[astro]

As you may have seen in the clubs thread, Kev is seriously thinking of opening a club in Yorkshire area. It will be aimed at newbies, people who don't want to modify their cars too much and initially have some 'close to box standard mag racing' rules. There seem to be no clubs offering this sort of racing in the area.

Kev asked me to come up with a track design. We were both impressed with pheonix's 6 laner, so have 'borrowed' some of the general parameters - 6 lane and 50 meter track length. We wanted to avoid features that were as challenging and carnage inducing as the bus stop, good though it is.

Visibility of the track for the drivers has been taken into account - the height of each of the runs on this design are critical for that and cant be propperly illustrated; Also marshalling has been taken into consideration.

criticisms and advice gratefully appreciated!

Cheers

Dave

 

[GRAH1]

Intresting plan but the marshal will obscure the drivers view of the small loop and the lower inner loop seems slightly inacessable for the marshal who has to cover a couple of corners.
It is difficult for a marshall to watch more than one corner when races are in progress ,it always leads to shouting when some one comes off,

 

[Gaugemaster Controls]

Astro, wouldn't you be better having the racers standing to the left on this diagram? That way their view of the circuit is not obscured by marshalls.

Dandy

 

[astro]

ace feedback, keep it coming!

might move the loop to the right so it is more in the middle, but will need an extra couple of marshalls. Is this track requiring a lot of marshalls for a layout of this size, or is it about right?

I dont want to move the racers position, because it would have big repercussions on the rest of the tracks visibility due to raised sections and bridges obscuring other curves, though if major reworking is required, it is a possibility.

Also what do people think of the ratio of curves to straights? Should I put more wiggles in the straights so the track isnt a test of which car has the best straight line speed, or are there enough curves already?

cheers again

Dave

 

[tDI_Fahrer]

About the straights... there are lots of straights ha?
Won't the track become boring after a while?
And there are lots of exact same corners after eachother. Thinkin the cars will drive clockwise they have 6 exact same bends after eachother when they pass by the elevated section where the drivers stand.

Just my opinion...

G.

 

[GRAH1]

if it gets boring drive faster

 

[mtucker666]

If going clockwise then there will be an issue on the straight nearest the drivers station. The inner lane that is under other straight will have its braking zone blind - be OK for mag cars but for non-mag cars it will be a bit of a bugger.

I'd also add some kinks in to at least one of the long straights and vary the radius of some of the corners. I'd have at least one 180degree curve with the following combo: start with a outer curve followed by a standard curve then an single inner curve followed by a standard curve and lastly an outer curve ie increasing tightning gives a natural racing line (even better if you put a outer curve facing the other way prior to the curve). The outer lane starts with an outer outer curve etc, etc. Really good curves to race around. I'd recomend as many diff curve combo so no one curve is the same.

My personal opinion is I don't like the round-a-bout - just not real and it will be a real bugger to marshall. Picking a car from under a fly-over is asking for trouble and curves = deslots, so I would not mix the two up in a design.

Also marshalling all the corners near the dirvers station could be an issue in terms of imparing driver visibility and marshal access to the corners

Lastly - its huge and if I were up north I'd join your club!
Matt

 

[jonny s]

Looking good for a start and it does take time to get it spot on.

I reckon with what is in effect two fly overs then the red lane spends too much time on the outside and lane length becomes an issue. With kids in mind too, on paper it looks neat but the width of six lanes is pushing it and there are several areas that you will not reach. The top curves on the left and the inside bottom left are difficult to reach and you are missing marshals there and middle left. Maybe bring a tape meassure to our next meeting in June.

I feel the curves are repeated too often, Matt`s suggestion is spot on. The overlapping at the start straight will cause you a def prob mate. cars will crash off there and the racers will be put off with people fumbling underneath and around them.

I like the chicane up on the right side. Also looking at this it has to be remembered that there are going to be elevated sections right? That will effect your choice of track as both Ninco and Carerra (both cheaper than Sport) don`t like toomuch undulation.

We ended up with the Z plan so don`t get down, it`ll end up looking good mate. It is fast but not outragous so will be fun. I`d come and race with you guys, mostly because your attitude is spot on!

 

[astro]

Thanks for the advice guys, did some modifications based on comments but before matt and jon's excellent comments, they will be headed in the next version!

The roundabout-spiral thing is based on a real kart track that I raced on and was quite fun for 1:1 karts. It throws the left/right curve balance, and if everyone thinks its horrible it can go, tho I think it might be fun.

Some aspects of this new version I like more, tho it seems as though the number of marshalls is increasing too much.

 

[Coopdevil]

Not sure which way around you are going?

I've raced at a track with a loop (Leicester - routed wood) and it's fun there because the exit is fast so it's a test of nerve, entering slow and trying to build enough speed to hit the exit straight at a good lick. Both ways around your loop you head out onto short straights which would ruin an attempt to get a quick exit speed so it just becomes a slow section.

The marshal who is roughly right of centre (hope you know which one I mean) will block the view to the washboard.

I agree with DG, drivers really need to be on the left. Any off in the first or last corner may end up with a marshall leaning across a driver to get to a car. First corners are always bad spots, perhaps shifting the start line to the 4th run of straight away from the drivers would be a good idea. Its difficult for a marshal to line cars up in that position.

It isn't important for the start line to be immeadiately next to the driver position.

Coop

 

[Scott B]

10 marshals and six racers - that's a big minimum number for new club.

I'd be tempted to go for four lanes - easier to learn and therefore become proficient at.

Scott

 

[Coopdevil]

If you want to keep a loop and cut down on marshals then you could consider working the loop into a corner and then needing only one marshal. So for a right hander, you could actually loop left through 270 degrees and end up heading in the originally intended direction.

Don't forgot to allow room for pit space and chairs!

Coop

 

[McLaren]

HUGE!!!

Are straights cheaper than bends?

Lotus

PS. Looks good, will be racing on it soon...

 

[jonny s]

Still two marshals missing there too. You will not get to the curves on the outside of the `paper clip` by the drivers.

I think 12 marshals is the absolute max that you would want, less is better.

How are the numbers of interested racers coming along so far guys?

 

[kevin hunter]

Jonny have a few interested so far not bad really when you consider the idea was only really floated yesterday. We'll actively canvass numbers etc when were a bit clearer what sort of set up we finalise on. Lets just get some costs for various schemes sorted then we'll see what sort of a market theres out there for what we propose to do. Premises is currently being looked into and possible grants are being looked at as i have a rather good contact in local govt

 

[Difflock]

I'd still be tempted to lose the overhang in front of the driver's area where the red lane is on top of magenta and cyan?

However, great ideas guys! Kevin & Astro I wish you well in the new venture

Mark.