44 replies to this topic

[DS27]

After mentioning a corner called Knickerbrook in another thread, it just got me thinking about unusual corner names and how they came about, or supposedly came about anyway. When I was first at Oulton many years ago, an old competitior told me about this corner and how it got its name.

 

An explosives expert was apparently using dynamite to remove tree stumps that were close to the corner. After the first blast a young couple were seen to leg it, looking in some shock and disarray, from behind a bush. Subsequent investigation found the ladys undergarments in the adjacent brook, hence the name Knickerbrook.

 

I do hope this is true.

 

I'm sure there's loads more of unusual ones...?

Edited by DS27, 23 January 2016 - 18:27.

[DinocoBlue]

Great idea for a thread. I'm sorry I can't think of any unusual names or origins at the moment.

 

And I'll be the first to say that its so much better when track corners have names and not just numbers.

[PlatenGlass]

130R at Suzuka was named after someone called Jonathan 130R.

[karl100589]

Where did the name Dingle Dell come from?

[Nonesuch]

 
The Tarzanbocht, or Tarzan Corner at Zandvoort in The Netherlands.
 
Nobody knows for certain where the name comes from. There are various theories:

• The official story: before the circuit was built the area of the first corner was part of an allotment garden. One of the owners was nicknamed 'Tarzan' because of his physical appearance. This 'Tarzan' refused to give up his land until he was promised the circuit would name the corner after him, or rather his nickname.
• Others say that the road roller used to create the first corner was nicknamed 'Tarzan' by its crew.
• Others still argue that the corner was unnamed until after the German occupation, and then named after the popular Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films.

[Nonesuch]

This is also a fun read about Raidillon. Or is it Eau Rouge? Or Raidillon? Or has it changed?

 

http://www.circuitso...hamps/raidillon

 

Whatever it is, it's certainly better than the wordy Virage de l'Ancienne Douanne of the original track.

Edited by Nonesuch, 22 January 2016 - 19:47.

[Marklar]

Rascasse in Monaco.

Thats a fish.



The corner is named after the (fish-)restaurant at that corner.

Edited by Marklar, 22 January 2016 - 20:05.

[DampMongoose]

Puke hollow.

[chunder27]

Mad Hatters at Croft in the old days, was named after Lewis Carrol and his books!  

[Prost1997T]

Miller Motorsports Park wins the thread:

 

 

Its corner names (in order) are Sunset Bend, Dreamboat, Work Out, Scream, Black Rock Hairpin, Right Hook, Knock Out, Demon, Devil, Diablo, Indecision, Precision, Fast, Faster, Gotcha, Mabey Y'll Makit, Satisfaction, Agony, Ecstasy, 1st Attitude, 2nd Attitude, Bad Attitude, Tooele Turn, Kink, Club House Corner, Wind-Up, and Release.

[Jerem]

At the Circuit du Val de Vienne, in France, there are corners named "Trop Vite" and "Trop Tard", literally "Too quick" and "Too late". I'll let you guess why.

[Jerem]

There is also the "Miss-Hit-Miss" at the Nordschleife. It's a 3-apex corner and its name describes the position you should have on track through the 3 apexes.

[Nonesuch]

 

Galgenkopf at the Nürburgring in Germany is another interesting name.

 

Galgen (gallows) kopf (a head, or top of a hill) was simply the place where the rulers of Nürburg held public executions.

 

The corner is named after the (fish-)restaurant at that corner.

 
Great place. The parking is a bit of a hassle, though.

[Spillage]

Great thread! Wish I had some proper contributions, but here's the best I can do. Gambon corner at the Top Gear test track is so named because of this:

 

 

As for the why the previous corner is called the Follow-Through - well, you can Google that for yourself...

[Spillage]

There's also Sarah's Cottage on the Isle of Man TT course. Named after Sarah Corlett, who bought the cottage at the turn of the 20th century, it became popular with fans as a vantage point. Although Ms Corlett died back in the 1930s, the corner bears her name to this day: http://www.sarahscottage.im/

Edited by Spillage, 22 January 2016 - 21:03.

