GP2 Forum

Intersting news:

Will night-time racing be coming to Shanghai in the future?


The first ever night race in Formula 1 has moved a step closer after circuit designer Hermann Tilke said it was now possible to successfully stage and televise such an event. "You also need a certain amount of brightness to allow TV cameras to show the cars property – not as blurry streaks! But there have been tremendous developments in lighting and camera technology, so I don’t see it being a problem.”

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone recently said that one or two night-time races could on the cards by the end of the decade – with Japan and China in the frame to host them.

The onset of night racing at grands prix in the Far East would likely prove to be a hit with European TV viewers in particular, with races moved into a more traditional afternoon slot and F1 would not be the first major motorsport series to experiment with racing under floodlights, with American series’ NASCAR, Champ Car and IndyCar already having hosted night-time events.

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=38489

Yeah I read that in Autosport magazine today, seems like a winning idea to me. It works in the IRL and BTCC, why not F1? And as you say, it would bring the Far Eastern races to a more sociable time slot for us Europeans. My missus hates it when I get up at 5am just for a race!

I like the idea. I think everybody who's ever seen part of a 24 hour race at night should like it.

I remember they tried a Qualifying in the dark with DTM a couple of years ago, with some kind of baloons lighting the scenery...

Tbh, anyone who has played Gran Turismo and raced at night would like this

Even Ridge Racer night races were cool.

It'd be ace to see if it would affect any drivers. Not in a "scared of the dark" way, but whether a driver out there has a 6th sense for night races, like Senna did for rain etc.

There's nothing to say against such a spectacle. If everything is save I would prefer a night race in China (for example) instead of having to get up at 5pm (as Dan already mentioned).

They should give F1 cars headlights than...

Headlights would be an interesting aerodynamic challenge for the designers...

Seriously though, did anyone ever see the F3000 car that a Japanese bloke made road legal? I think it was an early '90s Reynard and the bloke was called Go Ishikawa (I think). It looked, er, interesting... It was on a programme over here in Britain called Top Gear several years ago, headlights and indicators were mounted on the front wing along with a licence plate. Very odd!

I've heard about such a racecar transformed to a road-legal car, but never seen it.
As long as they don't mount mud-flaps to it, it's alright....

I remember in the interview with Go he said it was great for attracting girls but they had nowhere to sit...

I heared that wirth the ballons, too. Such kind of ballons are used at ski challanges. They have a well effect, I think.

Obviously, if you're constructing a new track anyway, you could plan with bigger, stadium-type lighting from the start and you wouldn't have to "improvise" with balloons...

Good point AD. Although I don't think it would be a big problem anyway.

I can't wait to see a F1 night race.