36 replies to this topic

[carlos.maza]

Hello friends:

There are some corners in different circuits around the world which name corresponds to a driver.
Does anybody have any information about the origin of this tradition and some of the most famous examples.

Sorry if there is another thread with this subject, but I searched TNF and found nothing.


Carlos Maza

[2F-001]

Aside from the irksome trend of just a few years back to name chicanes after Jim Clark and Senna, I suppose the most obvious examples are at Brands Hatch... Brabham Straight, Graham Hill, Cooper Straight, Surtees, McLaren, Clark, Hawthorn, Stirling's etc...

But for English enthusiasts, perhaps the most endearing case is 'Tanaka International' circuit at Aida - sometime venue of the Pacific Grand Prix: that has corners named for Dickie Attwood; David Hobbs; 'Pipes'; Mike Knight and Williams - but whether that is Cyd, Chris, Grover, Frank or some other, I really don't know!

[carlos.maza]

Thank you 2F-001:

I seem to remember that in the past the corners where named after the first driver dead (or at least to have an accident) in that corner.
Is this true?

Regards


Carlos Maza

[LittleChris]

Mind you most of the Brands corners were only renamed after drivers in the late seventies eg Surtees was previously South Bank, McLaren was Kidney etc. Prior to that Hawthorns and Stirlings were the only corners named after drivers.

[BorderReiver]

Carlos, the only case of this I aware of, I'm sure there are loads of others, is the Clark chicane at Hockenheim, at approximately the point where Jim left the circuit. However it wasn't added until a long time afterwards. Of course, now it doesn't exist. I worry about Jim's marker a lot.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by BorderReiver
Carlos, the only case of this I aware of, I'm sure there are loads of others, is the Clark chicane at Hockenheim, at approximately the point where Jim left the circuit. However it wasn't added until a long time afterwards. Of course, now it doesn't exist. I worry about Jim's marker a lot.

What about Jimmy laying out the line for the esses (later to bear his name) at Croft, towing a plough behind a tractor?!

pete

[BorderReiver]

Really? I never knew that? Anyone got more info?

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by 2F-001
Aside from the irksome trend of just a few years back to name chicanes after Jim Clark and Senna, I suppose the most obvious examples are at Brands Hatch... Brabham Straight, Graham Hill, Cooper Straight, Surtees, McLaren, Clark, Hawthorn, Stirling's etc...

... and coming soon - Dingle Dell is to be renamed Sheene's Curves.

[Wolf]

I think the only two named parts of Mosport track are/were Moss (Turn 5) and Andretti 'Straight' (with Turn 7 in't)... If I'm not mistaken both were consulted when track was designed.

[D-Type]

I always understood that Hawthorn's and Stirling's at Brands were named after local farms or fields that just coincidentally corresponded to the two top drivers of the day. Mind you I don't recall a driver named Dingle or Pilgrim.

[Ray Bell]

Just as Conrod Straight at Bathurst was named after the part that failed in Frank Kleinig's Hudson, Murray's Corner at the end of it was named after the bit that failed to get the brakes on in time on another occasion... Bill Murray.

But he didn't have to die to become immortal.

Forrest's Elbow is at the other end of Conrod, named after a motorcyclist. But I don't know if he crashed there or not... John Medley could tell us.

[Geoff E]

Originally posted by Wolf
I think the only two named parts of Mosport track are/were Moss (Turn 5) and Andretti 'Straight' (with Turn 7 in't)... If I'm not mistaken both were consulted when track was designed.

I was going to mention Moss at Mosport, but are you sure about the Andretti bit - he was only 27 when the track held its first GP.

And there is Ascari bend at Monza.

[Wolf]

Geoff, I just checked the thread where I thought to have seen it mentioned, and it would appear I had a brain-fade when mentioning Andretti's involvement...

But to try to make up for it, Jarama ('68 Spanish GP) had Nuvolari, Fangio, Varzi, Farina, Ascari and Portago corners (with Le Mans combination between Varzi and Farina; and followed by Bugatti Esses and Monza Combination)...

[rolando]

The first curve in the Hermanos Rodriguez is named Moises Solana...

Some friend of mine told me that the Daytona Track is going to rename some curve, with Pedro Rodriguez's name

Regards

[carlos.maza]

Thank you all friends.

