Likely not. It makes no sense to build things out in the middle of nowhere if there is no reason to support it.

Most likely it's all been nicely grassed over with little going on.

I quite liked the image last year of a race being held in a field of mud.

I wonder what the attendance will be this year, now the novelty has worn off. The transport links are appalling.

I would imagine they've done something new. Less muddy areas perhaps. The buildings complex is a very long term project AFAIK, and certainly not definate.

Don't say anything if it's not going to be worthwhile or add anything to the discussion.

Like that?

Yeah, my post alluded to the possibility of supporting such structures out in an area that doesn't seem to be populated very heavily. It's not a great idea to build a bunch of stuff that will go unsupported outside of the race weekend. When could they expect to make some money out of the place?

Come on, get off my case. If you can't be bothered to extrapolate the possibilities I presented, then that's not my fault.

The track was placed near the industrial park of a new city close to sea, right? Everything in Fast developing Asia goes differently, as they build a whole new city daily. But the shore developments with offices and hotels should go hand in hand with development in the other area of the city. So might take a year or two longer or more than that.

Definitely looking forward to seeing how much more shine they put on this circuit over the year.

That is probably correct (unsure about the industrial park bit). My daughter works and lives in Korea and I will ask about what she hears. She is off traveling for the annual Chusok holiday so it may be a few days. She lives in the greater Seoul area but we have family in Yeosu which isn't far from the Makpo area.

Google is telling me nothing about improvements.

Haven't they had any support races since last year's F1 or is F1 the only thing on the circuit? The problem with some new permanent circuits is that they're only used once or twice a year and as thus it's hard to keep them in the green profit wise. Not too promising if Google brings nothing back regarding improvements.

This is the problem with all new circuits, they're designed for F1. Pay massive F1 hosting fees to Bernie that even full crowds won't cover by a mile. They're not used at all except for 3 days a year and then we're all supposed to cry when they go bust? All these new Asian circuits do is ramp up the prices for circuits that are already operating in a sustainable manner and make the situation worse for everyone, but they don't care because they're all just in it for the short term anyway.

There's a bubble in F1 that's going to pop and when it does things will become very ugly. Hopefully Bernie and his cronies lose their job and the whole shit is sorted out.

I live in Korea, was at the race last year and will be heading down again in 3 weeks. I think the reason many are saying the track is in the middle of nowhere is that it 4hrs from Seoul and a good distance from the 2nd major city Busan. In reality it is only 15mins from the city of Mokpo which is a fare size and has all major transport links. Yes the race would be a lot more successful if it was closer to Seoul but to say it is in the middle of nowhere is not true. The city inside the track was never planned in the first few years, think the last a saw was a 5 year schedule to start building so I do not expect to see any progress this year on that, what I hope for is the highway into the track to be finished, last year it was not which cause big transport problems and more services for the crowns at the track, ill be happy if only these improvements have been made. On track I expect to see a changed pit lane entrance as this was the only complaint from the drivers last year. I read yesterday that they have sold 40,000 tickets from a possible 100,000 so far.

I hope they keep it muddy and rough. It's nice to see circuits with some character and life. Tired of the boring sterilized tracks that F1 has created.

Here is onboardlap (August 22, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL71X7JbnQc
Looks exactly the same to me, even the weather is the same

I'm sure you are fully aware that the area is planned for several years of gradual development. Indeed, the person you replied to mentioned these planned hotels and other buildings.

In such brand new areas, you must develop first and wait for the capacity to be filled thereafter (business/trade, population etc.). It's not natural development so it doesn't work the other way around.

And if you think Mokpo exists for F1 then you are grossly mistaken. F1 will help, but it has never been planned for the city to depend on it.


Like I said, the OP asked a valid question and if you all you can add are disparaging comments because "it's in the middle of nowhere" then don't bother. It's a city based F1 track, not a true "middle of nowhere track" like Magny-Cours, for example.

On a separate note, I'm amazed by how cheap the tickets are for this race compared to others on the calendar. I might check it out next year.

The kerbs and astro look to have taken some stick in 12 months!

Regarding the amount of runoff, I think they got it spot on.

