Alright when was that again.....?

[stenovitz]

Well, those YT videos are not exactly new? Watched them years ago I reckon, but maybe newly edited?
Been almost maniac about historic abandoned racing circuits for decades and hunted the most 'forgotten' on vacation trips round Europe and always got away with an excuse to leave the main path
Think first time for me was the old Charade circuit (think it was in '86) and a couple of weeks later on hometrip also Rouen-Les-Essarts.
And then 20 years later witnessing simracing modders actually being able to do some fine realistic jobs has been absolutely fantastic.
The last I visited (physically) was the defunked oval at Sitges south of Barcelona after being driving it like crazy in rFactor.

And speaking simracing that's been the main reason for me simracing the last couple of decades. To re-enter the abandoned and deceased tracks, both sim-wise and IRL.
So for me, the abandoned track history is two-sided for me.

BTW: hope I'll be able to simrace at the long time deceased but for drivers by that time infamous CDR in Colorado in a Scarab-Chevrolet soon Nobody speaks about CDR today. At least not here in Europe. So bring it back please

 

[LeSunTzu]

It looks like Lewis Hamilton will have a team in this series: https://www.extreme-e.com/en/news/118_Lewis-Hamilton-founds-Extreme-E-team.html

 

[T_rac3]

Thank you for sharing this. I LOVE this pieces of history

 

[Brun]

Happened upon Circuit de Gueux completely randomly while driving through France a few years ago...

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

i own a great book on forgotten tracks called:
Autodrome: The Lost Race Circuits of Europe (Veloce Classic Reprint Series)
It's a must-read for anyone interested in the topic. A second book was in the works but seems to have been abandoned (which is sort of ironic considering then topic).

Autodrome: The lost race circuits of Europe (Veloce Classic Reprint Series): Amazon.co.uk: SS Collins: 9781787111295: Books

Buy Autodrome: The lost race circuits of Europe (Veloce Classic Reprint Series) 2nd Revised edition by SS Collins (ISBN: 9781787111295) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Mark Ratzenbacher]

There are a lot of these kinds of videos on the net. Probably because there are so many forgotten circuits. ~10 years ago i was researching a lot to bring some of these forgotten circuits into simracing. There are so many hidden treasures, you just need to search for them.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

There's rather a nice PDF documenting 100s of historic circuits from around Europe here

http://www.wegcircuits.nl/RennenRacesVitesse.pdf

No pictures, but lots and lots of descriptions.

I find it fascinating to read some of the descriptions and then trace the routes in Google Earth. I have probably found 9 or 10 future projects in that PDF - it's a real mine of information.

 

[Mac117]

Great post this one! So many great circuits gone. Fortunately we can still virtually race in some of them!

I can't let the opportunity go without mentioning my favorite circuit; Circuito Guadalope in Alcañiz (Spain). Very fast and quite technical street circuit that was active from 1965 to 2003. A video for you to have a look:

 

[atomed]

Fantastic Paul, more posts like this

 

[testdriver77]

If u dont know but on YT there is a full movie called Grand Prix 1966.
This is in a very good quality and with very astonishing perspectives!
This is imo more interesting than some of actual movies!
Its very interesting to see the old tracks with race cars on it. Very interesting

 

[Andrew Harper]

There are a lot of these kinds of videos on the net. Probably because there are so many forgotten circuits. ~10 years ago i was researching a lot to bring some of these forgotten circuits into simracing. There are so many hidden treasures, you just need to search for them.

I can't remember the name of the channel. Although I'm not a huge NASCAR fan someone did some great videos of abandoned or just completely vanished tracks. Most of which were just bonkers in speed and length!

I have watched most of these videos. I've been to Brooklands about half a dozen times when the Mazda RX7 club used to go there, got to park the car on the banking, a great experience and again the circuit and size of it just beggars belief. It's a cheap day out so if you are in the area please pay a visit and support the museum with a few pounds.

It saddens me the way the track was chopped up though, I sometimes wonder if that sort of thing would have happened to such a historic racing site now. Maybe it would've done being so close to major cities (and housing is needed).

Probably due to my age but the one video that did make me a bit emotional (just a tiny bit) was Hockenheim. A track I remember watching in the 90's as a true temple of speed with the V8's, V10's, and V12's screaming away.

To see it all gone, dug up and turned into a trading estate is a real shame, however land is valuable so I guess that's just the way it is sometimes.

These videos are cool though and I do enjoy them every so often, some incredible circuits.

 

[roylan101]

Hopefully this increases sales of the Alpine A110 enough that they bring it to the US, because I really really really really want one. Gordon Murray said he used it as a benchmark when designing the T.50 which is crazy

 

[PickABetterUsername01]

He had serious issues with something on car overheating, especially before red flag.

Oh poor Bottas, don't worry, next year it will be Bottas version 9.0 build 1147 and he will take the fight to Lewis with his improved racecraft software!

I always thought Bottas was one of the worst racecraft drivers on the grid, after Monza I think he's the worst.

 

[Nick Hill]

BTW: hope I'll be able to simrace at the long time deceased but for drivers by that time infamous CDR in Colorado in a Scarab-Chevrolet soon Nobody speaks about CDR today. At least not here in Europe. So bring it back please

I know CDR! I used to live in Castle Rock, so the CDR site was less than a 10 minute drive from my house. As I'm sure you probably know, you can still see the track layout really well on Google maps satellite view, but residential construction is rapidly encroaching.

I've been to the site a couple times, but you really can't see anything from ground level (or at least I couldn't). I haven't been down there in a few years...there is a possibility it's already houses at this point, sadly. If I get some time this weekend, I might drive down there (it's still only about 30 mins away for me) with a camera and see if I can see anything at all left.

The setting is absolutely amazing - the track abuts right up to some low foothills which must have reverberated the engine noise gloriously.

As for the YouTube channel, I'll definitely be subscribing! I'm a sucker for this stuff. I have a couple books by one time SCCA official historian Pete Hylton - "Ghost Tracks" and "More Ghost Tracks". Really fascinating stuff!

 

[delpinsky]

Thank you Paul!
A really interesting topic.

 

[BrainsBush]

Simon Roberts new team principal.

Williams appoint Simon Roberts as Acting Team Principal | Formula 1®

Williams’ new owners have opted to promote from within following the departure of Sir Frank Williams and his daughter Claire as they reveal Simon Roberts will step up as Acting Team Principal…

www.formula1.com

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

"Fun"-fact. The man doing the voiceover on the Reims video, is former RaceDepartment commentator Simon Smith!

 

[Leon Charmant]

I can't remember the name of the channel. Although I'm not a huge NASCAR fan someone did some great videos of abandoned or just completely vanished tracks. Most of which were just bonkers in speed and length!

Not sure if you mean this channel, but I loved these videos:

Part 1:

Part 2:

 

[BillyBobSenna]

I am lucky enough to be able to drive every day on one of the greatest abandoned F1 tracks of all time.

This was Detroit's version of Monaco's Casino Hairpin.

Detroit GP 1982

Detroit GP Track 2020

I feel like John Watson ever time I drive though this intersection.

 

[Stuntman Daz]

This, imo, is where sims shine the brightest, by recreating circuits and layouts lost to time