Abandoned Racetracks

[psychoazubi]

You're in for it now.

The problem with the old Hockenheim is that the extended loop was practically inaccessible. In the event of a serious accident at the Ostkurve, it would be extremely difficult for emergency services to reach it. What do you think would have happened if Jules Bianchi had his crash there?

The situation put Hockenheim's Grade-1 certification at risk because the circuit could no longer maintain the minimum safety standards. It was a choice between reconfiguring the circuit or losing the race. Given that the circuit owners had no claim to the land around the circuit itself, it was pretty clear that Tilke had to use the old circuit as a perimeter. Given the unique shape of the circuit, there was very little that could be done.

As for the old circuit, it has no further use, and maintaining it would be extremely expensive. With the German Grand Prix facing financial difficulties, there was no way to save it.

Yes, I know that the safety standards could not be matched back then. But it would still be okay for track days and low tier racing because the standards are lower overall. That would have been possible with a small budget.
My biggest issue with the new course was/is that the old circuit was not only abandoned because of financial difficulties but also because the green party (which has always been very strong in Baden-Württemberg where the track is located) insisted on planting as much trees on the old track as they had to cut down to build the new one. Therefore, only small parts are left (e.g. the first long straight)

 

[Tired Tyres]

People love to reminisce about it, but what would it be like today? I imagine that Hamilton and Rosberg would be the only drivers on the lead lap, with all of the Mercedes-powered cars filling out the top eight. There would be no overtaking and everyone would whinge about it.

No overtaking? Has DRS been dropped since I went to bed last night? I take it you just want car parks with Tilke tracks mapped out on them?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

No overtaking? Has DRS been dropped since I went to bed last night?

At a circuit like the old Hockenheim, where power was paramount? The Mercedes cars would be out of DRS range before the system was activated.

 

[psychoazubi]

At a circuit like the old Hockenheim, where power was paramount? The Mercedes cars would be out of DRS range before the system was activated.

Following that logic I assume you don't like Monza as well?

 

[Tired Tyres]

At a circuit like the old Hockenheim, where power was paramount? The Mercedes cars would be out of DRS range before the system was activated.

Are you saying that we should not have a track like that? Or are you saying that long straights are bad? Do you want EVERY TRACK to look the same? A car park with a Tilke track on it?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

No, I want circuits where you can pass. But I don't want circuits where people think that the warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgia somehow makes up for racing that is drier than over-cooked turkey.

 

[psychoazubi]

What is a better track to overtake than Monza/Hockenheim? Lots of long straights and some hard braking zones. It's the cars that are wrong, not those tracks

 

[Tired Tyres]

No, I want circuits where you can pass. But I don't want circuits where people think that the warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgia somehow makes up for racing that is drier than over-cooked turkey.

Then you should be addressing your concerns over the design of the cars then, as they are the primary reason for no passing.

Incidentally I've seen plenty of good racing from the old Hockenheim over the years. No rose tints required.

 

[Liquid]

Old Hockenheimring was fantastic. But I accept it had to change thanks to medical/safety concerns.

 

[ShiftingGears]

I don't think much of Old Hockenheim, besides the scenery. Sprinting between chicanes isn't my idea of a good circuit.

 

[TheCracker]

It used to provide some decent racing. But the way contemporary F1's are sensitive with their aerodynamics and brakes are so much better now, it probably wouldn't provide as good racing.

 

[SVPSkins]

Oran Park certainly doesn't resemble a race track anymore, as your post suggests, @SVPSkins, those are just old images. Unfortunately suburbia has completely taken over the circuit now. As a consolation though, the street names in the area are named after racing drivers. For instance, there's Moffat Street, Seton Street and Peter Brock Drive.

I realise that now after going in to street view, was very depressing to see it look like that but glad they have named the streets after the drivers that raced there

 

[TenEightyOne]

I don't think much of Old Hockenheim, besides the scenery. Sprinting between chicanes isn't my idea of a good circuit.

