I was there when he broke the record. It was by over 4 seconds on the first lap then by another second or so in the following 2 more laps. My daughter said, so what's so big about 5 seconds. And I tried to explain that the next fastest car would finish around 6 minutes after the F1 car did in a 70 lap race. That's insane.
I remember watching Ricardo Zonta drive a Toyota F1 car around Laguna Seca. The experience of watching Toyota F1 go around a race track in California was simply amazing. Same year Ferrari F1 race car went around Infineon Raceway piloted by Luca Badoer. Getting to see these cars in real life is absolutely amazing.
let's try to get one first. you have to think though, the facilities of these tracks need to be EXCELLENT. I really only think Indy has the facilities to do that. But the real problem is the money, F1 does not come around cheap.
Brazil (interlagos) is 1:11 lap record only 5 seconds different.... this would be a fantastic addition to F1.. and maybe make F1 successful in the states, when i was there a few years ago, most people i spoke to hadn't even heard of it, tried to watch the french gp in a hotel room on pay per view, it went off and i got the hotel manager to try to sort it out and he had no idea what i was talking about. F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and deserves the best tracks. Laguna seca is one of them
To ride or at least drive at Laguna Seca is on my things-to-do-before-I-die-list. I would really like to see F1 race there. What is currantly the top event for cars at Laguna?
F1 cars have raced at the Glen from 1962 to 1980 it was known as either the USA GP or USA East GP. It won a heap of awards from the Drivers Associations and fans. They scrapped it though cause the 1000hp turbo era cars out grew it.
Well, they were going to move the British GP to Donnington Park. That track's got a pretty short lap as well. The last time F1 ran there it was an 80 lap race. They were lapping around the 1:18 range, and that was in the wet. Had it been dry they expected to be in the 1:10's or thereabouts. And that was in '93. A current F1 car would be damn near one minute flat, I imagine.
@lilbro209 What I meant was that Laguna Seca is the one track in the US that's as cool as Monaco. After 11 years, I still remember each turn...especially the steep slope and hairpins.
@mattie701 I don't think a driver could ever fall asleep at Laguna... Have you tried the corkscrew section out? Thing is like having the bottom fall out of the car!
@SuperColossal33 That's definitely true. The disparity in cost between the two doesn't seem to justify the extra monies spent to many people. However, consider that a Champ Car is roughly 8-12 seconds slower around the same circuit as a Grand Prix car, as shown at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, which was the best comparison as it was the only circuit that both Champ Car and Formula One raced on. Stock cars, by comparison, on the same circuit were some 40 seconds slower.
F1 engines are produced with extreme tight tolerances. In fact so tight that their pistons are stuck when they are cold. So you have to heat them up to ~90°C by pumping hot water and oil through their coolant system before you can start them.
Indeed. But its hard to compare a showcase run and a practice session, respectively. Last time F1 and ChampCar *raced* on the same track, Montreal 2006, Alonso took F1 pole with 1'14.942 and Bordais ChampCar pole with 1'20.005, which was a second off the pace of the slowest F1 car, Super Aguri's Frank Montagny at 1'19.152. Things might have changed though for all I know.
Many things. For example, downforce levels have been reduced in order to increase overtaking (high levels make it hard to stay close in corners), engines changed from 3-liter V10s to 2.5-liter V8s and must be used for 2 races in a row (to cut costs). Slick tyres were abandoned for grooves. And much else!
@tubeyouviewer1984 basically American formula 1....Used to be called CART back in the 90's, merged with Indy Racing League 2 years ago. The car with the record is a Panoz DP01, it entered Champ car in 2007, won all 14 races, had the fastest lap on all 14 of those races, Indy bought Champ and Indy only allows the Dallara/Honda combo, so this car is currently not used anywhere in the world, a shame because it is so fast.
@TheEgg185 It was an older Champ car I think, however the Panoz DP01 CART car beat this record the following year (2007), then CART merged with INDY and the Panoz DP01 is no longer in use by any racing league.
