Circuit Information
The event is held at the ultra-modern Shanghai International Circuit, which was bankrolled by the government to the tune of $325 million and surpasses even Sepang in state-of-the-art splendour. The facility will certainly provide a striking backdrop, with gleaming, futuristic architecture including two giant steel-and-glass “wings” 140 metres wide which bestride the start-finish straight.
The circuit itself was designed by German Hermann Tilke, who also penned Sepang and the new Istanbul circuit that will host the Turkish GP in October. Most of Tilke’s creations feature a combination of long straights and awkward compound corners; they tend to produce good racing, even if they might not get the riders’ pulses racing in the manner of Assen or Phillip Island.
Shanghai’s 5.300 km (3.293-mile) layout includes a long, 1.175 km (0.73-mile) back straight that offsets the sinuous nature of the rest of the track. Top speeds should comfortably exceed 200 mph, but most of the corners will entail the use of the lower gears, so average speeds will probably be in the medium range.
The lap starts with a long decreasing radius right-hander that will require the brakes to be applied all the way through the corner while the bike is under load, making it tricky to maintain good balance. That feeds directly into a tight left, followed by a fast stretch to a right-hand hairpin. A sweeping S-bend provides some relief before a tight double left-hander.
After another short burst it’s hard braking again for a 90 degree left, which opens out into a long banked right-hander that turns through more than 180 degrees before spitting bikes out onto the back straight. Exit speed will be critical here, but getting the power down under simultaneous hard acceleration and cornering will not be easy, presenting a similar problem to the final two turns at Estoril.
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