[Rob G]

Turn 1 at VIR's rarely-used South Course is called "Bitch", although I have no idea where the name comes from. I wonder if the name of that course's Turn 7, "Fish Hook", is meant to be similarly suggestive in any way, or if it's because it's shaped like a fish hook.

[Lee Nicolle]

Hay Shed at PI. Fairly obvious and really hardly a corner. Corkscrew at Laguna Seca, again obvious and one hell of  a series of corners. 

'Official' corner names change as often as every meeting. Or bikes v cars.'Real' though unofficial names.

 

And too a degree that depends on your age too!  For me Mallala [my closest functioning track] has turn 1, Tower [or Hangar!!], Southern hairpin, the kink,[or sweeper]  Northern hairpin, the sweeper, Woodies then clubhouse.

Some of those names go back to the original circuit early 60s, the rest are self descriptive. Though recently the Clubhouse has gone and Clem has built a house in the vicinity.

[wj_gibson]

Les Combes is so named because of the barber shop that used to be located on its inside and that's true.

[Currahee]

Where did the name Dingle Dell come from?

 

Perhaps a small hut or something was once there?

 

It'll be historic anyway.

[Currahee]

Magny Cours has a few corners named after other circuits.

[Gilles4Ever]

Miller Motorsports Park wins the thread:
 

Its corner names (in order) are Sunset Bend, Dreamboat, Work Out, Scream, Black Rock Hairpin, Right Hook, Knock Out, Demon, Devil, Diablo, Indecision, Precision, Fast, Faster, Gotcha, Mabey Y'll Makit, Satisfaction, Agony, Ecstasy, 1st Attitude, 2nd Attitude, Bad Attitude, Tooele Turn, Kink, Club House Corner, Wind-Up, and Release.

 

Bit of trivia. 
 
Track was designed by Alan Wilson who was married to Desiree Wilson, he designed quite a few American circuits. Of those corner names, Club House Corner, Sunset Bend and the Kink are corners from the original Kyalami circuit. 
 
https://en.wikipedia...on_(motorsport)
https://en.wikipedia...orsports_Campus

[Vitesse2]

Where did the name Dingle Dell come from?

 

Perhaps a small hut or something was once there?

 

It'll be historic anyway.

As well as the pleasant alliteration, it's actually tautological, since the OED definition of 'dingle' is 'A deep dell or hollow; now usually applied (app. after Milton) to one that is closely wooded or shaded with trees'. Describes that part of the circuit very well. In a way that 'Sheene' (unfortunately) doesn't.

 

There was also a section of the Crystal Palace circuit which was known as The Dell, so perhaps that was the original inspiration - although it might be a Dickensian reference as well. Yalding, which lays claim to being the original Dingley Dell in Pickwick Papers, is just 15 miles from Brands Hatch - the same distance as Dingley Dell was from Rochester.

[Kristian]

Stoner Corner at Philip Island always amused me 

 

(obvioulsy named after Casey)

Edited by Kristian, 23 January 2016 - 09:32.

[Collombin]

Slightly o/t but my all time favourite corner name has to be the Lauberhorn's Austrian Hole, named by the Swiss after most of the Austrian downhillers came a cropper there in 1954.

Edited by E.B., 23 January 2016 - 09:37.

[yasushi888]

Bomb Hole at Snetterton is a good one, not so much a fan of the newer corner names there. Montreal?!

[Amphicar]

After mentioning a corner called Knickerbrook in another thread, it just got me thinking about unusual corner names and how they came about, or supposedly came about anyway. When I was first at Oulton many years ago, an old competitior told me about this corner and how it got its name.

 

An explosives expert was apparently using dynamite to remove tree stumps that were close to the corner. After the first blast a young couple were seen to leg it, looking in some shock and disarray, from behind a bush. Subsequent investigation found the ladys undergarments in the adjacent brook, hence the name Knickerbrook.

 

I do hope this is true.

 

I'm sure there's loads more of unusual ones...?

 

(typical, I would make a typo in the title.....)

