Improve F1 Tracks-Barcelona
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Second in my series of how to improve the current F1 tracks. This one is the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. Ive added many new parts to the track to improve the ovarall racing. I’ll start at the end of the lap, Instead of the slow bumpy chicane at the last part of the lap, I have opened up the penultimate corner again, like it was in 2006. This leads to a much tighter last corner, instead of the fast right, here cars behind could close up to cars infront, or try a pass. This leads to better possibilites of overtaking on the long main straight. At the end of that straight, ive added a double hairpin instead of the fast right left chicane. This should aid the people behind as they now could pull an outbraking manouvre after getting in the slipstream on the straight. Turn 5 has been tightened to make it more of a hairpin and the quick chicane at turn 7/8 has also been tightened into a hairpin/S bend. The alterations were made considering the contours and area around the track(for example, i didnt just want to make the straight 2 miles long, as it would destroy homes and roads). Sorry for the lack of detail, but the layout was the main part. [The old layout is in grey]
To make this model, i used Google Sketchup-A free CAD tool. I imported a Google Earth picture of the track to Sketchup, and edited it from there. What do you think, and what would you do with the space provided.
I like the idea, especially with the 90-degree final corner which, being slower, would get rid of the need for that damn chicane.
My own take is that Turn 1 should be tighter, the circuit continuing as normal until Turn 4, which it will bypass and head straight to Campsa (the turn before the back straight) but keep going to the old chicane, which would be heavily tightened for overtaking and safety (it was removed in 1994). Then the lap would continue as normal, but with your modification to the last corner (ironic as I hate Bahrain’s final corner and here I am saying it should copied!).
(And of course, here’s Keith’s article https://www.racefans.net/2010/05/03/changing-tracks-circuit-de-catalunya/ as a reference)
http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/9359/barcelonaq.jpg
I’ve fiddled with practically every corner on the circuit here. The first turn is now a double-apex right, kind of like the opening bend at Motegi, but tighter. This filters into the new middle section, a sequence of nice flowing bends that curls back around to what is the third corner today. This section has a fast, sweeping entry followed by a very tight apex before opening up into another sweeper. The back section of the track connects with the Campsa corner, with a new high-speed chicaine like Waite at Albert Park. The final section involves a tightening-radius bend into a long constant-radius corner that is interrupted by a sudden right-hand kink. The final turn is now longer and tighter, but only slightly slower than it has been in the past.
I must say that’s a pretty good job you’ve done with that one. I find it hard to modify Catalunya without cutting out too many corners, so I’d probably modify my own to have Turn 4 dive down to where Turn 7 is now, to make a sharp hairpin (like was originally planned for Silverstone before The Loop came into being) and then back up to Campsa and the rest of the track.
The problem with Catalunya is that so many compromises “have” to be made. The tightening of La Caixa would have worked if the cars followed the old Campsa and chicance, but that’s put for safety reasons, and the current tighter Campsa spreads them out too much. Same with the rubbish new chicane, it hinders cars getting close enough to slipstream into Turn 1, but it “has” to be there.
I find the problem with modding Catalunya is the temptation to imasculise the whole thing and put in tight stop and go bends. Whatever you say about Spain, including it being the least drivers track and one of the least fun, it does have charater.
Whats the track editing tool your using PM?
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