Ghost Tracks

[jpf]

Just received a book about Meadowdale Raceway here in the Chicago suburbs. Their version of the Monza wall, the rolling hills away from Chicago.

www.mirpa.org

Too bad they only lasted from the late 1950's to the early 70's.

What Ghost Tracks catch your attention?

[Tony2or4]

jpf said:

What Ghost Tracks catch your attention?

Reims-Gueux is the one for me. Spooky atmosphere around the pit buildings and grandstand area, and especially where the old track peters out into a farmer's field just before what was the Muizon corner.

[coppice]

If you read the excellent Motorsport Explorer by Julian Hunt you can read about the 800 venues in UK which have been used for motor sport- hugely recommended. And my favourite is the more parochial Rufforth near York because that is where I started watching racing in what now seems like 1902...

Edited by coppice on Thursday 6th December 17:37

[Roadru77er]

coppice said:

If you read the excellent Motorsport Explorer by Julian Hunt you can read about the 800 venues in UK which have been used for motor sport- hugely recommended. And my favourite is the more parochial Rufforth near York because that is hwere I started watching racing in wnat now seems like 1902...

Bought it myself fantastic read, funny thing is many roads near me I've thought would make excellent hillclimb courses were used in the past

[FourWheelDrift]

Riverside Raceway, sold in 1989 bulldozed for a shopping mall.

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_Internatio...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zakPard0iKI

This is where the straight from turn 1 and the right hander of turn 2 went - http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Eucalyptus+Ave,+Mo...

[covboy]

Sitges

just south of Barcelone



http://www.circuitsofthepast.nl/index.php/en-US/si...

[Life Saab Itch]

Rouen.

[Tony2or4]

Got to give Brooklands a mention. Great, evocative atmosphere. In particular the way that the remains of the pit counters just sit there in a surreal and disembodied way as you head for the car park.

[Puddenchucker]

Perhaps not strictly a "ghost track," as it has another use these days: Aintree.

http://www.aintree.org.uk/history/

[Tony2or4]

Puddenchucker said:

Perhaps not strictly a "ghost track," as it has another use these days: Aintree.

I do find it slightly ghostly when I watch the Grand Nash: couldn't care less for horse racing, so the only thing I look out for is the infield camera car driving along the old racing circuit down at the Becher's end of the course: I can almost visualise a pair of shadowy Silver Arrows, Moss just in front, swerving to avoid the camera car going in the opposite direction.

[Crafty_]

Lions in Santa Ana?

I love this article: http://www.hotrod.com/whereitbegan/hrdp_0273_lions...

I got Goosebumps when I read that for the first time, because I can just imagine the bark of an engine being blipped, the tyre smoke as the cars leave the line, the wail of a supercharger as it powers a car down the track, that odd aroma of not quite burnt fuel.
It was also a track that made history, after Garlits had his big accident he devised how to make a rear engined dragster work and the whole sport changed overnight. Still love the FEDs though.

His accident:


I must get to the hot rod reunion one day..

[jonnyb]

If you like Ghost track, can I recommend a book called "Autodrome, The Lost Race Circuits of Europe" well worth a read.

For me its the old circuit at Spa.

[Tony2or4]

jonnyb said:

If you like Ghost track, can I recommend a book called "Autodrome, The Lost Race Circuits of Europe" well worth a read.

For me its the old circuit at Spa.

Yep, excellent book (though it doesn't cover the old Spa circuit).

Two other books specifically about circuits, which are also worth a read are:

Motor Racing Circuits in England Then & Now (Peter Swinger);

Classic Motorsport Routes (Richard Meaden).

Also, the following two books each contain some great archive shots of many of the old circuits (as well as drivers and cars etc):

The Cruel Sport (Robert Daley);

Motor Racing: Reflections of a Lost Era (Anthony Carter)

[ralphrj]

jonnyb said:

If you like Ghost track, can I recommend a book called "Autodrome, The Lost Race Circuits of Europe"

I'm another fan of the above book - it contains some great photographs by Gavin Ireland.

There was a second book called 'Speedway' which covered former oval circuits but as it included Brooklands, Monza, Montlhery and Avus which were all covered in Autodrome I presume it must have just been the same stuff re-edited plus a couple more in the US.

There was also supposed to be a sequel to Autodrome but although it is listed on Amazon and the publishers website I don't think it has ever been released.

[aeropilot]

Crafty_ said:

I must get to the hot rod reunion one day..

I can thoroughly recommend it.........I've gone over to the CHRR twice now, in 2006 and 2007.

[Fuzzi]

Sadly Motorsport Explorer was printed without an Index to places and a revised edition may not be printed for some time.

If you have bought a copy and would like a PDF index please send an e-mail to: [e-mail]

Just to show you have bought a copy please tell me the hp of the car in the photo on page 226

[patmahe]

Not so much a ghost track, but one thats certainly more silent than it should be is the iconic Brooklands.

I stood on its banking recently and it just felt wrong for it to be so silent.