Aah yes - the late Derek "Blaster" Bates. Here is the man himself explaining the naming of Knickerbrook in his own inimitable style:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=ejHT9olA_Uo

[karl100589]

Great thread! Wish I had some proper contributions, but here's the best I can do. Gambon corner at the Top Gear test track is so named because of this:

 

 

As for the why the previous corner is called the Follow-Through - well, you can Google that for yourself...

 

Actually a lot of the corners in the top gear Test Track are references to musicians

 

The Crooner Curves- a play on Donington's Craner curvers

Chicago- After the Glam Rock band

Bacharach Bend- Named after Burt Bacharach, now simply 'the second to last corner'

Carpenter Corner- A reference to The Carpenters, now known as Gambon.

[Amphicar]

Actually a lot of the corners in the top gear Test Track are references to musicians

 

Chicago- After the Glam Rock band

 

Chicago, Glam Rock???? Wash your mouth out with carbolic soap young man. Jazz Rock yes but Chicago were never Glam

[Kristian]

Does anybody know the origin of the Tamburello corner name? 

[SimeonSasparella]

Does anybody know the origin of the Tamburello corner name? 

 

Originally, the area behind that corner contained a tamburello playing field.

I'm not sure such sport exists in anglophone countries, it's like a cross between squash and tennis

 

https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Tamburello 

Edited by SimeonSasparella, 23 January 2016 - 14:01.

[SimeonSasparella]

Since most of you will be familiar with the corner names of English and American tracks, thought I'd contribute on Italian circuits 

I left the obvious ones like Ascari or Parabolica 

 

Monza

Roggia = roggia means tight artificial channel of shallow water

Lesmo = an adiacent village

Curva Grande = "big" corner. A banal one

 

Imola

Tamburello = there was a tamburello playing field there https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Tamburello

Tosa = tough one. This part of the track originated as parkland roads, so it's possible that it was an old name referring to something or someone predating the creation of the circuit.

Piratella = It's near a church named Madonna del Piratello

Acque Minerali = Mineral waters. There are springs of natural water there in the park behind the corner

Rivazza = The area was once a bare grassy bank, a riva in Italian. Rivazza is its pejorative alteration of such name. I've read some old race fans referring to this part as Tiro al Piccione, which suggests the presence of a former target shooting field (the ones where they used real pigeons)

 

Mugello

San Donato = the name of a nearby church. Naming circuits or corners after saints with the superstitious intent of seeking protection was a common practice in Italy, in a time when racing was very dangerous.

Luco = nearby village

Poggiosecco = there is a place with that name, but it's quite far, so no clue 

Materassi= former driver

Borgo San Lorenzo= the town where the track is located

Casanova= I'm confused, there have been 2 riders called Casanova yet they seem to have no relation to this corner, whose name predates both of them.

Savelli= The name Savelli appears in several villas and properties in the area, maybe it was close to somebody's home

Arrabbiata 1 and 2 = Arrabbiata means angry, due to the grit you need to be fast in this two bends

Scarperia= a town

Palagio= it's a name of a farm overlooking the track

Correntaio= 

Biondetti= former great driver of the Thirties

Bucine= nearby village

 

Vallelunga

Curvone= "-one" at the end makes everything bigger. Big Curve then.

Cimini= The Cimini Mountains are peaks that can be seen in the distance from this point.

Campagnano= The town where the track is

Soratte= Monte Soratte is another mountain

Trincea= "Trench". Because until the last renovations this part of the track was surrounded by a bank and a ditch which resembled a WWI trench

Semaforo= "Traffic lights"   As the track originated as a hippodrome, I wonder if such lights were used in some way for horse races? 

Tornantino= just the italian translation of hairpin

Roma= the corner faces the city of Rome. I never understood why there is a "Roma" corner in the swedish Mantorp track.

 

Misano

Variante del Parco= from a nearby park

Curva del Rio= rio is a little stream

Quercia= quercia means oak tree

Tramonto= Means "Sunset", because this section faces west

Curva del Carro= Carro is a wagon or cart. There is a street named Via del Carro outside the track.

