Racing is a glamorous sport, but for every lap in front of a cheering crowd, there are hundreds more run during testing. It's often a tedious process as team technicians fiddle and fuss over the smallest adjustments to engine, bodywork and tires, trying to extract the best performance from the machine.
But it also can be the most dangerous part of racing. Drivers are asked to test the limits of a car's sometimes questionable capabilities, and if something isn't just right, stretching the envelope can quickly turn into disaster.
Now, however, there's Circuit Paul Ricard, a dedicated test facility in southern France that was designed to provide the safest possible environment for testing.
Credit Philippe Gurdjian as the driving force behind Circuit Paul Ricard. A tornado of energy, Gurdjian was contracted by Formula One czar Bernie Ecclestone to transform the aging track in Provence into a completely new approach to tempering the dangers of testing.
Said Gurdjian, "We had to be original in the way we thought; there was nothing to copy, as there was no other circuit in the world that provided a model for what we wanted. We needed to be avant-garde, innovative, technological in our thinking and creative in order to turn this circuit into the 'benchmark.'"
Beyond providing the highest levels of safety, Paul Ricard was set up with highly sophisticated data collection technology, enabling teams to quantify the most minute aspects of testing. A recent visit to the track provided european car with a behind-the-scenes look at the spectacular facility, which is truly unique in the world of motorsport.
The Old Circuit
Paul Ricard was built in 1970 and went on to host many international motoring events, including 14 Formula One races and a number of motorcycle championship contests. Gurdjian promoted and organized the F1 races from 1985-90, which gave him an insider's appreciation of the needs of the teams running at the highest level of motorsport. This experience qualified him to design the F1 track in Malaysia, and he's currently working with the FIA to develop some of the circuits which will soon join the schedule.
The turning point for the old track came when Toyota Motorsport GmbH, the team that competes in F1, decided to make Paul Ricard its center for testing. Permanent facilities for TMG were begun in 2001, and this set into motion the complete renovation of the track. Eleven months later--an extraordinarily short period by most standards but two months behind Gurdjian's relentlessly demanding schedule--the new circuit was ready for its first test session.
Along with the circuit, Gurdjian oversaw renovation of the airport which abuts the track and the rebuilding of the Hotel du Castellet just across the road.
The New Circuit
It's not just a single track. There are 40 different possible configurations, ranging from just under a kilometer long to one almost 6km long and featuring 11 right-turn corners and 7 to the left. Twenty of those 40 "solutions" (as they are called) feature a track watering system that can lay down varied depths to emulate wet conditions from light drizzle to tropical downpours. Track width ranges from a maximum of 12m to a minimum of 10m, wide by normal standards but indicative of the emphasis on safety throughout the facility.
Over 20km of guardrails are the more obvious safety features, but Gurdjiaf's most notable innovation is the use of highly abrasive asphalt in the run-off areas instead of conventional gravel traps. At first these areas were normal asphalt black, but difficulty in picking out the actual track from the run-offs required a different approach. Gurjiaf came up with the idea of marking the run-offs with a striking paint design that helps drivers better read the relatively flat track. A special paint also had to be developed to retain, and in some areas enhance, the abrasive qualities of the run-offs.
Three types of asphalt line the track. Just outside the circuit is a blue area that's more abrasive than the track surface; it's followed by a second, red area that is ultra-abrasive, designed specifically to slow down a car to the extent of stopping it. The third, mildly abrasive surface, covers other areas where the dangers of going off are minimal.
It's a wonderful technological achievement and ensures that even the fastest "off" will likely go unpunished. On our tour we were shown a long streak of black recently put down by Kimi Raikkonen's McClaren. Had this untimely exit from the track occurred at any other test venue, it would very likely have resulted in severe damage to the car if not also to the driver.
Modern electronics provide crucial enhancements to the traditional stopwatch method of testing. Underlying the track is 50km of fiber-optic cable, used to transmit data to a "telemetric pit" for the engineers, and a series of cameras record every section of the track for real-time and recorded review of the proceedings. The video tracking system also includes transponders for time keeping, an essential element of any test.
The Pits--No Longer "the pits"
Each aspect of testing was considered for revision, including the heart of activity, the pits. The original circuit's pit boxes were replaced by a completely enclosed telemetry area for the engineers, now termed the "Technical Pit," sited directly behind the new mechanical pit area. Glass enclosed, soundproofed and air conditioned, each of these contains 10 flat-screen monitors, which can show the team's cars in the pit as well as on the track; 32 different readings from around the circuit, including lap times and speeds; and a weather screen linked to the airport's control tower providing such data as wind speed and direction, ambient temperatures and atmospheric pressure.
The pit building itself (which was redesigned to maintain the modern look of the original structure) houses a hospitality suite for each pit, the Panoramic Club Restaurant, a state-of-the-art press room, a conference room and the track's administrative offices.