I remember that the Buenos Aires circuit had a corner (later transformed into a chicane) called "chicana de Ascari", because Ascari went out in that place.

[DOHC]

Originally posted by rolando
The first curve in the Hermanos Rodriguez is named Moises Solana...

The hairpin?

There's a great picture of Moisés in the 67 GP there, where his 49 rides so low that its front seems to be touching the track, and Hulme comes chasing from behind on opposite lock, looking as if he's going to overshoot the corner.

[IMV]

A good example we can find in old Brno circuit. After Farina´s crash in 1949 race, when 12 people were seriously injured and two of them died, had that corner his name.

[2F-001]

At Mallory Park: Gerard's Bend (for Bob Gerard).

At Thruxton: Allard (much better known as a constructor though); Campbell-Cobb-Segrave; Noble. (For Thruxton to continue its LSR-holders theme, it needs to build a new bend called ''Green''!).

Melbourne: I have seen a map which names some, more commonly, numbered bends Jones, Brabham, Prost, Stewart, Ascari, Lauda, Clark.

At Zolder: Lucien Bianchibocht; Gilles Villeneuvebocht; Jochen Rindtbocht; Jacky Ickxbocht.

The official site maps at the Nordschleife label the Karussell as ''Caracciola-Karussell''.

And, more topically for this weekend, the ''A-1 Ring'' boasts curves named for Lauda, Rindt and Berger.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by 2F-001
.....Melbourne: I have seen a map which names some, more commonly, numbered bends Jones, Brabham, Prost, Stewart, Ascari, Lauda, Clark.....

I guess you mean Albert Park?

For my money, corners that are named for the reason that they have to have a name and that it should apply to the corner are the best ones.

Geoff Sykes held a view something like this, I believe. Warwick Farm had Paddock Bend (around the paddock where the cars were, the Western Crossing was in the direction of the sunset, then Homestead between the houses that were locally known as the homestead, Creek Corner at the end of the straight, the straight virtually ending because the creek was in its path. The Esses, of course, then the Northern Crossing was the crossing over the horse track at the Northern end. The Causeway was a no-brainer, then Polo Corner around the outside of the Polo field. Leger Corner onto the Pit Straight was opposite the Leger grandstand. Hume Straight was alongside the Hume Highway.

Other notable circuits with this inclination are Spa, Monaco, Silverstone, well, there's heaps of them...

[2F-001]

Yes, I meant Albert Park. Please forgive my lack of precision...

I agree, Ray - I don't much like the naming (or more particularly, the re-naming) of corners after persons just for the sake of it

[Ray Bell]

Thanks, I think calling the circuit 'Melbourne' and talking of the 'Melbourne' GP are totally wrong.

It's the Australian GP. The naming of races as GPs in Australia, other than the Australian GP, has been outlawed for decades. There used to be an NSW GP and a Melbourne GP, of course, and that's yet another reason to avoid confusing the issue.

Another one that stands out as silly is the naming of the corners etc at Magny Cours... the Adelaide Hairpin etc. It becomes confusing.

[2F-001]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
... the naming of the corners etc at Magny Cours... the Adelaide Hairpin etc. It becomes confusing.

It sure does... when I mention that I had a spin at Adelaide, folk imagine I'm an incredibly well-travelled racer... I have to come clean and explain that I'm a humble 'track-day' enthusiast who's popped over a France a bit... having said that, I've had spins and been into the gravel at some very prestigious spots!!


When the ''new'' Spa opened, there seemed to be an attempt to name all the new bends after European cities - I only noticed reference to it in a mag. article with a diagram (now lost) and on the dreadful commentary on a tape of the Spa 24-hours race. That idea never seemed to stick and they all have ''proper'' local names. Does anyone know anything more about that?

