GPL's Most Glamorous Track?

If any of you nascent track designers want to receive the plaudits of a grateful planet, consider this: the Grand Prix of Central Park. Within the sylvan confines of this Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park is a peanut-shaped ring-road , 5.34-miles long, with 6-lane-wide, off-camber, 85-mph turns and a couple of long straights (maps & sat fotos are readily available), perfect for road racing. Right now the speed limit is a giddy 25 mph...and there are timed traffic lights every few hundred yards to enforce it. As a GPL track, I'd expect the record to be well over 130 mph. It should be feasible to construct: you race thru dense woods and open fields like Bremgarten, with gentle elevation changes and rock facings like the forthcoming Clermont. The tricky part: in the background--the fabled Manhattan skyline (Fifth Avenue, Central Park West, the Plaza Hotel, etc., but nothing more complicated than Monaco's urban surroundings). If the S/F line was at the Tavern on the Green, you could light up the night the millions of tiny bulbs that festoon the surrounding trees. 'Easter Eggs' could include Penny Lane (a tribute near the Dakota, where John Lennon was killed), the Nurburg-like castle near Central Park South, and other famous landmarks like the General Motors Building, the Coliseum (the New York Auto Show was staged there in '67), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Central Park has twice been seriously considered for racing: in the 1930s (the Depression axed it) and again in the 1990s (environmental 'issues' killed the idea). Central Park is the not-so-fantasy track that could easily become everybody's favorite. Whaddaya say? --Steve Smith

[email hidden] (Stephen Smith) wrote in <8d3G6.9396$[email hidden]>:

Quoted text (29 lines)

> >If any of you nascent track designers want to receive the plaudits of a >grateful planet, consider this: the Grand Prix of Central Park. Within the >sylvan confines of this Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park is a >peanut-shaped ring-road , 5.34-miles long, with 6-lane-wide, off-camber, >85-mph turns and a couple of long straights (maps & sat fotos are readily >available), perfect for road racing. Right now the speed limit is a giddy >25 mph...and there are timed traffic lights every few hundred yards to >enforce it. As a GPL track, I'd expect the record to be well over 130 mph. > >It should be feasible to construct: you race thru dense woods and open >fields like Bremgarten, with gentle elevation changes and rock facings like >the forthcoming Clermont. The tricky part: in the background--the fabled >Manhattan skyline (Fifth Avenue, Central Park West, the Plaza Hotel, etc., >but nothing more complicated than Monaco's urban surroundings). If the >S/F line was at the Tavern on the Green, you could light up the night the >millions of tiny bulbs that festoon the surrounding trees. 'Easter Eggs' >could >include Penny Lane (a tribute near the Dakota, where John Lennon was >killed), the Nurburg-like castle near Central Park South, and other famous >landmarks like the General Motors Building, the Coliseum (the New York >Auto Show was staged there in '67), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. > >Central Park has twice been seriously considered for racing: in the 1930s >(the Depression axed it) and again in the 1990s (environmental 'issues' >killed the idea). Central Park is the not-so-fantasy track that could >easily become everybody's favorite. Whaddaya say? > >--Steve Smith

I for one would love it. I was born and spent my first ten years two blocks from the south end of Central Park on east 61st street, and was fortunate to spent a lot of my childhood in the park. The subject has brought up a flood of fond memories for me. http://www.centralpark.org/ -- Don Scurlock Vancouver,B.C. GPLRank -12.11 Come see how you rank, at the GPLRank site http://gplrank.ringlord.com/

I think my local park would be better, a long twisting track . Screech off the start line while avoiding the broken glass of empty cider bottles, heading towards T1 careful not to crash as you negotiate the broken playground equipment. then full throttle up the slope where pensioners throw bowls at you for "making such a bloody racket (these youngsters...always up to no good!)". Sashay easily through the esses as shady drug dealers wave at you from the embankment. (dont stop here! the wheels will be stolen and youll be mugged). heading downslope now and picking up speed, past the duck pond filled with realistic 3D rendered abandoned shopping trolleys ,slow for the chicane and glimpse two teenagers shagging in the bushes. Through the chicane and throttle full on now, avoidind the staggering glue sniffer , headind for the final last bend only to spin on a big slippery dog turd. Local Park has twice been seriously considered for racing: in the 1930s (the fact that no one owned cars in the north east of england at the time axed it) and again in the 1990s (the council killed the idea).Local Park is the not-so-fantasy track that could easily become everybody's favorite. Whaddaya say? > Semi

Wow!! When I first read it Don I thought you said you *were* born in Central park!!haha. Maybe you were conceived there? Sorry I couldnt resist.. The devil made me do it Don.. Cheers Thom_j. "Don Scurlock" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9090776F5dscurlock@news... | I for one would love it. I was born and spent my first ten years twoblocks | from the south end of Central Park on east 61st street, and was fortunateto | spent a lot of my childhood in the park. The subject has brought up aflood of | fond memories for me. | http://www.centralpark.org/ | --

In article <8d3G6.9396$[email hidden]>, Stephen Smith <[email hidden]> writes ><snip> >Central Park has twice been seriously considered for racing: in the 1930s >(the Depression axed it) and again in the 1990s (environmental 'issues' >killed the idea). Central Park is the not-so-fantasy track that could >easily become everybody's favorite. Whaddaya say? > I dunno, I'd only feel safe racing in the daytime. :) -- Peter Ives Remove ALL_STRESS before replying If you know what's good for you, don't listen to me

LOL, great post :-)) JensSchumi On Fri, 27 Apr 2001 19:49:54 +0100, "Semi" <[email hidden]> wrote: >I think my local park would be better, a long twisting track . ><snip> --------------------------------------------- LWFF Ball Bearing conversion at: http://members.nbci.com/JensSchu/ GPLRank: -10.1 Monsters of GPL: sub 200