83 replies to this topic

[SEdward]

I know that this subject has already been covered in this forum, but the response was pretty limp, so I thought I'd try again.

This sort of anecdotal trivia has always fascinated me and, IMHO, it digs deep into the history of the kind of circuits that we all know and love and often gives an insight into not only the circuits, but also their surroundings.

For example:
Why is Deer Leap called Deer Leap?
Druids Hill Corner. Is there an obelisk nearby?
Eau rouge. Why? (I do in fact know the answer to this one)

I think that names like "Turn 1", "Villeneuve" or "Estoril" hardly need explaining. We may also bump into the language barrier when it comes to explaining "Schwalbenschwanz" or "Scierie", but I think that we should try all the same.

Edward

[Macca]

You just can't beat the reason for the naming of Knicker Brook at Oulton Park!


PWM

[SEdward]

Exactly! Where on earth did this name come from! I've seen a couple of Kenneth Williams-ish saucy explanations, but are they true?

[Macca]

I believe so; the demolition expert and raconteur, 'Blaster' Bates, made it a central part of his after-dinner speaking act, which appeared on TV many years ago.

He was dynamiting tree stumps near the (un-named?) stream which feeds the upper lake at Oulton, and the first explosion disturbed a courting couple at a delicate stage in the long grass nearby..............exit rapidly, with underwear round ankles.


PWM

[SEdward]

A stream runs under "Eau Rouge" (Red Water). There used to be a tanner's workshop just upstream from the corner. When the tanners washed the leather, it turned the water red.

When workers were building the Nürburgring, a family of foxes set up home in a drainage pipe laid beneath the track just after the Aremberg corner. The workers christened the section "Fox pipe", not "Fox Hole".

"Flugplatz" (Flying Place) refers to a nearby airfield and not to the fact that the cars yumped there. In any case, cars used to take off at Quiddelbacher Höhe, not "Flugplatz".

Edward.

[Muzza]

Originally posted by SEdward
A stream runs under "Eau Rouge" (Red Water). There used to be a tanner's workshop just upstream from the corner. When the tanners washed the leather, it turned the water red.

When workers were building the Nürburgring, a family of foxes set up home in a drainage pipe laid beneath the track just after the Aremberg corner. The workers christened the section "Fox pipe", not "Fox Hole".

"Flugplatz" (Flying Place) refers to a nearby airfield and not to the fact that the cars yumped there. In any case, cars used to take off at Quiddelbacher Höhe, not "Flugplatz".

Edward.

Just a note on the Fuchsröhre: the "family of foxes living in a drainage pipe" is just one - albeit the most popular explanation for such a name. According to some references, though, this segment of the track would have been named as such because its profile was "as steep and dangerous as a fox's throat". Most of my German friends prefer this latter version.

When I visited the Nürburgring Museum in 1998 I asked this specific question to the museum officials and, surprisingly or not, they also told me the story linking the name of that section with its topographic profile ("as steep and dangerous as a fox's throat").

In Rouen: Scierie means "Saw mill" - an apt name, as there was a saw mill just outside of the circuit, on the road continuing the climb from Grésil.

Now... why Grésil? Grésil is, in French, the cracking soung that wood makes when burning, but I have no idea why that turn is called as such...

[Lotus23]

This may have been addressed before, but I was told that "Canada Corner" at Road America/Elkhart Lake had a pretty straightforward explanation.

[Buford]

So did "Puke Hallow" at Langhorne.

[Ray Bell]

Skyline, The Dipper and The Cutting at Bathurst are all easily understood...

As you approach Skyline, that's all you can see... sky.

The Dipper is steep, drops you onto the level below... and The Cutting... well, you might guess that.

But the one that really tests the knowledge is at Phillip Island, the south eastern corner of the circuit.

And, speaking of Phillip Island, but the former (1928-1935) road circuit... there was the 'Bridge of Sighs' and the 'Needle's Eye'...

[Muzza]

And regarding my hometrack, Interlagos...

