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[DNQ]

Hello - I have been collecting Aerial Photos from racing circuits lately, and have put all the ones I've found so far here - does anyone here have any other aerial/satelitte photos that they may have scanned or found over the years?

Also, I am currently unaware where the present photos came from, though I believe the Monza pic may have been scanned by Rainer Nyberg. I would like to have some sort of "provided by ----" tag on each picture if possible.

[eldougo]

Nice job there DNQ Good pic,s the Adelaide shot was in the 1st GP programme
it was taken by the DEPT OF LANDS south australia. page 73. The Monza one i think
it from there own web site, An i found that the BRANDS HATCH shot doe,s not comeout
it comes up as Spain for me .

Cheers eldougo

[Martin Roessler]

http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/satellite_pic.html
http://www.mykart.de/satellite/ns.jpg

[Hans Etzrodt]

Very interesting!

[LittleChris]

If you go to the LAT photographic site ( Sorry, haven't got the URL ) and type Belgium AND 1970 in the archive section, there are plenty of overhead pics of sections of the old Spa.

[kober]

Can't remember where I got it, so I'm posting it on my web for a while: Current Masaryk Circuit in Brno

[Flying Panda]

If i could get an e-mail address,
I can mail you some nice areil photos of some circuits

[DNQ]

Thanks, that'd be great.

Check your PM's

[byrkus]

Great pics!! However, there are some which I just can't recognize...

This, for instance... Brands Hatch, maybe??

This one could only be Las Vegas (Caesar's Palace), right?

As for this, I have absolutely no idea which track it is...

Keep 'em coming!!

[jarama]

byrkus,

the first one certainly is Brands Hatch, the second must be Las Vegas as you've pointed, while the third is a complete mistery to me.

Carles.

[anjakub]

Tor Poznan in Poland:
http://www.aw.poznan.pl/tor/vfull.jpg

[Ray Bell]

About 1965 I supplied the Australian Racing Driver's Club with an Aerial Survey photograph of the Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst. For arranging the enlargement at the NSW Lands Department, for which they paid, I was given a pit pass for the Easter meeting at Bathurst.

I'd been looking at aerial photos of circuits for some time at that stage, and I acquired contact prints of the photos for Mt Druitt, Catalina Park (during construction), Bathurst, Southport, Longford, Gnoo Blas and some others. This led to the following beginning to the Acknowledgements in Terry Walker's Fast Tracks...

Many people have helped me in the research that resulted in this book. In 1980 Ray Bell, then with Racing Car News magazine, introduced me to the magic time machine of aerial survey photography and the hobby of hunting old racing circuits. I've been hunting them ever since.

That I began my full time working career in the same Lands Department is of some moment, of course.

But to add to what Terry says about it being a 'magic time machine' I would have to say that it really is just that. Almost all of the photos I collected were from the era in which racing took place. The exceptions were Catalina (no photos showed all the circuit in the period it was used, unfortunately, or at least while I was collecting them) and Mt Druitt, which was flown about a year or two after its closure and so showed the zig-zagging plough line that went the whole way around the circuit.

These survey maps, of course, are taken directing vertically above the area seen in the picture. They're not at an angle, or any great angle at least. Such pictures are just that... pictures. They are not accurate survey photographs or suitable for use as a basis for mapping.

Here's such a picture of the HMAS Albatross air base near Nowra, scene of the 1946 race meeting held on a circuit of over four miles on the main runways and a later meeting on some of the service roads around the administrative buildings.



Unfortunately I no longer seem to have any of the serious photos. They are a great loss to me, as they took me considerable effort to acquire.

[Flying Panda]

Ray - any news on those Lakeside maps?

Originally posted by byrkus
Great pics!! However, there are some which I just can't recognize...

This, for instance... Brands Hatch, maybe??

This one could only be Las Vegas (Caesar's Palace), right?

As for this, I have absolutely no idea which track it is...

Keep 'em coming!!

The first one is Brands Hatch,
The second one is Changwon.
and the Final one is Hallett.

Hold your cursor over the thumbnails to find out what circuits they are.

[Ray Bell]

I'll make a point of seeing the guy one day this week, bearish one...

I don't think I can do any better than tracing the best of them for you.

