Twelfth Monkey
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Like driving around a building site......that Valencia. Absolutely horrible to behold, from every angle. I suspect the organisers try to encourage the Monaco comparisons, but I couldn't help but laugh seeing a shot from one of the boats moored trackside, from which all you could see was part of the rear wing of a Red Bull as it passed.
I can't see how this place was chosen to host a GP, other than via the exchange of great wads of cash. Imagine trying to describe it:
Beautiful scenery? Nope.
Endless concrete barriers? Yes.
Unsightly industrial detritus, like cranes? Yep.
Oh, and it's got a bridge. Say no more!
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Humphrey The Pug
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Yep, completely agree, it's and absolute dump of a place.
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Gooner
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The idea was for it to be Spains answer to Monaco. Didn't quite work and if I remember right they had bugger all spectators last year.
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Matt
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If they wanted it to be like Monaco, and industrial area of Valencia wouldn't have been the top of my list. Surely if they could have done so in Barcelona it would have made much more sense?
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Big TC
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And where are the spectators? There hardly seems to be any grandstands, and certainly no trackside enclosures. The marshalls and photographers have a better deal, by far!
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BeN
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And what is that white line along the circuit? Looks like a cocaine line...
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DaveGibson
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| BeN wrote: | | And what is that white line along the circuit? Looks like a cocaine line... |
Ben, if you're referring to the white line that creates a cloud of dust when the cars go over it, it's absorbing the trail of oil that Vettel left when his engine blew up.
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Mike Amos
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" it's absorbing the trail of oil that Vettel left when his engine blew up."
I would have thought that a decent cue for a marshal or safety representative to ban the red bull's for the rest of the season at least, if not part of last season too.
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Chris M Wants a V-10
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| DaveGibson wrote: | | BeN wrote: | | And what is that white line along the circuit? Looks like a cocaine line... |
Ben, if you're referring to the white line that creates a cloud of dust when the cars go over it, it's absorbing the trail of oil that Vettel left when his engine blew up. |
Which engine, first or second blow-up of the week-end ???
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Sav
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For this years race the organisers had to reduce the seating capacity from 120,000 to 80,000. But even then there were half full grandstands around the track.
In theory the circuit should provide good racing, with a number of long straights followed by heavy braking zones - but in practice that simply has not happened. To make a race entertaining on this track you need 3 safety car periods within 7 laps and a load of over-eager youngsters like in GP2 this morning.
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DaveGibson
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They claim the total attendance this weekend was 160,000. I don't know where they were. Even so, the BBC is reporting that Bernie has signed a deal for a further five years at Valencia but the race will be later in the year when conditions are cooler.
They also report that he has agreed a deal with Suzuka for an annual race after Fuji dropped out.
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ALF
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And perhaps the most important criteria - does the circuit encourage overtaking? No. Yesterday was a total procession, and the circuit seems worse than usual for poor aero when following other cars...
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BeN
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| ALF wrote: | | And perhaps the most important criteria - does the circuit encourage overtaking? No. Yesterday was a total procession, and the circuit seems worse than usual for poor aero when following other cars... |
There were lots of overtaking in GP2. I guess it's more about the drivers than the track.
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Humphrey The Pug
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| BeN wrote: | | ALF wrote: | | And perhaps the most important criteria - does the circuit encourage overtaking? No. Yesterday was a total procession, and the circuit seems worse than usual for poor aero when following other cars... |
There were lots of overtaking in GP2. I guess it's more about the drivers than the track. |
More likely the aerodynamics of the current F1 cars, they can't follow closely enough without all of the disturbed air coming off the car in front and buggering up the aerodynamics on the car behind.
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Mark
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I’m on my own by the looks of it:
I’m not suggesting the circuit is good to race on/provides a good race for spectators or looks pretty etc and of course, it’s nothing like Monaco – but I do think the Valencia docks provide a great backdrop for the circuit/race. It’s interesting to look at, if nothing else. A shame the racing is becoming less and less so.
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Twelfth Monkey
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...and what a contrast this weekend. Beautiful, dramatic, challenging and as someone more perspicacious that I once observed, 'it feels like you are going somewhere.'
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