Racing heritage
A wealth of racing experience from team management, race driving, and motorsport engineering
Technical excellence
Utilising the latest 3D design software to maximise race circuit excitement and safety
Worldwide recognition
FIA approved projects on an international scale
Commercially aware
Developing commercially viable motorsport and entertainment destinations
Environmentally Sustainable
Applying best environmental practice for construction and operation
Apex helps to engineer overtaking in Formula One
Apex Circuit Design Ltd. recently revealed in an article in Autosport Magazine (22nd November 2007) by Andrew Van De Burgt how intelligent circuit design could contribute to overtaking in Formula One. The article included contributions from Gary Anderson, Giorgio Piola, Pat Symonds and Clive Bowen among others and was written to address the conundrum of how to re-introduce overtaking to the sport. The areas explored were chassis design, aerodynamics, rules, tyres and circuit design.
On the topic of circuit design, Clive Bowen offered 3 design solutions for the same corner, each with a different character created by vertical geometry to demonstrate the influence that circuit design can have on grip levels and chassis behaviour. Image 1 gives the example of a flat corner, Image 2 presents a corner with conventional banking and Image 3 shows how a crest on corner exit can be used to upset a race car’s balance as it accelerates from a corner. Each design was reviewed by Renault Formula One executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds; Symonds commented positively on the notion that track geometry aids racing, with particular regard to Image 3: “this is a mistake generator and they are good things. Anything that makes it difficult, makes it likely for drivers to make a mistake, is a good thing”.
Clive Bowen, whose professional background is as an engineer and consultant designer, became involved in motorsport professionally in 1997 with a clear objective to associate his interests as a competitor and as a team owner/operator with his background in commercial exploitation of large scale land development sites. The core principal to his projects is always to exploit land asset value to underpin the motorsport circuit investment. The Dubai Autodrome, the Iceland MotoPark and Hampton Downs circuit in New Zealand, all his designs, have derived the capital required to build their circuits from the surrounding development land. New projects abound, the largest of which is the Alabama Motorsports Park.
Apex is an internationally recognised motorsport circuit design and land development consultancy, established in 2001 by Clive Bowen. The primary business of Apex is the design of FIA, FIM and CIK approved racing facilities, working in association with world-class architects, engineering consultants and land developers to create commercially viable motorsport destinations.
