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2 Sep 2005, 12:14 (Ref:1397253) | #1 | ||
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Longest Straights (Merged)
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. Code:
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 I couldn't do the new Hockenheim because the image isn't new enough. |
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2 Sep 2005, 17:01 (Ref:1397461) | #2 | ||
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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. |
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2 Sep 2005, 20:30 (Ref:1397568) | #3 | ||
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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). |
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2 Sep 2005, 20:41 (Ref:1397575) | #4 | ||
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Fuji is about 1.4. it used to be a mile when they used the banking !!
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2 Sep 2005, 20:53 (Ref:1397581) | #5 | |||
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Quote:
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) |
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2 Sep 2005, 21:04 (Ref:1397589) | #6 | ||
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RA is about 1 mile long but it has steep hill to climb up
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3 Sep 2005, 13:15 (Ref:1397932) | #7 | ||
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The famously long one you've missed is the Mistral Straight at Le Castellet. IIRC, it was 1.6km.
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3 Sep 2005, 13:19 (Ref:1397934) | #8 | ||
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also the conrod is about 1.684 K's i think !!
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3 Sep 2005, 13:27 (Ref:1397938) | #9 | ||
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I only did the ones I did where the ones I could find. I've looked for Castellet and Bathurst before with no success.
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4 Sep 2005, 15:08 (Ref:1398668) | #10 | ||
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i found bathurst but the picture is of to low res imo
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4 Sep 2005, 15:15 (Ref:1398683) | #11 | ||
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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.
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4 Sep 2005, 20:20 (Ref:1398969) | #12 | ||
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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. |
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4 Sep 2005, 21:13 (Ref:1399028) | #13 | ||
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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.
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5 Sep 2005, 00:46 (Ref:1399137) | #14 | ||
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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. |
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5 Sep 2005, 04:56 (Ref:1399189) | #15 | ||
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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).
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25 Sep 2005, 07:46 (Ref:1415787) | #16 | ||
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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.
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7 Apr 2008, 18:59 (Ref:2172563) | #17 | ||
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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). |
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7 Apr 2008, 19:38 (Ref:2172584) | #18 | ||
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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. |
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7 Apr 2008, 23:21 (Ref:2172790) | #19 | ||
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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. Last edited by AU N EGL; 7 Apr 2008 at 23:25. |
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7 Apr 2008, 23:35 (Ref:2172795) | #20 | ||
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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.
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8 Apr 2008, 01:20 (Ref:2172828) | #21 | ||
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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. |
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8 Apr 2008, 02:09 (Ref:2172836) | #22 | ||
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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 |
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8 Apr 2008, 11:16 (Ref:2173056) | #23 | |||
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Quote:
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. |
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8 Apr 2008, 14:41 (Ref:2173203) | #24 | ||
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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 |
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8 Apr 2008, 14:44 (Ref:2173206) | #25 | ||
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And disregarding the first chicane on the old Hockenheimring, the straight after the first corner would be some 3 km (1.8 mi).
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