137 replies to this topic

[Sheepmachine]

The other day on Motors TV there was a 1000km GT race on from Lithuania. It was being held on what was basically a motorway. It looked like something that suited a rally event more than a GT cars.





After a bit of searching I discovered it was the palanga circuit and the 1000km was an event that had been held every year since 2000. https://en.m.wikiped...Palanga_circuit

Which got me wondering. Are there any other unusual race tracks out there? I would love to see any others that you may know of.

[pacificquay]

Surprised it's allowed, looks bloody dangerous

[Volcano70]

http://forums.autosp...ace-in-finland/

Basically a motorway?

[PayasYouRace]

Well there's a former German Grand Prix venue that was a motorway. Can't think of anything quite that bizarre in use today though.

[Prost1997T]

AVUS on steroids, heh.

[Radoye]

AVUS was "basically a motorway" save for that one banked corner on one end. It was still in use in 1995 (without the banking though).

[Baddoer]

There were plenty of airfield tracks in the early days.

[DampMongoose]

Saw a really odd one on TV a while back, they had basically taken the tightest bit of road through this town they could find with mega tight bends and hairpins in several places and it just looked really narrow and unsuited to being used as ordinary streets, let alone racing.  It was called Monte-something or other...

[PlatenGlass]

I was watching a race in America once and although it was only highlights so bits got missed out, I'm convinced that they didn't turn right once in the entire race.

[Dan333SP]

I think Monza in its old configuration including the oval was "unusual", particularly how cars would run down the start/finish straight side by side but be on entirely different parts of the lap. I've wondered before whether a car that punctures coming off the banking on the outside of the front straight could cut across the straight and get into the pits. That would basically represent a huge shortcut of the lap, so I'd think this wouldn't be allowed, but AFAIK the straight was divided with just a few cones or something of that sort.

[johnmhinds]

Birmingham Superprix

 

 

[Volcano70]

There was some track in A1gp that had issue with a too-tight hairpin, I thought it was in china but can't find anything on Wiki about it....

[midgrid]

Bulgarian Touring Car Championship

 

[noikeee]

The other day on Motors TV there was a 1000km GT race on from Lithuania. It was being held on what was basically a motorway. It looked like something that suited a rally event more than a GT cars.

After a bit of searching I discovered it was the palanga circuit and the 1000km was an event that had been held every year since 2000. https://en.m.wikiped...Palanga_circuit

Which got me wondering. Are there any other unusual race tracks out there? I would love to see any others that you may know of.

 

I was watching that for a while! It was so bizarre! At a point a car spun on the exit of a corner, and it was so narrow all the other cars just waited in a queue until the driver got the car going again.  No safety car or anything.

 

At another point a car went into the pits for fuel and it looked like he stopped at a regular gas station, except a couple mechanics came in to service him. 

[highdownforce]

Interesting thread, I was searching for AVUS-like design ideas for a project of mine.

 

-*-*-*

 

I believe São Paulo Indy 300 can be qualified as kind of unusual. The start-finish straight through the Sambadrome, that had to be resurfaced DURING the event due to its slippery finish. And some parts of the track with a guardrail and fence way of the motorway. IIRC, the track layout also scared the GT drivers that were present for a support race.
 

Edited by highdownforce, 10 August 2015 - 18:14.

[scheivlak]

The 2005 CART race at San Jose featured a railway crossing that made cars literally bounce in the air:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=_kIOxPjPF5A

[highdownforce]

There was some track in A1gp that had issue with a too-tight hairpin, I thought it was in china but can't find anything on Wiki about it....

 

Beijin 2006.

[Radoye]

Langhorne Speedway was a near-perfect circle making it one continuous left turn the whole way around.

[scheivlak]

Just remembered there is a thread in TNF about this as well: http://forums.autosp...cks/?hl=+tracks

[Collombin]

Langhorne Speedway was a near-perfect circle making it one continuous left turn the whole way around.

A couple of the board speedways were perfect circles, I think Playa del Ray was one of them.

As general awesomeness goes through, the dirt version of Langhorne took some beating.

[Ruusperi]

You could say all Finnish tracks are bit...well, old-school. Seinäjoki track is just some streets in an industrial area.

Edited by Ruusperi, 10 August 2015 - 21:26.

[ANF]

How do you say "Nice tyre barriers!" in Finnish?

[Volcano70]

Forgot about Langhorne, my nascar self should've kicked in.

The old Trenton Speedway you could say was Unusual, because of the 4 left - 1 right turn layout.

 

Beijin 2006.

Thanks, I was looking on wikipedia and missed it 

[JuanPablo]

The Phoenix Park motor races in Dublin were on every year. Has been more hit a miss recently. It is free to the public so a massive financial undertaking. The track is a fast triangle! It hasn't run since 2012 though.Skip the first start as the guy has a crash! https://youtu.be/A_5-tVGEi2M

[Volcano70]

Lakewood speedway hosted nascar events in the 50's with the track run around a lake

Chicago Motor speedway was a former track that hosted CART and was built on the old Sportsman Park horse track, during the racing off season at CMS they'd put dirt on the track and run the horses, but Dover Downs speedway was another horse track too.

Chris Diamond hit the light at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in a 90's Nascar Busch race, there is youtube video of it somewhere. Supposedly Gary St. Amant hit the light in the Truck series the night before.

Edited by Volcano70, 10 August 2015 - 23:24.

