The Ultimate Circuit

The May 2004 issue of F1Racing magazine has a very interesting feature called "The Ultimate Circuit." What they have done is to take together all the greatest corners, curves and chicanes from circuits from around the world, combined them all into one single circuit.

The corners were selected by interviewing a selection of racing drivers, Formula 1 technical directors and engineers and even some journalists. Among them include Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda, Gerhard Berger, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber, Patrick Head, Gary Anderson and a host of other people.

After selecting the corners for the ultimate circuit, F1 Racing magazine called upon Hermann Tilke, yes the same one lambasted on this blog for his atrocious circuit designs, to bring all the corners together to make the ultimate circuit. At first, when I read his name, my heart immediately sank. However, looking at the final circuit diagram, it was a releif because it was actually well done.

The only thing I have to say is that not one of the people interviewed gave a single corner from a circuit designed by Hermann Tilke, with the exception of Mark Webber who liked the Nuburgring chicane at Magny Cours. Magny Cours as you may know actually copies a lot of corners from other race tracks. I have no doubt the Nurburgring chicane actually comes from the Nurburgring circuit.

But Mark's choice is only one out of seventeen corners selected. Most of the corners were fast ones as you may have guessed. They come from mostly older circuits. Of course Eau Rouge was featured. The old Osterreichring's (now A1 ring) Boschkurve was another. Michael Schumacher loves the 130R at Suzuka. Brands Hatch sequence of fast corners starting from Hawthorn to Westfield to Dingle Dell was another popular choice. Now these are people who know what it's all about. As a long time spectator of the sport I really miss the old circuits that were super fast and far more spectacular than the bland varities on offer these days.

So you see Hermann Tilke, no one likes your slow hairpin infested circuits. You f***ing idiot!! Interestingly, Tilke estimates the ultimate circuit would cost something in the region of half a billion dollars to build. He is also quoted as saying "If I could build something like that, it would be even longer, with even more corners..." Yeah, no doubt you would infest it with hairpin upon hairpin just like the ones you build now.

Hermann Tilke is just another example of the FIAs and FOAs ludicrous running of the sport today. They've completely made it Mikey Mouse and its time fans spoke out against the stupidity. This Malaysian racing fan, fully condemns the design of Sepang with its drag race upon drag race. So good is it for a drag race that once every couple of months, a drag race event is held there in front of the pit straight. Best circuit in the world? Look again cronies.