Now eliminated by track modifications, but there once was "Curva Brutapela" which took its name from the person who owned a field nearby. His appearance must have been funny because brutapela translates as "hairy and ugly"   

 

Adria

means "worst track in the history of human civilisation"

 

Enna - Pergusa

Vivaio= Plant nursery

Piscine= Swimming pools, blonging to some hotels around the lake

Proserpina= According to roman/greek mithology, the lake of Pergusa is where Proserpina (Persephone in greek) was kidnapped by Pluto while she was picking flowers in this precise spot, to be taken to Hades, the KIngdom of Death. 

Pineta= pineland

Schumacher= this weird chicane made with tyre stacks was apparently designed by Michael Schumacher

Zagaria= Zagaria is a typical sicilian flower, with a very pleasant smell...it's similar to the flowers of lemon or orange

 

Pergusa is a magical place, so anacronistic is today's motorsport. I enjoyed reading Simon Arron's old anecdotes on Pergusa on this board. My favourite Pergusa story involves an italian gentleman driver (Casoni, maybe?) winning a touring car race there and celebrating jumping in the lake, only to discover that his wig had come off in the water. As he was afraid of showing his bald head in public, he hid behind a bush, legs in the water for the whole day, not atteding the podium ceremony and rejoyning the dry land only after the lights of the circuit had been switched off       

Edited by SimeonSasparella, 23 January 2016 - 15:42.

[richardnunney]

Magny Cours has a few corners named after other circuits.

 

Not only that, but some of those corners actually we also modelled on other circuits - Estoril was modelled on the last corner at Estoril, and the Adelaide Hairpin was also modelled on the Racetrack Hairpin at Adelaide at the end of the main straight.

[richardnunney]

Also interesting are the Silverstone corner names.

 

Below is extracted from the following page - https://www.formula1...ic-corners.html

 

Abbey (Turn 1)

Silverstone’s flat-out first turn was named after the ancient Luffield Abbey, the remains of which were found near to the corner. The abbey was founded some time before 1133 and suppressed by King Henry VI in 1493.

 

Farm (Turn 2)

Farm used to be the name of the short blast between Abbey and Bridge Bend, but today it is a lazy left hander and the point where cars feed back onto the track from the pits. The origins of its name are simple: the straight used to pass close to the nearby farm.

 

Village (Turn 3)

One of the new corners introduced in 2010 following Silverstone’s redevelopment, the right hander is named after Silverstone Village which lies to the north of the circuit. According to the latest census, just under 2,000 people live in the village, though over a Grand Prix weekend they’re typically joined by over 120,000 temporary residents, many of whom camp in nearby fields.

 

The Loop (Turn 4)

The only corner at Silverstone that is named for its shape, the left-hand hairpin known as The Loop is tackled at around 90km/h making it comfortably the slowest corner on an otherwise high-speed track.

 

Aintree (Turn 5)

Famous for hosting the Grand National horse race, for five years in the late Fifties and early Sixties Aintree also staged the British Grand Prix. In tribute the left hander leading onto the Wellington Straight now bears the venue’s name. Somewhat ironically, it was coming out of this corner that Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen crashed his Prancing Horse in last year’s race.

 

Wellington Straight 

Formally known as the National Straight, the run down to Brooklands was renamed in 2010 when it became part of Silverstone’s new Grand Prix layout. It’s now known as the Wellington Straight, taking its name from the Wellington bombers that were based at the Northamptonshire circuit during World War Two. Fittingly the straight is formed from one of the old runways.

 

Brooklands (Turn 6)

In the days of pre-war motor racing Brooklands was Britain’s number-one venue, so it’s rather fitting that one of the corners at the modern day ‘home of British motorsport’ should be named in the famous old track’s honour.

 

Luffield (Turn 7)

Like Abbey, the long right hander was named after Luffield Chapel (see Abbey above). Introduced to Silverstone’s Grand Prix layout ahead of the 1991 race, Luffield was originally two distinct corners, unimaginatively titled Luffield 1 and Luffield 2.

