I am in Daytona Beach today and found it interesting that the Daytona Motor Speedway is right next to KDAB, Are there any other major raceways that are located next to a commercial airport anywhere in the world?

Well there is a Go kart track by the parking lot of Hyderabad airport (HYD).

Talladega Municipal (ASN) is located right next to Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama similar to Daytona Speedway and DAB.

Also, while it's not a proper speedway AUS used to have a gokart track in unused area between the passenger terminal and runway 17L.

Because of the noise, a race track and an airport are ideal neighbors, as long as both are far away from my house!

dfwjim1 wrote:

I am in Daytona Beach today and found it interesting that the Daytona Motor Speedway is right next to KDAY, Are there any other major raceways that are located next to a commercial airport anywhere in the world?

It would be very hard for the Daytona International Speedway to be next to the Dayton Ohio International Airport...

In the case of the Daytona race track, is was part of the former WWII Army Air Corps base. Sebring race track in Florida was a former US Air Force Base.

alggag wrote:

Talladega Municipal (ASN) is located right next to Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama similar to Daytona Speedway and DAB.

Also, while it's not a proper speedway AUS used to have a gokart track in unused area between the passenger terminal and runway 17L.

More to mention, Talledega Speedway itself is on the former Anniston AFB.

Sepang International Circuit, a host of Formula 1 and MotoGP races, is very close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL).

coolian2 wrote:

alggag wrote:

Talladega Municipal (ASN) is located right next to Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama similar to Daytona Speedway and DAB.

Also, while it's not a proper speedway AUS used to have a gokart track in unused area between the passenger terminal and runway 17L.

More to mention, Talledega Speedway itself is on the former Anniston AFB.

I had always wondered what the deal was regarding the former runways that are now used for parking/roads in the infield of the racetrack.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is approximately 3 miles from Concord Regional Airport (JQF). JQF now has service with Allegient Air with five destinations. Many race teams use JQF due to the proximity and lower cost vs CLT.

LFMQ airport in Provence has a race track nearby (right beside the main straight in fact). The track is Paul Ricard - a major test track for a lot of race teams and manufacturers for the good facilities and the famous "Mistral" straight.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway is very close to Nellis AFB.

It's also common to find horse race tracks next to airports. These are a few that are within 5 miles or less:

JFK - Aqueduct
MDW - Hawthorne, Sportsman's Park (now gone)
LAX - Hollywood Park (now gone)
PHL - Chester Downs
YYZ - Woodbine
SDF - Churchill Downs
CVG - Turfway Park

Portland International Raceway and Portland Meadows are both really close to PDX.

I know of a couple of airports that have been used as racetracks, like Burke Lakefront in Cleveland. And Homestead speedway is a couple of miles from the Air Force base too.
Atlanta is right next to Atlanta South Regional Airport
Iowa speedway has Newton Municipal next to it

I remember seeing a race track on approach to Abu Dhabi Airport a few years ago.

IPFreely wrote:

It's also common to find horse race tracks next to airports. These are a few that are within 5 miles or less:

JFK - Aqueduct
MDW - Hawthorne, Sportsman's Park (now gone)
LAX - Hollywood Park (now gone)
PHL - Chester Downs
YYZ - Woodbine
SDF - Churchill Downs
CVG - Turfway Park

Also on the approach to JFK RWY22 is the Belmont horse track.

Donington Park is right under 09 approach into East Midlands Airport- you could almost throw a stone. You can hear the planes every so often when watching Motorsport there on TV.

Silverstone used to BE an aerodrome- like a few race tracks in the UK.

B6JFKH81 wrote:

IPFreely wrote:

It's also common to find horse race tracks next to airports. These are a few that are within 5 miles or less:

JFK - Aqueduct
MDW - Hawthorne, Sportsman's Park (now gone)
LAX - Hollywood Park (now gone)
PHL - Chester Downs
YYZ - Woodbine
SDF - Churchill Downs
CVG - Turfway Park

Also on the approach to JFK RWY22 is the Belmont horse track.

In Stockholm, Solvalla horse race track is almost next door to Bromma airport (ESSB/BMA).

