Shanghai International Circuit

[Evo_Lee]

Just reading about the circuit now...and thought fvck what is that!
The back stretch can get up to a top speed 300 km/h.

http://response.jp/issue/2004/0924/article63957_1.images/72902.jpg

If you wondering why the circuit is designed that way, it's following around the Chinese (kanji) character for UP:
http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/ji/gifs/200x200/3069.gif

Which is also the first of 2 kanji for Shanghai:
http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/ji/gifs/200x200/3069.gifhttp://web.mit.edu/jpnet/ji/gifs/200x200/1904.gif

I also heard it was designed by the same German designer (forget name) who designed Sepang.

http://response.jp/issue/2004/0924/article63957_1.images/72903.jpg

[Zac]

That is true (the bit about the designer that designed Sepang).

[Billzilla]

It is very Sepang-like.

[Zac]

I think he did Bahrain too. Certainly aimed at promoting overtaking. Not designed like traditional tracks like original Spa, Nurburg etc which then again I guess were tracks by matter of circumstance (public roads) than anything.

[Evo_Lee]

Zac, I wouldn't be surprised...

Does look like the circuit is promoting high speed moves...though the turns do have an elements of challenge to get in front before everyone shoots off.

[Nafe]

Herman Tilke is the man you're talking of (I am pretty sure).

[Zac]

I loved that big long straight down the back today - on the first lap with every car in one long line, cars darting to the side out of the slip stream, it looked brilliant!
Apart from that the track was pretty unexciting. I concur with Martin Brundle's comments, that it had the potential to be an awesome 'hilly' circuit with ups and downs that they played with (surely they were designed into it) a little bit. It could have been alike Spa, Laguna Seca, in that respect.

[buzz]

It might have been the angles of the TV coverage that made it seem dull... the combinations of the corners and the speeds should have made for challenge where the balance of driver and car would be equally important.

I'd love to see some more closely matched cars go around there.... eg JGTCC, the LeMans series, f3/3000,.... :D or even supertaxis

[Zac]

Yeah you could be right, the big wide open areas and huge runoff areas dull the sense of speed compared to say Monaco with walls centimetres away.

[Evo_Lee]

Some good drifiting action too :p

Do you think it was the track or did everyone seem to have tire issues?
The Japanese TV coverage had a few close up on the tires when the cars pitted.

Suzuka next...may head out for that it but unlike last season Shuey has this one all wrapped already.

[Zac]

There were mega amounts of marbles off the road. Maybe it was more abrasive than they expected. Bridgestone tyres certainly aren't known for graining issues.