Korean Grand Prix

amacachi

Anyone know what the story is with this? I can't find too much about it online and on wikipedia it's still down as being subject to the track being completed on time. Given the race is only around 3 months away I find it odd that we're not being bombarded with images of the track or PR stuff like there was for the Middle Eastern tracks.

Grim.

well according to this guys vids its not looking good http://www.youtube.com/user/philelmer

amacachi

Hmm, the fact they've started would seem to indicate they think they'll get it done, then again as with all F1 **** knows what's going on behind the scenes.

Ghost Train

this photo from march shows a grandstand which is something

http://www.flickr.com/photos/waegook/4453675612/in/set-72157623467149251/

fears of cancellation
http://formula-1.updatesport.com/news/article/1275897151/formula_one/F1headlines/Korea-GP-cancellation-fears/view.html

and a german news story
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.motorsport-total.com%2Ff1%2Fnews%2F2010%2F06%2FKorea_Grosse_Hilfestellung_aus_Australien_10061001.html&sl=auto&tl=en

amacachi

BUMP!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/86277 Looks like it's happening so.

amacachi

Seems it from the map on Wikipedia, though how accurate or otherwise it is I don't know.

amacachi

Does it look like this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_International_Circuit :pac: Seems to be the usual Tilke, coupla long straights and the rest is twisty.

frostie500

Was Karun Chanhok saying that he would be over there this week demoing a Red Bull? At least from that we'll be able to get some decent footage from the track and the views of a driver.

From looking at the layout it seems Tilke is more inclined to develop another poor circuit like the Valencia street track rather than doing a great circuit like Istanbul

vincenzolorenzo

There's a story about it in this month's F1 racing. They sent a journo out there a while ago, 100 days before the GP is due to be held on October 24th, and it was hard to see how they're going to get finished. At that stage the grandstand was built and the pit buildings looked to be nearly finished, but no sign of actual pit lane or track for that matter. And there didn't seem to be much activity work wise the day they were there anyway. Nothing like Abu Dhabi which apparently had 10,000+ workers at the construction peak to get everything finished up. I'm definitely a bit skeptical about this track getting completed. Also, the layout looks s**te :rolleyes:

lord lucan

Nothing onboard yet that i've found. Just these from the RB drive by Chandok.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irrpb9TqbGw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Fg5QBxGTQ

Oblomov

The FIA site lists the Korean Grand Prix as subject to homologation

Korean friends local to the circuit believe it will be ready and advertising is constant.

Wait and see?

EvilMonkey

I would say it will be able to host the GP. I doubt it will be finished they will be lucky if the paint is dry(you would be amazed how a drop of paint makes any half finished site look ready).
From the video they at least have a main straight, grand stand and pit/paddock buildings! I assume they have a full circuit if Chanhok did some laps. No kerbs grass, astroturf, lights or other finishing touches. Oh and why couldn't he exit the pit properly?
FIA are inspecting it at the end of the month...

Ghost Train

Karuns post test interview

http://bit.ly/9msg5y

Ghost Train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD5jHiTK_pA

amacachi

Seems to perfectly match the layout on Wikipedia anyway. A week of finishing touches will have it looking like a proper racetrack, white lines and painted kerbs, laying of astroturf etc. It'll happen.

Track looks just as poor as it does on Wikipedia though.

Ghost Train

I'll reserve judgement till till we've had a race there. The set up choices might be interesting, like indianapolis used to be

lord lucan

Doesn't look great but we'll wait and see how she looks for a race weekend before making a judgement.

Top Dog

Would the lip on all the kerbs not indicate that it still needs another layer of tarmac to be laid on the entire circut? Or are they just looking exaggerated to me because they're not painted? I always thought the kerbs on a track tapered into the asphalt.

EvilMonkey

Top Dog wrote: »

Would the lip on all the kerbs not indicate that it still needs another layer of tarmac to be laid on the entire circut? Or are they just looking exaggerated to me because they're not painted? I always thought the kerbs on a track tapered into the asphalt.

Was thinking that myself, looks like one of those unfinished housing estates where the builder hasn't put the top surface on the roads!

But i cant imagine them sending a F1 car round on a circuit without the final surface. Maybe that's they they gave him a crap set of tyres in case slicks ripped up the road!

Top Dog

Oops - I thought the crap looking tyres were actually full wets on account of the surface water round the back of the track!

EvilMonkey

These pics don't inspire confidence

http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/bilder/cat.php?c=10yeongamlok3

Also it was confirmed at the weekend that the top layer if the circuit is yet to be laid. If they make it its going t be a greasy surface!

F1 2010 game shows us what's missing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Lh379HVYk

losthorizon

Imagine having booked a flight to Korea and then finding the GP cancelled which could yet happen. No doubt you would get the money for your race tickets back but your flight tickets?

lord lucan

EvilMonkey wrote: »

These pics don't inspire confidence

http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/bilder/cat.php?c=10yeongamlok3

If them pics were taken on the 28/9 then they're in serious trouble as there looks to be far too much to be done in such a short time frame. Surprised at the Koreans tbh,you'd expect them to be far better organised.

Ghost Train

Those pics show lots to be finished off in the less than 2 weeks before inspection

EvilMonkey

In all the pictures i have seen of Korea, there seems to be a severe lack of construction workers, machinery etc. the place looks empty. In those pictures there is the crane and maybe 5 people standing around. If they were rushing to finish it i would expect more than that. Where is everyone? If they were that far behind i don't get why they would waste a day having the demo with Chanhok.

Ghost Train

EvilMonkey wrote: »

In all the pictures i have seen of Korea, there seems to be a severe lack of construction workers, machinery etc. the place looks empty. In those pictures there is the crane and maybe 5 people standing around. If they were rushing to finish it i would expect more than that. Where is everyone? If they were that far behind i don't get why they would waste a day having the demo with Chanhok.

