http://users.telenet.be/les.consultants.bvba1/sitges/

This is just freaking amazing!!!

Wow, QUICK, call Brian France! I have a great marketing idea.

That is incredible... preserved thanks to good fortune, the right climate and geology - amazing to see that much smooth concrete after many years.

Unreal that it's all there!!! That would make a great 1:1 slotcar track!!:lol: J/K Interesting little slice of history though.. It'll take millions to purchase and even more millions just to bring it up to date... cool thread though.. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

UtherJoe

http://users.telenet.be/les.consultants.bvba1/sitges/

This is just freaking amazing!!!

thank you sooooo much for that link!man that's research!i appreciate very much you sharing that with a homebound,done travelling,in the slotcave guy as myself!lol!no really,great pics!60 degree banks!wow!we should all petition someone to recreate it in tomy track,especially those banks!

This could be Pete's next Sequoia Speedway. Could you imagine monster banking on a short track format? Mega-G indeed!

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=236251

:drunk::hat::freak::dude:

I love historical stuff like that. Thanks for sharing!

Great link and story. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: rr

This could be Pete's next Sequoia Speedway. Could you imagine monster banking on a short track format? Mega-G indeed!

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=236251

:drunk::hat::freak::dude:

Yoshi and I have already been talking about doing a 3X6 4 lane high banked like Dover. I just don't have the money or ambition right now.

That is a great looking track, although I wonder how rough it would be now with the requirements of modern suspension and ground effects. And 60 degree banking with no rails, very interesting.

Let's think this over a bit... I was waiting for someone to mention the lack of guardrails... Other than the frame of the car, what did these drivers have for safety protection??? :rolleyes: Especially in the early days of racing, it was goggles and a leather cap. No helmet, no roll cage, no fireproof suit, and if they were lucky, some sort of seat belt...:eek: These guys were nuts!!!! I would have done it, but you had to be borderline suicidal to make a career of driving back then!! :freak: I'll be visiting this site again and again!! Some crazy stuff from when racing was all out and God help ya if you or someone near you screwed up!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

UtherJoe

Let's think this over a bit... I was waiting for someone to mention the lack of guardrails... Other than the frame of the car, what did these drivers have for safety protection??? :rolleyes: Especially in the early days of racing, it was goggles and a leather cap. No helmet, no roll cage, no fireproof suit, and if they were lucky, some sort of seat belt...:eek: These guys were nuts!!!! I would have done it, but you had to be borderline suicidal to make a career of driving back then!! :freak: I'll be visiting this site again and again!! Some crazy stuff from when racing was all out and God help ya if you or someone near you screwed up!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

UtherJoe
I heard that was pretty much the way you drive slot cars Joe....lol...


I know thats how Rich drives even if I did do the best barrel roll...

Dave

Funny you would mention nuts there Joe, I'm thinking that's what these guys would have to swing into the car before that climbed in themselves. I used to have a shirt that went something to the affect that tennis, football and baseball were never going to be as good as auto racing because they only required one ball. Reminds of what Jean-Pierre Sarti once said: "When I see something really horrible, I put my foot down. Hard! Because I know that everyone else is lifting his. "

Kamakaze Racing!!!!!!

It's interesting that none of this was touched by WWII.

Sorry it wouldn't let me cut and paste it. If you do a yahoo search for Barcelona, Spain map, and follow the coastline in a WSW direction about 25 miles (use the key for the estimate) you will find the seacoast town of Sitges. From Sitges, kinda zoom in a bit, and go to satellite view. Now pan in a NNW direction and you will see the track!!! To give you an idea how large this track is, it is out of town, and the length of the main straight and the first 2 curves is how far away from the Mediteranian Sea it is...

I wasn't a wiz in History class, but I believe Spain didn't have anywhere near the damage that England and Germany dealt with. The majority of the bombing raids (as far as I know) were concentrated in those two countries. Judging from the terrain in the photos, it looks more like desert type atmosphere than anything, which would definately help preserve it. While it's cool to dream about, If I did have the money to obtain such a deal, I wouldn't have a clue what to do with it... other than drive really, really fast around it.... One interesting other note. My TM says if we hit the mega-millions, Spain is OK!! We can go.... for what that's worth!!! Yes, that's right dear!!! :thumbsup:

UtherJoe

Spain had its Civil War in the latter half of the 1930's, kind of a tune up for WW II. The Germans and Italians supported one side (and tested their weapons), and the Russians and Mexicans backed the losing side. (Do you believe that?) Technically Spain was a non-combatant in WW II, as it was devastated from its own war, and even though he was a fascist in line with Hilter and Mussolini, Franco didn't want the country to get anihilated again if he sided with the loser - amazing history to read about. So Spain never was carpet bombed or overrun, it was torn up by locals.

A story about the track:

http://www.congersgarage.com/2008/08/06/sitges-spain-autodromo-nacional-its-abandoned-and-huge/

You guys picked up on the obvious safety concerns, guess they were an issue shortly after it was built. The Curcuit de Catalunya isn't too far away, but from the videos on the website listed, it looks like the liability climate isn't the same in Spain (mainly on the plain.......) as it is here.

First youtube vid wouldn't work, but the other two more than made up for it... Wicked cool link SP!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: And thanks for the history lesson.. :hat: I had no idea they had a civil war going on as WW2 was brewing. There is some good info on that link also, but I'm not going to ruin a good read. It does explain it's creation and demise quite well... Better rethink those 60% banks fellas.. The 1st vette was almost slipping down it!! :lol:

UtherJoe

Too bad none of the wood tracks of the early 1900s survived.

Ok so what's the exchange rate? Let's buy it. We could buy used cable from the city of San Fransisco for rails and attach mags to our 1 : 1 frames. Cool story, wish track was stateside. In regards to WWII Hitler did ask Franco for support but aside from volunteers, received a cold shoulder. The Messerschmits, Henkels and Dorniers that bombed Spanish cities were cutting edge at the time but were antiquated by D-day. Many Americans including Hemmingway fought on the leftist side.