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Solva ... 17.9364359

LeMans, dircet next to the airport. And it is also the site where Wilbur Wright first flew in Europe

Not quite a major race track but the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia has a Driver Training and Education Centre on the grounds of Perth International Airport (PER). It is used for advanced driver training but has also provided motor sports and training for commercial purposes at the centre. Noise levels related to motor sport activity now exceed the prescribed maximum allowable noise limits and no suggested solution has been found practicable so the motor sport and commercial training operations will cease from 30 September.

If ever PER management were to pull their fingers out and get on with building the "planned" third runway, the course would have to go in any case.

YEG in Edmonton AB, has Castrol Raceway on airport owned land, mainly runs drag racing events like the NHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals. Its not a big or Major race tack but has been there for years.

Cheers

KUL has the Malaysian Grand Prix right next door!

alggag wrote:

coolian2 wrote:

alggag wrote:

Talladega Municipal (ASN) is located right next to Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama similar to Daytona Speedway and DAB.

Also, while it's not a proper speedway AUS used to have a gokart track in unused area between the passenger terminal and runway 17L.

More to mention, Talledega Speedway itself is on the former Anniston AFB.

I had always wondered what the deal was regarding the former runways that are now used for parking/roads in the infield of the racetrack.

At DAB one of the runways used to run through the middle of the ERAU campus. It was used for parking until about 15 years ago. The Wright Flyer memorial is aligned with the end of the runway.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is on approach to KIND. I used to live in the area and even got to see Air Force One on final approach!

Austin, Daytona, and Indianapolis

Its a small field - but HQZ is the best friend for Devil's Bowl Speedway ever had (a 1/2 mile dirt track near Dallas). When folks complain to the city/ cops about noise from the race track, well over half the time the noise is really coming from planes at the airport.

Jerez Airport (XRY) in south western Spain has a large racing track nearby. It plays host to MotoGP and has been involved with Formula 1 in the past too.

ltbewr wrote:

Sebring race track in Florida was a former US Air Force Base.

Sebring International Raceway and Sebring Regional Airport are in fact the same facility, and operate simultaneously. During televised coverage of the Sebring 12-Hour endurance race you can see GA aircraft taking off in the background. The main straightaway of the track is a decommissioned runway of the airport.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebring_Regional_Airport

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebring_International_Raceway

While not next door, Texas Motor Speedway is near KAFW.

Tanforan Park, is in San Bruno, not far from SFO. It is currently a shopping mall, after years of running horse races. Before that, Tanforan was an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II. Some odd, and interesting history.

A Formula One course is under construction in Patras. Not sure now far it is from GPA airport.

At Silverstone, the Hangar Straight is called... the Hangar Straight for a reason.


[ex RAF base way back - don't think there is a current airport open, bar the helicopter stuff on site]

IPFreely wrote:

It's also common to find horse race tracks next to airports. These are a few that are within 5 miles or less:

JFK - Aqueduct
MDW - Hawthorne, Sportsman's Park (now gone)
LAX - Hollywood Park (now gone)
PHL - Chester Downs
YYZ - Woodbine
SDF - Churchill Downs
CVG - Turfway Park

LEX is directly across the street from Keeneland.

And after AVL opened in its current location in the early 1960s, its former site became the location of the former Asheville Motor Speedway (now a park).

AVLAirlineFreq wrote:

IPFreely wrote:

It's also common to find horse race tracks next to airports. These are a few that are within 5 miles or less:

JFK - Aqueduct
MDW - Hawthorne, Sportsman's Park (now gone)
LAX - Hollywood Park (now gone)
PHL - Chester Downs
YYZ - Woodbine
SDF - Churchill Downs
CVG - Turfway Park

LEX is directly across the street from Keeneland.

And after AVL opened in its current location in the early 1960s, its former site became the location of the former Asheville Motor Speedway (now a park).

MIA - Hialeah Park is nearby.

YMX has a race course now that it's underused, seems to be used for minor professional racing. It seems open to the public as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_ICAR

With a proper arm you can throw a rock from New Jersey Motorsports Park to MIV.