@marianopicco It would probably also help a ton if for one-lap Time Attacks they pushed the car to the limit of grip instead of just going through turns like they normally would...People could easily bring Time Attack times down even more.
Indeed. But showcase vs practice lap is maybe not the best comparison. Last time both raced the same place, Montreal in 2006, Bordais was on pole with 1'20.005 in ChampCar. Weeks earlier Super Aguri's Frank Montagny was 22nd and last in the F1 race with 1'19.152, while Alonso snatched pole with 1'14.942. But maybe things have changed since then, what do I know?
@3NIGMAXRX It's called the "corkscrew". It's interesting because going into the turn you actually can't see anything below you... something you don't realize until you're laying on the ground in a formula car. At a driving school i went to there they actually threw a cone up in a tree outside the track and told us to aim for it!
Its old configuration was about a mile shorter than it is now. They reconfigured it to FIA standards. To maybe get a F1 race. I heard a story when F1 where looking at places to race in the u.s. It came down to Laguna and the street course in Phoenix. Phoenix got the race because they figured more people would show up for that.
@aragon89 ermm F1 has US on the calendar for next year. They are building a track in Austin, TX right now as we speak. Have you been under a cave or watch F1 on Speed? which amounts to the same thing.
@fogdentho they raised it way higher than normal thus compromising downforce it would go faster if it was lowered to normal height but then it would beach
@lapgellert he can see it, but an F1 event at laguna seca wouldn't be feasible unfortunately because of where its located, the short track length, non-compliance to FIA standards and old facilities. I would never want the track to be modified for the FIA standards so hence, F1 not at laguna is probably a good thing.
@tubeyouviewer1984 yeah its an interesting choice, dallara never submitted that design last year, they must have been cooperating with Indy for the new chassis...personally I was hoping for one of the Swift models, but the new one is OK. Anything but that crazy "Delta Wing" batmobile
The pole times bounce around a bit. Rule changes, or tire war can significantly change the results . In 2002 Da Matta's Montreal pole time was 1:18:959. In 1999, the pole time for Michael Schumacher was 1:19:29. So in a gap of JUST 3 years, Da Matta had a better time then F1 pole time. I don't think anyone in their right mind claim that champ cars are going to be faster than F1 cars. I think it is a unfair comparison. However, it is Toyota that invited the press and opened this can of worms.
@lapgellert Yea its a great track but theres more than just a layout of a track to take into consideration. Laguna seca is 2.238 miles it would be the second shortest track in formula 1, just ahead of Monaco. The facilities may not be up to par either and that is a big deal in formula 1. It's a long distance from major population the paddock is quite small compared to others and there was also a death in a cart race there. Gonzalo Rodriguez 1999. those things work against it.
you'd think f1 cars would bottom out all the time but it obviously didn't. I'd love to see F1 racing at Inineon or road america in america. I'd also love F1 to go to Brands Hatch (because its half an hour from my house) or the old nordschleife
Yeah like in the old days, USGP East and USGP West. I'd actually love to see them race around the Long Beach street circuit and maybe the Glen. It'd be better then Valencia and Bahrain.
I wouldn't doubt that if all of F1 showed up to actually race at Laguna, they might top those numbers, but it IS neat that a car that cost less than $500,000 can test for the first time a couple of days each at other tracks, come to Laguna Seca and beat the track record by almos a half a second in two days of setup!
At Seca? Why don't you post a link or something, because that sounds a bit incredible. That said, its not *that* hard to make a car that goes faster than an F1; the rules of F1 mean they have pretty small engines, no turbocharging, relatively small wings, and much else. But F1 quite obviously has the most advanced technology.
Laguna Seca is my favorite race track and I'd love to see F1 there, but it has to undergo some mayor upgrades first. The infrastructure around the track is really bad and could never handle the crowd an F1 race would bring. But imagine a mclaren and a ferrari flying through the corkscrew... Sweet. :P
Wish that that proposed track wasn't being constructed for the USGP. There is no better track in the USA than Laguna Seca, but 1:10 lap times would kill it probably. Such a shame because to me, it combines all the elements a track should have. Hopefully the new circuit in Austin, TX will be good as well.
