22 replies to this topic

[FordPrefect]

Interlagos seems to be the only track in the current F1 season where the cars run anti-clockwise.

At first I thought it had something to do with the way the sinks drain when you get south of the equator but by that line of 'reasoning' OZ should also be anti-clockwise so that can't be true.

Does anyone know why?
How hard is it for the drivers to adapt?
I believe there are other tracks that also run 'backwards' but am drawing a blank.

silly or serious answers would be appreciated.

All the Best, FP

[Dudley]

Of the current crop it's just Interlagos. No real reason other than the circuit was designed like that.

It's not that hard for the drivers to adapt, but it does present a fairly unique setup challenge.

[mtl'78]

Suzuka is a figure eight, so part of it is anti-clockwise.

It IS harder for the drivers. Most of the high G corners are left-handers, when at every other track they are rights. This puts strain on their backs and necks as they are not used to feeling the G's on their other side...

[JV 1]

Interlagos is actually a disguised NASCAR circuit!

[TBone]

San Marino is also counter-clockwise.

[magnum]

And i think the new Indy circuit runs anti-clockwise but i may be mistaken

[Hoosier Tifosi]

sorry, no. The F1 course at Indianapolis will be run clockwise, opposite of the Indy 500.

[Nasty McBastard]

Indeed. Drivers have been saying interlagos is the only counter clockwise circuit on the schedule for years, and have bitched about how it ****ed with their necks.

They all seemed to forget imola, not to mention the new kyalami (back in the early 90's) and one more i thought of when i sqw this post but have forgotten in the time it took me to reply.

guess it depends on if they like a track as to if they bitch about it.

[Mila]

the track layout at Interlagos used to be somewhat different than it is today. it was anti-clockwise from the beginning, however the lap distance use to be a lot greater--4.7 miles or so. the initial part of a lap had two fast left-handers lying above and outside the Senna "S" and the Curva do Sol. actually the Curva do Sol once was a long, long right-hander--so the drivers were travelling the opposite direction at this point on the track. indeed, then, both sides of the neck were getting workouts (I'm not sure how the lateral Gs of the late-70s compare to those of today, they could have been worst with the ground-effect cars).

I think that you can spot the old tarmac from the helicopter shots.

Nasty, good call on Kyalami. unlike Interlagos though, the old track there used to run clockwise.

[Rainstorm]

As nasty McBastard mentioned, the main 'challenge' for the drivers is the strain on the neck. If you look at images, drivers have an amazingly thick neck and they work hard on developing those muscles. But then, one side is more developed than the other due to more use.

I remember reading an interview with Irvine's sister a few years back, where she said the entire week after the brazilian GP all Irvine did was have neck massages - his neck was that stiff!

Regards,

Rainstorm

[Alfisti]

It does feel weird to race anti-clockwise if anyone has tried the F1 sims that are around.... and yeah, i'd imagine it would stuff the neck a little.

Ford.....

you have been watching way too much Simpson's given your reference to the drain swirling in a different direction.

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"Whenever i see an Alfa Romeo i tip my hat" - Henry Ford

[Nasty McBastard]

The other one i forgot was pheonix..and detroit for that matter, but being pokey street tracks i doubt itd have the same effect.

about the neck size thing, i remember reading in one of ole nige's autobiogs that when he made the step up from f3 or whatever he ran before F1 his collar size went up something like 10 sizes in the first season.

you occasionaly hear of drivers taping dumbells to their helmets and wearing them in the gym to try and work out the neck muscles but just about everyone seems to agree its one of those things you cant "train" or "work out" without driving.

Another thing i just realised is that for some reason down here in OZ we have a fair few anti-clockwise tracks... bathurst, phillip island, eastern creek....maybe there is a connection between the dunny water and the tracks

[Ray Bell]

At least Lobethal, Longford and Port Elliot were clockwise.
Was not Mexico City anti-clockwise?

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Mrv]

The real problem that Interlagos creates is that, because it runs in the wrong direction it will put different stains physically on the bodies of the drivers. Since they run clockwise on the other circuits, their bodies are really not used to the stresses that are involved when they race in Brazil.

[Ray Bell]

At least the Mille Miglia gave them a thousand miles to get used to the neck pain - and wasn't the Targa Florio run anti-clockwise?
In Australia, just to show it might be a southern hemisphere thing, we had some others - including Catalina Park, Oran Park, Sandown Park, Narrogin, Lowood - there would be a whole bunch of them...

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[MattC]

Does anyone know if any UK circuits run left-handed?
I know Brands, Thruxton, Silverstone and Snetterton are all RHed, and I think Donnington. Anyone know about the others?

(This would be quite useful info for people doing track days on their road tyres!)

(Also, all the Kart circuits I've used go clockwise, apart from some indoor ones.)

[pa]

Funny thing you should mention the kart circuits, MattC. The track I'm running at now flat out refuses to let us run counter-clockwise. They say the oil system can't lube the engines properly under prolonged anti-clockwise conditions. You'd think that the engines (Honda 6.5) would be designed to handle centrifugal forces in either direction. Either that or they don't want to screw around reconfiguring the transponders!

[Mila]

Ray Bell, the Mexico City track runs clockwise (but it is in the Northern Hemisphere, so it's consistent with other north-of-the-equator tracks).

and Ray Bell, after a run over the Mille Miglia, I bet drivers had a 1000 sore spots!

[Ray Bell]

And a million memories, I'll bet!
I wasn't sure about Mexico City (or Hermanos Rodriguez, as we've been told), and I don't seem to have a map of it.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[MattC]

pa:

Are you running on an ordinary 'road' course, or on some kind of oval? I find it very hard to believe their 'technical' excuse, but if your circuit has conventional curbing, that is usually the biggest obstacle to using a track in both directions. Also, the runoff areas are generally designed for people taking bends in one direction only. I would imagine that an oval track could avoid both these problems.
(I suspect that car circuits have all the marshalls' posts designed to cope with impacts by cars running just the one way, but I've yet to see a kart track where this was the case.)
I suggest you post this query to www.karting.co.uk on the Noticeboard; the UK uses loads of engines like yours, and there's usually quite knowledgable people posting/replying there.(Just don't take any of the 'banter' too seriously....)

Everyone Else:
Can nobody confirm the direction of the other UK circuits?!?

[Sean L]

I believe the Phakisa track where Bernie is considering an African GP is also anti-clockwise.

So it seems SA have 2 ACW GP tracks. I don't care which way 'round they go as long as i get to see a couple of races 'live'

[Mat]

hang on, isnt Imola clockwise??

Mat

[Dudley]

Nope.