I seem to remember rumors in the early 2000s of an indoor track suitable for NASCAR bring proposed near PIT, which never happened.

Since both airports and motor racetracks are not exactly welcome near residential communities, I think it's more than a coincidence that they tend to end up being built in similar, if not the same, locations.

At least they don't complain about each other's noise...

hoons90 wrote:

I remember seeing a race track on approach to Abu Dhabi Airport a few years ago.

I was just about to say this. Though not right next to the airport, the Yas Marina Circuit is nearby - it's 11kms (7mi) from AUH.

Ro

Many airfields around the world have been used as racetracks, Wigram in New Zealand, Ardmore in Australia, Albi in France. In 1964 the first World Championship Austrian Grand Prix was held at Zeltweg airfield, it was five years later that the nearby Osterreichring (now the Red Bull Ring) was opened. In the UK most post WW2 circuits were former airfields, some, like Silverstone, Snetterton, Croft and Goodwood still used. Of course, the first UK circuit, Brooklands, became an airfield when Vickers moved in and remained in use until the end of VC10 production even though the runway was less than 3,500 feet long and an extension for the VC10 was at an angle to the rest! The Paul Ricard circuit in southern France, once home to the French Grand Prix, has a bizjet capable runway attached.

There is a race track next to Poznan Airport in Poland. Some years back Robert Kubica did a demonstration there (burn-outs and doughnuts etc) in the factory Renault when he was still racing in F1

Francoflier wrote:

Since both airports and motor racetracks are not exactly welcome near residential communities, I think it's more than a coincidence that they tend to end up being built in similar, if not the same, locations.

At least they don't complain about each other's noise...

Have you been recently to an F1 race?...Hardly any noise

Seriously now an airport next to the track is always handy for a number of reasons.

Don't forget the airport (AFB, more properly) that was converted into a racetrack then back to an airport (at least temporarily): Gimli

As mentioned above, it was historically very common for racing to be done *ON* airfields. The reasons for this are quite straightforward - big long wide strip of flat stuff to go fast on... duh!

Secondly, the conditions for building an airfield are also good for building a race track. If we ignore picturesque uppy/downy circuits like Spa and street circuits like Monaco, somewhere with a lot of flat empty space but good transport infrastructure connections is ideal for both airports and racing venues. In both cases the ground needs to be stable enough to lay a good pavement and that tarmac etc. needs to be easy to truck in from wherever it's being sourced. You also need to build similar large public buildings in the form of terminals / grandstands as well as provide plenty of parking. They also both need considerable food and beverage facilities with no supply issues. Basically, a race venue is an airport with wrinkles.

And since the conditions are so similar, that's why you get things like the Sepang circuit and KLIA planned together as part of a the same large development programme...

Auburn Municipal (FAA LID: S50) in Auburn, WA is right next to Emerald Downs, a horse racing track.

The Cleveland Grand Prix actually used aircraft within the KBKL circuit. I was one of the volunteer race managers for 11 years and loved how two passions crossed over for me. One year we parked a FedEx 727 prominently between Turns 3 and 7, and a Gulfstream another year. Amazing product placement for two sponsors!

Then there was the one year when the helicopter that carried the comms relay experienced a major mechanical issue and deadsticked a controlled crash at the end of the runway away from the crowd and track. Spectacular skills were displayed and the pilot walked away!

Abu Dhabi.

The airport is next to Ferrari World and the Yas Marina Circuit. The planes will fly over the Ferrari World as it is just in the same line.

MakeMinesLAX wrote:

Don't forget the airport (AFB, more properly) that was converted into a racetrack then back to an airport (at least temporarily): Gimli

Gimli still is an airport YGM. After it was no longer a CFB field one runway was converted to a raceway and the other shorter runway is for the city airport. I read a doctor was about to take off on the smaller runway when he saw the 767 coming in on the big runway. He headed over there as fast as he could knowing he'd be needed on scene.

Perhaps not reading the thread right but no one has yet mentioned that London Gatwick used to be a major horse racing track.
Brooklands was a very early motor circuit and then an aviation centre, including manufacture, it is now a motor and aviation museum facility.