Sebastien Bourdais, who now drives for the Toro Rosso F1 team beat Zonta's record in '07 in his Champ Car (1:05.880). Of course, I'm sure if the F1 guys had a full race weekend to prep their cars and they brought their real drivers (not test drivers), someone like Schumacher would have set a much faster time.
I don't think I've ever heard Road America and bland in the same sentence. But I have heard Bahrain, Fuji, China and bland together many times. Interesting........
@lilbro209 Spa is considered one of the greatest race tracks in the world. What do you mean it's quickly moving up to epic status? It already is epic status bro
And this is what a middle of the pack F1 could achieve in Laguna Seca. If a Ferrari or McLaren tried it, it'd go to 1.04, maybe less... F1 is just ages ahead of everything else
if a test driver could break the all time lap record in a car that finished way down the the championship, how would the top teams have done in a more competetive setting of qualifying?
@andhag it's far too short for f1, and would have almost no overtaking opportunities. i don't like the track, it has the corkscrew and the high-speed left after it which are good corners, but literally every single other corner is a flat right angle, even the hairpin.
I think a 2004 spec car would be faster than an RB7 around here, it's quite a tight track but not enough for the downforce to make up for the power for a v10 around here I think.
WTF! Bring F1 to this track already!!!! Whats the name of that downhill left-right series of corners?? It's like running Eau Rouge backwards. Whoa, I just blew my mind. Eau Rouge backwards....
not at all... track designer now try to make turns even more dificult by adding them to odd terrain so they have a braking zone uphill or a tight turn at the bottom of a hill... its all designed to be challenging for the drivers
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Junção de duas maravilhas: a pista de Laguna Seca e um carro de F1. Nunca achei que veria isso!🎉🎉
I was there when he broke the record. It was by over 4 seconds on the first lap then by another second or so in the following 2 more laps. My daughter said, so what's so big about 5 seconds. And I tried to explain that the next fastest car would finish around 6 minutes after the F1 car did in a 70 lap race. That's insane.
We need F1 @ Laguna Seca! Here ! Now!
that would be awesome
I remember watching Ricardo Zonta drive a Toyota F1 car around Laguna Seca. The experience of watching Toyota F1 go around a race track in California was simply amazing. Same year Ferrari F1 race car went around Infineon Raceway piloted by Luca Badoer. Getting to see these cars in real life is absolutely amazing.
MAN, that's fast! What a beautiful track!
Holy shit f1 car goes so fast on this tight technical track. Just amazing
let's try to get one first.
you have to think though, the facilities of these tracks need to be EXCELLENT.
I really only think Indy has the facilities to do that.
But the real problem is the money, F1 does not come around cheap.
I forgot toyota had a team!
Brazil (interlagos) is 1:11 lap record only 5 seconds different.... this would be a fantastic addition to F1.. and maybe make F1 successful in the states, when i was there a few years ago, most people i spoke to hadn't even heard of it, tried to watch the french gp in a hotel room on pay per view, it went off and i got the hotel manager to try to sort it out and he had no idea what i was talking about. F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and deserves the best tracks. Laguna seca is one of them
To ride or at least drive at Laguna Seca is on my things-to-do-before-I-die-list.
I would really like to see F1 race there. What is currantly the top event for cars at Laguna?
F1 cars have raced at the Glen from 1962 to 1980 it was known as either the USA GP or USA East GP. It won a heap of awards from the Drivers Associations and fans. They scrapped it though cause the 1000hp turbo era cars out grew it.
@Canukki33 Where do I sign to make this happen?
what was de old track record in a champ car? I love F1
Melbourne: 2006 Best lap: 1:25,229 Jenson Button (Honda), 1:26,596 Ralf Schumacher (Toyota), 2011: 1:23,529 Vettel (Red Bull RB7)...
@andhag I would beg to differ. It handles a MotoGP crowd just fine, and I honestly think that draws just as much people as an F1 race would.
I would love so much to see f1 here, although there may not be many overtakes
Does any one know where onta is racing now or if he is still racing??
