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In 1972 Enzo Ferrari's dream of a dedicated test track
was realised with the building of the Fiorano track close to the factory
at Maranello. The tracks main purpose is to test the latest F1 and GT
racing cars, the team mechanics also use the track to practice the
events of a race-simulated pit stop.
The layout of the track is typical to that of a regular road. It has a tortuosity index of 1.24, with 1,661 meters of bends and 1,339 meters of straight. The length of the standard course is 3,000 meters, extended to 3,021 meters by the new chicane built in 1992. The average speed for the course is over 160 km/h, with peaks of more than 290 km/h. The amount of straight road and bends was designed to solve specific problems: a balance between right and left bends, bends with a differentiated radius, from 13.71 to 370 meters; bends with different features having one or more centers. Although convinced that it was impossible to repeat bends typical of other racetracks, the designers did try to include elements that resembled the salient features of some European courses. Bend no. 1 is used to assess car behaviour when braking hard. Bends 2 and 9 (sharp bends to left and right) to verify brakes when turning into the bend and engine elasticity when leaving it.
The next two equal radius bends, 4 and 5, were designed to verify centrifugal effects on fuel supply and handling between left and right. The uphill slope, with its 6.5% incline as from bend 6, and the straight between bends 6 and 7, with a number of ups and downs including a first hump, a dip and another hump, were designed to highlight variations in stability during car trajectory transients. The road between curves 10 and 14 was intended to highlight overall car performance, particularly from an aerodynamic viewpoint. Chicane 15 provides a good indication of engine and chassis behaviour during acceleration, particularly relating to drive.
The circuit benefits from having a computerised system that sends all the technical information from the car direct to the pits, this includes details on speed, lap times and all host of technical information to aid in the development of the car. The circuit is covered by 10 fixed cameras to aid the team in seeing just what is happening on the track.
In the pits the team has access to the television, timing and computer control room, Safety at the track is extremely high, with a dedicated fire truck and fire posts, along with the track's own emergency ambulance. The track is completely fenced off from the public, but this does not deter the passionate Tifosi from watching behind the fence in the hope of seeing the cars going round the circuit. |
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