Formula 1 returns to the United States in 2012

[Hathaway Browne]

It's an interesting track.How would you name the turns?  (I would call the 3rd turn The Intimidator, but that's just me.)

To be honest, I don't care what they name them, so long as they actually do name them something as opposed to the incredibly bland trend of new circuits with just numbers corners.

I'd love them to include a reference to Wandering Creek somewhere - those esses (turn 3-5) look prime for that name.

[oddball]

It's an interesting track.How would you name the turns? (I would call the 3rd turn The Intimidator, but that's just me.)

To be honest, I don't care what they name them, so long as they actually do name them something as opposed to the incredibly bland trend of new circuits with just numbers corners.

I'd love them to include a reference to Wandering Creek somewhere - those esses (turn 3-5) look prime for that name.

A turn needs to earn a corner name, not just give one to it. If you're building a track from scratch, you just can't give it a random name, there needs to some signifcance to a corner to earn the name. To call turn 3 after Earhnhardt is ridiculous. Why? Because he had nothing to do with F1 or the track. Plus this is in Austin, not North Carolina. There's no correlation between Earnhardt and the trak or F1. Just my thoughts.

[RedRenesis]

That is literally tons of dirt to move (or import) within that plot of land to make those elevation changes.

My understanding was that the plot of land they are building on has enough natural elevation changes to make a design like this possible.

As an aside, I love the layout but think it has more possibility being run in a clockwise direction.

[oddball]

That is literally tons of dirt to move (or import) within that plot of land to make those elevation changes.

My understanding was that the plot of land they are building on has enough natural elevation changes to make a design like this possible.

As an aside, I love the layout but think it has more possibility being run in a clockwise direction.

I just find the start/finish line to be in an odd placement before that huge hill.

[rainmaker17]

That is literally tons of dirt to move (or import) within that plot of land to make those elevation changes.

My understanding was that the plot of land they are building on has enough natural elevation changes to make a design like this possible.

Exactly. Austin is really hilly.

[Hathaway Browne]

A turn needs to earn a corner name, not just give one to it. If you're building a track from scratch, you just can't give it a random name, there needs to some signifcance to a corner to earn the name. To call turn 3 after Earhnhardt is ridiculous. Why? Because he had nothing to do with F1 or the track. Plus this is in Austin, not North Carolina. There's no correlation between Earnhardt and the trak or F1. Just my thoughts.

I do agree, there is a risk that they could just start naming corners randomly after US drivers, but it wouldn't be as bad if they named them after legendary F1 drivers from the America. The likes of Phil Hill, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney etc.

[RedRenesis]

I just find the start/finish line to be in an odd placement before that huge hill.

That hill seemed to me to be Austin's take on the Eau Rouge - Raidillon complex. The spot that I think could be interesting if run in reverse is turn 10. If you came into that turn in a clockwise direction that seems to me it would be nearly a blind apex. That could be a very challenging corner.

[Hathaway Browne]

Slightly off topic, but here's an onboard of the new Korea International Circuit from Sunday (9/5)

Austin has now passed its first test. I doubt they'll have a track in a state like that 6 weeks before the start of the event.