Well, they were going to move the British GP to Donnington Park. That track's got a pretty short lap as well. The last time F1 ran there it was an 80 lap race. They were lapping around the 1:18 range, and that was in the wet. Had it been dry they expected to be in the 1:10's or thereabouts. And that was in '93. A current F1 car would be damn near one minute flat, I imagine.
This track got to be on the f1 Calender! Beautiful
Maybe if they chose this over the shitty street track in Phoneix it would be.
@lilbro209 What I meant was that Laguna Seca is the one track in the US that's as cool as Monaco. After 11 years, I still remember each turn...especially the steep slope and hairpins.
@mattie701 I don't think a driver could ever fall asleep at Laguna... Have you tried the corkscrew section out? Thing is like having the bottom fall out of the car!
what years car was this?
@SuperColossal33 That's definitely true. The disparity in cost between the two doesn't seem to justify the extra monies spent to many people. However, consider that a Champ Car is roughly 8-12 seconds slower around the same circuit as a Grand Prix car, as shown at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, which was the best comparison as it was the only circuit that both Champ Car and Formula One raced on. Stock cars, by comparison, on the same circuit were some 40 seconds slower.
It's the best track ever! The laguna seca... i know this track like my own!
Not any more!
Ricardo Zonta Toyota TF106 1322lb w Driver: 1:06.309 121.504 mph
Sébastien Bourdais Panoz DPO1 1565lb w/o Driver 1:05.880 122.295mph!
F1 engines are produced with extreme tight tolerances. In fact so tight that their pistons are stuck when they are cold. So you have to heat them up to ~90°C by pumping hot water and oil through their coolant system before you can start them.
Indeed. But its hard to compare a showcase run and a practice session, respectively. Last time F1 and ChampCar *raced* on the same track, Montreal 2006, Alonso took F1 pole with 1'14.942 and Bordais ChampCar pole with 1'20.005, which was a second off the pace of the slowest F1 car, Super Aguri's Frank Montagny at 1'19.152. Things might have changed though for all I know.
Many things. For example, downforce levels have been reduced in order to increase overtaking (high levels make it hard to stay close in corners), engines changed from 3-liter V10s to 2.5-liter V8s and must be used for 2 races in a row (to cut costs). Slick tyres were abandoned for grooves. And much else!
@tubeyouviewer1984 basically American formula 1....Used to be called CART back in the 90's, merged with Indy Racing League 2 years ago.
The car with the record is a Panoz DP01, it entered Champ car in 2007, won all 14 races, had the fastest lap on all 14 of those races, Indy bought Champ and Indy only allows the Dallara/Honda combo, so this car is currently not used anywhere in the world, a shame because it is so fast.
@TheEgg185 It was an older Champ car I think, however the Panoz DP01 CART car beat this record the following year (2007), then CART merged with INDY and the Panoz DP01 is no longer in use by any racing league.
@marianopicco It would probably also help a ton if for one-lap Time Attacks they pushed the car to the limit of grip instead of just going through turns like they normally would...People could easily bring Time Attack times down even more.
Love the cockpit view at 1.41 when Zonta drives down the corkscrew
@andhag I'm from Austin and couldn't be more excited about F1 coming to my hometown, but I agree. F1 should move to Laguna Seca for the US GP.
@Snaptainment
there are multiple reasons that would make it impossible for F1 to run at laguna seca. the track would need many additions.
Indeed. But showcase vs practice lap is maybe not the best comparison. Last time both raced the same place, Montreal in 2006, Bordais was on pole with 1'20.005 in ChampCar. Weeks earlier Super Aguri's Frank Montagny was 22nd and last in the F1 race with 1'19.152, while Alonso snatched pole with 1'14.942. But maybe things have changed since then, what do I know?
@3NIGMAXRX It's called the "corkscrew". It's interesting because going into the turn you actually can't see anything below you... something you don't realize until you're laying on the ground in a formula car. At a driving school i went to there they actually threw a cone up in a tree outside the track and told us to aim for it!
