Norwich Straight	1355m
Snetterton		Revett Straight		915m
Donington GP		Back Straight		715m
Donington N'tl		" "			805m
Mexico City		Recta Principal		1215m
Watkins Glen		Back Straight		825m
Zandvoort		Main Straight		685m
" old circuit		" "			960m (v. approx)
Spa-Francorchamps	Eau Rouge - Les Combes	1020m
"			La Source - Les Combes	2030m
"			Masta Straight		2055m
Magny-Cours		Back Straight		920m
Sepang		 "	"	 	855m
"			Front Straight		905m
Monza			Retifilio Tribune	1185m
Monza			Ret. Tribune (old)	1505m
Hockenheim		T1-T2 on old circuit	1540m
Le Mans			Hunaudieres (pre-1990)	5540m
Le Mans		 Hunaudieres		1850m (longest section between Tetre Rouge and first chicane)
Pescara			Capelle - Montesilvano	5490m
Nordschliefe	 Döttinger-Höhe		2860m (including Tiergarten)
Indianapolis F1		Main Straight		1955m (including T12 and 13)
Brands Hatch		Pilgrims Drop		675m
Montmelo		Main Straight		1050m
Crystal Palace		Bottom Straight		530m
Monaco			Tunnel etc		640m

A couple of surprises in there are Sepang, which I thought would be longer, Hockenheim and Spa were both longer than I expected...
I couldn't do the new Hockenheim because the image isn't new enough.

[the_royksopp]

Interesting.

I'd think the back straight in Shanghai is fairly long, i don't think it's possible to get a clear map of the Shanghai area off of Google Earth.

[Purist]

I don't know if they'll be on there, but I'd definitely like to see how long the start/finish stretch is at Interlagos, and at Road America: start/finish straight, Turn 3 to Turn 5, exit of Carousel to Canada Corner, and Turn 8 to Canada Corner. Also, I know the start/finish straght at Fuji must be pretty long, but I haven't ever heard any concrete figures.

I'm guessing it would be pretty hard to figure out how long Dottinger-Hohe was on the 14.167-mile configuration (The current layout doesn't include the old start/finish area after Tiergarten.).

BTW, the start/finsh straight at the new Miller Motorsports Park outside Salt Lake City is 1,082m (3,550ft).

[Mike_Wooshy]

Fuji is about 1.4. it used to be a mile when they used the banking !!

[pirenzo]

Originally Posted by Purist

I don't know if they'll be on there, but I'd definitely like to see how long the start/finish stretch is at Interlagos, and at Road America: start/finish straight, Turn 3 to Turn 5, exit of Carousel to Canada Corner, and Turn 8 to Canada Corner. Also, I know the start/finish straght at Fuji must be pretty long, but I haven't ever heard any concrete figures.

I'm guessing it would be pretty hard to figure out how long Dottinger-Hohe was on the 14.167-mile configuration (The current layout doesn't include the old start/finish area after Tiergarten.).

BTW, the start/finsh straight at the new Miller Motorsports Park outside Salt Lake City is 1,082m (3,550ft).

Well, in 1967 they put a chicane in before the start finish straight, which is still included on the Nordschliefe presently. Only instead of negotiating a slight left kink and onto the start finish straight they make a sharp right back round to Nordkehre. I measured up to that chicane.

I'll have to seach for Road America...
EDIT:
Carousel to Canada Corner : 1182m (0.73 mi)
Pit Straight: 1229m (0.76 mi)
T2-3: 1075m (0.67 mi)

[Mike_Wooshy]

RA is about 1 mile long but it has steep hill to climb up

[Jam35]

The famously long one you've missed is the Mistral Straight at Le Castellet. IIRC, it was 1.6km.

[Mike_Wooshy]

also the conrod is about 1.684 K's i think !!

[pirenzo]

I only did the ones I did where the ones I could find. I've looked for Castellet and Bathurst before with no success.

[Chaynes321]

i found bathurst but the picture is of to low res imo

[the_royksopp]

I did too, and measured it based on the vague outline of the track - i recall it being around 2.2 km's, but thats the entire straight from Forrests Elbow to the final corner - ie. not including the Chase.

[Purist]

I don't necessarily think your math is wrong Pirenzo, but some of the time comparisons I've done do make me wonder.

Hockenheim from Turn 1 to the Jim Clark Chicane was 17 seconds flat-out; the start/finish straight at Road America is 17 seconds (even before Toyota and Honda left) or so flat-out for Champ Cars to negotiate. I know F1 cars are somewhat quicker, but the difference in a straight line shouldn't be enough to explain a 300m difference in the lengths of the straights. Just for reference, the straight from Turn 3 to Turn 5 takes 15 seconds or so for Champ Cars to negotiate. I'm assuming you measured from the exit of the Carousel to Canada Corner, because from the exit of Turn 8, through the Carousel and Kink, to Canada Corner takes 24-25 seconds for Champ Cars (all at full or at least significant throttle application).

