Abandoned tracks

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

There is something eerie, haunting and sad, yet utterly fascinating about abandoned circuits. I've been meaning to read this thread for some time now. Great stuff! I have only read accounts of the he Reims circuit until this thread; looked simple and fast. Only time across the pond for me, I hung around the Gypsy Hill area, and surely would have passed by the old Crystal Palace park and circuit several times, unbeknownst to me. I did, however, know about Brands and found myself hanging out there for a Saturday of historics


Here's one that I never had the chance to get to (wasn't around at the time) and it appears it was just far too ahead of its time. It had a 1/2 asphalt shorttrack, drag strip, cart track and a daunting, high banked 3 mile road course, plus a planned, but unfinished 2 mile speedway!
Augusta International Raceway

In this case, a local nonprofit has come together to try and preserve what is left:
http://www.augustainternationalraceway.org/

Track Map / Arial Photo
Article on track history w/ photos
Video of modern day look at the circuit

Driving a King Cobra, Dave McDonald beat Jim Hall and Bob Holbert in a USSRC race merely weeks before he lost his life at Indy. This is was the only "big" sportscar race held at the circuit:
http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...964-03-01.html

Great article with photos and clippings from that USSRC race:
http://www.davemacdonald.net/gallery...raaugusta1.htm

Fireball Roberts won his last NASCAR race there on the 3 mile road course. Richard Petty, Joe Weatherly, David Pearson, Bobby Issac and Dick Hutcherson are among winners on the 1/2 mile oval. In 1964 Wendell Scott finished 18th at Augusta the week before he won his only race at Jacksonville Speedway.

Originally Posted by Mike E

Augusta International Raceway.

This looks like another sad loss.

https://youtu.be/oD6grqgwfP0

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

I did a deep dive for us a while back, but somehow missed this post. Here's a little more on it. The place was a monster!



Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a show on Peacock in the US that visits abandoned tracks called Lost Speedways. Not sure y'all get it across the pond. Matthew Dilner and the producers can be a bit sappy, but I like their stories and the stories of the tracks.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12591286/

One of the first episodes, they went to Augusta. Neatest thing from the show was the concrete letters they had on the wall out front were still there, because no one is going to move gigantic concrete letters!! Can't find a google image off hand.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12824604/?ref_=ttep_ep4

I had the opportunity to check out Augusta Raceway in person this week on a trip back from South GA. It's a gigantic park now and it has to be miserable in the summer!! It was about 90F (32C) in late spring....

First pic is at pit in, then pit straight, then looking across the park and finally the turns 1 and 2 complex, with the banking.

I'd like to spend some more time there one day.