Its old configuration was about a mile shorter than it is now. They reconfigured it to FIA standards. To maybe get a F1 race. I heard a story when F1 where looking at places to race in the u.s. It came down to Laguna and the street course in Phoenix. Phoenix got the race because they figured more people would show up for that.
Such a great track
@jraybay yes it is there s a corner there i always forget to brake but if i braked it wouldn t be hard for me
Yeah, that is right. :) MSC in a F2004 at Laguna Seca... A dream. My (german) opnion. ;)
@aragon89 ermm F1 has US on the calendar for next year. They are building a track in Austin, TX right now as we speak. Have you been under a cave or watch F1 on Speed? which amounts to the same thing.
I think it's good an F1 car was taken round Laguna. It might pave the way for a future GP there, even if I do prefer LMP/GT cars.
so what your saying is that 2 cylinders less made absolutley no change on power,revs.acceleration ,speed ..etc?
Since there's no Indy GP next year, Laguna Seca would be good. One of the best tracks in the world, behind Donnington of course.
@fogdentho they raised it way higher than normal thus compromising downforce it would go faster if it was lowered to normal height but then it would beach
@jraybay yes but it would be great F1 in laguna seca when i drive on this track in video games i fell so good it s a very small and hard track
@veedub87 yes it would, but a DP01 with engine cost a team roughly $200k. A F1 car is astronomical compared to that.
Yeah that Barber Park is a little short...........
but hey, could be wild to watch F1's there
I was there that day and it was very cool!
@lapgellert he can see it, but an F1 event at laguna seca wouldn't be feasible unfortunately because of where its located, the short track length, non-compliance to FIA standards and old facilities.
I would never want the track to be modified for the FIA standards so hence, F1 not at laguna is probably a good thing.
@marianopicco Not to mention that was a middle of the pack car with the 2.4L V8... imagine if the V10's had been allowed to try it out
Laguna Seca deserves F1!!!!
@veedub87 Or the Renault 2004..........that car was GOD when revving into the stratosphere!
@tubeyouviewer1984
yeah its an interesting choice, dallara never submitted that design last year, they must have been cooperating with Indy for the new chassis...personally I was hoping for one of the Swift models, but the new one is OK. Anything but that crazy "Delta Wing" batmobile
@lapgellert It's too short. You would have to go round it about 200 times for it to be F1 standard
laguna seca is the best race track out there...
My dad and I were there!
world class track!!!
The pole times bounce around a bit. Rule changes, or tire war can significantly change the results . In 2002 Da Matta's Montreal pole time was 1:18:959. In 1999, the pole time for Michael Schumacher was 1:19:29. So in a gap of JUST 3 years, Da Matta had a better time then F1 pole time. I don't think anyone in their right mind claim that champ cars are going to be faster than F1 cars. I think it is a unfair comparison. However, it is Toyota that invited the press and opened this can of worms.
i really would like to see F1 in laguna seca
@F1guitarfanatic927 Infineon is great too. I think a F1 car would be more exciting there, it's a lot harder to drive around.
@lapgellert Yea its a great track but theres more than just a layout of a track to take into consideration. Laguna seca is 2.238 miles it would be the second shortest track in formula 1, just ahead of Monaco. The facilities may not be up to par either and that is a big deal in formula 1. It's a long distance from major population the paddock is quite small compared to others and there was also a death in a cart race there. Gonzalo Rodriguez 1999. those things work against it.
you'd think f1 cars would bottom out all the time but it obviously didn't. I'd love to see F1 racing at Inineon or road america in america. I'd also love F1 to go to Brands Hatch (because its half an hour from my house) or the old nordschleife
Quem chegou aqui depois do acelerados ? 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Eu. kkkk
Eu kkkk
Yeah like in the old days, USGP East and USGP West. I'd actually love to see them race around the Long Beach street circuit and maybe the Glen. It'd be better then Valencia and Bahrain.
I wouldn't doubt that if all of F1 showed up to actually race at Laguna, they might top those numbers, but it IS neat that a car that cost less than $500,000 can test for the first time a couple of days each at other tracks, come to Laguna Seca and beat the track record by almos a half a second in two days of setup!
