Samson Park Circuit.

[Chiefy]

Here is the SAMSON PARK CIRCUIT. There are two pictures - the basic track outline and then the more detailed overview of grandstands and run-off areas. Light grey "walls" alongside the track are in fact walls. I wanted the circuit to incorporate the street circuit feel, with close barriers - but I did not want to overlook faster "straights" with big corners and reasonable run-off zones. The first few corners are very angular, in an effort to be replicate American street circuit corners, or some similar style. The track incorporates a couple of chicanes and one hairpin. The blue represents a manmade lake.

Feel free to make comments and alterations of your own if you wish - as long as you make clear your reasons why!

I've been absent from these forums for ages and just thought I'd have a little look around.

Chiefy.

[Rockmunky]

Hmm.. i like the general idea, and the faster stuff is really good. There's a nice range of corners too.


My only niggle is the first few turns, they're asking for a lap 1 accident really.

[Mike_Wooshy]

I think also making it Anti clockwise might also improve it......

[Yannick]

Originally Posted by Chiefy

Most of the blot shape and corner shapes of this circuit are really enjoyable - still the track has some issues. As my forespeakers have already pointed out, one of those is the combination from Turn 1 to Turn 4. I don't mind Turn 1 and Turn 2 being as tight as they are, but with a First Lap Melee probable to some extent, it's madness to have absolutely no runoff there, as you would risk having the whole field running into that wall in synchronicity.
The next problem is also one of safety: it concerns the ever-tightening fast left-hand bow through which cars turn around the lake, which also has no runoff because of the wall, and I think this section is too fast for that. I'm unsure about what could be done there, though.
Problem No.3 is yet another wall: the one that cars with a technical failure would run straight into on the outside of the hairpin at the end of the straight on the other side of the lake. My suggestion to solve this is shortening the straight leading up to the hairpin to create space in front of the wall.
Problem No. 4 is the next wall, on the bow leading away from the hairpin. That's kind of Tamburello-ish circa 1994. The solution might resemble something like the bow leading up to the Adelaide Hairpin at Magny-Cours: It's got some runoff on the outside. To find space for that, I'd suggest moving the grandstand to the other side of the track, outside of the wall. That way, spectators could see more as well, even look across the lake.
And Problem No. 5 is the wall just before the pit entrance. That also could be solved by pulling the track away from the wall, maybe removing the final chicane in the process.

Now all I can do is wish you and your track good luck for the FIA homologation process

[Chiefy]

Thanks for comments.

I've taken suggestions on board and come up with the following:
01) The opening corners have been simplified and awarded slightly more in terms of run-off. The wall is retained down the straight.
02) Around the lake, nothing changes. When the long left-hander reaches its tightest, there is existing run-off in case of emergency.
03) At the hairpin a small amount of run-off has been incorporated but space here is limited. I didn't really want to change the shape of the circuit so I'm afraid I neglected to actually move the corner further from the wall!
04) The grandstand was moved for reasons offered by Yannick. Smart thinking. Run-off was added in place of the grandstand on the inside of the track, in case of accidents.
05) The wall before the pitlane remains in place. There are several tracks where run-off is very limited and it was my intention that this track should remain compact where possible - in the same sense and style that Monaco is. It's not a rip-off, just a track that thinks in a similar way!

Hopefully you'll think it's a little better - however obvious my unwillingness to actually alter the circuit!

[Alwaysfirst]

Well as this seems to be more of a parkland circuit rather than an actual street track I have treated is as such.



I think you have to more realistic about runoff for a start. Even at tracks like Monaco after the longer straights there is considerable runoff (such as at the Chicane). Therefore, I have added much more runoff, although in a street circuit style. What I have done isn't excessive but is considerably less than the norm at most tracks.

Circuitwise, I haven't changed that much really, just smoothed it out slightly. The first corner has been changed & the corner after the next slow corner (T6?) has been moved in very slightly. The next real change after that is next to the lake. I have moved the corner in towards the lake a bit. This allows for more runoff, which, like it or not, would be an absolute must on this type of track. Even tracks like Montreal which have a very street feel about them allow runoff on longer, faster corners like this. At the hairpin, due to the slight inwards move of T6 there is now enough room for runoff-again important after a straight into a very tight hairpin. After the next straight I really didn't see the point of that small esse type corner-too tight to be spectacular & too loose to allow much overtaking, so I got rid of it, creating a longer run to the next corner, a double apex tightening corner. I liked the next section & so have kept it, just changing the final corner sequence slightly.

The layout of this track also allows for short circuit options so I've added a couple of those as well.

I don't think that I've ruined the street feel of the track, but have made it more realistic, I hope. I do really like the track & with the faster corners & a bit of elevation change I can see it being a bit like a modern Montjuic Park.

[Yannick]

Hey, that track is a real beauty now.

[shambles]

As ever, A_F pulls off a gem.