A couple of weeks ago I watched the NASCAR Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, USA. After a raindelayed Sunday the race was on on a late monday evening, with the Truck series as warm-up. Unusual for my TV-provider they actually showed the race live on late Monday!
For a couple of weeks before numerous races had been held on the fabled 0.533 mile concrete oval
short track located in Western Tennesse, but now covered in dirt!. Dirt track oval racing with big high prolifigh NASCAR teams, cars and drivers? It has not happened since 1970! Yes, it was on a day late, but only because of massive rain falls on Sunday!
And what was on!? - 40 big body, all American NASCAR cars (still 3400 ibs?) slithering around, occationally bouncing off each other and or off the wall, with traction low, breaking distances was long and it didn't take long to wipe out two of the pre-race favorites. In hindsight I have started to appreciate the talents of Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, the Flocks and a whole bunch of others for their talents around a left hand only half mile dirt track, in a completely new way!
But my first impression was, I have seen this before! Back in 1987 my dad, my brother and I went to Fangelbanen for the final round of the Danish Autocross Championship. We usually strock to our local track Nisseringen, and their fancy Autocross track (more about that later).
To support the stragling field of 11 Autocrossers (12 in the entry list) were 2CV and Folke-Race. The two latter races had their own version of the track with chikanes placed midway on the two straights adding meters to the circuit and slowing down the speed. Local ace Ole Nielsen won the major race and the Championship in his Opel Manta-B.
Fangel has been announced being 600, 630 or 650 meters, but with corners bordered by heavy, solid sand filled used tyres, I suspect It never changed it's outer peremiter through its 48 year history (1946-1994). Among the specialties of Fangelbanen was that it was noted for relatively long straights and narrow corners, but also that the breaking zones were uphill at both ends - throwing dirt in your face from RWD cars – from stained memory!
On rainy days the track had a reputation for getting rutted and the two wheelers were never happy about the marriage.
For most of its history a former rail road passenger wagon housed any kind of official duties, with a very rudimentary paddock area inside turns 3 and 4.
Placed in the middle of the country with a lot of support, but considered a Dinosaur by 1994. I believe that inviromental issues was the death for this track.
More to follow
Jesper OH