Track Limits

  • Thread starter Jimlaad43
  • 49 comments
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This issue of track limits is a tough one. Back in "the good old days", the side of my home track was populated with trees, large rocks, earth embankments and a precipitous plunge to some railroad tracks. In Europe, I could see hedges, ditches, stone bollards, trees, barbed wire fences, and buildings at the trackside. Today, one of my local circuits has gravel outside of a turn folks like to spin at, causing lots of yellow flag time ruining the race for the other drivers as marshals sweep the stuff sway only for it to return at the next spinout.
 
Liquid
I know it did happen this year quite significantly with Fernando Alonso but I would be interested to know the statistics for this; how often has an F1 car flipped over when going into the gravel trap? I can't think of too many occasions where it was the actual act of digging into the gravel which turned the car over rather than the car's intertia from an intial collision/sideswipe.
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The main instance, that I can think of, of the gravel flipping a car is this one.



Senna's car only flipped at the peraltada when it hit the tyres. It skated through the gravel with no issues up that point (as did Gachot.)

 
daan
The main instance, that I can think of, of the gravel flipping a car is this one.



Senna's car only flipped at the peraltada when it hit the tyres. It skated through the gravel with no issues up that point (as did Gachot.)

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More examples:

Zonta's car was flipped before even making the tyre wall.


Michael Schumacher did it too

Here's an example of a rolled car skating along safely upside down, until it hits the gravel.
 
"That flatspot from when he was trying to lap Jacques Villeneuve"

Controversial Jacques strikes again.
 
Dotini
This issue of track limits is a tough one. Back in "the good old days", the side of my home track was populated with trees, large rocks, earth embankments and a precipitous plunge to some railroad tracks.
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I assume you're talking about Pacific/SIR here yeah? (You're from Seattle right?) If so, what good old days?! That track is still basically the same as it was in 1980, and is easily the most dangerous track I've ever driven on. The wall outside of 2 is like 3 feet away, the outside of 3B is still a tree-covered fall to railroad tracks, and the outside of 7 is basically a cliff (which a guy went down a few years ago in an NSX and almost died)!
Normally I'm not hugely in favor of giant tarmac runoffs, but Pacific could sure use some :lol: That track is terrifying to drive at speed. Especially now locally being able to compare it to The Ridge, it's just silly.
 
HighSeasHoMastr
I assume you're talking about Pacific/SIR here yeah? (You're from Seattle right?) If so, what good old days?! That track is still basically the same as it was in 1980, and is easily the most dangerous track I've ever driven on. The wall outside of 2 is like 3 feet away, the outside of 3B is still a tree-covered fall to railroad tracks, and the outside of 7 is basically a cliff (which a guy went down a few years ago in an NSX and almost died)!
Normally I'm not hugely in favor of giant tarmac runoffs, but Pacific could sure use some :lol: That track is terrifying to drive at speed. Especially now locally being able to compare it to The Ridge, it's just silly.
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Great to hear from a neighbor!!

Yeah, the good old days really weren't that good. :sly: But SIR was my favorite track. What have you run there?

My first laps were in the early 60's, first as a passenger in an MG-A and later a Corvette. My SCCA license test was in a BMW 700S. I recall testing a Lotus 20 Formula Jr. I raced a Burnett Mk I and a Trans-Am Camaro there. All back in the 60's and early 70's. But I think my quickest lap came in the '90's with my RZ-350 laydown kart, ~ 1:28. My best, most fun laps came from my 80cc laydown Emmick as recently as 4-5 years ago.

The Ridge is good, save for that final hairpin where the gravel gets onto the track. My favorite new circuit though is ORP.
 
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Samus
What is beyond the white lines would be completely irrelevant if they just executed properly the basic rule that the cars have to stay within them at all times.
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They shouldn't have to enforce it. Formula One is the only category I know of that has this problem. It's only emerged in the past two or three years, and quite frankly, you can lay it at the feet of one man - Sebastian Vettel.
 
prisonermonkeys
They shouldn't have to enforce it. Formula One is the only category I know of that has this problem. It's only emerged in the past two or three years, and quite frankly, you can lay it at the feet of one man - Sebastian Vettel.
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Vettel is probably the worst offender but he's far from the only one or the first one, all drivers do it because they know they can get away with it thanks to wimpy, inconsistent stewards. I remember Raikkonen making his own track on several occasions as far back as his McLaren days.

As more and more tracks move to flat kerbs and tarmac run off it's only going to get worse. Certain corners have always been abused like Hockenheim T1 and RBR T1, exit of Ascari chicane, long before Vettel turned up.
 
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Bob Fearnely made an interesting point in an interview on Motorsport.com
he said that F1 has the technology that would allow cars to be tracked, and if they went over the lines, make the car derate for a certain amount of time. That way, you don't have to deal with messy penalties or warnings, as the penalty is instant
 
Only if the driver in front is a certain N. Rosberg.

if you see the car in front go wide, thetll lose some power, so you can avoid them and pass.
 
I don't think we need video game solutions in real life. Just track them and give time penalties, as we do for all other infringements.
 

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