Old circuit (1940-1989, the real one) :
- Curva 1 ("Turn 1", no explanation required);
- Curva 2;
- Retão ("The Long Straight")
- Curva 3 or Bacião ("The Big Bowl") : because of the local topography. The whole Interlagos is a natural bowl, and Curva 3 was "a bowl within a bowl";
- Curva 4;
- Ferradura ("Horseshoe"), due to its shape;
- Subida do Lago (Lake Ramp), because of the local topography. Note change at current track...
- Curva do Lago (Lake Turn), as it was located between the two lakes that give the track its name. (Interlagos means "Between Lakes"; curiously, "Entrelagos" would be, gramatically, a better choice in Portuguese). Also, as there are two lakes, it should be "Curva dos Lagos", but it isn't...
- Reta Oposta ("The Opposite Straight"), as it runs parallel, but in the opposite direction, to the main straight, the Retão;
- Curva do Sol ("Sun's Turn"); not because of its shape, as some believe, but because the position of the Sun would be straight on a driver's line of sight at the exit of this turn during long-distance races, particularly the Mil Milhas Brasileiras;
- Curva do Sargento ("Sargent's Turn"); in the 1950s and 1960s Interlagos had no fences and the public would walk across the track during the races. After a consecutive complain by the organizers, the Military Police placed a particularly tough sargent stationed at that turn, and he and his subordinates "disciplined" the attendants in such a way that it was not to be soon forgotten... Unfortunately I cannot precise in which year this happened.
- Curva do Laranja ("Laranja's Turn"); named after a driver nicknamed Laranja ("Orange"), who was able to execute a perfect four-wheel drift all the way along this turn. Important: it is Curva do Laranja and not Curva da Laranja! The first refers to "a driver nicknamed Laranja"; the second, to "laranja" the fruit!
- Esse ("The S"), rather unaptly named, as it is a single-leg turn, and not really an S!
- Pinheirinho ("Little Pine Tree") : there was a pine tree in the inside of the turn. It was (unnecessarily) brought down in the late 1970s.
- Bico de Pato ("Duck's Bill") : because of the shape of the turn (just look at a map...);
- Mergulho ("The Dive") : because of the local topography (the turn is mid-way a downhill);
- Junção ("The Junction") : where the road course and the external high-speed ring joined;
- Subida dos Boxes ("Pits Ramp") : after the local topography (yes, it is quite steep...);
- Reta dos Boxes or Reta das Arquibancadas ("Pits Straight" or "Grandstands Straight").

New circuit (1990-today) :
- S do Senna ("Senna's S") : first, it is not a posthumus tribute to Ayrton Senna, as some TV commentators wrongly claim. When plans for the re-configuration of the track were first announced, in September 1989, Turns 1 and 2 would remain unchanged. Then Roland Bruynserade, then Head Technical Inspector of the FIA, visited the track in November and said that there was no way that contemporary Formula 1 cars would race in the original Turns 1 and 2, as they were too fast for that. The FIA "helped" the local engineers to develop another approach, where Turn 1 would be replaced by a chicane and Turn 2 would have its radius tightened. This would however destroy the chances of restoring the original lay-out, that the Brazilian racing community wanted to keep available for local races (non-Formula 1 events). Then Ayrton Senna visited the track in late November and proposed an S linking Turn 1 to Curva do Sol, what would allow the construction of a new circuit specifically for Formula 1 use without "destroying" the old Interlagos. That was an unanimously accepted, and that segment of the track was, and rightly so, named after him (I was at the track and I followed these debates about its lay-out and configuration; also, very sadly, the old Interlagos was not revived, and now can no longer be...);
- Curva do Sol: inherited its name from the Old Interlagos. Now, of course, it runs in opposite direction than pre-1990.
- Reta Oposta: inherited its name from the Old Interlagos. Now, of course, it runs in opposite direction than pre-1990.
- Curva do Lago: inherited its name from the Old Interlagos. Now, of course, it runs in opposite direction than pre-1990.
- Descida do Lago: Lake Slope (used to be Lake Ramp, but the direction was inverted);
- Laranjinha: "Little Laranja", derived from the "Laranja" at the original track;
- Esse ("The S"), rather unaptly named, as it is a single-leg turn, and not really an S!
- Pinheirinho ("Little Pine Tree") : there was a pine tree in the inside of the turn. It was (unnecessarily) brought down in the late 1970s.
- Bico de Pato ("Duck's Bill") : because of the shape of the turn (just look at a map...);
- Mergulho ("The Dive") : because of the local topography (the turn is mid-way a downhill);
- Junção ("The Junction") : where the road course and the external high-speed ring joined. Sometimes called Nova Junção ("The New Junction"), as the turn was changed into a two-radii, three apexes bend in 1990;
- Subida dos Boxes ("Pits Ramp") : after the local topography (yes, it is quite steep...);
- Reta dos Boxes or Reta das Arquibancadas ("Pits Straight" or "Grandstands Straight).

