8 replies to this topic

[Richard Neville]

Hello everyone!

I'm currently making Edmonton International Speedway for Grand Prix Legends and the track is nearing completion, but there are still a few areas I'm not sure about and would like to ask for your help. In particular I'm looking for info and/or pictures of the areas around Parker's End and Breckenridge, and also the tower at the west end (exit) of the pitlane. Anything that anyone can provide would be very much appreciated

Richard

[Muzza]

Richard,

Congratulations on your project.

I suggest you to keep scouting Dan King's website Racing Circuits which has pages with pictures of Edmonton as well as the names the people who took them (Dan may connect you to them).

(Worryingly, though, Dan's website - one of the coolest pieces of motorsport in the web - has been down for a week now... Hello, Dan, are you there )

Also, try contacting the nice people at the Canadian Motor Sport History Group at their place under Yahoo!Groups.

Keep us posted on your developments! Works like yours are valuable ways to pay tribute to tracks that cannot be revived.

Regards,


Muzza

[Richard McDonell]

Richard,
I'm not sure of exactly what you are looking for. The tower was actually at the east end of pit row. The pits and garages ran out from the west side of the tower.
What is it you need to know about Breckenridge? Incidentally, Mr. Gavin Breckenridge, after whom the turn was named, died earlier this month at age 82.
The sequence at Parker's End was a verfy fast left-right S going slightly uphill. The S quickly led into a pair of 90 degree rights. The first right was curved, while the second one was a sharp turn. If your car could be made to oversteer slightly, it worked out well, as a bit of sideways travel could slow you down just enough to negotiate the second, tighter turn.

Let me know if you need further. Also, I'm not familiar with your project, so any information in that regard would be appreciated.

Regards,
Dick McDonell
Red Deer, Alberta

p.s. Tomorrow will be the 35th anniversary of the first Can-Am race at Edmonton.

[danielking]

I've recently been made aware that some visitors have had trouble connecting to my site recently (Muzza, I have sent you an email about this). Hopefully. I will have this sorted soon, but in the meantime I have replicated the Edmonton Photo's taken by Fred Young on another server at http://homepage.ntlw...e.king/Edmonton

Richard, I will send you a PM with Fred's contact details.

[MGAdams]

Pit entrance and tower

Speedway plan

Hope these help.

[Richard Neville]

Thanks for all the interest

Originally posted by Richard McDonell
Richard,
I'm not sure of exactly what you are looking for. The tower was actually at the east end of pit row. The pits and garages ran out from the west side of the tower.
What is it you need to know about Breckenridge? Incidentally, Mr. Gavin Breckenridge, after whom the turn was named, died earlier this month at age 82.
The sequence at Parker's End was a verfy fast left-right S going slightly uphill. The S quickly led into a pair of 90 degree rights. The first right was curved, while the second one was a sharp turn. If your car could be made to oversteer slightly, it worked out well, as a bit of sideways travel could slow you down just enough to negotiate the second, tighter turn.

Let me know if you need further. Also, I'm not familiar with your project, so any information in that regard would be appreciated.

Regards,
Dick McDonell
Red Deer, Alberta

p.s. Tomorrow will be the 35th anniversary of the first Can-Am race at Edmonton.

There was another, smaller, tower at the other end of the pit garages which I understand was used for timing purposes. I have some b&w photos of this but obviously have no idea of the colour of the bulding, in particular the awning on the front of the base of the building which apparently had some kind of pattern on it.

I have several pictures of Breckenridge but one of them suggests there was some change in gradient here - possibly a slight dip at the Smalian chicane and then a rise through Breckenridge itself; the photo evidence is not conclusive, however.

Your description of Parker's End confirms what the photos I have seem to show, and this in itself is very helpful. I'm still not entirely sure though about the strip of land between the two parallel straights, i.e between the main straight and the straight from Parker's End to the Smalian chicane. The question is whether or not the trees at Breckenridge (near the Player's sign) extend along this strip, and if so, how far.

My project is to make Edmonton for the racing game/simulation "Grand Prix Legends"

Thanks everyone for all your help

Richard

[Berner]

Couple of questions from someone who moved to Edmonton long after EIS shut down:
First, where did the money come from to build this facility? Second, could you tell me where in present day Edmonton it would be located (ie the street numbers that would define the track site)? Thank you.

[m.tanney]

Berner,

  According to Tom Johnston's splendid book Sports Car Road Racing in Western Canada (which I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in Canadian racing), EIS was located at the corner of 127th St. NW and 137th St NW, just outside the city limits. It was built on the site of the old Breckenridge Speedway. Tom mentions that one of the main figures behind its development was Tommy Fox, a racer who was also the head of Pacific Western Airlines.

[Berner]

Thank you for that, M. Tanney. I assume there are no remnants of the facility given the passage of time and the never ending sprawl of housing and strip malls? The temporary circuit at the Municipal Airport never attracted me while this thread about the old EIS makes me sad that I never trekked west to follow F.Atlantics or Can-Am. Living in Montreal, it was so much easier to simply drive over to Mont Tremblant or Mosport or Trois Rivieres. However, recent rumblings about CART (or OWRS) coming to Calgary have rekindled my interest in more grassroots motorsport in Canada. For now, I must make do with laps around Stratotech Park. Oh well, should have sold my Nortel!