Was thinking the same about the lack of workers, but it does look late in the day, so maybe that's why its a bit quiet

There do seem to be stands gone up (going up) since Karun was there, thats the only positive I can see

Jordan 199

Isin't the track due to be inspected soon by the FIA?

Ghost Train

Jordan 191 wrote: »

Isin't the track due to be inspected soon by the FIA?

Around the 11th I think

EvilMonkey

Ghost Train wrote: »

Was thinking the same about the lack of workers, but it does look late in the day, so maybe that's why its a bit quiet

They must go round and do a major tidy up before they go home but then it is Korea so who knows

Top Dog

Looking at those photos, and assuming the date on them is correct, I wouldn't be too confident about them making the deadline.

here.from.day.1

EvilMonkey wrote: »

F1 2010 game shows us what's missing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Lh379HVYk

Look at 1.30 in the game screen, kind of ironic the way there's cranes!

Ghost Train

Seems they have started or should have started doing the final surface for the track on Tuesday which should take 6 days. Right in time for the inspection

the main grand stand does look great, so close to the track

EvilMonkey

Bernie now says Korea defiantly will go ahead



Story and more pics
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87304

Ghost Train

Great news, sounds good for a race so, hopefully

Oblomov

From the horse's mouth:

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/10/136_74047.html

rua1972

Maybe Bernie should give new countries/circuits at least two years to come up with a race track. Jake and Karun were looking around the indian track some weeks ago. Seeing the builders there, it could go the same way as the Korean track.
On the other hand building a multi million track only to be told there will be no race for the next couple of years is a bad investment.

amacachi

rua1972 wrote: »

Maybe Bernie should give new countries/circuits at least two years to come up with a race track. Jake and Karun were looking around the indian track some weeks ago. Seeing the builders there, it could go the same way as the Korean track.
On the other hand building a multi million track only to be told there will be no race for the next couple of years is a bad investment.

Bernie doesn't care about the track owners and their investments. It's extremely difficult for any of them to make a profit from F1, best they can hope is nearly break even then use the publicity they get to attract other races.
India should be ok, loads of time left. It's the USGP that won't be happening.

rua1972

maybe i should replace Bernie by FIA. The organising countries/circuits should get more time to build a track. A year is a bit short if you include designing a track let alone build it. But maybe Tilke has a lot of designs laying around, lets hope not
The Austin Grand prix looks serious, but so did USF1. Time will tell.

Oblomov

The major delay with the Korean GP has been the weather, friends out there have complained about the storms, not just a minor shower but semi tropical storms. Very difficult to do anything is those conditions.

But, if you control the weather....... you're the man

Grim.

track has passed its inspection so it is going ahead

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87421

The Korean Grand Prix will take place later this month after the FIA gave the circuit a green light on Tuesday following two days of safety inspections.

Although the event has been surrounded by speculation for weeks that the venue would not be finished in time for the October 24 race, FIA race director Charlie Whiting was happy with the progress that had been made.

Whiting told race officials that he had seen enough at the track to convince him that he will issue it with the mandatory circuit licence that it needs to host a Formula 1 race.

In a statement issued by race organisers, Whiting said: "It is satisfactory, and I will issue the license through (ASN) KARA."

Race promoter Yung Cho Chung welcomed the FIA approval, and said he believed the grand prix would ignite huge interest in his country.

"We are delighted that all works are now finished to the complete satisfaction of the FIA, and we join the whole of Korea in welcoming the Formula 1 fraternity to the Korea International Circuit for the first time," he said.

"The KIC has been constructed to the highest standards, and will become the epicentre of motorsport in the country. We believe the Korean Grand Prix will be the catalyst to ignite enormous interest in the sport across the nation."

Aerial photographs of the track this week showed that the final layer of asphalt had been laid, but that much of the infrastructure around the venue was not yet totally complete.

F1 teams said at the weekend that they expected the race to go ahead, even though F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has expressed some reservations about it in Singapore a fortnight ago.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "I think we have got to respect the fact that a lot of money has been spent, and a lot of effort put in, and I am sure the Korean nation will ensure that there is a grand prix."

Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn said: "As far as we know, yes it will happen. The final surface has been laid and they are finishing off the kerbs and so on...I think the infrastructure will be a bit weak, but we want to race there and we need to do everything we can, as long as it is safe to race there."

here.from.day.1

Red Bull Racing have a cool virtual lap on their site, good preview of how it should be in the future.

Link.

Ghost Train

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

Red Bull Racing have a cool virtual lap on their site, good preview of how it should be in the future.

Link.

Interesting, never knew they planned so much development in the city section of the circuit

PJTierney

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

Red Bull Racing have a cool virtual lap on their site, good preview of how it should be in the future.

Link.

Vettel almost takes Webber out in his own vid too

EvilMonkey

Ghost Train wrote: »

Interesting, never knew they planned so much development in the city section of the circuit

The bastards are after sneaking another street track in :pac:

I knew they were planing to build a city around the track, didn't know what it would be like.

It will be interesting to see how it develops if at all.

losthorizon

Ian Ferguson BBC weatherman already saying this about Korean GP (I know its early for weather forecasts)


KOREAN GP: Tr.Storm Megi f'cast intensification to typhoon status early next week for Philippines; recurving remnants to S. Korea by quali?

Could be VERY rainy

Ghost Train

I'm starting to get excited now, I know there still a high possibility it will all fall apart, but would be great if it's a half decent grand prix weekend

great to see a Ferrari at the track
http://twitpic.com/2z7cah