The final version of the track changes made to the Red Bull Ring for MotoGP have been completed.
As shown last month in exclusive satellite images obtained by The Race, the revised layout – which has since been tightened – includes an all-new chicane at Turn 2 with a pair of 90-degree turns.
This is to break up the long run from Turn 1 and reduce speeds through the original Turn 2 – a slight kink – to the uphill braking zone at Turn 3, where high-speed incidents have occurred previously.
As well as slowing riders on the approach to Turn 3, the chicane has also been designed to change the line of fire in case of contact.
“Reduced speed was needed in MotoGP in this section of the track,” said circuit designer Hermann Tilke, who was involved in the process of remodelling the corner with MotoGP promoter Dorna and motorsport’s two- and four-wheel governing bodies, the FIM and the FIA.
“This was achieved through the compact right-left combination which refrains from impacting the rest of the track. The planning was a real challenge due to the topography of the terrain, above all.”
MotoGP said that the changes, of which there were 15 drafts before the final version was settled on, were “based on specific speed calculations, in which the dimensions of the run-off zones and the other safety facilities were accounted for”.
The original profile of Turn 2 remains intact and will continue to be used for Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix, and is available for other car racing series.
The remodelling also keeps the number of corners at the Red Bull Ring at 10.
