Racetrack
design is becoming an important part of modern Formula 1. Circuits such as
the super-fast and super-smooth track at Magny-Cours in France and the
famous street circuit at Monte Carlo in Monaco, have been modified to
improve safety and overtaking as organisers upgrade facilities in a bid to
keep their place in the F1 World Championship alongside more traditional
venues. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is a classic example. It is
the same in the field of road construction, too, where the focus lies on
making accident hotspots safer, or even avoiding them completely.
Each year Formula 1 returns to its roots on the Silverstone circuit in
England, where races have been run since 1950. But can you imagine Formula 1
without Silverstone? In an effort to safeguard its future, the organisers
have implemented a massive re-generation programme.
In total, more than 25 million euros have been invested – partly on
improving the access roads and car parks. A great deal of care and
sensitivity was needed for converting the track itself. At Stowe Corner for
example, the run-off zone has been asphalted. When potential angles of
impact are less than 30 degrees, the Federation Internationale d’Automobile
(FIA) recommends a smooth, continuous track barrier, allowing the cars to
slide along the crash barriers or walls more easily, and in so doing, reduce
the impact energy considerably. Alternatively, there are now several new
gravel traps at those corners with less dangerous angles of impact, plus
modernised or extended crash barriers and fences – such as at Copse Corner
at the end of the start/finish straight. This change has had a dramatic
effect. “The race organisers have to keep up with the times,” said Gavin
Fisher, chief designer at WilliamsF1. “Formula 1 needs tracks that fulfil
the latest safety standards and at the same time satisfy the demands of the
fans. Meanwhile, the drivers and teams also want an entertaining,
challenging track.” |
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The organisers
at Silverstone are not the only ones who have brought in the excavators to
implement modernisation work. In an attempt to increase the number of
overtaking possibilities, long corners are being converted into tight, wide
hairpins, while at the same time safety is being improved with spacious
run-off zones.
Monte Carlo: As a replacement for the crowded provisional pits at this
famous circuit, permanent pit facilities with garages for all the teams will
be built for the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix. Land will be reclaimed from the
yacht marina to create the necessary space and an additional 5,000-seat
grandstand will be erected.
Nürburgring: The ’Ring was converted for the 2002 season. As well as the
start/finish straight, extra grandstands were added providing space for an
additional 8,000-10,000 spectators. For 2003, the chicane before the final
corner has also been modified. Two tighter corners and a short straight
between them are designed to prevent short cuts over the kerbs, and at the
same time to encourage overtaking.
Magny-Cours: Two new, right-hand corners before the Chateau-d’Eau hairpin
provide new overtaking opportunities. Just before the start/finish straight,
the widened track leads into the new Complexe du Lycee, which has to be
taken at just 80 km/h. The new exit from the pit lane has been made safer
because the cars can now return to the track at racing speed.
Budapest: The start/finish straight has been extended by 250 metres and now
ends with a tight bend to the right. The corner has also been widened to
make overtaking possible. At the same time, the run-off zones and the
retaining fences have been enlarged. A tight right-hand corner has also been
added just before the finishing straight.
Suzuka: This track has numerous corners and much larger run-off zones have
been added. The organisers have also extended the safety zones in the Degner
Curve and 130R corner. All the emergency routes around the track have also
been renovated.
The benchmark for track safety is undoubtedly the brand new high-tech
Circuit Paul Ricard near Le Castellet, France. F1 supremo, Bernie
Ecclestone, owns this famous facility, and it’s now one of the most
technologically advanced test circuits in the world. The run-off zones have
been constructed from special, super-sticky asphalt, which is designed to
slow the cars down faster, and cause less damage, than traditional gravel.
In order to distinguish between the safety zones and the track itself, the
run-off areas are painted with vivid red and blue stripes. Moreover,
computer signalling systems have been installed which are designed to make
the flag-waving marshals superfluous, plus the track features one of the
most sophisticated irrigation systems ever to be installed on a race track,
allowing teams to test with dry, intermediate and full wet tyres.
Many of these circuit based conversion measures are also boosting safety in
modern road construction. If there is a high frequency of accidents, it is
stipulated that the relevant accident hotspots must be made less dangerous.
"Preventive measures should particularly be taken on country roads," says
Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, a safety expert at the Allianz Centre for
Technology in Munich, “because that is where serious accidents often happen.
Appropriate measures include safe overtaking zones, suitable speed limits
and speed-monitoring devices, or protective devices such as barriers, for
example, that can protect roads lined with trees.” As further possible
points, Dr. Lauterwasser also suggested traffic-related light signals or
flyovers at heavily frequented intersections.
Ideally, safety should be a focal point at the beginning of the draft phase
of any new road improvement scheme. Most countries – and Great Britain is
one – conduct road-safety tests, or safety audits, in parallel to the
planning process. In Germany, for instance, after a pilot phase in the state
of Brandenburg, safety audits have to be carried out for all renovations,
extensions or new development work. They have the task of detecting safety
flaws in the initial design, approving any traffic schemes and then
recommending proposals to remedy any problems. In this way, testing by
independent auditors guarantees additional safety aspects in the design.
While the conversion and safety measures in Formula 1 can be concentrated on
16 circuits, the road network in Germany alone covers a total area of over
230,000 kilometres – which makes the job for the road designers that much
harder. |
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