Rev limiters were a problem, must be my rose-tinted memory

 

[Liquid]

Not so much abandoned, but I didn't know about the original Laguna Seca configuration. Corkscrew looks rather different as well as the lack of infield.

 

[SVPSkins]

Not so much abandoned, but I didn't know about the original Laguna Seca configuration. Corkscrew looks rather different as well as the lack of infield.

 

[Pupik]

Sadly, all true. It was a beautifully dramatic circuit but it had to be accepted that F1's overall safety had to improve. "Old" Hockenheim is still one of my favourite F1 circuits though for the pure spectacle of the cars blasting through the forest.

There's a part of me that's far happier about "giving the track back to nature" rather than towards mega-box commercial development.

To be fair, much of the racing at the old Hockenheim wasn't that impressive, it was flat, too narrow, and limited runoff...although the sheer density of the forest was a unique aspect. While the latest configuration (2003?) is a much better racing and overtaking circuit, it's a missing a little personality in the process.

 

[Liquid]

The original Hockenheimring. The U-turn at the end of the circuit was in the town of Hockenheim itself. Interesting to note the location of the original start/finish line and anti-clockwise direction.

1932-1963

Some late breaking news. That above is not the original Hockenheimring. This below is the original original Hockenheimring. The one above was laid out in 1937. When the track very first opened as a test track in 1932, it used other lanes and backroads in the forest which wouldn't be revisited and looked like this:

1932-1937

1937-1963

1964-2001

With some cosmetic changes to the Ostkurve over time.

2002-Present

 

[Jcatz199]

I'm sure most people know about this track but oh well.

Nazareth Speedway.

Then

And now...

Kinda sad to see a historic track go like this

 

[TDZdave]

Nazareth wasn't used to long ago either, isn't it owned by Roger Penske?

Sad really, it had character for an oval, and gradient change haha

 

[Jcatz199]

Nazareth wasn't used to long ago either, isn't it owned by Roger Penske?

Sad really, it had character for an oval, and gradient change haha

I'm not sure who owns it now. I just hope it doesn't turn out like Texas World Speedway.

 

[TDZdave]

I'm not sure who owns it now. I just hope it doesn't turn out like Texas World Speedway.

What happened to that?

 

[Jcatz199]

What happened to that?

It got sold to a real-estate development. Sad to see a rare superspeedway go.

 

[GTPorsche]

Nazareth, last I heard, was going to be turned into a shopping mall.

 

[DK]

IIRC Texas World Speedway is going to become a suburb.

 

[Jcatz199]

IIRC Texas World Speedway is going to become a suburb.

Yeah. I hope they put something there that says that this area was once a speedway.

In all honesty I have been designing a 2 mile tri-oval super speedway with 20-24 degrees of banking with a 3.8 mile infield road course.

 

[GTPorsche]

Can add another track to the long list of tracks that are lost to the world. The NY State Fairgrounds 1-mile oval in Syracuse, NY ran its last event this passed weekend and the "Moody Mile" as it was known, and the rest of the fairgrounds, is going to be converted into a NY theme park.

http://www.oneidadispatch.com/sport...e-fairgrounds-moody-mile-scheduled-for-sunday

 

[Pupik]

It got sold to a real-estate development. Sad to see a rare superspeedway go.

You can't win, sometimes: You either create the track in the middle of nowhere away from complainers and NIMBYs, to preserve it from future development. But then it's too far away to visit.

In this case, the track fell into disrepair with a serious lack of maintenance by the early-1980s...only about a dozen years from its opening. (You mean we have to pave the damn thing? Fix spectator facilities? Provide adequate drainage and feeder routes?)

 

[Panoz]

Some recent photos of Rockingham Speedway in the early stages of death.

 

[LumpiestFish]

They should redo Rockingham bit not cut the infield grass, crazy action

 

[SVPSkins]

Some recent photos of Rockingham Speedway in the early stages of death.

Isn't that were they filmed the test session of Cole Trickle in days of thunder?