Surgery at the curve of discord of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Turn 10 of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya returns to its origins, to the original 1991 track. The most difficult section of the Catalan track, the segment with the most falls in MotoGP (an average of 15 in the last three Catalan GPs) , has gone through the scalpel and has recovered its most fluid format from 30 years ago. “With a single modification, both the FIM and the FIA ​​are happy,” says the director, Josep Lluís Santamaría, that is, the motorcycles and the F-1, which had been demanding changes for three years. Especially motorcycles.

More security

With the remodeling, requested by the FIM and the FIA, an escape is gained in one of the most controversial points

The works, completed on Saturday and which have been testing the cars (GT, passenger cars and LMP3) since Monday, have consisted of the construction of a new curve 10 layout that unifies the two previous ones that coexisted. “It goes through the middle of the previous two, it is an intermediate of the variant of the F-1 and the original”, explains the director of the Circuit, who estimates the cost of the works at “about 870,000 euros”.

Turn 10, popularly known as La Caixa (although it no longer pays to give it a name), has historically been one of the most controversial points on the track. Especially among the motorcycle riders, who complained about the little escape: the wall was very close.

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In order to alleviate the problem of the short escape, thinking about the F-1 cars, which came from the straight at 305 km / h and braked up to 95, a variant was made in 2004 – a small straight cutting the original curve – of so that a new angle was created with a very small and closed radius. The bikes kept tracing by outside .

Josep Lluís Santamaría, director of the Circuit

“Now it is a more continuous curve, with widening of the radius and with superelevation; the track is more open and the braking is not so aggressive “

But since 2016, due to Luis Salom’s fatal accident at Turn 13, MotoGP has reluctantly used the variant of the F-1, called by some “the disgusting 10”, considered too unnatural, since it cut the fluid step that should now be recovered.

“Now it is a more continuous curve, with widening of the radius and with superelevation; the track is more open and the braking is not so aggressive, which was not what the drivers did not like, ”Santamaría details. In addition – and this was what was sought -, “you gain a safe distance, from the edge of the track to the wall.”

In other words, the escape route has doubled in width, and has become mixed, with a first strip of asphalt “to help redirect the vehicle”, and a final part of gravel to brake. Tech-Pro protection barriers will be installed on the wall, as an additional safety measure, which were not there before.

Pedro de la Rosa’s forecast

“This corner is faster and increases the chances of overtaking a bit, perhaps not at the entrance, but if you start with good traction to be able to overtake on 11 or 12”

In addition to improving safety, the modification of the curve should also lead to more overtaking options. According to Santamaría, “now there is more width at the entrance of the curve so that the cars can enter in parallel, and the curve is more uniform”.

And also, according to Pedro de la Rosa, member of the RACC board of directors, “this curve is faster and increases the chances of overtaking a bit, perhaps not at the entrance, but if you start with good traction, you can overtake on 11 or 12 “.

With the new curve, which will receive homologation from the FIM and the FIA ​​on Monday, the Circuit now measures 25 meters more: from 4,655 to 4,675.