[Pedro 917]

Quote : originally posted by Rolando
Some friend of mine told me that the Daytona Track is going to rename some curve, with Pedro Rodriguez's name

From a French magazine "Sport Auto" I knew that Conchita Rodriguez (Pedro & Ricardo's mother) was invited to Daytona in February 1983 in order to baptise corner 3 of the race track "Pedro Rodriguez curve". Assisted by Bill France jr. , she also unveiled a commemorative plate :



I was on a holiday in Florida in 1987 and visited the race track. I went to the head office and told the secretary there I was a Pedro Rodriguez nut and that I was searching for that commemorative plate so I could take a picture of it. She called this great person, Robert Mauk, assistant to the Chairman, and he invited me in his office where hung a huge portrait of a pensive Pedro. There was a Trophy in front of the picture which he handed over to me so I could read the inscription : Pedro & Ricardo Rodriguez Trophy. It had all the names of the winners of the Daytona 24hrs since 1972 on it. He called someone up to get the plate out of its storage and then took me outside where I could take pictures of the plate and the trophy :

[rolando]

Thank you, Pedro 917 for the correction

[René de Boer]

Sorry, was away on holiday for a few days without a laptop, so only just found this thread. I would like to add Zandvoort to the list, with the Slotemakerbocht (named after Dutch driver Rob Slotemaker, who had his fatal accident there driving a Chevrolet Camaro in a club race on September 16, 1979) and the Arie Luyendijkbocht (previously called Bos Uit).

IIRC, the main straight was called Jim Vermeulen Eind, after a former managing director of the circuit, who used to race as well (24h Spa with brothers Loek and Huub, also with a Camaro, and Sports 2000), but I haven't heard that name being mentioned for a long time. The Hugenholtzbocht is also named after a former director and the designer of the circuit. And the gallery behind the VIP-suites above the pit boxes is named after Marcel Albers, a much-promising Dutch driver who unfortunately died during a British F3-race at Thruxton in May 1992.

[mikedeering]

I thought it was the grandstands that were named after drivers at Albert Park, rather than the corners?

Doesn't Adelaide have a Brabham Straight (actually Dequiteville (sp?) Terrace)?

Senna S at Interlagos, also a chicance at Jerez de la Frontera.

A1-Ring has curves after famous Austrians - Lauda, Berger, Rindt curves.

[Breadmaster]

Originally posted by René de Boer
And the gallery behind the VIP-suites above the pit boxes is named after Marcel Albers, a much-promising Dutch driver who unfortunately died during a British F3-race at Thruxton in May 1992.

any relation of Christjian Albers?

[Heretic]

Just a little more precision over the names at the A1-Ring. You have to be an Austrian who has won a GP to get a corner names after you. So Wurzs may have to wait a bit.

[Karen Hyland]

Originally posted by 2F-001
Melbourne: I have seen a map which names some, more commonly, numbered bends Jones, Brabham, Prost, Stewart, Ascari, Lauda, Clark.

These might actually be referring to grandstand names.

On the telecasts, they tend to refer to the corners as T1, T9, etc

I think the driver's names are much more interesting....

[Ray Bell]

That's right, it is the stands that are named...

And Karen, you should have confirmed that it's 'Dequetteville' Terrace... that's right isn't it?

[Seppi_0_917PA]

Laguna Seca has named turn 2 the Andretti Hairpin. This may have been in conjunction with Mario's CART farewell year.

Sebring recently named a corner for Dan Gurney:

http://www.atlasf1.c...?threadid=38190

[René de Boer]

Originally posted by Breadmaster


any relation of Christjian Albers?

None whatsoever.

[Graham Clayton]

The Calabogie track in Ontario has two corners named Gilles and Jacques.

[Cappo]

Mondello Park has a couple of corners named after Irish drivers, Daly's Drift (Derek Daly), Devaney's (Bernard Devaney) (Birrane's Bends (Marin Birrane) andI seem to recall a Kennedy's (David Kennady). Don't know why other Irish drivers who excelled there have not got a corner named after them.

[Graham Clayton]

Turn 2 at the Mission Raceway in Vancouver BC is known as the Greg Moore turn:

 

[D-Type]

On the original 1948 Silverstone circuit the two bends where the runways intersected were named Segrave Corner and Seaman Corner and the straights leading up to them were named Segrave Straight and Seaman Straight.  I don't know what the straights leading away from the bends were called - neither Doug Nye or Maurice Hamilton's British GP histories say

[Ray Bell]

At Catalina we had, of course, Stahl's Folly...

 

And Savva's Hairpin. Of course, neither of these were official names.