However so much for building this so called 'city?' they are supposed to be building.

i hate that mikey mouse secton with 3 slow turns at the beginning of S2, it's completely pointless

It's a good circuit, still looks like a field but you don't hear me complaining. Nice to see other cars outside the F1 weekend on the track...

This doesn't sound very encouraging, especially if tickets are cheap as rolf123 suggests? Have tickets only just gone on sale or something? Hope this isn't going to be like another Turkey.

Or indeed another turkey.

I love the third sector, the part that I don't like is the section between turns 4 and 6. If they could've replaced them with a Parabolica/Turn 8 type of corner, it would become one of the best tracks in the world.

yes and I only seen that one the official F1 site. I think 90 quid for a grandstand ticket or something...

Actually Turns 4 and 6 are connected (1:19), but they don't use that layout, which is a shame, because Turn 5 adds absolutely nothing and Turns 7 and 8 would be scarily fast without it .


But what a poor job they did in last 12 months. Zero changes to enter and exit from the pits, after they were heavily criticized ?

http://ticket.interpark.com/Global/Play/F1/F1.asp

This is in Korean Won but I do not think as cheap as what has been made out. 100.000won equals about 57pounds
Main grandstand will coast just over 200pounds for sunday, my seat G which is a good seat in my opinion about 85pounds

I guess they will sell another 20,000 over the next 3 weeks which is 6/10's full then give out a few tickets to locals so will probably look quite full on the day.

Watching Qualifying today it just hit me how dull and lifeless this track is. The actual layout is nice, but jeez they need to add some colour to it desperately.

So much for the stories that the track was just locked up after last year's race and re-opened this week then!

Indeed, I had an idea to plant one hell of a lot of trees on the infield, plant some new grass and let loose some 25 deers.. In the end, it might be a "new" A1 ring ;)

Wow, by far the dumbest pit lane exit. Epic epic epic epic fail.

True. Pit entry isn't great either.

I like the track. And the fact everything outside looks like a dump doesn't bother me. It's the track I'm interested in.

One of the most exciting layouts I have ever seen.....nah, sorry,....can't keep a straight face....Bulldoze it and start again!

Reminds me of Valencia in that regard

The surroundings have some mountains and stuff, there's a rawness to it. The fact that they've built those walls though doesn't help, the walled section is because those are supposed to be roads when the city is built :S so I guess that's where the comparison can be seen, but otherwise the layout and racing is about a million times better than Valencia, which is currently on top of many F1 fans lists of things that need to be hit with a thermonuclear bomb

Its a bit of a concrete hole at the moment, but apparently when its all build with the marina and all its suppose to look good. Give it a few years i guess :/ It is meant to be a semi street circuit

I couldn't give a toss if it looks like a dive if the racing is good, just like I couldn't give a toss that Yas Marina looks polished when the racing is awful.

well said

i also think that the journalists should focus on the racing: and in that sense korea seems to be very good

Considering the grief Bernie gave Silverstone for donkeys years you can't just say "Well theshape of the tarmac is good" .. it still looks like a building site aroud the outside.

It's a dull and dreary place and has all the glamour of a piece of coal on a cobbled street in Manchester.

Andy

It's not a bad track, but the Mickey Mouse section of Turns 4/5/6 ruins it for me.

I will be interested to see how a dry race pans out at this track tomorrow.

"The track is fine! Start the race!"

For some reason, it always reminds me that if we'd ever got to a Soviet GP, how I'd have imagined that looking. Grey, slightly dubious on the safety front, cranes in the background and laden skies.

It looks like the end of the world, I really like the strange barrenness of it all.

No wonder no one showed up,that place looks like a dump. They can't even paint the grandstands and the walls. I was thinking for a while the grinch stole my HD feed. And if someone gets sideswiped on pit exit tomorrow it will be an epic fail.

It looks like this track was designed on a toilet paper while defecating.

I like S2, the rest no so much.

i quite like the track, it seems to have a nice flow to it that other tilke tracks dont have. today was the first time id seen a dry session and i didnt realise how fast they can go through the middle sector

It's the acoustic version of Abu Dhabi.

Between Korea and Abu Dhabi, I will pick Korea but they do need to get some more work done.

Races deserve a crowd and an atmosphere though...