what do you look for in a track

[big si]

as we are all aware the club is attempting to get an outdoor track.
what im wondering is

1) what do people look for in a track?

2) what makes a great track

3)what features would you like in a track


diagrams are more than welcome as well as sizes

please keep this on topic with no drivel folks

[niall_cochran]

something like this...

[ballsie]

What track is that Niall - is that the place where they held the TITC?

[niall_cochran]

yes it is alan, looks superb, i really like the that you can have quite a few layouts and that it looks quite tricky in some parts

[big si]

niall can you tell me if there are anymore pics of that track

[niall_cochran]

im not sure, but i will have a look

[big si]

i really like this one but it needs a few cut ins

[Dan]

The TITC track looked great ;)

[Dan]

i really like this one but it needs a few cut ins

Si,

Is that from Realrace G2?

D :cool:

[big si]

yip

[HPI Pro4]

God i loved designing tracks. Personally i hate that track which niall posted, its great having a lovely permanent track but why destroy it by throwing a load of bot dots over it. Although, saying that, its not impossible to design a track that has say 4 or more layouts with minimum interferance from bot dots/dividers.
Also one of the most important factors is if you want grass or painted run off areas. If its painted people are more likly to just go gun hoe cause they know theres nothing to stop them off track, whereas grass stops you dead. You could argue grass makes better drivers but i presume is a bitch to maintain, cutting it and stuff like morning dew getting cars soaked.

[big si]

grass or painted all depends on what we could get in the way of land!
what do you suggest in the way of track markers then if your not a fan of dots/deviders?

come on folks we need all of your ideas!

[Racing Snake]

Think of the individual things that make up a track ie

1) the straight (how you enter it/leave it ie sweepers/banks/harpins)
2) infield ie
high speed gradual corners
tight harpins
chicanes

etc etc

Personally i think if we're given the opertunity we should try to think more out of the box. What i'm getting at is most TC tracks are super flat/ no elevation changes etc so why don't we think along elevation changes but the obvious factor will be money.

But let your imagintions run wild even bad ideas can spark good ones!!!!


I THINK A CROSSOVER WOULD BE INTERESTING & A FIRST IN THE UK

[big si]

I THINK A CROSSOVER WOULD BE INTERESTING & A FIRST IN THE UK


that would be wicked but very hard to do as it would need to be 3m wide lol

[ballsie]

I like the sound of elevation changes.

Corkscrew a la Laguna Seca :lol:

[Garrypd160]

Covered rostrum with a good view of the whole track, even if theres a rather large belly standing next to you.

A decent PA system, so you can actually hear whats coming through.

Covered pitting areas with 230V power (OK I'm getting greedy now)

Have you looked at the track at the cattle market in stirling? Doesnt have any of the above right enough, but its a good track with a bit of potential. They dont have enough members to make it as good as it could be. Its not that far from you either.

[KC]

A massive table top and a bomb hole.

[Kevin Falconer]

something similar in size to carlisle or possibly a little bigger, with a mix of tight hairpins a few medium speed corners and a sweeper, i was going to suggest a sweeper off the straight as opposed to one coming on to the straight but that takes away probably the best passing place on any track (late braking up the inside into a slow corner/hairpin)

covered rostrum with plenty space for ten drivers without getting a swift elbow in the ribs would be pure bliss.

[big si]

i was going to suggest a sweeper off the straight as opposed to one coming on to the straight but that takes away probably the best passing place on any track (late braking up the inside into a slow corner/hairpin)

covered rostrum with plenty space for ten drivers without getting a swift elbow in the ribs would be pure bliss.


i like the idea of a covered rostrum would be nice not to get sun burn on the back of the neck.

a slow tight corner coming onto the straight and a sweeper coming off the straight would be good if at the end of the sweeper was a hairpin. sort of a hook if you will

that would give you the best of both world a really good passing place and a good way to find out who has more bottle and who has the better setup

[Maxxed_Ross]

I'm with most on here... covered rostrum, decent covered pits, elevation changes sound great.

An oval with an infield might be cool

[HPI Pro4]

I wasnt meaning you dont use dividers, just dont use them to define the track.

If you look at the pics in Niall post they use botdots to define areas of the track like the chicane in pic 4. That isnt any different from renting a rectangle of tarmac and putting ropes and dots all over it. Thats what everyone does just now so its pointless and completly defies the purpose of a permanent track in my eyes.

[bigchris]

A massive table top and a bomb hole.

amd a couple of step ups and step downs - not fogetting some whoops and a wall of death

chris

[Dave]

It would be good to have a long pit straight so you could have nitro's aswell.