 

Woodcote (Turn 8)

The Royal Automobile Club, better known as the RAC, was responsible for organising the first major races at Silverstone, and hence had a big say in naming many of the circuit’s original corners. Woodcote, the sweeping right hander which used to end the lap and the scene of the famous pile-up in the 1973 race, is named after Woodcote Park, an RAC-owned club in Surrey.

 

Copse (Turn 9)

Nestled in the English countryside, Silverstone is surrounded by luscious green fields and small pockets of dense woodland, knowns as copses. The searingly quick Copse corner, which was the circuit’s first turn for nearly 60 years, passes especially close to Chapel Copse and Cheese Copse, hence its name.

 

Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel (Turns 10 - 14)

Approached at around 300 km/h, Silverstone’s fastest and most iconic sequence of corners was, until 1991, three distinct bends, but today they are too interlinked to be considered in isolation. The opening section, Maggotts, was named not for the wriggly larvae but for nearby Maggot Moor. Becketts and Chapel Curve, meanwhile, take their names from the medieval chapel of St Thomas à Beckett, which was built in memory of the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury and once stood near to the corners. The chapel buildings were demolished in 1943 to make way for Silverstone airfield.

 

Hangar Straight

Speaking of the airfield, Silverstone’s use as a Royal Air Force base meant that it was once home to several large hangars. Two of the largest stood next to what became the circuit’s back straight, which today is tackled at 325 km/h.

 

Stowe (Turn 15)

Situated at the end of Hangar Straight, the rapid right hander has always been a challenge for drivers, despite several changes over the years. Like so many other corners at Silverstone, it takes its name from a nearby landmark: Stowe School, which lies just south of the circuit.

 

Vale (Turn 16)

Built on an airfield, Silverstone is more or less flat, which is possibly why the most undulating piece of track - found between Stowe and Club - was named Vale (another word for valley). However, some say the name is simply a reflection of the fact that the section sits within the district of Aylesbury Vale.

 

Club (Turns 17/18)

Like Woodcote, Club, now the track’s final corner, was named in honour of the RAC’s famous clubhouse in Pall Mall, London. Incidentally the iconic gold trophy awarded to winners of the British Grand Prix is the RAC Cup and is the oldest prize awarded in F1 racing. Unlike other trophies, the winner doesn’t get to keep it - it’s returned soon after the podium celebrations.

[wj_gibson]

Given that's from the official Formula One website, the errors in it are inexcusable!

King Henry VI died in 1471. I think they mean Henry VIII some decades later, but the year is wrong as well since he didn't ascend to the throne until 1509.

The Wellington Straight is not a former runway.

[PayasYouRace]

The Wellington straight is one of the runways. There were 3: Copse-Stowe, Maggots-Club and Becketts-Woodcote. The Wellington straight is the last.

Edited by PayasYouRace, 23 January 2016 - 19:43.

[wonk123]

Forrest's Elbow at Mount Panorama.

Most people think it is Forrest Elbow, because of the shape of the corner and it is amongst trees,

but it is named after Jack Forrest, a motorcycle racer who scraped his elbow away after dropping his bike on the corner

[Vitesse2]

Given that's from the official Formula One website, the errors in it are inexcusable!

King Henry VI died in 1471. I think they mean Henry VIII some decades later, but the year is wrong as well since he didn't ascend to the throne until 1509.

The Wellington Straight is not a former runway.

It should actually be Henry VII. They seem to have sourced that (mis)information from Wikipedia, which in turn cites the 1905 edition of the Victoria County History. The wiki entry further confuses things by introducing the Dissolution of the Monasteries as a factor. Which it wasn't. Luffield wasn't suppressed - it decayed.

 

See the much more reliable British History Online, which is based on the 1927 revision of the VCH and also A Vision of Britain Through Time.

 

The Wellington bomber was also developed and built at Brooklands. During the war, Silverstone was the home of No 17 OTU - which flew Wellingtons.

[Jimisgod]

Forrest's Elbow at Mount Panorama.

Most people think it is Forrest Elbow, because of the shape of the corner and it is amongst trees,

but it is named after Jack Forrest, a motorcycle racer who scraped his elbow away after dropping his bike on the corner

 

Didn't he break his elbow?

