Bahrain's Circuit
Tuesday in Bahrain and the teams spent the day completing their preparations for this weekend's 6 Hours of Bahrain. The drivers and their engineers also took the opportunity to walk the Grand Prix Track and get to know the various corners on this circuit in the desert. We also took the opportunity to get some pictures of the track.
Grand Prix Circuit
The inner and outer tracks of the six are configured to form the Formula One circuit and allow unparalleled viewing from the Grandstands and the VIP tower. The circuit’s length is 5.411Km, with a maximum uphill slope of 3.6% and maximum downhill slope of 5.6%. The design and planning team from the German Architects Tilke GmbH have gone to great lengths to ensure that the objective of creating a track with character and undulation has been fulfilled. The track includes 15 corners and the forecast lap time for a current Grand Prix car is 1min 30.252secs at an average speed of 213 km/h.
In 2005, for example, the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix generated print media coverage to the value of $43 million, of which $12.4 million was within Bahrain itself. For 2006 coverage across the Middle East and North Africa leapt by 780%, with a total media value and global airtime total exceeding that of the entire 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. In 2007, the total economic impact on the Kingdom of Bahrain during the three-day Formula One race weekend totalled a staggering $580 million.
Specifications of the Grand Prix track:
•Investment $150 million US
•Maximum uphill slope: 3.60%
•Maximum downhill slope: 5.60%
•Height between the lowest and highest points on the circuit - 0 to 18m
•15 turns (9 right and 6 left)
•Length of start/finish straight 1090 m
•Four straights
◦Pit straight 1090 m
◦Straight 2 555m
◦Straight 3 680m
•Workforce: 3,000+ at peak time
•Total man hours worked: 8,265,000hrs
•Total Sub base for track: 272,648m2
•Total Asphalt base course: 60,000MT
•Total Asphalt binding course: 30,000MT
•Total Asphalt wearing course: 30,000MT
•Total run-off area: 140,000m2
•Total grass carpet: 5,000m2
•Total Quantity of Concrete used: 70,000m3
•Total Steel: 8,500 MT
•Total rock excavation: 968,459m3
• Total filling: 500,000m3
•Total length of tyre barriers: 4,100m
•Total number of tyres: 82,000
•Total guard rail: 12,000mTotal FIA safety fencing: 5,000m
For more information visit the official BIC website
Jeff Carter