Comments on: Halloween Special: Ghost Tracks – The Lost Souls Of Motor Racing http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/ Your Regular Blog and Guide to Formula One Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:58:17 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Les Elmer http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-72756 Les Elmer Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:11:29 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-72756 Hi. You do Brooklands a few disservices in the briefness of your piece but it's always good to see the old place featured, so for that at least I thank you. The Brooklands Society fought long and hard for it to be retained and preserved, however modern Britain's rampant development has sadly devoured most of it since I first saw it in 1977, when it was an overgrown and semi-derelict (but hugely evocative) blast from the past. There is only a small remnant open to walk with the old racing clubhouse and very fine museum. It's still hugely evocative particularly if you go in Winter as I last did, and it's wreathed in mist off the River Wey which runs right through the site. The Brooklands Society website is at http://www.brooklands.org.uk/ and is very good, especially their Photo Archives page. Another hugely wonderful banked concrete oval track that amazingly still exists but is relatively unknown is Sitges-Terramar in Spain, about an hour south of Barcelona. Of 1920's vintage it is a banked concrete oval similar to Brooklands and still largely complete, mainly due to the dry climate, but also to having been forgotten by most people until recently (except we banked concrete oval race track afficionados). There are some very good homages to it online including this one : http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5OT69YFeako Regards, Les Elmer New Zealand Hi. You do Brooklands a few disservices in the briefness of your piece but it’s always good to see the old place featured, so for that at least I thank you.

The Brooklands Society fought long and hard for it to be retained and preserved, however modern Britain’s rampant development has sadly devoured most of it since I first saw it in 1977, when it was an overgrown and semi-derelict (but hugely evocative) blast from the past. There is only a small remnant open to walk with the old racing clubhouse and very fine museum. It’s still hugely evocative particularly if you go in Winter as I last did, and it’s wreathed in mist off the River Wey which runs right through the site.

The Brooklands Society website is at http://www.brooklands.org.uk/ and is very good, especially their Photo Archives page.

Another hugely wonderful banked concrete oval track that amazingly still exists but is relatively unknown is Sitges-Terramar in Spain, about an hour south of Barcelona. Of 1920’s vintage it is a banked concrete oval similar to Brooklands and still largely complete, mainly due to the dry climate, but also to having been forgotten by most people until recently (except we banked concrete oval race track afficionados).

There are some very good homages to it online including this one : http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5OT69YFeako

Regards,
Les Elmer
New Zealand

]]> By: Jeff http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-32846 Jeff Sun, 07 Oct 2007 16:51:08 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-32846 Brings a tear to the eye - wouldn't it be fantastic if these circuits could be brought back to life - yeah I know it's not practical - but just imagine!! Brings a tear to the eye – wouldn’t it be fantastic if these circuits could be brought back to life – yeah I know it’s not practical – but just imagine!!

]]> By: Simon Potter http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-24763 Simon Potter Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:21:37 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-24763 The magazine 'Motorsport' often has great articles called - i think - Track Test, where they take a modern car and revisit old motor racing circuits in Europe. They restage old photos with the new car. Also, there is a book called 'Autodrome' ( i don't have the details to hand but i'm sure it'll come up if you amazon it) which looks at some of the great lost circuits of Europe... The magazine ‘Motorsport’ often has great articles called – i think – Track Test, where they take a modern car and revisit old motor racing circuits in Europe. They restage old photos with the new car. Also, there is a book called ‘Autodrome’ ( i don’t have the details to hand but i’m sure it’ll come up if you amazon it) which looks at some of the great lost circuits of Europe…

]]> By: raven63 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-23392 raven63 Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:07:07 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-23392 Hello Oliver, very good informations. Here on this webside http://www.globezoom.info/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=15108 are some other lost tracks. It's in german, but the Google Earth links are international. Regards raven Hello Oliver,

very good informations. Here on this webside

http://www.globezoom.info/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=15108
are some other lost tracks. It’s in german, but the Google Earth links are international.

Regards
raven

]]> By: David Prever http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-20751 David Prever Mon, 23 Jul 2007 06:48:00 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-20751 I'm an avid reader of your blog, and thought you might be interested in the latest podcast produced by my company, brandspanking.co.uk It features an interview with John Surtees and some interesting thoughts from BDC member and Porsche Supercup driver Tim Harvey on the state of British Motorsport. It can be found here, http://myfreesport.co.uk/ Any mentions in the blog would be gratefully appreciated. I’m an avid reader of your blog, and thought you might be interested in the latest podcast produced by my company, brandspanking.co.uk

It features an interview with John Surtees and some interesting thoughts from BDC member and Porsche Supercup driver Tim Harvey on the state of British Motorsport.

It can be found here, http://myfreesport.co.uk/

Any mentions in the blog would be gratefully appreciated.

]]> By: Oliver White http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-648 Oliver White Fri, 03 Nov 2006 23:10:41 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-648 As ever Desmond, an endless source of mind-boggling information, thank you for that startling fact. Montlhery is on my list of tracks to learn more about, simply because before doing all that I did (described in post), I hadn't even heard of it. But at least I now know <em>something</em> about it. As ever Desmond, an endless source of mind-boggling information, thank you for that startling fact. Montlhery is on my list of tracks to learn more about, simply because before doing all that I did (described in post), I hadn’t even heard of it. But at least I now know something about it.

]]> By: Desmond Elmes http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-645 Desmond Elmes Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:39:20 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-645 Nobody knows how Alberto Ascari's fatal crash occurred, but like with his father Antonio, it happened on the 26th of a month and at a fast left-hander, and both were 36 years old. (Antonio died at the Montlhery circuit near Paris in 1925.) Nobody knows how Alberto Ascari’s fatal crash occurred, but like with his father Antonio, it happened on the 26th of a month and at a fast left-hander, and both were 36 years old. (Antonio died at the Montlhery circuit near Paris in 1925.)

]]> By: Formula One news, comment and analysis from F1Fanatic » Blog Archive » F1 in the blogs http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-644 Formula One news, comment and analysis from F1Fanatic » Blog Archive » F1 in the blogs Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:19:38 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-644 [...] Halowe’en special: Ghost tracks - The lost worlds of motor racing - A brilliant feature from Oliver White at BlogF1, looking back at some of the most historic - and obscure - circuits that have fallen into disuse. Top stuff! [...] [...] Halowe’en special: Ghost tracks – The lost worlds of motor racing – A brilliant feature from Oliver White at BlogF1, looking back at some of the most historic – and obscure – circuits that have fallen into disuse. Top stuff! [...]

]]> By: Oliver White http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-637 Oliver White Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:34:43 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-637 Thanks Neeraj, I'll dig out some more over the Winter off-season! Thanks Neeraj, I’ll dig out some more over the Winter off-season!

]]> By: Neeraj http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/comment-page-1/#comment-636 Neeraj Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:44:24 +0000 http://blogf1.co.uk/2006/10/31/halloween-special-ghost-tracks-%e2%80%93-the-lost-souls-of-motor-racing/#comment-636 Just too good Oliver. Except Monza, I had no knoledge of other 4 circuits, let alone their history. Thanks a lot for a great article, looking forward for many more waslk-down-the-history articles. Just too good Oliver.

Except Monza, I had no knoledge of other 4 circuits, let alone their history. Thanks a lot for a great article, looking forward for many more waslk-down-the-history articles.

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