Lou Magyar's Bridgehampton is finally out! Get it here:
http://www.cruisekids.com/gpl/bridgehampton/index.html
Bridgehampton was probably the greatest of all the post-war U.S. tracks.
Its only competition: Riverside (the Esses and Turn Six were fabulous; the
rest of the track was a bore), Elkhart Lake (beautiful...but little more
than drag races between bog-simple corners), Road Atlanta (a great
circuit...until the Can-Am cars started doing back flips--"blowovers"--and
they had to emasculate it), Lime Rock (another beautiful setting, but a one-
or two-gear track), and the pre-Boot Watkins Glen (gorgeous, but with only a
handful of turns).
"The Bridge," built in 1957 after road racing was kicked off NY's public
highways, was a lot like Zandvoort--a very fast, challenging circuit draped
over sand dunes with a lovely view of the sea. Not that drivers spent much
time admiring the view. There were 13 turns in six groups (the two
downhills, the run down into Echo Valley, climbing the hill behind the pits,
the long series of downhill asymmetrical lefts, the climbing hairpin, the
the last two turns before the uphill straight), and you were busy every
minute of every lap.
Bridgehampton separated the real racers from the wannabes. I stood in awe
as Walt Hansgen, in John Mecom's rear-engined Scarab, swept over the hill at
the end of the straight without lifting and with a faint flick of the wrist,
arrowed through the first two downhill turns in an impeccable arc that
brought him to the very edge of the pavement...and within millimeters of the
line he'd carved there the lap before.
I also watched Ken Miles, Bob Holbert and Bob Bondurant in 427 Cobras
powerslide up the hill behind the pits and bellow down the other side in a
formation as tight as the Blue Angels. (And watched Cale Yarborough, Lee
Roy Yarbrough and Richard Petty repeat the stunt in thundering stock cars.)
And watched an unflappable Jim Hall gun the first of the winged Chapparals
up the climbing hairpin without a trace of wheelspin. And watched John
Fitch and Bob Grossman put 25 hours on one of Briggs Cunningham's 1960
Corvettes destined for Le Mans.
I tried to master the course myself (I did hundreds of laps there in street
cars testing for Car and Driver, a lot more laps in an EP Porsche Speedster
in SCCA races, and a few laps in a Formula Atlantic), but neither I nor any
of the other legions of amateur racers ever came close to the mastery and
grace of the really great drivers who prevailed there. It's like riding a
horse: anybody can do it, but few can do it well.
After literally years in the making, Lou Magyar (whose Norisring is a
classic) has finally released his recreation of "The Bridge," and it's as
close to the real deal as any track in GPL. As my friend John said in
another context, "It is as it was."
--Steve Smith
Steve..
beatiful write up and thanks for the 'color' of your experience of
witnessing some really great names there!
thanks to Lou for indeed a great job on one of the US's few great
tracks!
bo bruce
On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 20:13:51 GMT, "Steve Smith"
<[email hidden]> wrote:
Quoted text (12 lines)
>Lou Magyar's Bridgehampton is finally out! Get it here: > >http://www.cruisekids.com/gpl/bridgehampton/index.html > >Bridgehampton was probably the greatest of all the post-war U.S. tracks. >Its only competition: Riverside (the Esses and Turn Six were fabulous; the >rest of the track was a bore), Elkhart Lake (beautiful...but little more >than drag races between bog-simple corners), Road Atlanta (a great >circuit...until the Can-Am cars started doing back flips--"blowovers"--and >they had to emasculate it), Lime Rock (another beautiful setting, but a one- >or two-gear track), and the pre-Boot Watkins Glen (gorgeous, but with only a >handful of turns)."Steve Smith" wrote ...
> Lou Magyar's Bridgehampton is finally out! Get it here:
>
> http://www.cruisekids.com/gpl/bridgehampton/index.html
Nice background piece Steve, and nice track Lou! It's going to take me a
while to get that blind high-speed turn one down pat, and that "lightbulb"
turn goes on, and on, and on... <grin>
I hope somebody decides to convert this to NR2003. (with Lou's permission of
course) I have neither the knowledge or the talent to attempt it <sigh>, but
it could be a real blast in a stockcar or Trans-Am.
...Klinn
AFAIK, a very famous track conversion guru is doing that very thing! (The
Bridge will be AWESOME in a Cup car or a T/A.)
"Klinn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:45_yc.4828$[email hidden]...
of
> course) I have neither the knowledge or the talent to attempt it <sigh>,but
> it could be a real blast in a stockcar or Trans-Am.
>
> ...Klinn
>
>
