Turn (street)
As a bend (colloquially hairpin , hairpin bend , hairpin ) is referred to in the road being a tight, U-shaped or V-shaped curve with an angle of 150 ° to 180 °, which joins two approximately parallel lines. The name is derived from the characteristic curved shape of simple hairpins . Hairpin bends often occur in the form of serpentines on mountain passes .
Motorsport
When planning motorsport racetracks , hairpin bends were and are deliberately used after longer straights in order to create an opportunity to overtake. Since the vehicles have to be braked sharply from high speeds before the curve, experienced drivers can slow down their opponents by placing their braking point behind that of their competitors and thus being the first to turn into the hairpin curve. Overtaking takes place at a very low speed, which reduces the risk of serious accidents. Examples of such curves are the Adelaide Hairpin in Magny-Cours , La Source at the end of the Formula 1 start and finish straight from Spa-Francorchamps and the hairpin after the Parabolika at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg , where the speed at the apex is also in racing cars is hardly more than 60 km / h. The international hill climb Arosa ClassicCar, which takes place on Schanfiggerstrasse , also has three hairpin bends .
In mountain races , switchbacks are in the natural course of the route and are usually driven in second gear; some very tight hairpin bends also require the first one (bit curve in Wolsfeld, quarry curve in Trier ).
