Abandoned tracks

[fieldodreams79]

Very cool links on Meadowdale, Alan. There are several other videos of racing at Meadowdale on the Vimeo link, some of which contain some of the USCCR race held at the circuit. Very cool stuff.

And at least the track itself is preserved through the park; the two tracks mentioned in the article written by the guy with the crappy Lotus, Bridgehampton and Riverside, are hardly noticeable anymore. Riverside is a mall, and Bridgehampton is a golf course. At least the golf course left some of the remnants of the old circuit.

Brigdehampton then
Bridgehampton now

It's Bridge Golf Course, Bridgehampton NY.

[Aysedasi]

Brilliant comparison pics.......

[Mike E]

Is there a worse fate for a race track than being turned into a golf course? Ugh.
Bridgehampton looked like a scaled up Brands Hatch Indy.

[Aysedasi]

I don't know, at least it's still there in spirit; having a shopping mall obliterating it must be the worst, I'd say....

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I don't know, at least it's still there in spirit; having a shopping mall obliterating it must be the worst, I'd say....

Indeed, and as someone who actually enjoys playing golf, I have to admit it would kinda neat to play that course, even though it would leave me wondering how cool it would have been to see a race there. The course, in it's hay day, was something of legend; high speed and if you got it wrong, the dunes were there to bite you.

A good look at the high speed T1 section:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezbcQYdnzLM

Edit
Can Am 68:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xWMuEKfs6w

[Aysedasi]

Great stuff!

[Mike E]

Lovely Can-Am.
I wonder if it was a tricky place to drive with all that sand around.

[Aysedasi]

Tricky enough to spectate on a windy day, I reckon!

[fieldodreams79]

^Yeah, one can only imagine the atmosphere of the place on a dry, windy day. The place, much like the motor racing AND spectating back in the day, wasn't for the faint of heart.

Storms and the subsequent damage to "The Bridge" in 1970 forced the Can Am series to move the event to my now home track, Road ATL. Pops said he was there for the first big series to come to the foothills.

[Mechanic Z]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

I would have loved to have raced around this place....

Meadowdale in Illinois, USA - complete with a Monza style banking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadowd...tional_Raceway



http://www.mirpa.org/

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs...a-300dd0bb0f66

My family picked up some color slides from a race at this track, including a few of a Scarab in purple! (It still looked awesome!)
I had, at one time, found a website with a photo archive of races at this track, but it appears it has since been removed. (It hadn't been updated in forever.)

This page has some-not much-info on a lot of tracks here in the States.
http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/

Really cool, but extremely sad, idea for a thread. I really enjoy reading racing history and seeing racing photos, especially from the 50's and 60's.

[Alan Raine]

Another one to ponder. Sitges in Spain.

http://weburbanist.com/2012/02/12/ti...mar-racetrack/

[Peat]

Red Bull did a wonderful video there a little while ago: http://youtu.be/H0frJrTduaU

[fieldodreams79]

That place looked epic and what a phenomenal film by RB. Brilliant stuff!! Thanks for posting both.




During this time period in the States is when they were building numerous "board tracks". I don't think we had high banked speedways until Darlington and Daytona in the 1950s. I very much doubt that we have any remnants of board tracks left anywhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_track_racing

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Peat

Red Bull did a wonderful video there a little while ago: http://youtu.be/H0frJrTduaU

Simply fabulous. Thank you.

[Peat]

Valencia Habour circuit: http://wtf1.co.uk/valencia-grand-prix-circuit-2013/

[Aysedasi]

No less, but yes, I agree, rather depressing......

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by Peat

Valencia Habour circuit: http://wtf1.co.uk/valencia-grand-prix-circuit-2013/

Personally, I loved the track. Very sad to see it deteriorate into such an appalling condition.

[Mike E]

That's astonishing. It looks like it has been out of use for years.

[NaBUru38]

At Valencia there were grey companies taking pieces away, and houseless living in the pitlane building.

[Paradise City]

It was one of these prison tracks, Valencia. Surrounded by cold steel fencing and concrete. It was joyless and except a glimpse, it let little of the real Valencia in. It was of little interest to me.

[Mike E]

Good old Kyalami, fast and wide. Please leave your brain at the door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceP-DP2NME4

[Mike E]

Oooooh. I bet there is some lovely stuff in here.

https://grrc.goodwood.com/race/histo...ircuits-europe

[JohnD]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Oooooh. I bet there is some lovely stuff in here.

https://grrc.goodwood.com/race/histo...ircuits-europe

Don't just read about it! Reims-Le Gueux is only an hour or so from the Channel. But go to the website of Les Amis du Circuit de Gueux: http://www.amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr/-Welcome- and support their wonderful work. And pay homage at the memorial to Luigi Musso, on of the great 'lost' drivers, who died in the same race, the 1959 French GP, that was Fangio's last.

Another French road circuit, not in the book because so little of its buildings remain, is Les Essarts near Rouen. On the way to Le Mans, and well worth a detour!
JOhn

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Good old Kyalami, fast and wide. Please leave your brain at the door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceP-DP2NME4

It was such a shame they ruined it back in the 90's. But then, that track footage of Tom Pryce still gives me nightmares.

[Wild Dog]

A little bump here, but reading through the thread I just needed to. Really interesting, and sad, to see pictures of the long forgotten race tracks.

Speedhunters have had trips to quite a few lost tracks including the Südschleife, Sitges, Clermont Ferrand and the old Monza banking among many others. Bear in mind that there's also some other "none-lost" tracks on the 4 pages in the link.

http://www.speedhunters.com/category...templeofspeed/

Interesting read and great pictures!