Each area is beautifully designed and replete with all the amenities imaginable. For instance, Paul Ricard is the first track in the world to be equipped with a fiber-optic network, for access to both the Internet and to the internal network. A digital phone network allows its users to connect to ISDN lines, plus the network is secured by an internal fire-wall to make all connections free from virus attack or hacking.
The Video Control Room
Gurdjiaf calls this area the "nerve center" of the track. It's perhaps the most significant part of the facility to the teams, as it allows a vast amount of data to be recorded and analyzed. Each car being tested is fitted with a transponder so that its exact location and speed can be precisely monitored via the fiber-optic network around the track. This allows 32 points of measurement on a single lap and three instant speeds, the data displayed instantly on the screens in the
Technical Pit. This, of course, is privileged data and is available only to the relevant team. Thirty-eight monitors and two giant screens allow complete scrutiny of the track.
The network is also used to control the cameras and warning lights around the track. These lights replace the traditional track marshals and can instantly signal to a driver any hazards or conditions on the track ahead. Red, blue, yellow and green lights emulate the flags normally used during competition, all controlled by the track manager in the Video Control Room.
This constant monitoring of the track also means the response to an incident is much quicker, helping to minimize the effects of injury from a crash.
The Medical Center: Fast Intervention for Greater Safety
During any test session, from five to 20 Rescue Teams are on stand-by to assist the driver in the event of a shunt. Using what the track calls Fast Intervention Cars, these two-man teams are fully trained in rescue and emergency medical techniques. They're backed up by a Medical Center attached to the main building, which boasts an impressive array of staff and equipment.
The center features a fully equipped ambulance with direct access to the track and a medical helicopter landing pad directly behind the building. Inside are full life-support facilities on a par with any other of its type, including a serious burns unit with state-of-the-art water bath, one of only two at racing facilities in the entire country. A two-bed observation ward with full medical equipment is available for less serious injuries, and there's also a medical examination office, first-aid station, recovery room and physiotherapist on hand.
The center is managed by Dr. Jean Duby, FIA Medical Delegate for the World Rally Championship, and there's a permanent staff of eight: one anaethetist nurse and seven professional firemen. The larger test sessions are complemented by additional doctors and nurses from France's emergency medical services.
Exhibitions, Public Areas, Hotels and the Airport
Because Paul Ricard is also used by manufacturers for shows and product launches (we drove Volvo's S60R at the track), the Mistral Exhibition Hall was built. Overlooking the Mistral Straight, it boasts a huge floor area (30 x 60m) that makes it the only facility of its type on the entire Mediterranean coast. Fully air conditioned and connected to the same fiber-optic network as the circuit, it provides all the amenities of any world-class exhibition hall, including parking for 500 cars.
The general public can enjoy some of the world-class ambience of the new Paul Ricard by visiting the High Speed Club, just outside the entrance to the test track. It's divided into three sections: a bar equipped with giant TV screens; a shop for race merchandise and souvenirs; and an outside terrace for relaxing in the warm Provencal sun.
Adjacent to the track are two hotels. La Residence des Equipages is a 3-star hotel used mainly by air crew and by race team members and other supporting staff, although its 19 rooms are also open to the public. Hotel du Castellet offers true luxury, its 18 rooms and 5 suites often booked by the rich and famous. On a clear day the Mediterranean sparkles in the distance. Among the hotel's facilities are a fitness center, heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a steam bath, 4-hole golf course, jogging track, two clay tennis courts with night lighting and a gourmet restaurant with an extensive offering of French and imported wines.
The Castellet Airport was built in 1962, but now the former provincial strip is the most sophisticated private airport in the region. The runway is 1750 meters long and can accomodate large passenger planes as well as the private jets used by racing's elite. The elegant passenger terminal also houses customs and passport control, and hangars lining the strip can accomodate helicopters, Falcon 2000s and Global Express, FBO, refuelling, etc.
Circuit Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track
2760 Route des Hauts du Camp
83330 Le Beausset, France
Tel: 33 (0)494 983 666
Fax: 33 (0)494 983 998
www.circuitpaulricard.com
Hotel du Castellet
3001 Route des Hauts du Camp
83330 Le Beausset, France
Tel: 33 (0)494 983 777
Fax: 33 (0)494 983 778
www.hotelducastellet.com
La Residence des Equipages
RN8 - 3100 Route des Hauts du Camp
83330 Le Beausset, France
Tel: 33 (0)494 983 888
Reservations: 33 (0)494 983 777
Fax: 33 (0)494 983 889
Castellet Airport
RN8 - 3100 Route des Hauts du Camp
83330 Le Beausset, France
Tel: 33 (0)494 983 999
Fax: 33 (0)494 983 998