Abandoned Racetracks

[bscar27]

Please excuse my ignorance but on that map it points out "driver villages" What is that? I'm not familiar with that term

 

[GTPorsche]

Please excuse my ignorance but on that map it points out "driver villages" What is that? I'm not familiar with that term

It's basically a hotel at the track for the drivers. The proposed location of that track was in the middle of nowhere, so having a driver's village was a convenience.

 

[TheCracker]

Please excuse my ignorance but on that map it points out "driver villages" What is that? I'm not familiar with that term

It's usually a campsite for their RV's.

 

[Nish]

Okay I'm sorry, but surely they weren't that stupid that they thought it wouldn't be noisy on race days/nights.

My avatar over there is from the drag/oval that was in my home city, it was used from 1961-92. Complaining home owners and the fact the land was worth more not being taken up by a track killed it.

I don't know how to post a google map pic so heres a link. The track was where that small new community is. @Johnnypenso do you know exactly where it was?


https://www.google.ca/maps/@42.2761574,-82.8809836,643m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[GTPorsche]

My avatar over there is from the drag/oval that was in my home city, it was used from 1961-92. Complaining home owners and the fact the land was worth more not being taken up by a track killed it.

I don't know how to post a google map pic so heres a link. The track was where that small new community is. @Johnnypenso do you know exactly where it was?


https://www.google.ca/maps/@42.2761574,-82.8809836,643m/data=!3m1!1e3

Judging by the satellite image, on the east side of that neighborhood appears to be what was/might have been the turn 3 and 4 side of the track still sort of visible in the line of trees. That's my amateur guess at it though. The road in the aerial image of the track doesn't appear to be there anymore either, which makes it a bit more difficult to pinpoint the track's location and Google Earth imagery in that area only goes back to 2004, so that's no help either, although 2004 imagery appears to show the possibility of the turn 3 and 4 side of the speedway.

I spend a ton of time in Google Earth searching for current, abandoned and ghost tracks so I've picked up on various patterns. You can remove the track from existence but you can't remove all evidence of it being there, as my post about Princess Anne Speedway shows.

 

[TDZdave]

IIRC, Bunbury raceway in Perth was a proposed circuit, I believe they started to build it in '99, But I can't find any relative information on it other then its "proposal" anyone able to help?

 

[IforceV8]

IIRC, Bunbury raceway in Perth was a proposed circuit, I believe they started to build it in '99, But I can't find any relative information on it other then its "proposal" anyone able to help?

Here? http://www.speedwayaustralia.net.au/companies/63/95/Bunbury-City-Speedway/

 

[TDZdave]

Here? http://www.speedwayaustralia.net.au/companies/63/95/Bunbury-City-Speedway/

oh sorry, should have been more specific, a road course,

EDIT: upon a google search I found this,
http://theracingline.net/racingcircuits/Australia/index.html

Its also a comprehensive database for most circuits I believe, can't not find one.

 

[GTPorsche]

That's a site I didn't know about. Think it might be useful...

 

[TDZdave]

That's a site I didn't know about. Think it might be useful...

What amazed me is there is contact details too,

 

[Nish]

This is the site I've always used but sadly it's just NA tracks listed.

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/

I've done a bit of reading and apparently there has been a few tracks in my city, one of which may still be there overrun by trees. Hope to look into it once my kids are no longer sick.

 

[Cano]

How come I've never given this thread a once-over? It's pretty awesome, I learned stuff just reading the posts, but didn't click any links. This warrants a good going-trough 👍

 

[GTPorsche]

This is the site I've always used but sadly it's just NA tracks listed.

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/

I've done a bit of reading and apparently there has been a few tracks in my city, one of which may still be there overrun by trees. Hope to look into it once my kids are no longer sick.

I believe it also sources a wikipedia list, without actually sourcing it. I tried using that site but it lacks any good info to be useful.

This is the site I'm currently going through now, but it's US tracks only.. It's extremely helpful as most of the track pages include a google earth/maps view of the track's location, but it doesn't include very many abandoned/ghost tracks...

http://www.racingin.com/

Also have used this http://www.racingcircuits.info/ which use to be e-tracksonline ..and I've gone through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_racing_tracks as well.

I've struggled with is street courses as it's difficult to find them aside from the ones that were well-known on where they were located because some of the street circuit locations on Google Earth are marked with photos/map markers, etc, like Montjuic in Spain.

I've also struggled to find tracks that were long gone in locations that had almost no good satellite imagery.

 

[Nish]

If you ever need help trying to locate a track @GTPorsche let me know. Other than the current obvious I have nothing but time on my hands and enjoy a good search.

One thing though the time lapse on my google earth (desktop) (just got it a week ago) just goes to blank screen any time I even think of touching it...

 

[Cap'n Jack]

IIRC, Bunbury raceway in Perth was a proposed circuit, I believe they started to build it in '99, But I can't find any relative information on it other then its "proposal" anyone able to help?

I'm not too sure what happened to it but I think I recall the circuit hoping to get some international, mainly Asian, series' running there. Shame it never happened, at the time I was excited about another track for the V8 Supercars to potentially go to. Would've been great to have another permanent circuit in the country too.

 

[Legro]

Keimola Motor Stadium. From 1966 to 1978.

