Rwanda circuit set to be a fast, flowing roller-coaster

KIGALI, Oct 13 - Rwanda's Formula One circuit will be fast and flowing with a lot of elevation changes and spectators able to get close to the action, designers said on Tuesday after the announcement of a 10-year deal for the first African Grand Prix since 1993.

The circuit, alongside a new international airport under construction at Bugesera some 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital Kigali, has yet to be built and is not expected to host a race until the early 2030s.

Carsten Tilke, managing partner of the Tilke company founded by his father Hermann that has built circuits around the world, told a press conference that the track would unfold between two hills offering a natural grandstand and alongside a lake.

"We can bring the spectators very close," he said. "The drivers will love the track because it has so much elevation going up and down, high bankings. It will be very fast, flowing and really integrated in nature.

"On the other hand, we also have a long straight of over one kilometre where you have a hard braking point where you also have good overtakings.

"We go very close to the lake with fast corner combinations"

Tilke said the paddock would be terraced, using the natural topography and inspired by local villages and cultures.

Designer and former racer Alex Wurz said the proposed layout was like a roller-coaster and truly unique, with an elevation gain of 197 metres (646 feet) over the course of a lap. REUTERS