Cheers,


Muzza

[Vicuna]

We've dealt with Tarzan previously.

Isn't there a Druids somewhere else too?

[Ray Bell]

Hungry Corner at Lakeside... its official name, by the way...

I always believed that it was named for the unhealthy appetite it had for cars in the days when it had an earthen bank around the outside. But I read somewhere recently that it was named for the sheer volume of earth it required to fill the swamp that used to be there and build the road.

Sid Sakzewski, apparently, was the source of both explanations. The former was the one he gave me...

Edited by Ray Bell, 23 March 2012 - 20:20.

[Muzza]

And about Jacarepaguá, following the direction of the track, from first to last turn:

- Molykote: curiously it seems that this is not a typical case of a circuit selling its turn naming rights to sponsors, as it is common today. I was told by a local journalist that there was a race mechanic nicknamed "Molykote" which was very popular in the 1970s, and the turn was named after him. Also, the word "Molykote" sounds "nice/musical" in Portuguese, a typical thing of Brazilian nicknames like "Pelé", "Zico" and, erm, "Muzza" (just kidding about the latter), and I think this helped to make the name stick. Some times it is called Curva 1 (Turn 1).

- Curva 2: this turn was created in 1994 when the track was re-configured, following the construction of a oval (or semi-oval...) for the CART race.

- Pace: after former Formula 1 racer José Carlos Pace.

- Suspiro ("The Sigh") : a very fast kink, scene of Philippe Streiff terrifying cartwheeling that left him paralysed. It got its name as:
a.) One takes a sigh of relief once he goes through it safely, or
b.) It taked the wind out of you, or
c.) You hold your breath when going through it (you got the idea).
In the 1970s and 1980s this turn was also called Cheirinho ("Smelly"), as it "is not a real turn, but just the smell of one". Later the denomination Suspiro became prevalent.

- Nonato: a Portuguese surname, also used as a nickname sometimes. I have no idea who this turn was named after.

- Curva Norte ("North Turn") : no explanation needed, but Northeast would be a more adequate name, geographically speaking...

- Curva South ("South Turn").

- Girão: after Manoel Girão, local racing organizer and former circuit administrator.

- Moretti: after Ricardo Moretti, who was killed in December 1967 in a Formula Vee accident at the old Jacarepaguá circuit (then mostly known as Barra da Tijuca, but not to be mistaken with the even older Barra da Tijuca street course). The old Jacarepaguá/Barra da Tijuca was active between 1964 and 1970 and its lay-out has nothing to do with the current circuit, which opened in 1978. The post-1978 track was built on the site of the old one.

- Lagoa ("Lagoon") : as this turn is close to the shore of Jacarepaguá Lagoon, that borders two sides of the track (roughly, the Norte-Pace and Sul-Lagoa sides of the track, that is located in a somewhat triangular peninsula).

- Box ("Pits"), because it is the turn that precedes the entrance to the pits, or 90 Graus ("90 Degrees"), because of its configuration. Truly this is not a 90-degree turn (it is more like 105-110), and this name is falling into disuse (partially, I believe, because the newer Turn 2 is a real 90-degree one).

- Curva da Vitória (Victory Turn), as it is the last one, just before the start/finish line.

Finally, the official name of the circuit is Autódromo Nelson Piquet, and the oval course is named Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway.

Cheers,


Muzza

[WDH74]

At the now defunct Meadowdale International Raceway, the Monza Wall (one of the track's big features) was a 40 foot tall banked left hander leading to the main straight. Named, obviously, after the banked turns at Monza. Sadly, the Wall was torn down in the late sixties. A smaller, banked right hander at the opposite end of that straight (and which is still there) is called the Little Monza, for obvious reasons!

Of course, there's Milliken's Corner at the Watkins Glen road course, named after Bill Milliken (oh, I hope I got that name right......)