[Tenmantaylor]

Oulton Park

Donington Park

Enjoy!

Made from http://www.multimap.com/

[DNQ]

Updated with pics from:

Watkins Glen, Brno, Spa Francorchamps (old), Nurburgring (Nordschleife), New Hampshire Speedway, Orlando Speedway, Tor Poznan, Donington Park, Oulton Park, Hockenheim, and Magny Cours

Thanks to all contributors
Still after more though ;)

[DNQ]

One more for today, scanned in from "Australia Motor Racing Year 1986/87"

Warwick Farm, just after its construction was completed:



That's all for today

[DNQ]

Just bringing this topic to the 'fore' again:

http://cfm.globalf1.net/images/aerial/index.htm

49 Photos so far.

[Twin Window]

GERCA stands for Google Earth Racing Circuit Anoraks, as coined by Barry Boor!

Anyone who has yet to experience Google Earth should do so immediately. Once you've found your house, where your granny used to live and where your first job was there's a host of racing venues to be found!

Here's Brands Hatch looking magnificent; has the British GP ever been held at a better circuit?



...and hosting a World Superbike meeting! Naturally you can go in much, much closer in most cases (but not all).

It's seriously addictive!









Especially when you also decide to find football stadia, cricket grounds and aeroplanes in flight! There's a flying Lancaster on there, you know...

[Lee Shells]

The challenge is to work out exactly when the shots of your chosen area were taken.

My home town was shot as long ago as a Sunday morning in June 1991.

The year by virtue of progress of building work on local shopping mall.

Sunday, because of a car boot sale on the local Co-Op sports ground. Tied down to the exact date by a kite flying event in the main public park. Time of day by position of shadows from tall buildings.

Re Brands, those houses between Stirlings and Clearways should never have been built.

[Doug Nye]

Twinny - you are absolutely right. I was introduced to Google-earth last Friday and it IS addictive, though in my case it's aerodromes and naval bases which are the objects of my interest ('cos it's a break). I'm expecting a visit from MI5/Bureau of Homeland Security any moment...

[Wolf]

The damn thing doesn't run on steam powered computers... I guess it'll have to wait for my next PC upgrade.

[fausto]

Monza is here, and no better definition is available for now, although I must say that just today I discovered that they improved the situation in the Monza area, to the point that I'm now able to see my old home in Monza, in via della birona, beside the 70-80s Brambillas home-cum-workshop, and the current one, in Vedano al Lambro, the village outside the main gate of the autodromo...

[img]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=milan+italy&t=k&ll=45.622082,9.282589&spn=0.017348,0.066605&t=k[/img]

[Wolf]

Originally posted by fausto
Monza is here, and no better definition is available for now, although I must say that just today I discovered that they improved the situation in the Monza area, to the point that I'm now able to see my old home in Monza, in via della birona, beside the 70-80s Brambillas home-cum-workshop, and the current one, in Vedano al Lambro, the village outside the main gate of the autodromo...

[img]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=milan+italy&t=k&ll=45.622082,9.282589&spn=0.017348,0.066605&t=k[/img]

Fausto, I have a much bigger satzellite pic of Monza somewhere on my comp... I just checked- 1942x2977 (1MB), so I could post it if it's of any interest.

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by Doug Nye

Twinny - you are absolutely right. I was introduced to Google-earth last Friday and it IS addictive, though in my case it's aerodromes and naval bases which are the objects of my interest ('cos it's a break). I'm expecting a visit from MI5/Bureau of Internal Security any moment...

I too was only nudged into it a fortnight ago by Mr Moody - and now I'm hooked! The level of detail available at both UK and US military bases is, to my mind, astonishing. Have you looked at Area 51 yet?! And you can clearly see a stealth bomber at one of the main American bases across the pond.

But, like Lee says, some of the imagery is way out of date - despite Google's claims of the entire thing having been shot in the last three years.

Ergo...



...but actually, I quite like that.

Chaps like Barry Boor - ones who've visited a lot of the redundant circuits - will have an absolute field day on it... I'd certainly like some help on Montjuich Park, for example. I've found it, but can't decipher where the actual track went.

[Wolf]

Hey Twinny, could you pls show the pics of Grobnik and Preluk (bike tracks, hosted Adriatic GP a while back) for us poor sods?