[big si]

It would be good to have a long pit straight so you could have nitro's aswell.

were not a nitro club though!!!

although a pit lane would be good from the point of there wont need to be as many people on the track

[Dave]

Why have boundaries?

And we are only not a nitro club because we race indoor?

[big si]

sorry dave i didnt mean it like that bud
im all for running other classes outdoors but this is something for the future eh as we need to get the track first :lol:

[Dave]

Think big

Im thinking on one side we will have a top notch off-road track and on the other a minted on-road (with nitro pit lane) with the rostrum being used for both off-road and on-road and race control being under the rostrum.

[HPI Pro4]

Think big

Im thinking on one side we will have a top notch off-road track and on the other a minted on-road (with nitro pit lane) with the rostrum being used for both off-road and on-road and race control being under the rostrum.

That would be awesome, but it would take up far too much land and construstion costs would double.

Whats the deal with funding, is a track possible? I remember last year everyone was talking about a track but it went tits up when the costs came into it. Most people presumed it would only only cost 1-3 grand, which is way off, try 5 times that at the least. I think it was left at people volunteering to send letters to local businesses and the council for backing, am i right?

[Maxxed_Ross]

that has all been talked about before. Back to back tracks would be great but would need the space.

Nitro raises all sorts of noise problems and track issues. Remember how much noise they make and the oil and cr*p they spew all over the place. :mad:

[big si]

guys can i ask for you all to get back on topic please
all i need at this moment in time is ideas for the track designs leave the rest of the details be just now im working on them

[Mark McCulloch]

Si, have a look at ashby's track, been down there once before and it really is good fun. It has lots of elevation changes and a sweeper off the main straight which tightens into a hairpin. Its the most difficult track ive ever driven but very rewarding when you get it right! ;-)

[Dave]

Ashby

http://www.tamiyaeurocup.co.uk/racing_2003/images/ashby/ashbytrack1.jpg
http://www.awmcc.co.uk/assets/images/race_track_6.JPG

Snetterton
http://www.tamiyaeurocup.co.uk/racing_2004/images/snet_track.jpg
http://www.tamiyaeurocup.co.uk/racing_2004/images/snet_track_aeriel01.jpg

Carlisle
http://www.tamiyaeurocup.co.uk/racing_2004/images/carlisle_track01.jpg
http://www.tamiyaeurocup.co.uk/racing_2004/images/carlisle_track02.jpg

[Dan]

I've been to all those tracks - Ashby for the BRCA Junior's last year - cool track just wish i could have raced (bit too old!).

Went to Snetterton but unfortunately there was no racing on - looked great though and they have the biggest model shop I've ever seen on-site and the full size racing circuit next door.

I was down at the Carlisle track and they were tidying up as I arrived, looked nice - hoping to make a race there this year is I am onshore.

D :cool:

[big si]

i love the look of the ashby track very flowing

[Malcolm Williams]

Hi Si, I have not solved how to send from imaging to the forum yet so have sent my idea for a track layout via email to you M8, can you get it added for comments M8 good or bad Ha ha; probably more bad than good Eh
Malky

[big si]

malky what addy did you send it to as i havent recieved it

[Malcolm Williams]

Si, for some reason it got held up and went this morning M8, BT again, was thinking of changing, if they keep messing me around they will be losing another customer.
Hope you have it now
Malky

[big si]

pic added for malky no wonder you couldnt upload it! its was nearly 4 meg

[big si]

the only things i can say about it malky is too many banks and the rostrum would need to be at the side of the track due to the straight being in the region of 40-45m you would never see the other end of it lol

[Garrypd160]

I quite like the look of that. A banked corner at the end of the straight is good and bad. Its good when you get it right, as you can take the turn almost flat out. But its bad when you get it wrong, as flat out mistakes generally break cars.

[big si]

garry flat out mistakes anywhere will break a car not just on a bank

[Garrypd160]

Thats what I'm saying, but theres not many turns at the end of the straight that people will try to take flat out. They will try with a banked corner though.

[John Lindsay]

Seems to be an awful lot of wasted space on Malky's track aswell...



John

[Malcolm Williams]

Seems to be an awful lot of wasted space on Malky's track aswell...



John

The space was left for alternative track layouts to be added if required like the shaded area I added in John.

Si I tend to agree with the rostrum reposition that you suggest, was not thinking of the length of the main straight; as for the banked end, it was to improve the view from the original rostrum position, it could be reorganised so that the main straight is flat running into a sweep that ends up being uphill then banked on the exit.
That would mean IMHO that the track opposite the main straight would be raised instead.

Thanks for posting it Si, it was just my thoughts, the unused area could be a buggy track addition also M8
Malky:grin: :wink: smileys again Ha ha