Lotus23-I've never heard how Canada Corner got its name. How did it?

-William

[Ray Bell]

Isn't it so called because it's close to Canada?

[Buford]

I think so and right after that comes Thunder Valley.

[Muzza]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Isn't it so called because it's close to Canada?

I once thought so, Ray, but I heard a different explanation on a tv broadcast, I just cannot recall it...

Originally posted by Buford
I think so and right after that comes Thunder Valley.

Thunder Valley gets its name from the topography. From Canada Corner going up to Turn 13 the track was built in a sort of narrow canyon; the noise of the engines (maybe a reference to Can-Am big blocks) reverberate on its walls - hence the name Thunder Valley.

[David Hyland]

"Banana Bend" on the Adelaide Grand Prix Circuit was so named because of its proximity to the (former) fruit market.

[Ray Bell]

Never heard of any 'Banana Bend' but I'll believe a local any day...

As for Thunder Valley, I would have thought it would have predated Can-Am... perhaps Corvettes in the late fifties?

Not that it's inappropriate for the Can-Am cars, of course...

[Mike Argetsinger]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Isn't it so called because it's close to Canada?

Close to Canada? Ray - I know you think little of commuting 1000 miles or more on a regular basis - so I hesitate to argue with your perspective on distance! - but I still think 350 odd miles is a bit of a stretch.

The version I had always heard was that it was so named because it was the furthest point north on the circuit - hence the closest (but not close!) to Canada.

However, here is what Tom Schultz has to say in his excellent book, "Road America - Five Decades of Racing at Elkhart Lake," published in 1999. (Incidentally, Tom tells me that Road America has commissioned a new book and he will have it out this summer). Tom says,

"This turn acquired the name Canada Corner a few years after the track opened. Cleaning crews noted a concentration of Canadian beer cans and Canadian tax stamps on film boxes here, hence the name."

I would put my money on Tom on this one.

Muzza - you're right about Thunder Valley - and the Can-Am cars did sound great there. But it was already Thunder Valley at least ten years or more before Can-Am cars appeared. I'm racing a Cheetah there in July this year and that ought to create some old time thunder!

Canada Corner is just one of many famous corners around the world where I have crashed. I had a wheel come off under braking for that corner once and it somehow created an aerodynamic lift that rotated the car in the air so that I was looking back up the track. Tom Start was right behind me and he said the car was higher in the air than the top of his car. He thought it may land on him! But it didn't.

[Buford]

Well one year when I was driving my Mini I spun at Canada Corner but one of the half shafts had pulled out and I was driving with one wheel drive and with a welded locked dif, the car was literally undriveable. Every change of attitude, to accelerate, brake, turn, lift off, get back on it etc, caused it to violently lurch right or left and it spun on me at Canada corner.

I spun 6 times (literally) down the back after the kink in the rain one time when I tried to pass a guy into the kink and force him off the two dry tire lines into the wet and off into the guardrail so he would bounce back onto the track and get clobbered by the 4 factory cars catching up with us and I could scamper off to win. We had run away from them because we were all on dry tires and it had rained on the pace lap. This other guy and me knew how to run on slicks in the rain because we were poor and had to do it all the time but the factory guys didn't know how. So we left them at the start and ran away and passed and repassed each other several times a lap. But it was drying out and they were catching up and I knew my only hope was to spook my guy into sliding off and coming back on and causing a god awful crash. But instead I lost it myself, he stayed on and I did six spins down the back all on the track. The factory cars blew by on both sides as I was spinning and I ended up 6th!

I blew the only race of my career at turn 5 when I was leading overall one year and on the first lap I went off at 5 into the tulies and before I could get back on I was about 7th and was only able to work my way back up to second. But I never hit anything at Road America.

Yes they were calling it Thunder Valley before the Can Am days. It was called that when I used to go up there in my college days and we would riot and take over the town for giggles. But that is still another story.

[ian senior]

Always wondered why Oxo at Croft wass so called. Was it sponsored by the meat cube people, adjacent to a field full of beef cattle, or what?

