Great Website Of Aussie Race Tracks

[Duncan]

I was moping around about Oran Park disappearing at the end of the year....and found this website.

Check out all the circuits we've missed over the years....

http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/racingcircui...alia/index.html

Who has been to which closed track? The only one I've been to is Amaroo Park

[Chris-06R]

You should go for a drive up to catalina Duncan... its still there (mostly) just gotta watch out for the section where half the road has been washed away. Last time I was up there you could drive right on if you jumped out, opened the gate which looked to be locked, but wasn't, and ignored all the signs telling you to keep out; which we did

[Duncan]

haha good call! the multimap link from the website looks like the track is still pretty much intact which is what I had heard. I really need to drop in next time I'm passing by....

[fatz]

catalina is great for a stroll

[Whiplash]

Been to Lobethal "track" a few years back, for a display drive

will be going back next month when they have the 70th anniversary of the 1st GP

http://www.lobethalgrandcarnival.com.au/home.html

Edited September 20, 2009 by Whiplash

[sav man]

i've been on the surviving bits of lonford. The flying mile is still used by locals....and tuners.

i've seen Warwick Farm on google earth, i recon they should demolish the horse track and rebuild it.

[warps]

I've driven around Amaroo (in 96 I think)

Been to and serviced at Surfers international (never drove there tho)

Driven around the Southport 1954 grand prix circuit (99% of Gold Coasters don't even know there was ever a street GP held here in the olden era)

Have also driven of several of the existing tracks, but meh - that doesn't hold the same appeal

[Beer Baron]

I have been to and once driven around amaroo in 97. and that's it for me too.

lol, my favourite would have to be Gnoo Blas! lol. http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/racingcircui...a/GnooBlas.html

awesome name, and it's 6kms long and look and the straight!!! it would be 300km+ surely in anything decently powerful. and the rest of it is mostly one big long giant fast corner with a few hairpins. love it.

[sh@un]

I love Oran; such a fun track to drive. Hate that it's going to be swallowed by suburbia :'(

And I'm still dirty at myself that I never had the sense to get to Amaroo before it closed down...

lol, my favourite would have to be Gnoo Blas! lol. http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/racingcircui...a/GnooBlas.html

awesome name, and it's 6kms long and look and the straight!!! it would be 300km+ surely in anything decently powerful. and the rest of it is mostly one big long giant fast corner with a few hairpins. love it.

I imagine a lot of people would have gotten out of shape into the braking zone for Mrs Mutton's after that monster sweeper

[timsr33]

You should go for a drive up to catalina Duncan... its still there (mostly) just gotta watch out for the section where half the road has been washed away. Last time I was up there you could drive right on if you jumped out, opened the gate which looked to be locked, but wasn't, and ignored all the signs telling you to keep out; which we did

last time i was up at catalina park they had fixed the gate and couldnt get on but maby some one has cut the gates again

but it was fun to drive around when i was a p plater

[Duncan]

bloody hell, lobethal....13klm...."main street" lol. wish they would run some of these again

[R32 Stuart]

My Grandfather did the old Vale (motorbikes) - still there - a bit bumpy, and Dad did Peel and Redex Trials (Yes even competing against Jelagnite Jack - aint that a story)

Must say Amaroo was a great track, won 2E Club car supersprints there from 89 - 94.

Catalina was GREAT - nothing like going into the tunnel of love flat out in the shade - moss all over the track and still finishing - and on odd occasion - in reverse over finish line. No dints - great times!!

Hopefully Bathurst GP bike split or whatever you like to call it - track - will go ahead as this will be excellent for club events.

[evil_weevil]

This thread makes me sad

So pretty much - majority of NSW tracks that closed, were from residential purposes?

I went to Amaroo a few times, my uncle raced his lotus and got me and my dad tickets all the time.

good times.

[Beer Baron]

yeah it's pretty bloody disappointing isn't it. it's making NSW a pretty unhappy place to live for a motorsport enthusiast. and oran park was such a great facility. on sunday when I was there, there was a huge event on the sth circuit, the Drift Nationals that had lots of competitors, trade stands and lots of FANS, there was also Kart racing on the nth circuit at the same time, and the AWD track was in use by buggy type things, and the rally track was in use too (the one behind the nth circuit). that's a lot of groups of people getting joy out of one facility at the same time. and should be lots of income for all parties involved. very sad it's going.

[warps]

The Gold Coast Kart Club track near our place was closed down a couple of months after we moved into the house, and now a school has been built where the track was. This track was less than 2km from our home, and I had planned to get both kids into karting.

This track was built in 1971, when there would have been less than 5 houses in a 10km radius. Now the area is swarming with new development, and of course the new residents didn't like the thought of all that noise, so the track was torn up and a school built.

Apparently the club is struggling to find a new venue, because existing residents lobby against them whenever they propose a new site. Nobody wants a race track in their back yard (except me - my dream house had finally come true, and the bastards ripped up the track!!)

That's progress I suppose.

Oh yeah, I did get a chance to drive on that track too - about 5 years before I even dreamed I'd be living in the area.

[msports180]

Awesome find.

Spun out they used to do street circuits in my sleepy little town! (bunbury WA) Awesome.

[esky_mad]

catalina is quite a cool place to visit these days. its pretty eary seeing all the old fences/or lack of.

such a shame suburbia is killing so much motorsport for this county.

[benm]

Took a couple of pics of Catalina Park today however I found this on YouTube that does a better job of the full track...