Ancillary F1 - Tilke Engineering
- Length: 3:14
- Size: 3.1 MB
- File: ancillary3.mp3
- Transcript: ancillary3.pdf
- Torrent: ancillary3.torrent
This is Sidepodcast’s mini series – Ancillary F1. We’re talking about the companies that are around the grid, supporting the teams, but not getting much of the glory. We’ve looked at Bridgestone, and McLaren Electronic Systems, and today it’s the turn of Tilke Engineering.
Hermann Tilke trained as an architect and engineer, but was a racer before he decided to start designing tracks. He competed in touring cars, and endurance racing, mostly on the Nurburgring circuit. As the resident expert on that particular course, after he set up Tilke Engineering in 1984, the organisers turned to him to provide a new access road at the circuit.
The first big racing track job Tilke Engineering undertook was in the mid-90s, and the task was to shorten the Austrian Osterreichring into the safer A1-Ring. The changes were clearly a success in the eyes of Bernie Ecclestone, as the design of the brand new Malaysia circuit in 1999 was entrusted to Tilke Engineering. Since then, every new Formula 1 track has been designed by the company and many more historical layouts have been touched by the hand of Tilke.
Revisions made to existing circuits include lengthening Fuji, neutering Hockenheim, and fiddling with his old favourite, the Nurburgring.