[Felix]

Westmead outside Durban, South Africa had a Banana Bend, too - its arc resembled that of the fruit which grew wildly in the area. Gary Hocking - subject of a feature in the latest MOTOR SPORT - lost his life at Banana Bend, and, after the circuit closed and the area became a commercial estate, one of the roads was named Hocking Road. Then, in keeping with the area's heritage, motor racing names were given to various streets and roads on the state: Le Mans Road, Suzuka Place, etc.

[David Shaw]

Originally posted by Ray Bell

But the one that really tests the knowledge is at Phillip Island, the south eastern corner of the circuit.

I can only imagine it being a reference to being cold and remote.

[Mihai]

I read that Eau Rouge is called that way because the nearby stream has a considerable concentration of iron.

[SEdward]

You say that "Tarzan" has already been dealt with. I'm afraid I missed it, so an explanation would be welcome.

Edward.

[SEdward]

How about dear old Silvers?

Stowe is pretty self-explanatory (nearby village and school). So is Copse. But what about Becketts, Chapel and Abbey? Can I assume that there used to be some sort of priory nearby?

Edward.

[bigears]

As Silverstone is an old airfield, hence some of the names

Copse: not sure, I think the wood behind it, or is copse an airforce name?

Chapel: Airbase chapel

Hanger straight: well the straight where the hanger was

Stowe: local town

Club: after the RAC club in london

Abbey: Abbey is after Luffield abbey surprisingly

Bridge: the bridge which the track goes under

Priory - not sure

Brooklands: prewar racing circuit

Woodcote: Named after the RAC's Woodcote country club in Surrey

I would like to know more about Maggotts and Becketts. I think Becketts was sometihng to do with the archbishop of Canterbury in the 13th century, Thomas a la Becket who was murdered in the Canterbury cathedral.

[Tim Murray]

Originally posted by SEdward
You say that "Tarzan" has already been dealt with. I'm afraid I missed it, so an explanation would be welcome.

Edward.

Originally posted by René de Boer in the ‘Why Tarzan?’ thread
Well, Tarzanbocht was named after the owner of the piece of land on which the Tarzanbocht is located. It was owned in the pre-war years by some farmer in Zandvoort who was nick-named Tarzan, because he was a very big person. So this land was called "Tarzan's land" - in the official archive of the city of Zandvoort, there are even some official maps where the name "Tarzan's land" can be found - and when the circuit was constructed in 1947, local authorities tried to obtain this piece of land from him. Tarzan agreed, if the corner that was planned there, would be named after him. And that is how Tarzanbocht got its name.

[gdecarli]

IIRC Ickx bend at Varano de' Melegari (Italy) was named after Jacky Ickx because ha made a mistake there.
I think it was during a race held in late spring 1976 for collecting money to send to Friuli, to people hit by a terrible earthquake in May 1976. IIRC, all drivers drove Alfa Romeo Alfasud.

Ciao,
Guido

[D-Type]

Silverstone :

Priory is named for the ruins of a priory nearby
Maggots and beckets are nearby farms (or possibly fields)


Brands

Hawthorne's and Stirlings are named for nearby farms not for the drivers



All qualified with the words "I think"

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by David Shaw
I can only imagine it being a reference to being cold and remote.

I'm sure you're right... it has that tundra look about it at times...

We're talking about 'Siberia', of course.

Phillip Island also had a 'Copse'... where the circuit came out of the MG Hairpin and then went around a cluster of stunted trees...

[BRG]

Originally posted by D-Type
Brands

Hawthorne's and Stirlings are named for nearby farms not for the drivers

Are you sure about that? I seem to remember the names at Brands being changed to commemorate drivers etc so Kidney became McLaren, Bottom Bend became Graham Hill, South Bank became Cooper, Clearways became Clark and so on. So Hawthorn and Stirling would fit that, although I have a feeling that they predated the other changes.

[D-Type]

Originally posted by BRG
Are you sure about that? I seem to remember the names at Brands being changed to commemorate drivers etc so Kidney became McLaren, Bottom Bend became Graham Hill, South Bank became Cooper, Clearways became Clark and so on. So Hawthorn and Stirling would fit that, although I have a feeling that they predated the other changes.

That's the point I'm trying to make. When they extended Brands in 1959 or so they named the bends after nearby features that "just happened" to be very similar to the names of the top drivers of the day. Hence one misspelt surname and one forename.
The second crop was clearly named for drivers and manufacturers conveniently forgetting that the first two weren't.