Pirenzo, I'm guessing you measured just the straight portion of the main straight at Mexico City. If you include the flat-out running in the Peraltada, it is 19 seconds of full throttle to Turn 1 (for a Champ Car), compared to 17 seconds on the main straight at Road America.

I also was thinking the Dottinger-Hohe was longer, for a couple of reasons. On the on-board lap with Klaus Ludwig in a DTM Mercedes, hesays it's flat-out for 4km or so. Now obviously, he could have just estimated incorrectly, but on that video clip, he was flat-out for 36-37 seconds and was reaching a speed of around 220-mph when he came to the Tiergarten. Derek Bell in a 956 was flat-out for 34-35 seconds on the same stretch, and like I said, in a straight line those higher output cars will not be that far apart in top speed on a straight of given length; it comes down to a matter of frontal area versus horsepower.

Also, it has to be said that a car will go MUCH farther in that second period of 17 seconds or whatever than it did in the first. As an example, let's say that the F1 car covers 1500 metres in 17 seconds; it could cover perhaps another 2000-2200 metres in the subsequent 17 seconds.

I just thought some of those numbers sounded a bit off, but maybe it's just me.

[Alwaysfirst]

You do have to remember to take into account gradient change, wing settings etc. The very low wing settings at the old Hockenheim on a nearly flat straight against the higher levels of downforce and large gradient changes at Road America may account for these differences.

[pirenzo]

I just used the measure tool provided. The program does all the distance calculating. It may well be innaccurate...

As for Mexico's Peraltada, I didn't include any of it. Too much corner to be a 'kink'.
And yes, from the very exit of Carousel at RA, all the way through those small kinks etc up to Canada corner.

[Purist]

Alwaysfirst, I realize there may well be a difference in downforce settings between those circuits, but entry speeds onto those two straight would not be that far apart (cornering speeds of 90-95mph). CART machines could hit around 210mph before Turn 1 at RA, and F1 cars 225mph before the Jim Clark Chicane. Even if a 15mph disparity existed for the whole length of those two striaghts between those types of cars, the difference in distance covered would only be 22 ft/sec (374 feet in 17 seconds, much less than 300 metres).

[Mike_Wooshy]

I know riverside used to have a 1.1 mile straight, Can Am reached speeds of over 200 mph before going into the fast turn 9.

[Purist]

On the coverage of the last NASCAR race at Riverside, the actual straight portion of the back straight is listed as being 3600ft (1097m).

I know I'm digging this up, but I was thinking about Mugello, and noticed it hadn't been mentioned here. I'm fairly certain the start/finish stretch is over a kilometer in length; it's ~200mph for the bikes that run there (not sure if it's MotoGP, WSBK, or both).

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Google Earth, since that's the obvious method has T1 1200m from the exit of the final corner.

Actually this is a relelvant thread as there was a discussion the other week regarding the length of straights.

[AU N EGL]

VIRginia International Raceway ( my home track) front straight is 3000 feet long ( slight curve but full speed ) and the back straight is 4000 feet long, with a 100 foot increase in elevation at the 3000 foot point, then drops 30 feet.
I have done 135 mph on the front straight and 154 on the back straight

http://www.virclub.com

Road Atlanta's back straight is very long and fast. done 164 mph here, that was scary. But not bad

Road America's Morain Sweeps is a very fast section, two high speed slight corners. along with Road America's front straight. Think the R10s were doing almost 180 mph on the front straights.

[Purist]

The R10s should be good for 190-195mph at Road America. They take "the Kink" flat at 180mph, and for reference, were recorded at 188mph at the top of the Mario Andretti Straight at Mosport.

[pirenzo]

Depends on their downforce trim. I'd have thought they carry more downforce for Road America than at Mosport. Still, 185-195 seems feasible.
I doubt they will have quite reached 180 by the time they get to the kink though, but it will be close.

[Purist]

McNish narrated his 2006 pole lap at Road America. And the Audi was nearly two seconds faster for pole in 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-xlHUxOYlY

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by pirenzo

Depends on their downforce trim. I'd have thought they carry more downforce for Road America than at Mosport. Still, 185-195 seems feasible.
I doubt they will have quite reached 180 by the time they get to the kink though, but it will be close.

Mosport is a high downforce track do to the many sweeping corners. Road America is a Low downforce track with the long straights.

IIRC the R10 hit top speed on the front straight of Road America at 188 mph, and close to 160 though the Kink and back up to 170 prior to Canada Corner.

[Lustigson]

The (in)famous Mistral Straight at Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, is a massive 2,525.1 m (1.57 mi), including the slight kink at the beginning and the quick right-hander at the end.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1771100

[Lustigson]

And disregarding the first chicane on the old Hockenheimring, the straight after the first corner would be some 3 km (1.8 mi).