Dream Calendar

[Gt_R]

So much have been discussed about the dream cars, dream team, dream driver pairings...why not the dream calendar.
Tracks that are to be included are those that are challenging, and have good facilities, while promoting wheel to wheel actions. Not some silly tight techincal tracks.

So after some surfing at http://ds.dial.pipex.com/norris.norris/racingcars.htm

i thought of my own dream F1 calendar
1)Melbourne, Aus (nice circuit, place)
2)Interlagos,Brazil (challenging, overtaking at senna S)
3)Indianapolis, US (2000 has proven a classic)
4)Montreal, Cananda (fast straights, MayheM at first corner)
5)Monaco (high prestige)
6)Barcelona Spain*
7)Imola, San Marino (the atmosphere, better if they get rid of first chicane)
8)Nurburgring, Lux (great racing in the wets)
9)Donington Park,Uk (replace Silverstone- facilities 2 poor)
10)Spa, Belgium (Eau Rouge, Bus stop...wOw)
11)Lausitzring, Germany (replace Hockenhiem)
12)Magny Cours* (we need at least 2 slower technical circuit)
13)A1-ring,Austria (fast straights, lots overtaking chances)
14)Estoril, Portugal*
15)Monza, Italy* (temple of speed, and TIFOSI rules)
16)Sepang, Malaysia
17)Zhuhai,China (replace Hungary which sucks)
18)Suzuka, Japan (classic championship decider)

Test circuits
Circuits above with a *
and Valencia, Jerez, Mugello, Silverstone

I always disliked Hungary, boring racing with no overtaking. Would have got rid of Barcelona too, if not for the need to have racing in Spain to keep the spanish sponsors happy!~ Oh, the numbers indicate the sequence, and they are in a nice route round the globe to save travel $$ and are a mixture of fast to slow to fast circuits, to keep things interesting!~

Your views please....just dont tell me i am crazy, or scold me for the ridding of Silverstone, which i love for its history!~

[Gt_R]

Darn...realised a glaring mistake

I'd take Barcelona down and put Hockenhiem back into business again...meanwhile, barcelona can continue to be for testing!`

[LYM]

Gt_R

No Silverstone? Kinda of against the traditionalist innit? (and the British teams...)

The schedule puts most of the GP in wet seasons....that will please the rainmaster(s).

[Don K]

Originally posted by Gt_R
Darn...realised a glaring mistake

I'd take Barcelona down and put Hockenhiem back into business again...meanwhile, barcelona can continue to be for testing!`

So you want to have:

- Nurburgring for Luxembourg
- Lausitzring for Germany
- Hockenheim for Spain

and still keep the spanish sponsors happy?

[Carla O]

Ok kill me, but i'd take Monaco out... I think it's in the Calendar just because of all the money that goes around in there. Never liked it that much.

I agree with Estoril, even though i think they half ruined the circuit now.

And if you have Imola for San Marino and Nurburgring for Luxembourg....


Silverstone - Scotland
Brands Hatch - Wales
Donnington - England
some other english circuit - Ireland!

[Dhru]

Keep Monaco, it's one of the best races of the season. It is one of the few places where drivers are running so close to the barriers and it really seperates the best from the rest. Just look at the roll of winners, besides Coulthard and Panis, in recent years it has been won be WDCs. Also it provides amazing action during the rain.
Dhru.

[RussianFriend]

Call me a bore or a miser,but I want to keep Hungaroring. This is the most cheap circuit all over the F1 world. And If I only could anywhen buy a ticket it would be Hungaroring. The only point to be considered: it should meet my holyday.

[Jay]

I would move the US GP from the Indy circuit, which proved slow and boring, to Elkhart Lake (As close as you will come to Spa in North America).

[TimD]

Excellent topic. Really good. A chance for old fogeys like me to really go on one...

How about starting the season in February with....

R1 - South African GP at Kyalami - including the undulating mile plus of Crowthorne straight.
R2 - Brazilian GP at Interlagos.

It's getting warmer in Europe now, so it's time for a March date for the
R3 - San Marino GP at Imola, but reprofile Tamburello so it's the same shape it always was, but in the interests of safety, have a shorter run to it from the start, so you can have a decent runoff.
R4 - European GP at Donington.
R5 - Monaco naturally.
R6 - French GP at Magny Cours
R7 - German GP at the REAL Nurburgring, not the modern, sanitised one.
R8 - Austrian GP at the Osterreichring, just as it always was, although the start/finish could do with a spot of widening...
R8 - Czech GP at Brno. Radical, huh? A far better circuit than the Hungaroring for an Eastern European track, and if it's good enough for the Historic F1 circus, it's got to be good for the current crop too.
R9 - Belgum, at Spa-Francorchamps, of course. Would it be asking too much to have the whole circuit restored for this, too?
R10 - Dutch GP at Zandvoort. It's criminal that they don't use this any longer.
R11 - British GP at Brands Hatch - which doesn't need any wussy FIA reprofiling. It's fine as it is.
R12 - Italian GP, at Monza needless to say - but a Monza without a hint of a chicane anywhere in sight. We want SLIPSTREAMING and lots of it.
R13 - Portugese GP at Estoril. The old Estoril, before they put the mickey-mouse bit in it.
R14 - US GP East at the wonderful, and under-used Watkins Glen in New York State.
R15 - Canadian GP at Montreal.
R16 - US GP (II) at Elkhart Lake (Jay you're a genius). But we've got to be sure that it remains un-Ecclestoned.
R17 - Japanese GP at Suzuka.
R18 - Australian GP, back at Adelaide street circuit (sorry Melbourne) where the Aussie race was always the happiest of season closers.

