Circuit Paul Ricard
The Paul Ricard Circuit is a 1970 finished motor racing track near the southern French village of Le Castellet in the Var; about 20 kilometers from Bandol on the Cote d' Azur. The facility is located in close proximity to the Aéroport International du Castellet is a complex unit and is well known in motorsport circles as Le Castellet, because it lies on the territory of the municipality of the same name. The official name of the race, test and test track but since February 2001 Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track ( Paul Ricard HTTT short ).
The course was initially because of its not then usual run-off areas as safety pioneering and leading the later so-called "test-tube routes ." The FIA " Institute for Motor Sport Safety" gave the plant in 2006 because of their exemplary safety concept as the first winners of the FIA Institute Centre of Excellence Award.
- 5.1 Literature
- 5.2 External links
- 5.3 Notes and references
History
The basics to build this to be traversed clockwise racetrack in 1962, the purchase of approximately 1,000 acres of land on a plateau between Toulon and Marseille and the construction of the largest private airfield of Provence by the French pastis producer Paul Ricard. This was from June 1969 to April 1970 next to the airfield build a 5.81 km long racetrack, which opened on April 19, 1970 with a sports car race in the 2 -liter class and first used primarily for motorcycle races. Between 1971 and 1990 appeared here was the Formula 1 Grand Prix of France, in part, alternating with the Circuit de Dijon -Prenois and Charade. However, starting in 1991, this Formula 1 race took place only in Magny- Cours. The Paul Ricard Circuit, however, remained host for major motorsport events such as the motorcycle endurance classic Bol d'Or (from 1978 to 1999), the French rounds of the MotoGP World Championship ( 1972, alternating with Le Mans, Charade and Nogaro ) or the FIA Truck Racing Championship.
After the end of the Formula 1 era on this route, however, was omitted major investments (such as after the 1972 airfield Aéroport du Castellet ), in November 1997, died the owner and namesake Paul Ricard and in May 1999 sold the heirs of the whole area for about 11 million U.S. dollars to the French company Excelis SA, one of the Formula -1 promoter Bernie Ecclestone is part of the Family Trust APM. Managing Director of this company is Gurdjian Philippe, who had already organized some of the Formula 1 race on the track. Gurdjian has since acted within the meaning of Ecclestone as director of the race track, the airport and the nearby resort Hôtel du Castellet. After purchasing substantial investments have been made in all these areas; including a far-reaching modifications of the circuit in a test track. In this context, a contract was signed with the Toyota Formula 1 team newly formed, which included the construction of their own test center on the site. Since October 2001, used Toyota, the new plant, as of February 2002, it was also used by other teams and since then, especially in the winter break popular testing ground for Formula 1 teams and the participants of the 24 - hour race at Le Mans. By August 2006, the remodeled track was not approved for spectators; on 19 and 20 August there were approximately seven years after a public race meeting of the FIA GT Championship; However, with only 1,000 tickets or paddock passes. Was driving on a 5.791 km long track layout.
Special
The Paul Ricard circuit was designed and built with the help of a racing driver Henri Pescarolo and Jean -Pierre Beltoise in just ten months and impressed in its original form mainly by its unusually long Mistral straight ( about 1.6 km). The same had until then only the race tracks of Le Mans ( with the Mulsanne straight ) and Reims has to offer, the outside of the racing events, however, were public land or national roads. That's why it is a popular Paul Ricard test track for the participants of the 24 -hour race of Le Mans. The slight right turn at the end of the line can be considered " Mutkurve " be fully cycled and is called Signes after the nearby temporary residence of the route builder Paul Ricard. At the opening of 1970, the plant was considered a new standard for racetrack management and security, with time still rare Curbs (partial four-color painted in blue, white, red and yellow) and large gravel run-off areas.
Over the years and with increasing speed of the racing cars but showed the limitations of these safety measures: On 14 May 1986, the Brabham - BMW driver Elio de Angelis was killed during testing at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The accident occurred at a fast section of the course in the field of curve combination Esses de la Verrerie after a rear wing of the Brabham BT55 was canceled. De Angelis died a day later at a hospital in Marseille his injuries. After this part of the route was no longer used; a new connector shortened the Mistral straight on about one kilometer and the total route length of the then so-called Grand Prix circuit at 3.813 km. The new routes layout at the Grand Prix of France was driven Formula 1 early on July 6, 1986.
In the following years, the route still further profiled among other things as training ground for the young racer. The Winfield Racing Schools were here later champions like Patrick Tambay, Didier Pironi, Alain Prost, Jean Alesi and Olivier Panis. At times, were also the teams of Larrousse (Formula 1) and Oreca (Formula 3000 ) at home. The lap record was before the current conversion at 1:08,012 minutes ( average speed 201.829 km / h ), 1990 driven by Nigel Mansell in Formula 1 Ferrari 641
The new course
The reconstruction after the change of ownership and the millennium is according to the operators have temporarily employs over 1,200 people; from engineers to construction workers. The new system applies to the part of the track used before 1986, again with; intended to be traversed by optional new chicanery and connectors now around 180 track variations be possible to to test and train completely different conditions. The route length can be varied between 6.105 km and 826 meters, the width is between ten and twelve meters and there are a total of 15 right - and ten left turns available. The new track owners were a total of 25 acres of run-off areas, among others, by German architect Hermann Tilke planned, sophisticated system of successive asphalt strip build. They have, among other things by the addition of tungsten in the outer layer different high friction values that are far above those of most of the actual road. So that they can slow down even Formula 1 racing car from high speeds reliably without causing damage to the vehicle or injury to the driver. This saves the team there tested cost and time that they would otherwise need for salvage and repair of injured car. The asphalt strips are color- separated from each other, so that together with the red - white painted curbs a distinctive range image. Prices for the line rental (also for club events ) are the highest in Europe and are up to 100 percent higher than those charged to other international circuits.
Statistics
All winners of the Formula 1 race at Le Castellet
Record winner Driver: A. Prost ( 4), record winner designers: McLaren / Williams ( 3 each)