Used to host Formula Two, Formula Vee, Interserie, touring car, karting, motorcycle and European Rallycross Championship events and first drag racing event in Finland. Was officially closed after financial troubles, but illegal racing continued there until the track area's owner destroyed the tarmac in 1989. There was a tyre fire in 2004, which burned the control tower of the track. The legacy of the track was carried on by the karting community with karting club called Keimola FK in Helsinki.

Spoiler: Before 1979

Spoiler: Illegal racing after 1978

Spoiler: Now

 

[A_Senna94]

The Terramar circuit was the host of the Spanish GP in 1923

 

[PikachuRacer11]

Vaca Valley Raceway was once a Oval Track, drag strip, and SCCA touring car circuit back in the 50s and 60s located off of Highway 40 (now called Interstate 80) near Vacaville, California. Due to funding issues, this track was eventually closed and was abandoned since 1971.

Here is how it looks today as seen from a bird's eye view. The track is almost taken over by the forces of mother nature, but the lining of the track still remains.

 

[Johnnypenso]

My avatar over there is from the drag/oval that was in my home city, it was used from 1961-92. Complaining home owners and the fact the land was worth more not being taken up by a track killed it.

I don't know how to post a google map pic so heres a link. The track was where that small new community is. @Johnnypenso do you know exactly where it was?


https://www.google.ca/maps/@42.2761574,-82.8809836,643m/data=!3m1!1e3

Just ran across this by accident. I moved here in 95' so Checkered Flag was before my time. I did read one of the links you provided and some of the guys that raced there like Earl Ross and Norm Lelliott, I saw race up at Pinecrest Speedway in Maple, just north of Toronto when I was a kid. I saw Don Mallat's name in there too. I sponsored his Cascar Stock Car in 1996 or 1997 and got to drive a few laps on sponsor day at Deleware after the season. 500 hp on a 1/4 mile oval

 

[TDZdave]

I drove past a sign out in the middle of nowhere a few years ago, saying "Bell Speedway, Turn Left Here" the sign was all but destroyed, I happened to find myself out that region again, and the sign is still barely there, I couldn't get any photo's on my phone because it was 3AM, but from what I could see 90% of the track is still there, the basic tire barriers, the marshal points, race control box, and the pit entry gate, its around 40KM's north of Adelaide, If anyone from Adelaide wants specific directions to the track for pictures as it's incredibly doubtful that I will be out there in daylight hours I'd be happy to give them,

http://www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/bell-bay-speedway.html

 

[CAMikaze]

Vaca Valley Raceway was once a Oval Track, drag strip, and SCCA touring car circuit back in the 50s and 60s located off of Highway 40 (now called Interstate 80) near Vacaville, California. Due to funding issues, this track was eventually closed and was abandoned since 1971.

Here is how it looks today as seen from a bird's eye view. The track is almost taken over by the forces of mother nature, but the lining of the track still remains.

Nice find. That aerial photo make it look like there was a lawnmower race held there recently.

Out of curiosity, which way did the dragstrip run, from the Oval to the hairpin? Though my NHRA instincts would have me thinking of putting the shutdown area gravel traps and netting at the Oval end ala Brainerd(sp?).

 

[PikachuRacer11]

Nice find. That aerial photo make it look like there was a lawnmower race held there recently.

Out of curiosity, which way did the dragstrip run, from the Oval to the hairpin? Though my NHRA instincts would have me thinking of putting the shutdown area gravel traps and netting at the Oval end ala Brainerd(sp?).

Here is the updated map I recentally found, which features the Drag Strip expansion.

The track originally consisted of a 1.25-mile oval and a 2.1-mile road course. The drag strip was an expansion added in the 1960s. The 1/4-mile drag strip started from the end of Turn 7 across the front straight ending at the start/finish line of the oval and road course.

 

[tezgm99]

Here's how Cranbrook International Speedway on the other side of BC looked in the last google earth map:

 

[Liquid]

AVUS today. The loop into the Nordkurve is at the bottom left of the photo.

 

[CAMikaze]

Here's how Cranbrook International Speedway on the other side of BC looked in the last google earth map:

And did the golf course come in before or after the track closed? I assume it was the latter.

 

[CodeRedR51]

http://fox8.com/2015/03/23/final-lap-photos-show-now-abandoned-nascar-track-laying-in-ruin/

 

[TDZdave]

http://fox8.com/2015/03/23/final-lap-photos-show-now-abandoned-nascar-track-laying-in-ruin/

I'm guessing its been more then 15 years since top level NASCAR raced here, such a shame, so much history being reclaimed by the elements,

 

[TenEightyOne]

http://fox8.com/2015/03/23/final-lap-photos-show-now-abandoned-nascar-track-laying-in-ruin/

Great pictures 👍

All that’s left now is skid marks and the broken memories of a NASCAR champion.

We've all had nights like that, right?

 

[Carbonox]

Came across this on Reddit. The long dead NASCAR track called Occoneechee Speedway:

http://imgur.com/gallery/tNBXF

 

[Blitz24]

I'm guessing its been more then 15 years since top level NASCAR raced here, such a shame, so much history being reclaimed by the elements,

Longer. The last race at North Wilkesboro was in the fall of 1996.