F1 at Bathhurst

[Sirpent]

Jensen Button and Craig Lowndes will both alternate between driving a modified Vodafone F1 and a team Vodafone Holden Commodore V8 Supercar around Bathurst today, this is something i have imagined seeing so many times over the past 30 years, but obviously the track isnt suited to modern F1 set ups.

 

Nevertheless,  the F1, obviously a suspension modified car by the looks of it will be hunting Craig Lowndes track record of 2.06.8.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/formula-one/craig-lowndes-and-jenson-buttons-lap-threatened-by-rain/story-e6frf3zl-1226025606475

[luvemfast]

Shame they're expecting a wet track.

Will be interesting footage

[chris240]

I just saw the news clip....but I cant recall if the sports presenter said Button broke Lowndes record by 7 or 17 seconds !!

[Sirpent]

I just saw the news clip....but I cant recall if the sports presenter said Button broke Lowndes record by 7 or 17 seconds !!

 

17 seconds ! and Lowndes was 1 second slower than Button !

 

And from what Lowndes stated the minimal amount of input at the top of the mountian all the way down and the amount of downforce spoke volumes by the smile on his face, just makes me wonder if there is something more to this than just a publicity stunt, maybe its publicity for a future event which would make Mt Panorama one hell of a F1 track.

 

 

[Sirpent]

Hi,

 

Just remembered something that Button said and did a quick few calc's

 

Button said that due to the fact that this is a normal road which has a central rise or apex built into it to facilitate water run off, he couldn't use the normal line he would have wanted, this can account for a fair bit of time loss, nevertheless, I just did some calculations comparing the Bathurst F1 time to the Albert Park Lap record, interesting reading.

 

Albert Park = 5.303 Km's long

Lap record = 1.24.125

Average speed as per record = 226.93 KPH

 

Bathurst = 6.200 Km's long

Today's time = 1.09.80

Average speed = 319.77 KPH

 

From the net looking for the fastest F1 track the following is mentioned

 

http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-139663.html

 

While actually adding more slow bends to the layout, the new half-mile Arena section is indeed due to make Silverstone faster on average.

 

But to investigate the claim that Monza could be knocked off the perch as F1's fastest, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport commissioned a study with the help of the Swiss team Sauber.

 

A simulation lap of the revised layout processed by Sauber's famous Albert II supercomputer projected a laptime of 1.31.0, resulting in an average speed of 233.4kph.

 

Monza's average speed is about 248kph.

 

The Sauber simulation, however, shows that the new right-hander at the abolished Abbey chicane will be taken at 279kph, followed by a 281kph left sweep, making it the fastest chicane on the calendar.

 

Pfffffffffft 248 Kph at Monza, try 300+ at Bathurst !

 

Sorry guys, just the sight of the car at the mountain gets the better of me.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

[PeterAllen]

...Average speed = 319.77 KPH...

 

Unless I'm very much mistaken... you are very much mistaken.

[Sirpent]

Unless I'm very much mistaken... you are very much mistaken.

 

Im afraid not,

 

6200 meters in 69.8 seconds = 88.825214 meters per second

 

88.825214 meters per second X 60 seconds = 5329.5128 meters per minute

 

5329.5128 meters per minute X 60 minutes = 319770.76 meters per hour

 

319770.76 meters per hour devided by 1000 meters ( 1 km) = 319.77076 Kph

 

LOL unless Im very much mistaken, please advise otherwise if I am as my math is screwed up 

 

 

[chev z]

Un official time 1 min. 48 sec ..per lap.... recommend doing another calculation

[Sirpent]

I stand corrected,

 

Revised calc's

 

6200 meters in 108 seconds = 57.407407 meters per second

 

57.407407 meters per second X 60 seconds = 3444.4444 meters per minute

 

3444.4444 meters per minute X 60 minutes = 206666.66 meters per hour

 

206666.66 meters per hour divided by 1000 meters ( 1 km) = 206.666.66 Kph

 

I mis-converted the time into 69.8 seconds rather than 109.8

 

nevertheless, an impressive speed, I will move away from my study PC into the kitchen and cut myself a big slice of humble pie.....

 

Pie = 3.14 correct ? 

 

P.S. Actually thats ultra impressive considering "They had to climb a mountian side"

 

[PeterAllen]

Don't worry John, we've all done a Murray Walker... In my case, more than once.

[luvemfast]

Is there any video of said lap?

[benny]

theres bits on youtube... freakin quick!!

[Sirpent]

 

A better one, check out 45 seconds into the vid

 

 

Apparently Grant will be showing the full laps on 7's Sunrise tomorrow morning, I'd dare say they will have in car footage fingers crossed.

[Sirpent]

For those interested................

 

SKYNEWS on Foxtel Channel 601 Sportsline.

 

Footage in car coming up in the next 15 odd minutes.

 

Cheers

 

John

[BenZed]

Unless I'm very much mistaken... you are very much mistaken.

 

I would love to see an F1 car do Bathurst flat out in top gear without braking... still I'm sure Button could have gone much quicker if he knew the track like Lowndes... and he didn't need the car for today.

[PZG302]

I would love to see an F1 car do Bathurst flat out in top gear without braking... still I'm sure Button could have gone much quicker if he knew the track like Lowndes... and he didn't need the car for today.

 

He didn't need the car for today, they used a 2009 spec car for bathurst.

 

Bathurst would never get the licencing for a F1 race, IIRC the only open wheelers CAMS have licenced for Bathurst is Formula Ford. As much as it would be a spectacle, it is just way too dangerous with the lack of run off, about the only thing you could garantee would be an almighty crash with probable loss of life. The dipper is much steeper than even the corkscrew at Laguna, and the Champ and Indy cars can struggle to get through that.

 

I remember doing a couple of hill climbs at Bathurst and a modified Formula Holden was running and he had trouble getting up through the dipper and esses with bottominmg out on the tub and wings, and saying the line down the hill would be even worse.

[tir33d]

Here is the on board lap from the little go-pro camera on the front spoiler.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4XVF3jJL5Q&feature=player_embedded

Bathurst was re-surfaced years ago and the dipper isn't quite so steep now, he actually had more trouble on the last corner onto conrod (falken).

As for the safety I think it would be more about crowd safety. Look at most of their tracks and there are cages everywhere and concrete walls, the reality I think is that there is probably only 2 maybe 3 overtaking areas.

There is talk on other forums of how they were told to slow down as maybe a low 1.30 was possible, I know as I watch Craig from top of the hill he seemed to waste a little time at the chase. Also their top speed was way off, they were at top rev top gear by 1/3 of conrod. Kind of have a feeling that they were being conservative. CAMS only just let this happen, too low a time may have seen some issues. Also some other individuals claim to have timed Button at 1.39 using a landmark at the track on his second lap

In saying that it was awesome to see and hear, was amazing to hear the car around the whole track, and if you have driven it a couple of times you know exactly were he was at any moment.