Among the many reasons our friends at Hagerty are a wonderful partner to the SCCA is that they love #FunWithCars just as much as we do – and they are a wealth of knowledge on a variety of car-related subjects. The following article originally appeared on Hagerty.com. For this and all of Hagerty’s car-related content, visit their media site here.
Modern racing circuit design uses plenty of tech, from digitally-precise site surveys to the final CAD layout, and drivers like us are better for it. Before a tire ever touches the tarmac, circuits are composed by designers and engineers seeking a careful balance between modern safety requirements and the types of challenges that drivers demand.
For Ontario’s latest circuit, Oro Station, site development is well underway, and a fleet of construction vehicles moves about the land every day. While Canadian earth is being scooped and piled and graded, the circuit itself is being designed with care and precision across the pond in the United Kingdom by Driven International in the little town of Hook.
Ben Willshire, the managing director of Driven International, is digitally creating the multi-purpose facility together with his team. They’re starting with a master plan of the entire campus, which will house a private members’ club, private villas, garages, industrial and educational space along with its centerpiece, the 4.1-kilometer road course.
Although it’s a digital design at the moment, Oro Station doesn’t want for human touch. The layout began with site walks and hand sketches, just like the old days, but from there, all of the engineering work is done on computers. Today’s motorsport simulator technology also means the track can be driven well in advance of drivers turning their first laps in physical cars.
Words by Brian Makse
Images by Oro Station
