What's the story with those chicanes?

[ChrisB]

Why do they still have those chicanes there? They seem to be the cause of WAY too much mayhem.

Were they originally put there to slow the cars down lest those long straights would produce speeds too high?

And wasn't there a point a few years back where CART determined they didn't really need them anymore... but had to keep them because the FIA wouldn't let them change the track (which the FIA later had to back down on, because they were facing restraint-of-trade issues).

Can they get rid of those chicanes, or what?

[Lizzerd]

I asked the same question for the same reason on 7G after the 2000 race and was told, in so many words, that I didn't know what I was talking about, that the drivers love the track and it is very racy. While that may be true to some degree, I agree that at least some of the chicanes are useless. The series that is taken almost straight through (on the back straight, I think), amounts to not much more than a bottleneck. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, I don't know. Without the chicanes, speeds could get very high which isn't a good thing without runoff areas, I guess.

I'd like to see at least some of them gone too, but not at the expense of safety.

[JoeBob]

Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but if there are two "signature visuals" I look forward to every year, they would probably be watching the cars bang off the chicanes at Surfer's Paradise and watching the cars dive down the corkscrew at Laguna Seca.

[mapguy]

Originally posted by JoeBob
Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but if there are two "signature visuals" I look forward to every year, they would probably be watching the cars bang off the chicanes at Surfer's Paradise and watching the cars dive down the corkscrew at Laguna Seca.

Don't forget the pit babes at Mexico City.

[lateralus42]

Surfers has the best chicanes ever. I wish I could see the champ cars race through there in person.

[JoeBob]

Originally posted by mapguy
Don't forget the pit babes at Mexico City.

I meant the on track action. ;) Mexico City does rival Surfers for "Best Walking Scenery."

[RR. RS.]

Originally posted by lateralus42
Surfers has the best chicanes ever. I wish I could see the champ cars race through there in person.

I agree. I love watching the drivers go through them.

[rabbit]

Originally posted by JoeBob
Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but if there are two "signature visuals" I look forward to every year, they would probably be watching the cars bang off the chicanes at Surfer's Paradise and watching the cars dive down the corkscrew at Laguna Seca. If that makes you a weirdo, then add me to the list of weirdos too.

[stools]

The chicanes in Australia are signatures of the track. The same as the corkscrew is for Laguna, the Carousel for Elkhart, etc. I LOVE them. Fast and sweeping and makes for great pictures and not all get through them as well and a lot of time determines the race. Who beats their cars up the most, which car handles it the best, which driver is the smoothest through them. It seperates the smooth and aggressive drivers. They make or break the race almost every year.They are awesome!

[JohnHKart]

Originally posted by JoeBob
I meant the on track action. ;) Mexico City does rival Surfers for "Best Walking Scenery."

Hey guys, don't leave the latina land known as Miami off the list either.

JH