[Spunout]

Can anybody track Ahvenisto?

My fave track here in Finland

[St.Hubbins]

There is an Argentina based website that I frenquent with a similar topic.

Hope this doesn't spoil the fun for everybody.

http://foros.sim-racing.com.ar/read.php?TID=4916

[Barry Boor]

Oh dear, Twinny.

If you were to look at my Google Earth, you would run out screaming!

As well as all the race circuits I can possibly find, I have all English soccer club grounds down to the Conference; all Scottish grounds that I can find; 1st & 2nd divisions in France, Spain and Italy; 1st divisions in Germany, Holland, Portugal, and Belgium; all the NFL stadia; all the Baseball stadia; as many cricket grounds as I can find; Twickenham, my College; friends houses; and my own family houses (including Auntie Rene!)

They claim that the images are all less than 3 years old but there is no sign whatsoever of the new Arsenal Stadium at Ashburton Grove!

[Twin Window]

Barry, you are clearly well ahead of the game!

Now tell me... did you personally root out all the footie stadia you mentioned, or did you download a 'keyhole' file (like I did for flying aircraft!)?

[jorism]

Montjuich:


Very sad that the only memory left there are the holes from the old barriers....

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by Wolf

Hey Twinny, could you pls show the pics of Grobnik and Preluk (bike tracks, hosted Adriatic GP a while back) for us poor sods?

I'll try; if you could give me a little more information as to their locations it would help! Roads, nearby cities, town names etc.

Originally posted by St.Hubbins

http://foros.sim-racing.com.ar/read.php?TID=4916

Interesting link... Some places - like Brands, for example - have subsequently been updated, even though that thread is in itself recent. Which is odd in a way, as the [updated] Brands image I posted above is believed to be circa 2001/2!

Originally posted by jorism

Montjuich:

Thanks, Joris - excellent!

[St.Hubbins]

Yes, the area of Kent around Brands was updated around Christmas time.

Barry, there is a keyhole kmz file available with just about every major football ground in the world. I think at the last count there were something like 3,500 stadia placemarked.

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Ca...rt/1/vc/1/nt/16

Sorry to stray a little OT.

[Twin Window]

Syracuse, where John Surtees wrapped-up [EDIT - no he didn't] the 1964 World Championship.

[Wolf]

Thanks Twinny, this is what I found using Google Local link that Fausto posted.

General location of both tracks:


And both tracks as Google Local shows them:


Thanks in advance.

[smithy]

You guys are waaaay behind

http://forums.autosport.com/showthread.php...ighlight=google

Google Earth is the biggest timewaster I have seen and the most amount of fun too!

[David Birchall]

And I am more behind than most-learning about Google Earth just last week. Thought you all might be interested in this view of the long lamented Westwood track, just outside Vancouver, BC, Canada that became a housing developement in the 1990s. This is how it looked on opening day in July 1959: (Copyright
Allen Arial Photos Ltd)


Two thirds of the way down the pits I think I can identify a Cooper Bobtail and a Lotus Eleven. Arleigh Pilkey's special is to the left of them. Further up the pits and closer to the track I think I see the Cooper Streamliner that Jack Shadbolt fitted with a series of Porsche Twin Cam engines and which TNFer Mike Gee raced in the sixties.

This photo from Google Earth must have been taken in the early nineties since the track has been chewed up but no houses built yet. The above view is the top left of this photo-the track was heart shaped with the point (hairpin) at the bottom:
Er, TEJ, I do have the right location don't I?

[man]

Yes, I just began using google earth a few days ago and I'm sure I can see my mum in the back garden of her house.

Like Twinny, had to check Wembley stadium and the three year thing that google stated is clearly nonsense.

Had a look at the circuit in Rio, when did they alter the profile of the long left hander leading onto the back straight?

[Barry Boor]

Twinny, please explain this remark....

Syracuse, where John Surtees wrapped-up the 1964 World Championship.

All grounds were searched out and located manually - with the help of Multimap and a book giving ground addresses.

[Twin Window]

How much of the lamented Crystal Palace circuit can be identified?





BTW is the Syracuse track above the original one? Struck me it might not be...