 

I usually heard it referred to as Forrest's Elbow.

 

Others are...

 

Hell Corner -- Named after a poorly placed stump on the apex that would "doom riders to hell for their stupidity" if they hit it.

 

Mountain Straight -- Obvious.

 

Griffin's Bend -- Mayor of Bathurst when it was first built as a scenic road.

 

The Cutting -- Obvious, it's a cutting on the hillside.

 

Reid Park -- Engineer who redesigned section of the road for racing.

 

Sulman Park -- Not sure.

 

McPhillamy Park -- Previous Mayor of Bathurst, donated land to build track.

 

Brock's Skyline -- Obvious, you can see the skyline from here. Brock, you probably know.

 

The Esses -- Obvious.

 

The Dipper -- Bloody steep drop.

 

Forrest's Elbow -- See above.

 

Conrod Straight -- Named for the conrod failure that ended the 1939 Easter race of Frank Kleinig.

 

The Chase -- Not sure.

 

Murray's Corner -- Bill Murray (not the famous one) crashed a Hudson there in 1946.

Edited by Jimisgod, 24 January 2016 - 14:14.

[Mohican]

Can we widen topic to circuit names ? If so, i nominate the following, all of which roll off the tongue.

 

Laguna Seca

Road America

Silverstone

Spa-Francorchamps

Thruxton

Watkins Glen

[Jimisgod]

Can we widen topic to circuit names ? If so, i nominate the following, all of which roll off the tongue.

 

Laguna Seca

Road America

Silverstone

Spa-Francorchamps

Thruxton

Watkins Glen

 

Spa and Francorchamps are the two major towns between which the track is situated, I believe.

 

Edited by Jimisgod, 25 January 2016 - 09:28.

[Kristian]

Spa and Francorchamps are the two major towns between which the track is situated, I believe.

 

 

Yep, same with Malmedy and Stavelot. 

 

Bus Stop originally was a bus stop, before the butchering. 

 

La Source is the 'source' of the river that trickles down to Eau Rouge ('red water') which I believe has either algal blooms or special soil which makes it look red. 

 

Raidillion is the French for 'steep path' which is pretty self-explanatory. 

 

Fagnes is the name of the area, deriving from a local term for swampy ground (its the 'Hautes Fagnes' region) 

 

I'm not sure on others-  Les Combes, Pouhon, Blanchimont? Maybe Blanchimont is something to do with a french for 'white mountain', as it sits on a cliff, maybe made of white stone? But that is a complete and utter guess... 

Edited by Kristian, 25 January 2016 - 09:43.

[Kristian]

Done a bit of Googling:

 

 

 

A pouhon is a gas-ferruginous medicinal spring. As a Walloon the verb “pouhi” means to draw. In the area of Spa, there is several pouhons: -Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand.

- I never knew that!

 

And this *could* be the origin of Les Combes: 

 

A 

combe (/kuːm/; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb) can either refer to a steep, narrow valley, or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill;^[1][2] in any case, it is often understood simply to mean a small valley through which a watercourse does not run.

 

Kemmel... https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Kemmelberg (I presume its from this) 

Edited by Kristian, 25 January 2016 - 09:47.

[Vitesse2]

Sulman Park -- Not sure.

.

After Tommy Sulman, an Aussie who was one of the pioneers of midget racing in the UK in the 1930s. Returned to Australia after WW2 and continued racing on both roads and dirt speedways. He was killed racing a Lotus Eleven at Bathurst (aged 70) in 1970.

 

http://www.motorspor...hp?db=ct&n=1564

[Felix]

Bit of trivia. 
 
Track was designed by Alan Wilson who was married to Desiree Wilson, he designed quite a few American circuits. Of those corner names, Club House Corner, Sunset Bend and the Kink are corners from the original Kyalami circuit. 
 
https://en.wikipedia...on_(motorsport)
https://en.wikipedia...orsports_Campus

 

was married = IS married to Alan

[lustigson]

 

• Others still argue that the corner was unnamed until after the German occupation, and then named after the popular Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films.

 

 

Ha ha, was the Zandvoort circuit even designed pre-war?