The Inside Line by Craig Lowndes & Mark Fogarty

Author:Craig Lowndes & Mark Fogarty [Lowndes, Craig; Fogarty, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7304-9623-6
Publisher: Bolinda Digital Pty Ltd
Published: 2010-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

9

TRACKS, HACKS AND STACKS

Unlike football fields or tennis courts, which have uniform dimensions, every racetrack is different. Okay, in the major footy codes, the quality of the surface may vary, but it’s always grass and the size of the playing area is standardised for each game. Tennis is played on hard courts, clay courts and grass courts, so the playing surface can change, but the size of the court is the same. The only variables are the weather conditions and the size of the stadium. The only constant with motor racing is that the tracks are tarmac. But even the asphalt varies greatly. Some racetracks are smooth, some are bumpy; some are low-grip, some are high-grip; some are coarse, and others are gentle on tyres. And then there’s everything in between. Their length, shape and speed are never the same. Racetracks are more like golf courses, each with their own layout and character. Whether a track’s flat or undulating, tight and twisty or flowing and fast, long or short, makes a big difference. Every track is unique.

Australian motorsport lost one of its great tracks in 2009 when Oran Park in Sydney’s far southwest was shut to make way for a housing development. But we’ve managed to retain a diverse range of circuits that have been upgraded and improved over the past decade, due mainly to V8 Supercars Australia’s insistence on raising standards wherever we race. The V8 era has also brought more street circuits into the sport, taking the racing into cities and creating major events that are like big festivals.

V8 Supercars revived the Adelaide Parklands F1 circuit for the Clipsal 500, now second only to the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in prestige and the biggest from a corporate entertainment point of view. The Clipsal is as big, if not bigger, than the Adelaide Grand Prix was before Melbourne secured Australia’s round of the F1 world championship in 1996. We race at Albert Park as well as the major support act to the F1s. In recent years, new street circuits in Hamilton (New Zealand), Townsville and Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush have joined Adelaide and the Gold Coast as the series’ major attractions outside our blue-ribbon event at Bathurst. I have some concerns about the emphasis on government-supported temporary street circuits, but there’s no denying their appeal to the public. Sanctioned racing on city streets draws huge crowds and massive TV audiences, who love the gladiatorial contests in the concrete canyons and the party feeling between races. Street races are always action packed, although purists prefer traditional venues like Mount Panorama – the pinnacle – our greatest track, and host to the most important event.

My second-favourite track is Phillip Island, another classic course. It’s also a real driver’s track in that you get a reward for the effort you put into a really good lap. The Island is fast and flowing with mainly open, sweeping corners. Turn one at the end of the main straight is especially exhilarating. It’s a sixth-gear right-hander that really tests your commitment.

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