UK GP /w more problems

[Snrub]

The UK GP is having more problems again this year.
http://www.itv-f1.com/news/news_story/13598

I know Brits are huge racing and F1 enthusists, but if the UK GP gets droped CART might have a killer oportunity.

[SALEEN S7R]

To be honest with u, I think the F1 GP will still go ahead as planned, although I hope it dosent! A CART race at Silverstone now that would be awesome! Maybe the crowd woudnt be quite as big, at least not for the first year but it would certainly wake up a lot of viewers in the UK.

The CART race at Rockingham which the BBC screened to me didnt really have the same kind of impact on the public as a race at say Silverstone would because A: the track is new and is a oval which people in the UK are still getting used to and B: The BBC broadcasted the race and the coverage was well averege to say the least.

I know for one Id be at the race, even if CART dosent hit Silverstone Im still gonna go to the Brands Hatch Event if it happens, not going to waste my money on F1 again next year lol.

[Lee Janotta]

Brands would be _much_ better for CART than Silverstone. Especially with the modifications they're making to the old airfield now.

F***ing Tilke.

[f1manoz]

Brands Hatch is a far superior circuit to the 'racetrack' that is Silverstone.

The only time I'd like to see CART at Silverstone would be if they used the old circuit from 1970s...

[StuiE]

F1Manoz: Is that the same one that the BTCC uses? I like that one

[macdaddy]

But isn't Octagon to also act as promoter for any possible race at Brands? What if they cannot show a return on investment for the CART date, either? If this is the case, then it may not bode well for a CART date in Europe.

[f1manoz]

Gtr,

The circuit the BTCC uses is called the 'national' circuit, and isn't too bad, but mostly incorporates the twiddly litte bits. There is nothing fast on that circuit really, except the front and back straights.

You could almost think it was designed by Tilke as the national circuit has a hairpin bend - designated as a passing opportunity!!

[racer69]

Not trying to be too technical, but the BTCC uses the international circuit, the national circuit goes right just before the right hander onto the international circuit, and goes into a long straight that rejoins at Brooklands.

I thought the changes to the Grand Prix circuit weren't going to happen after they decided not to move the pits?

[JR Ewing]

The International circuit is good fun to race on. The National is Ok but a bit simple.... For specators there's little in it but the Abbey hairpin probably a good place to watch from.

[JR Ewing]

I love all racing, mainly single-seaters and I like the GP but Silverstone is an EMBARRASSMENT to us.
This year, we walked the track round the outside and from Copse to Abbey it was a combination of hardcore/grass/gravel and MUD.
In the overall scheme of things how much would a bit of concrete cost? W*nkers!

[Paul Rayner]

If you want a great circuit in Britain for a CART race, you have to look at Donington. It held ONE F1 race, and that, in many people's opinions, was the best F1 race ever. Proof that it's a good circuit can be seen by the fact that F1 never went there again. It's got several overtaking opportunities, is right next to an airport, a motorway, and, like Brands, hosts an International bike race every year.

It's far superior to Silverstone as a track, it just needs some work on the media centre to cater for the International press of CART really.

[SteveA]

Originally posted by SALEEN S7R
The CART race at Rockingham which the BBC screened to me didnt really have the same kind of impact on the public as a race at say Silverstone would because A: the track is new and is a oval which people in the UK are still getting used to and B: The BBC broadcasted the race and the coverage was well averege to say the least.

The BBC's coverage was appalling! I watched the race live at Rockingham and I can assure you what the BBC showed the following day seemed like a different event. I don't know how they managed to make it look so bad. They must have severely hurt Rockingham and CART.

[SALEEN S7R]

Yeah I mean no disrespect to the BBC but well Ive never liked their coverage of motor racing, even when F1 was on BBC I used to switch over and watch it on Eurosport even with the breaks in between it was still better in my eyes than having to listen to Walkers voice for 90 minutes.

[Snrub]

Originally posted by macdaddy
But isn't Octagon to also act as promoter for any possible race at Brands? What if they cannot show a return on investment for the CART date, either? If this is the case, then it may not bode well for a CART date in Europe.

CART can show up in 2004 then. I bet the UK could get its own CART race for a song.

Do you guys think the BBC's coverage was worse than speedvisions? I love watching races with plenty of overtaking where I don't see a single pass live.

Having it at silverstone has one big advantage - It makes it so CART replaces F1!

I don't know enough about the UK tracks, where is the old Silverstone from the days of yore, built on WWII runways?

[Lee Janotta]

It's the same site, Snrub. Just proof of what a perpetual work-in-progress Silverstone's been since the first chicane was put in for the 1975 Grand Prix. It's no longer recognizable.

There's a great series of maps here which show you the changes that've been made to the track map over the half a century and change.

http://www.racingcircuits.net/United...lverstone.html

CART doesn't need to race at a mess like that. Brands Hatch and American open-wheel racing have a history.

Donnington's an excellent track, I'd like to see it host the GP. But as CART's not so anal about sanitizing circuits, I'd rather see them at the beautiful, flowing Brands GP circuit.

[Lee Janotta]

Ah, found an aerial view of Silverstone, sort of shows the mess, though it's the upper-left corner that _really_ has the most problems.

[macdaddy]

Thanks for getting us those links, Lee.

[Lee Janotta]

Not a problem. You know what a circuit geek I am.

[SteveA]

Bring F1 to Rockingham. Couldn't be any worse than Indy!

[Snrub]

Originally posted by SteveA
Bring F1 to Rockingham. Couldn't be any worse than Indy!

Despite the track critism, etc. I think the F1 race at indy is one of their best. It had something not normally seen in F1, passing!

[Rambo]

I remember Silverstone when it was that superfast, high speed circuit. That was something. Now it's pretty poor, average sort of stuff. The International circuit is pretty good for the touring cars and such, though.

The F1 circuit at Indy is pretty good because it has a high speed area with a tight turn at the end - always good for overtaking banzai barges, and very different sections meaning the cars are hard to set up - causing people to carry different amounts of wing and thus speed differences on the straight also give passing opportunities.

In some ways, ruined as the circuit was, the A1 ring is a far better circuit than the old oesterreichring because of the hairpins - which provide overtaking opportunities the flowing curves of the old circuit lacked. In the way that ppl complain of Donnington's 'flow' being broken by the GP loop, the hairpins do provide overtaking chances - probably rather more than at Brands.

[Lee Janotta]

Hmm... The only change to the Österreichring that I like is the turn 3 hairpin... That's a good downhill braking zone, and an excellent angle. Sadly, it meant killing the banked Boschkurve.

Without the Dr. Tiroch kurve, though, it's a _sad_ shadow of it's old self... The current turn 1 is a nightmare with a completely blind apex.