Valencia Street Circuit
- Not to be confused with Circuit de Valencia
The Valencia Street Circuit is a semi-permanent street circuit in Valencia Spain. The circuit will host the Formula One European Grand Prix for seven years starting in 2008[2][3] The first Formula One race on the circuit was held on 24 August 2008,[4] with Felipe Massa winning the event, the European Grand Prix. The circuit uses the roads around the city's harbour and America's Cup port area.[5] One section of the circuit uses a 140 metre long swing bridge.[1] It also includes some roads designed to be used only for racing purposes by the German architect Hermann Tilke. Tilke also designed the buildings used for the circuit.
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| The swing bridge, an important element of the Valencia Street Circuit [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | Valencia, Spain | |
| Time zone | GMT +1 | |
| Opened | 2008 | |
| Major Events | FIA Formula One European Grand Prix | |
 | ||
| Surface | Asphalt | |
| Circuit Length | 5.419 km (3.367 mi) | |
| Turns | 25 | |
| Lap Record | 1:38.683 ( Timo Glock, Toyota, 2009)
| |
History
The deal to host the Valencia race was signed on 1 June 2007. It will last for seven years.[6] The deal was made with the Valmor Sport group. The official track layout was unveiled by Valencia councillor and transport minister, Mario Flores, on 19 July 2007. The track was first used in the last weekend of July 2008. The circuit hosted a round of the Spanish F3 Championship and International GT Open. It was first used for the European Grand Prix on 24 August 2008.
Layout
The track is 5.419 kilometres (3.367 mi) long and incorporates a total of 25 turns. There are 11 right-hand turns and 14 left-hand turns.[7] It is estimated that the track has a top speed of around 323 kilometres per hour (201 mph).[8] Valencia is not as tight as Circuit de Monaco. There are not very many places to pass. The straights not not very straight the track gets very dusty off line.
The circuit has been criticised by the drivers for its lack of overtaking opportunites. There have only been 4 recorded passes in the first race held in 2008, and no passes in 2009. There is little space in the circuit to make changes to improve passing.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Swing Bridge Already Closed – Valencia Street Circuit". www.valenciastreetcircuit.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ "Telefónica, Principal Sponsor of the Formula 1 Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe – Valencia Street Circuit". www.valenciastreetcircuit.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-09. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ Telefónica is European GP Sponsor (Translated from Spanish). Valenciacircuitourbano.com. 2008-01-28. http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.valenciacircuitourbano.com%2F&langpair=es%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
- ↑ "The Official Formula 1 Website". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ "Motorsport: Spanish drivers eager to please home fans". nzherald.co.nz. 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ↑ "Valencia deal done". 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
- ↑ "Valencia plans revealed". Forumula1.net. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ↑ "Valencia track unveiled". Pitpass. 2007-07-19. Retrieved 2007-07-19.