Bryar Motorsport Park was a much-loved road racing circuit in Loudon, New Hampshire, known for its annual round of the SCCA Trans-Am series, annual motorcycle races and festival, and SCCA Regional and National club racing.
The starting point for this track model was a 2011 GTR model by B. Dibble. And while there's not a lot left untouched from the GTR model, this Assetto Corsa version would likely not have happened without the GTR model as an inspiration and launch pad.
CREDITS:
-Inspiration: a GTR model by B. Dibble
-My education in track MODs, via "teardown" of their model(s): LilSki, Terra21
-People, parked cars, marshals, initial terrain mesh: B. Dibble
-Tree and grass textures: LilSki
-Guardrail, embankment, tyres, track-limits-line and track-edge: Terra21
-HGV-mesh, fuel pumps, bin-mesh, ambulance, utility poles, Cessna: LilSki
-Test drive feedback: Petersig
BRYAR MOTORSPORT PARK
The story begins with an unlikely racing impresario: a tyre salesman and Baptist minister named Keith Bryar. Keith ran a small amusement park, which included a go-kart track. With motorsports increasing in popularity Keith saw an opportunity to expand the kart track to cars. Utilising its front straight, adding a clay oval, and surrounding it all with bleachers, he opened the doors to "106 Midway Raceway." This odd little facility was a success, with crowds regularly in excess of 5,000 and races heavily over-subscribed.
By 1964, Keith decided to take the plunge and build a permanent road course on the site. Bryar Motorsports Park ("Bryar") was born, the 1.6 mile road course being a short but exciting course, which followed the contours of the hillside around a small lake. Once again there were excellent (for the time) spectator facilities, with bleachers overlooking the pits offering views of almost the whole course and seating 5,000. Another 2,000 seats were available at the northern end of the site and, in total, crowds of up to 18,000 could be accommodated.
It was not long before the new course attracted some big name events and drivers; the SCCA Trans-Am came to Bryar in 1966 and returned every year through 1972. 1970 saw the legendary tuner Bud Moore pitting his two factory Mustangs (George Follmer, Parnelli Jones) against Roger Penske's two factory AMC Javelins (Mark Donohue, Peter Revson), Dan Gurney's two factory Plymouth Barracuda's (Swede Savage, Dan Gurney), Chaparral's two factory Camaros (Jim Hall, Ed Leslie) and Autodynamics' factory Dodge Challenger driven by Sam Posey. George Follmer took the victory for Moore and Ford ahead of the Penske Javelins of Peter Revson and Mark Donohue.
Motorcycle racing also put Bryar on the map as the circuit became the home of the Laconia National Race, later the Laconia Classic. Opening up the entire facility for fans to camp, a canopy of smoke could be seen for miles around during the event due to all the campfires.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Bryar was a popular club track, primarily SCCA New England Region road racing, NHKA enduro go karts and motorcycles. However, a general lack of investment meant the course condition had deteriorated by 1989, and Keith Bryar was in poor health. Enter Bob Bahre who, armed with a promise from NASCAR for two Winston Cup dates, purchased the facility from Keith Bryar and announced plans to build a new one-mile oval; New Hampshire Motor Speedway ("NHMS"). And while NHMS has 100-times more capital investment than had Bryar, it lacks the soul, exciting layout and racing-charm of Keith Bryar's Bryar Motorsport Park.
TRACK MOD
This is my first track; I knew zero about 3D modeling. Because Bryar Motorsport Park had disappeared by 1990, and the terrain bulldozed to make NHMS, there are no good elevations for the original circuit, never mind LIDAR data.
As a result this Bryar model's layout, elevation and terrain are as I remember them, having almost "grown up" at the track in the 1970s, and from having raced there in the 1980s (enduro go karts).
The layout is the "original", with the pits along the start-finish straight, before a 5/8-mile dirt oval was added by filling in portions of Bryar pond.
The pits were moved adjacent to the paddock, between T9 and T10, after a bad pit fire during the 1970 Bryar Trans-Am (J.Guy Roy's Camaro). The spectating grandstands were adjacent to the pits and the risk to fans in that fire was clear.
Bryar Motorsport Park was in the scenic White Mountains of New Hampshire, an area that is known for its scenic Fall foliage season. As a result, the track mod includes a Fall-variant of the circuit with the autumn colours in full bloom.
