Proposed circuits

I've just started a small project (http://cfm.globalf1.net//?page_id=197) where I'm listing Australian racing circuits, with an emphasis on proposed / inactive / closed circuits. I realise this is perhaps a redundant project in some ways given Terry Walker's excellent book (which I have been unable to get my hands on yet, however my local library has a copy..). However, I aim to eventually have separate pages for each circuit, including satellite images from Google Earth, Circuit Maps, links to photo tours of the circuit on other pages, etc.

Anyhow, of particular interest to me is the area of "proposed" circuits ie. circuits which are in the pipeline, or where at some point.

So far, in the context of Australia, I have these (haven't fleshed out the descriptions yet):

Brisbane - Temporary street layout used for Indy 300 promotion a few years ago. During the mayor-ship of Sally-Anne Atkinson there were briefly plans for a ATCC race on a Brisbane street circuit.

Cronulla - In 1998 promoter Steve Sergeant drew up plans for a “Surfside 500″ V8 Supercar event on the streets of Cronulla.

Geelong - Geelong 500 was proposed in 1984 on the streets of Geelong.

Hobart - A street circuit ATCC race was proposed in Hobart in 1988.

Townsville - Street circuit to host round of the 2009 V8 Supercar championship.

Melbourne - Street circuit in Melbourne CBD put forward as possible location for a Touring Car round - the proposed layout is at the site of present day South Bank.

Sydney - Sydney’s Darling Harbour was to be the site of a sportscar race. The Rocks was also proposed as a possible site for an IndyCar race.

Hamilton Island - Hamilton Island in the Whitsunday was the proposed site of an ATCC round in the late 1980s, utilizing the islands airport.

Homebush - Street circuit to host round of the 2009 V8 Supercar championship. The circuit is located around the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games precinct.

Bunbury International Circuit [ Website ] - Venue was to be located in Bunbury, Perth, to host a round of the Japanese Formula Nippon series. Project on permanent hiatus since 2004.

Got me thinking about proposed circuits around the world. Now, there is a list of proposed circuits here - http://www.the-fastl.../_proposed.html - but I know there are plenty not listed.

What is missing? What is the most interesting proposed circuit? What about Australian proposals that I've missed?

You don't mention the proposed 4-mile circuit (either four or three miles, but I think four) that was mooted in the Benalla area somewhere either in the late thirties or late forties... I'm having a hard time now remembering where I read about it!

The HRCC of Qld almost got one off the ground at Villeneuve... I have the map, but not on this computer... I'll post it later when I can access it. The owner of the land, however, was warned that 'no circuit in Australia makes money' so pulled out of the partnership.

Western Australia: Dowerin, currently pending, status unclear. Lots of enthusiasm I gather, but not a lot of cash.

You my just be able to scrape up a copy of Fast Tracks from Pitstop Bookshop, but I have a feeling it's sold out and now out of print.

Yeah Terry, very hard to get a copy of it, my local library had a copy which I remember borrowing out many years ago, however I went there this afternoon and it's now a "lost" deleted item.

There is apparantly some talk, I don't know how serious the talk is, of a proposed new circuit near Port Adelaide. there is piles of waste land there, and I believe that there has been a plan floated for a race circuit to be built there.

John

Thinking about some out here in California...

Yuba City/Marysville - proposed oval track (in the vein of cookie cutter courses like Las Vegas/Nashville/Kentucky) about 5-6 years ago, I want to say Gerry Forsythe was one of the backers?

Bakersfield - replacement short track (after Mesa Marin shut down a few years ago) has been partially built but remains incomplete due to funding problems

Riverside Motorsports Park (Atwater) - proposed a year or two ago as a near-recreation of the old SoCal Riverside International Raceway (but located much further north); project died down with a combination of local opposition and a lack of funding

Supposedly a new track is being proposed in the community of Tracy as well.

I heard some rumblings a half-decade ago about Bruton Smith considering putting a 1.5 mile oval on the Sears Point site, but I do not know how serious those were.

The proposed complex in the Pt Adelaide district is a venture by some drag racers to establish a complex. I should know where but cant think at the moment. I believe it has a fair chance to get off the ground.
There was a proposed new rallycross track at AIR in about 1981 [not the original one] but it got as far as some survey pegs much to the dissapointment of us then competitors after the demise of Tailem Bend {SAMRC]

http://www.euroweekl...news/10683.html

Proposed circuit at Albox.

Albox is in the middle of the Andalucian desert somewhere between Murcia and Almeria.

I have still heard nothing about the Tailem Bend circuit or the Pt Adelaide track. Are both ideas dead????

Tailem Bend is back in the News...

​http://www.foxsports...m-1227358995989

http://www.euroweekl...news/10683.html

Proposed circuit at Albox.

Albox is in the middle of the Andalucian desert somewhere between Murcia and Almeria.

 

This link leads nowhere.

I found a map of it on the Almeria Coast News website:

 

No idea what happened to it.

At least it didn't look like it was a design from fuggin' Tilke.

Edited by Duc-Man, 07 August 2015 - 16:41.

Tailem Bend is back in the News...

​http://www.foxsports...m-1227358995989

Tailem Bend, Monaco by the river. Is it April 1st? I don't understand it, does anybody?

Tailem Bend, Monaco by the river. Is it April 1st? I don't understand it, does anybody?

Hmmmm maybe they would be better off investing in Victoria's "Gold Coast" (Echuca!)

Just after Wayne Gardner won his two wheel World Championship the then Lord Mayor of Wollongong put forward that a Motor Sport Complex should be built in the Illawarra to honour Waynes achievement, the proposed site was a plot of land east of the old Princess Highway adjecent to Maddens Plains.

There were design work done & drawings provided to media of the complex but that was the end of the venture, it was cheaper to give Wayne the key to the City of Wollongong & within a few years Eastern Creek was on the map.

In Germany, a circuit was planned in the mid-1960ies, called "Sauerlandring"  (region Sauerland ), which should be a little bit shorter "Nürburgring ", as the topography of this region is quite similar to the Eifel mountains.

The organisation was in the hands of race-driver Karl Freiherr von Wendt (Porsche/Lola) , a baron with huge posessions of land in this region , on which the circuit was planned to be realized. The projekt was nearly to be started, when the goverment of the county changed and some "green" politicians stopped the whole thing in the very last moment.

Karl Von Wendt was very upset about this, as so much efforts were wasted.

Instead of this, he was sucessfull to organize the hillclimb in this region, which was very famous until the mid-1980ies, (when also this was banned,)   beeing counted as one event within the German Race-Championship (DRM), seeing even Interserie / Can Am monsters at the start (Willi Kauhssen, Porsche Turbo Interserie, Keke Rosberg etc)

 

Nverthelass, when von Wendt emigrated to Canada some years later, it was also because of his disapointment about this failure of his great projekt.

 

 

Even Alfred Neubauer was involved, here he expains the projekt, on the right Jochen Neerpasch, in the middle Freiherr von Wendt, sourrounded .

Edited by marclaus, 11 August 2015 - 06:07.