Strange, ridiculous or amazing parts of race tracks

At the old Alexandra Park circuit in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, there was a corner called SUICIDE BEND . Going off there you were confronted by a steep drop followed by a row of ablution blocks. You were literally and figuratively in deep sh*t if you went off there…

The former North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina featured a back straight that went uphill and a main straight that went downhill.

So, the perfect 'Strange Park' race track would have:

- an impossible hairpin with permanent yellows
- a narrow bridge or arch with no overtaking
- at least one railway crossing, preferably making cars take off a bit
- tram lines along at least one straight
- a point where two straights face each other, divided perhaps by a barn?
- a really dangerously sited pit entry
- a pit exit passing through a tunnel under the track
- a section paved with some sort of slippery paving slabs
- a corner paved with cobbles

Sounds good to me, but lets see what the Risk Assessment says....

Edited by ray b, 07 July 2011 - 16:16.

Of course, modern tracks are far too antiseptic to qualify - though the otherwise forgettable Valencia "street circuit" does cross a swing bridge. I had thought that said bridge was welded shut for the duration of the Grand Prix weekend but according to Martin Brundle (during qualifying for the recent European GP), it is opened each evening to allow boats to pass.

Every now and then, a major cycle race gets caught at a railway crossing. Imagine the ruckus if the GP circus was halted by an opening bridge to allow some gin palace to pass through...

What used to happen on those long distance events like the Mille Miglia - were there ever any railway crossing incidents?

almost we need to add a boardtrack extreme high banked curve section
and a really off cambered corner
and a bit of dirt track with ruts
and a high crowned paved bit too
and a corkscrew too

So, the perfect 'Strange Park' race track would have:

- an impossible hairpin with permanent yellows
- a narrow bridge or arch with no overtaking
- at least one railway crossing, preferably making cars take off a bit
- tram lines along at least one straight
- a point where two straights face each other, divided perhaps by a barn?
- a really dangerously sited pit entry
- a pit exit passing through a tunnel under the track
- a section paved with some sort of slippery paving slabs
- a corner paved with cobbles

almost we need to add a boardtrack extreme high banked curve section
and a really off cambered corner
and a bit of dirt track with ruts
and a high crowned paved bit too
and a corkscrew too

I don't think any of that stuff is unusual...

Well, the grid being on a parade ground at Mallala is, and also the fact that it's an airfield circuit that doesn't use any of the runways, which were all grass.

... Imagine the ruckus if the GP circus was halted by an opening bridge to allow some gin palace to pass through...

The Dipper and Skyline, Mt Panorama, Bathurst.

Edited by Macca, 14 September 2011 - 19:56.

On a different tack, at Mid Ohio when I visited years ago the pit garages had a raised viewing gallery along the back for spectators - brilliant! a terrific close up view of what was going on without getting in anyone's way at all.

The Meadowdale International Raceway in Illinois featured a 180 degree banked curve that was known as the 'Monza Wall':

What, like this????

A new candidate for the ridiculous is the new Silverstone, specifically the exit of Club onto the new pits straight. On the outside of the track some num-nuts had decided to glue on pieces of green astroturf, although it looked more like carpet. At the 6 hour ILMC sports car race last weekend, every time a car ran slightly wide, sections of carpet would be ripped up and strewn down the track, mainly for the next car to run over and move along a bit. By the end of the race several bits had made their way to near Abbey. What puzzled me was that each side of the astroturf the surface had just been painted green. Does anyone know if there's a specific reason why this stuff is used?

Longford has a train crossing,,,, and a pub!
And a lot of ex airfield tracks have or had some strange things like bomb shelters, hangars, ammunition huts and parade grounds. The start line at Mallala is on the parade ground!

A little off subject but I used to do mudsprints in a cow paddock around a dam. Plenty of cowshit there.

Edited by Barry Boor, 19 September 2011 - 22:49.

I'm not 100% sure about this one because I cannot find any reference to the circuit but in 1935 there was a Grand Prix in Bergamo, Italy.

If Mark A's circuit map is correct (I'd love to know from whence it came) the cars had to pass through here:

http://maps.google.c...2,309.39,,0,5.8

Hard to imagine but I can't see that this would have looked much different even 76 years ago.

I'm not 100% sure about this one because I cannot find any reference to the circuit but in 1935 there was a Grand Prix in Bergamo, Italy.

If Mark A's circuit map is correct (I'd love to know from whence it came) the cars had to pass through here:

http://maps.google.c...2,309.39,,0,5.8

Hard to imagine but I can't see that this would have looked much different even 76 years ago.

I think that one beats the Donington arch for ridiculosity!

I can't agree, David...

But I have no time for horse racing at all.

What puzzled me was that each side of the astroturf the surface had just been painted green. Does anyone know if there's a specific reason why this stuff is used?

I believe the 'gravel' was a product called something like Lytag - a very light aggregate material. It was pretty effective, as I recall spectating there when a mini lost its brakes and buried itself in the mound, up to A piller. When they dragged it out there was remarkable little damage, probably less that would be caused by hitting another car.