[SEdward]

I've never been able to bring myself to use the "new" names. To me, "Kidney Bend", "Bottom Straight" and "Clearways" are eternal.

Sorry.
Edward.

[BRG]

Originally posted by D-Type
they named the bends after nearby features that "just happened" to be very similar to the names of the top drivers of the day.

You mean that there was a driver called Dingle Dell?

[D-Type]

Originally posted by BRG
You mean that there was a driver called Dingle Dell?

Aye Lad, he came from Emmerdale in god's own country.

[Ray Bell]

I once knew a driver named Chris Dingle... was he related?

[550spyder]

Muzza,

Little corrections on Interlagos names:

The name Interlagos is due to the fact that the racetrack is located between two artificial lakes: Guarapiranga and Billings Dams. The first one was formed to feed the city of São Paulo with potable water and the second to feed the Cubatão Henry Borden Power House located 760m bellow.

Laranja bend: you are right. It is refered to the driver not to the fruit. The fact is that the word "laranja" is a slang for a dumb guy or someone used to be guilty in place of another person. It was used to nominate drivers that lift off the trottle doing the bend, i.e., a dumb or non courageous driver. It was not refered to a specific driver named "Laranja".

Another curiosityabout Senna's S. It was used in since the 50'fties in long races, usually in the night like Mil Milhas Brasileiras. Some drivers used this "short cut" in the night to save almost half of the circuit. This is folklore of course.

Your mention of Ricardo Moretti brings me sad memories. I was classmate of Ricardo in the Colégio Bandeirantes in São Paulo. I remember his entusiasm. People told me that his car caught fire and there were no fire extinghshers at the spot. The assistants tryed to put the fire off with sand!!!!!. The old times were not good times. Ricardo died after few days.

[HistoricMustang]

"Cemetery Turn" in Augusta has nothing to do with the result of racing activities, but rather is named for a family burial place just a few feet beyond the track.

Joe Weatherly named the lowest part of the circuit "Alligator Hollow" after he reported rolled his '63 Mercury Stock Car numerous times into a "swampy" area off the racing surface.

Henry

[Muzza]

Originally posted by 550spyder
Muzza,

Little corrections on Interlagos names:

(...)

Caro Ricardo,

Thanks, you are correct on the origin of the name Interlagos - it really refers to Guarapiranga and Billings reservoirs (in between which the whole Interlagos neighborhood is located), and not to the two lakes within the track itself.

I need to talk to you about Moretti. I will e-mail you on Sunday, please bear with me.

Oh, I am a Colégio Bandeirantes veteran too - 1984/85/86. I had no idea Moretti had studied at Bandeirantes - I thought he was from Rio...

Your account about Moretti's accident and how primitive was his rescue was is correct. What a terrible story, he was only 19 and Emerson (Fittipaldi) - who raced against Moretti in Formula Vee and touring car races - said that he was hugely talented. Moretti reminds me of Moll, Pete Ryan, Bellof, Birrell and all those that left us too early, too soon, and make us think "how far would have gone if..."

Abraços,


Muzza

[gdecarli]

Mistral straight at Le Castellet - Paul Ricard is named after Mistral, a strong wind blowing from Nort East in Southern France.

Ciao,
Guido

[550spyder]

Muzza,

My Colégio Bandeirantes classes were 1965/66/67. Emerson has 57 now and I'm 55. Moretti should be 55 by now.
Abraços,

[LB]

I know this thread is a couple of years old but I was thinking of starting something on the same lines and decided to do a search.

What I thought is everyone should pick a circuit and run through the corner names giving an explaination, much like Muzza did above with his excellent descriptions of Rio and Interlagos.

I might as well do Knockhill

Duffis Dip ( SEAT Curves)- Named after Iain Duffus I think - mad biker TT winner. The Dip bit is basically because it drops down like the corkscrew. I believe they have tweaked it this year though I know the pit straight has been widened.

MacIntyres (The Scotsman) - Bob MacIntyre - mad 60's biker TT winner

Butchers - Circuit owner Derek Butcher I assume. Probably, because it hasn't fallen to sponsorship.