[simpson]

The Grand Prix of Portugal at Porto in the late 50 and early 60s had trolley tracks on a good portion of the track.

[Radoye]

The old Trenton Speedway you could say was Unusual, because of the 4 left - 1 right turn layout.

 

Sitges-Terramar was similar - actually, still is, but it's pretty underused the last 80 years or so.

 

 

[OO7]

[Peter0Scandlyn]

Surprised it's allowed, looks bloody dangerous

 

FIA sanctioned??

[Rob29]

Facinating thread Found several circuits I had never heard of before-need to know more about Finnish racing? Latest addition must be Kuala Lumpur GP held last weekend for GT cars with support from F.China-repeat on Motors TV tomorrow afternoon I think.

Remember Pheonix Park-been there 3 times-anyone know why this is no longer held? Hopefully soon the only 'unusual' circuits will be the boring autodromes like Silverstone

[JeePee]

Saw a really odd one on TV a while back, they had basically taken the tightest bit of road through this town they could find with mega tight bends and hairpins in several places and it just looked really narrow and unsuited to being used as ordinary streets, let alone racing.  It was called Monte-something or other...

Macau?

[Peat]

Circuite Des Rempartes?

That gets pretty tight. 

Darley Moor up near Derby looks a bit like Phoenix Park there. I had a go in a Superkart there (DM) and was VERY aware of the partially protected trees lining the straights that were whizzing by my ears......

Thing with those Finnish tracks is.... We fully accept open road racing for motorcycles, so why should we flip out when it's cars?

[Kristian]

There was the CART track that ran over tramlines - it was hilarious to watch. 

 

If Tilke's Cancun circuit had been built, that would have been quite fun: 

 

[Sheepmachine]

Thank you for all your posts so far. It's really interesting to see them.

Forgot to add this in the OP.
Qualifying lap of the palanga circuit
https://m.youtube.co...h?v=fxIcYWU8eCU

[sesku]

KL city grand prix is the new addition to the unusual race track. They had some GT races and V8 Supercar demo last week!

 

[Radoye]

 

 

Another one that falls in the "basically a motorway" catrgory.

 

[JHSingo]

Macau?

 

Edited by JHSingo, 11 August 2015 - 13:20.

[chunder27]

Wasnt Ingliston casically in a parkl aswell?

 

And tlaking of those, there was a road track in Kirkcaldy, there is Aberdare Park in Wales, Olivers Mount which is about as narrow as a footpath in places!

 

Mainly bike tracks admittedly that are not actually public roads like you get in Ireland.

[johnmhinds]

 

 

The original plans for Suzuka were a lot stranger:

 

http://www.vivaf1.com/blog/?p=8052

[Volcano70]

If Tilke's Cancun circuit had been built, that would have been quite fun: 

 

Looks like a messed-up Rio

[PayasYouRace]

There was the CART track that ran over tramlines - it was hilarious to watch. 

 

If Tilke's Cancun circuit had been built, that would have been quite fun: 

 

 

I remember that plan. What was the length of the oval?

[Volcano70]

I remember that plan. What was the length of the oval?

A website said 1.5 mile oval.

[Dan333SP]

Sitges-Terramar was similar - actually, still is, but it's pretty underused the last 80 years or so.

 

 

 

In case anyone is interested, here's a video promoted by Red Bull about Stiges. They run a modern R8 LMS GT3 car around the old banking, it looks pretty brutal but they set a lap record around the track, such as it is today.

 

[Volcano70]

Awesome video!

What degree is the banking at Sitges?

[OO7]

In case anyone is interested, here's a video promoted by Red Bull about Stiges. They run a modern R8 LMS GT3 car around the old banking, it looks pretty brutal but they set a lap record around the track, such as it is today.

 

Well that doesn't look dangerous at all.  I must say the surroundings look gorgeous!

[Jimisgod]

Circuite Des Rempartes?

That gets pretty tight. 

Darley Moor up near Derby looks a bit like Phoenix Park there. I had a go in a Superkart there (DM) and was VERY aware of the partially protected trees lining the straights that were whizzing by my ears......

Thing with those Finnish tracks is.... We fully accept open road racing for motorcycles, so why should we flip out when it's cars?

 

They don't make scenery like they used to.

[PayasYouRace]

A website said 1.5 mile oval.

 

Thanks. Puts it in perspective. Modern F1 cars racing on that type of oval would have been something to watch.

[BRG]

How do you say "Nice tyre barriers!" in Finnish?

Oh, they're Finns.  If someone doesn't end up in the trees, it's not motorsport to them!

 

Wasnt Ingliston basically in a park as well?

 

Parkland tracks are hardly unusual.  Cadwell, Oulton, Donington - all parks, as is Monza and many others. In fact, Ingliston was in the Royal Highland Centre Showground close by Edinburgh Airport and there is a revival meeting this very September!

[Atreiu]

Great thread.

 

Is the airport Indycar used at Cleveland considered unusual? I loved it. Lots of great crazy racing with those incredibly wide corner lines.

[PayasYouRace]

Great thread.

 

Is the airport Indycar used at Cleveland considered unusual? I loved it. Lots of great crazy racing with those incredibly wide corner lines.

 

Well it was unusual for being an active airfield, but so was Edmonton. But the St. Petersburg one used at the moment is probably even more unusual because it uses an active airport runway and the surrounding streets.