I'm a huge aviation fan, and air races are cool, but they are almost abstract, because their really is no track, theyre is a 3 dimensional corridor that the aircraft have to maneuver through the quickest. F1 has a two dimensional corridor, with breif introductions to the 3rd dimension on certain tracks. Yes they are capable of doing this and that, but the question is should they. Actually the question is how do we fix F1, well it seems to me like everybody I know, and the majority of the population in the United States thinks its boring. Maybe everybody else on the planet has a little better taste, but bite the bullet for TV ratings here. Whats better than to create a cool gimmick to make the racing different from anything else on earth. I say, bring the third dimension on, even if it is hot wheels. They don't have to run an upside down track, say they add 90 degree banking to a couple corners, just to look wicked. The corner could be in the shape of a bowl at the bottom, so if drivers need to bail they've got a place to go. Can't be too tight, the banking wouldn't actually provide that much extra grip, it would be in a very long sweeping corner so if the drivers need to pull off its not impossible. However, there would be enogh turn in the corner to generate a small amount of verticle G, say 1.5G so the cars were stable and could be maneuvered without falling to the bottom of the track. Just an idea for those who don't like the upside down track.
And if we want crazier, does anybody remember that game by Atari, Hard Drivin? That thing had loop-D's and Corckscrews and all kinds of crazy stuff. The corckscrew could be a literal feature of a track instead of a wicked Chicane at Laguna Seca. Take the pipe idea, but cut out any area that wasn't part of the paved surface, suspend it like a bridge, and bingo presto. Nothing to run into except for the foam pit or whatever you want to choose and we have visible upside down racing for a short period with limited G loads. It would probably be closer to 1G than most of the corners, with no disorientating effects because the drivers always feel like they are being pressed down. Hell if Fighter Pilots can maneuver at 4-9G's for a sustained period of time, I think F1 drivers could handle Earth gravity for a corkscrew without getting too fatigued.
Yes, these ideas are ridiculous, no I don't expect them to be implemented on the F1 circuit ever, nor do I hope they do. But it sure would be cool to see once or twice!