The Chicane - was pretty much known as that until sponsership Glenvarigill and now John R Weir (both car dealers) have had title rights for the last few years

Brabhams - the back straight and unlike Brands it is straight named rather obviously for Black Jack the only non Scot in this.

Clarks - guess who

Hislops - named after Stevie Hislop. Mad biker TT winner. its the long back straight out of Clarks

Taylors - (now the Real Radio Hairpin , I mean really!!) Jock Taylor Sidecar World Champion oh and mad sidecar TT winner, I believe the Sidecar race is named after him on the Isle of Man.


These are the names I have known them since I first went to Knockhill in 1995 or so. Except Hislops which is fairly recent. iirc It used to be called railway straight (or curve) and since Knockhill was created using service roads for a disused railway I wouldn't be greatly surprised. It was Daewoo for a while but I'm not getting into that

[rwhitworth]

There is a thread here that discusses the names at Kyalami:

Thread 21311

...however it still doesn't reach a conclusion about Barbecue, which has always mystified me - that word not being part of the the South African vocabulary (they would use the Afrikaans word - "Braai").

Also, the various "Bend", "Corner", denominations that appear on the track maps were not normally mentioned... the corners were simply referred to as Crowthorne, Barbecue, Jukskei, Sunset, Clubhouse, Esses (1 and 2), Leeukop and Kink.

[simonlewisbooks]

SILVERSTONE

There's some confusion about the corner names in this thread so in case anyone else is getting confused with the varrying explanations here's a recap.

Chapel, Abbey and Becketts all relate to the fact Luffied Abbey was once located in the area to the ourside of Abbey curve .

There was an aerial photo printed in one of the GP or Daily Express programmes in the 1960's clearly showing it's outline in the crops that were still grow there untill the 1980s.

I guess the construction of the National and South circuits along with the repositioning of link roads and barriers in this area has probabaly now removed all visible trace.

Luffied Abbey was indeed the residence for the famous Archbishop Thomas Beckett who was murdered at the behest of the King (can't recall which for the moment, Henry II maybe?)

Chapel relates to part of the Abbey comples rather than to the WW2 airfield.

The rest of the names are all fairly logical from that point on.

Luffied and Priory corners were added when the post 1990 reworking was undertaken and named as a nod to history.

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

[BRG]

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks
Luffield Abbey was indeed the residence for the famous Archbishop Thomas Beckett

Now I never knew that! TNF strikes again - thank you , Simon.

[LB]

I would do Ingliston too but I have no idea why Caravan was so named, the rest are fairly obvious.

[bluelite]

Circuit Zolder (Omloop van Terlaemen)

1ste linkse: the first left-hander after start-finish

Sterrenwacht: literally means astrological centre (where they watch stars,...)

Kanaalbocht: some meters west of the corner is the "Albertkanaal", canal which goes from Liège to Antwerp.

Bianchi: called after Lucien Bianchi

Chicane

Sacramentsheuvel: (is the wide sweeping turn from the chicane toward Villeneuve). There is a little hill with a very small chapel on it.

Villeneuve: the place were Gilles Villeneuve had his tragic accident

Terlamenbocht: Terlamen is a manor near the circuit. It is called after the Laambeek, a little stream which provides the pools in the area of water. "Terlamen" literally means "at the Laambeek" Old spelling, which is also correct, is Laembeek and Terlaemen.

Bolderbergbocht: Bolderberg is a small town just 500 meters southwest of the corner. I don't know wat the full meaning of "bolderberg" is, but a 'bolder' is a the thing where ships throw their ropes around en 'berg' is a hill

Jochen Rindt

Jacky Ickx

[Vicuna]

Want to hear something dumb - there is a part of Pukekohe where the 'hill stand' is.

Hill! No, not named after Phil or Graham, or even Damon - it is the slight rise in contour on the outside of the last curve before the start-finish straight.

(Aucklanders don't acknowledge drivers in the names of corners or parts of the track. Here in the South Island we have Ruapuna with the McLaren Stand, the Hulme Stand, and the Amon club bar)

In more recent years, Mobil have sponsored the curve and what was barely a hill is now 'Mobil Mountain'!

Give me a frickkin' break.

You wanna see a mountain at a race track, go to Bathurst. That's a mountain.

TV doesn't even come close to illustrating how steep it is.