Track features:
-28 Pit Boxes
-Dynamic racing groove
-Track Map
-Working AI
-12 cameras
-Time Attack
-Fall foliage track variant
-Remembering Keith Bryar: monument on Hill
-Racing fanatic kids watching the action
The starting point for this track model was a 2011 GTR model by B. Dibble. And while there's not a lot left untouched from the GTR model, this Assetto Corsa version would likely not have happened without the GTR model as an inspiration and launch pad.
CREDITS:
-Inspiration: a GTR model by B. Dibble
-My education in track MODs, via "teardown" of their model(s): LilSki, Terra21
-People, parked cars, marshals, initial terrain mesh: B. Dibble
-Tree and grass textures: LilSki
-Guardrail, embankment, tyres, track-limits-line and track-edge: Terra21
-HGV-mesh, fuel pumps, bin-mesh, ambulance, utility poles, Cessna: LilSki
-Test drive feedback: Petersig
BRYAR MOTORSPORT PARK
The story begins with an unlikely racing impresario: a tyre salesman and Baptist minister named Keith Bryar. Keith ran a small amusement park, which included a go-kart track. With motorsports increasing in popularity Keith saw an opportunity to expand the kart track to cars. Utilising its front straight, adding a clay oval, and surrounding it all with bleachers, he opened the doors to "106 Midway Raceway." This odd little facility was a success, with crowds regularly in excess of 5,000 and races heavily over-subscribed.
By 1964, Keith decided to take the plunge and build a permanent road course on the site. Bryar Motorsports Park ("Bryar") was born, the 1.6 mile road course being a short but exciting course, which followed the contours of the hillside around a small lake. Once again there were excellent (for the time) spectator facilities, with bleachers overlooking the pits offering views of almost the whole course and seating 5,000. Another 2,000 seats were available at the northern end of the site and, in total, crowds of up to 18,000 could be accommodated.
It was not long before the new course attracted some big name events and drivers; the SCCA Trans-Am came to Bryar in 1966 and returned every year through 1972. 1970 saw the legendary tuner Bud Moore pitting his two factory Mustangs (George Follmer, Parnelli Jones) against Roger Penske's two factory AMC Javelins (Mark Donohue, Peter Revson), Dan Gurney's two factory Plymouth Barracuda's (Swede Savage, Dan Gurney), Chaparral's two factory Camaros (Jim Hall, Ed Leslie) and Autodynamics' factory Dodge Challenger driven by Sam Posey. George Follmer took the victory for Moore and Ford ahead of the Penske Javelins of Peter Revson and Mark Donohue.
Motorcycle racing also put Bryar on the map as the circuit became the home of the Laconia National Race, later the Laconia Classic. Opening up the entire facility for fans to camp, a canopy of smoke could be seen for miles around during the event due to all the campfires.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Bryar was a popular club track, primarily SCCA New England Region road racing, NHKA enduro go karts and motorcycles. However, a general lack of investment meant the course condition had deteriorated by 1989, and Keith Bryar was in poor health. Enter Bob Bahre who, armed with a promise from NASCAR for two Winston Cup dates, purchased the facility from Keith Bryar and announced plans to build a new one-mile oval; New Hampshire Motor Speedway ("NHMS"). And while NHMS has 100-times more capital investment than had Bryar, it lacks the soul, exciting layout and racing-charm of Keith Bryar's Bryar Motorsport Park.
TRACK MOD
This is my first track; I knew zero about 3D modeling. Because Bryar Motorsport Park had disappeared by 1990, and the terrain bulldozed to make NHMS, there are no good elevations for the original circuit, never mind LIDAR data.
As a result this Bryar model's layout, elevation and terrain are as I remember them, having almost "grown up" at the track in the 1970s, and from having raced there in the 1980s (enduro go karts).
The layout is the "original", with the pits along the start-finish straight, before a 5/8-mile dirt oval was added by filling in portions of Bryar pond.
The pits were moved adjacent to the paddock, between T9 and T10, after a bad pit fire during the 1970 Bryar Trans-Am (J.Guy Roy's Camaro). The spectating grandstands were adjacent to the pits and the risk to fans in that fire was clear.
Bryar Motorsport Park was in the scenic White Mountains of New Hampshire, an area that is known for its scenic Fall foliage season. As a result, the track mod includes a Fall-variant of the circuit with the autumn colours in full bloom.
Track features:
-28 Pit Boxes
-Dynamic racing groove
-Track Map
-Working AI
-12 cameras
-Time Attack
-Fall foliage track variant
-Remembering Keith Bryar: monument on Hill
-Racing fanatic kids watching the action