At Seca? Why don't you post a link or something, because that sounds a bit incredible.
That said, its not *that* hard to make a car that goes faster than an F1; the rules of F1 mean they have pretty small engines, no turbocharging, relatively small wings, and much else. But F1 quite obviously has the most advanced technology.
Laguna Seca is my favorite race track and I'd love to see F1 there, but it has to undergo some mayor upgrades first. The infrastructure around the track is really bad and could never handle the crowd an F1 race would bring.
But imagine a mclaren and a ferrari flying through the corkscrew... Sweet. :P
F1 in Laguna Seca? That would be great!
Hard to believe that this was 12 years ago!
Notice I said new F1 tracks, Spas been around for a while before the FIA was so into making F1 tracks boring.
Wish that that proposed track wasn't being constructed for the USGP. There is no better track in the USA than Laguna Seca, but 1:10 lap times would kill it probably. Such a shame because to me, it combines all the elements a track should have. Hopefully the new circuit in Austin, TX will be good as well.
too true!
Sebastien Bourdais, who now drives for the Toro Rosso F1 team beat Zonta's record in '07 in his Champ Car (1:05.880). Of course, I'm sure if the F1 guys had a full race weekend to prep their cars and they brought their real drivers (not test drivers), someone like Schumacher would have set a much faster time.
I don't think I've ever heard Road America and bland in the same sentence. But I have heard Bahrain, Fuji, China and bland together many times. Interesting........
god an F1 race at laguna seca would be AMAZING!!!!!
1:05:78 on a barrichelo f1 2004 ferrari mark gene 5-20-12
@lilbro209
Spa is considered one of the greatest race tracks in the world. What do you mean it's quickly moving up to epic status? It already is epic status bro
And this is what a middle of the pack F1 could achieve in Laguna Seca.
If a Ferrari or McLaren tried it, it'd go to 1.04, maybe less... F1 is just ages ahead of everything else
I thought Bourdais beat this time in the 07 Champ Car? Upon reading into it, he did but it was an "unofficial" attempt.
@Randy Dubin Well FOM would have no grounds whatsoever to take this down as this isn't from an Official F1 event...
currently racing on brazilian stock car championship
really..well i dnt really knw..but i assume 10 cylyinders make for more horses and revs than 8..unless ofcourse the v10s were restricted somehow...
well??? what the hell was the old record? what did he beat it by? bad journalism. :|
ALMS?
I think the IRL still goes there as well.
It was obvious Zonta wasn't pushing very hard but still a great lap.
This iswhy bought gt5, it has this track and f1 car to race on it :)
Champ Car approximately 8 sec slower, isn't it?
@andhag
I agree , I want Formula 1 at Laguna Seca :) !
if a test driver could break the all time lap record in a car that finished way down the the championship, how would the top teams have done in a more competetive setting of qualifying?
Just do a you-tube search on:
Laguna seca track record
The time was beat by almost 1/2 second
if thats toyotas time,what would ferrari or mclarens time be like.would love to see f1 raced here.
We need Formula 1 cars at Road America. Now that would be incredible.
@andhag it's far too short for f1, and would have almost no overtaking opportunities.
i don't like the track, it has the corkscrew and the high-speed left after it which are good corners, but literally every single other corner is a flat right angle, even the hairpin.
I think a 2004 spec car would be faster than an RB7 around here, it's quite a tight track but not enough for the downforce to make up for the power for a v10 around here I think.
WTF! Bring F1 to this track already!!!! Whats the name of that downhill left-right series of corners?? It's like running Eau Rouge backwards. Whoa, I just blew my mind. Eau Rouge backwards....
they need to reclaim the record for f1, champ car beat this lap a few months later
to bluemonolith88
Too short? Even monaco is 300 m shorter.
True, the average speed is smaller there.
that corkscrew is notorius....
not at all... track designer now try to make turns even more dificult by adding them to odd terrain so they have a braking zone uphill or a tight turn at the bottom of a hill... its all designed to be challenging for the drivers