There ya go. That should bring us round to early November, which will be just about enough time for the teams to cobble their next years cars together in time for Kyalami after Christmas.

Oh, and I'd ban testing.

Any team that wants to prove any new tweaks and innovations is required to enter their test drivers in a non-championship race weekend. These will be at places such as Silverstone, Paul Ricard, Barcelona, Indy, Rheims, Pau....

[EERO]

Tim, I like your list but would dump Magny Cours for Rouen Les Essarts or Clermont-Ferrand.

Elkhart Lake would be amazing to see, but I think Long Beach back on the calendar would be a lot more fun-but no matter the cost; "Bring Back The Glen!!!!"

To you heretics who propose abandonng Monaco: Shame on you!
Its the whole shebang.

[Tris]

Hi all here is my opinion on the subject.

1.) Zandvoort. I agree with TimD here! But the track would have to be in it’s old configuration, when it was the best out and out track for racing there was.

2.) Avus. If you have not heard of this let me elaborate: The Avus track was part of an Autobahn with a corner at either end. The track was 19.363 Km. The Original corners were flat but the north kurve was later banked in 1937 when the course was shortened to 6.31Km. I know it is not the most demanding track but it would be a really amazing race I think?

Tris

[angst]

Tim - excellent list but as with EERO I'd go for Rouen as the French Grand Prix. But everything else is perfect. Give F1 it's slicks back, give the teams CART regs with F1 engines and we're away...

[TimD]

D'oh!

Rouen-les-Essarts! How could I forget dear old Rouen?

It's settled then - cast Magny Cours into the outer darkness where it belongs, and the French GP in my calendar heads directly to Rouen. Perfect!


Oh, one other thought. My dream F1 series would incorporate some stable regulations, and a requirement for every engine manufacturer to offer customer motors. My grids would have a Class B for previous years' cars powered by these engines.

[R]

OK! After some thinking, here's my dream calendar:

1) South Africa, Kyalami - I like the track, and I think F1 should be on all continents possible. Bring it back as the season opener like it was in 92 and 93.

2) Australia, Melbourne - I prefer this over Adelaide, I think it's a good track despite being quite new. I would keep it on my calendar, though not as season opener.

3) Brazil, Interlagos - Anti-clockwise and the best track in South America IMO.

4) San Marino, Imola - It's a good track after being revised, and I would keep it on the calendar in its current shape.

5) UK, Donington - Forget Silverstone, forget Brands Hatch, Donington is the place where I would stage the British GP. Remember Senna in 93 there? And I would limit Britain to one GP as well.

6) Europe, Nurburgring - OK, this is the real deal, and the only reason why Germany gets two races. I want this race on the old track of course, not the dreadful Mickey Mouse new one.

7) Monaco - It's the classical F1 track. Of course it should be on the calendar.

8) Canada, Montreal

9) France, Magny-Cours - I like this track, which produces exciting overtaking attempts in the tight hairpin.

10) Germany, Hockenheim

11) Norway, Rudskogen - An obvious choice, can't imagine why nobody else has included it. Plus it's only a few kilometers from where I live. A few easy upgradings make this track well suitable for F1.

12) Holland, Zandvoort - This is a track I've only seen on documentaries, but I think it's a great track and would have it included in my calendar.

13) Belgium, Spa - Obvious. The greatest track in current F1 of course also has a place in my calendar. I would keep it in its current shape, it's great the way it is.

14) Italy, Monza - I would remove all chicanes apart from Ascari, which is a nice flowing one, and then this track would be excellent.

15) USA, Indianapolis - A great start for this new track, and it stays in my calendar. Maybe I would make some changes on the infield section though.

16) Japan, Suzuka

17) Malaysia, Sepang - I must admit I'm not sure if I would keep this track on the calendar in the long run, but it gets the benefit of the doubt for now, being as new as it is, it still is interesting.

Tracks that drop out of my calendar then: Silverstone, New Nurburgring, Barcelona, Zeltweg, Hungaroring. Of these, I would keep Barcelona as reserve circuit.