Which country has the best collection of racing circuits?

[motogpboy]

Did a search but didn't find a previous poll on this topic and I thought it would be a fun topic to discuss.

Things to consider: Quality of the major circuits in said country and also the amount of quality circuits in that country.

Only take into consideration currently functioning circuits.. so no Rouen or Reims for France, etc. and only count tracks in their current form, so the current, not the old Hockenheim.

If I forget any countries, I'm sorry

As for me I'm leaning towards America or England. America simply has a high number of major circuits including circuits that have been relevant for a very, very long time. Laguna Seca, Indianapolis MS, Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America. And England just has a ton of smaller circuits dotted throughout the country that feature some of the most interesting and unconventional elements I've seen in a road course. Oulton, Cadwell, Castle Combe...and it also has the world championship circuits in Donington, Silverstone, and Brands Hatch.

Germany I think would have been a major player if it weren't for the castration of Hockenheim and the general disuse of everything but the 24hrs for the Nordschleife. Oschersleben is bluntly put, boring as hell, entirely flat and with a general lack of any interesting combinations.. but the atmosphere of Norisring is something to account for. Any Germans feel free to tell me I'm wrong

Spain, Italy, and France are also major players IMO... but almost every other nation you have to start bringing into account the amount of circuits it actually has.

[MadCat360]

I've never driven a track in another country, so I can only comment on the spectacle and the basic layout from video games, but I'd wager a guess that the UK would have the greatest all around collection for me. I like the slightly more confined circuits with finnicky corners.

Plus I like all the green. We only get green in America for the first month or two of the season and then it's all into brown, brown, brown.

[motogpboy]

I kind of enjoy both the green and the brown here in northern california. We have so many oak trees in the hills on the coast here that you get golden hills flecked with patches of green (the trees)...it's pretty beautiful.

But yeah... the English circuits are pretty cool. I've been to Donington and Oulton Park, both for motorcycle events, one being the Moto GP British Grand Prix.

Other than that I've been to Mugello, Monza, the Monaco street circuit, Mosport, Mont Tremblant, and a lot of the major US circuits.

My home tracks are Sears Point and Laguna Seca.

[LeVeL]

Laguna Seca is a long time favorite of mine. I also really like Road America and Road Atlanta. Plus many other, less known tracks that have great layouts. America gets my vote.

[stevanford1]

Australia has some good tracks. Bathurst, Eastern creek, Oran Park (although thats closing soon ), Phillip Island, Sandown, Wakefield park etc.

[motogpboy]

I didn't know Oran Park was closing! I've only driven it in Video games but still...

The one thing I like about Australian tracks is they have a lot of the English flair but still have an essential Australian character about them. Bathurst and Phillip Island are two of my favourite race tracks.

I have quite a few friends in the Melbourne area so I've been thinking about going down there for Moto GP sometime soon.

I do have a soft spot for Italian tracks as I lived in Florence for 4 months and went to Mugello A LOT as it's only about a 25 min train ride away... And Vallelunga is pretty awesome in my book but I've just become tired of Imola and Monza would be 100 times better without that first chicane.

[DaBoom]

Nürburgring is enough for me to put Germany on top.

[vikiradTG2007]

Counting current tracks and in their current form...


If we could take quality over quantity, I would go for Belgium, because of Spa-Francorchamps. But since quantity is important, then that's screwed, because there's only one more significant and operating track there (Zolder), and that's not nearly as good as Spa.

On quantity, you might be inclined to go for the USA. But most of those tracks are ovals. However, there are several good road circuits, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Road America, Sebring (to name but a few).

I don't see what the Netherlands and Portugal are actually doing on that list. There's only one major track in the Netherlands (Zandvoort), and it's not in its most fearsome form. It was severely cut down in the 1990s. As for Portugal, Estoril has been toned down and I reserve my judgement on Autodromo do Algarve. Same for Sweden, Anderstorp is the only track I know of there and it's pretty bland. And Brazil only has Interlagos as a properly good track.

On balance, and when counting on both quantity and quality, in the end, I'd go for the UK. A HUGE amount of various tracks, and three Grand Prix-standard tracks that are each great in their own right (Silverstone, Brands and Donington).

[Cobol74]

My favs: Bathurst (Saw an 1980s Touring car race on the TV loved it ever since) and Spa (Oh and the Ring obviously).

[motogpboy]

In response to Vikirad...

Brazil:

Interlagos
Curitiba
Circuit Virgilio Tavora
Autodromo Nelson Piquet (in Brasilia, the one in Rio is set to be demolished)

Netherlands:

Zandvoort
Assen

Sweden:

Sturup Raceway
Ring Knutstorp
Karlskoga
Mantorp Park
Falkenburg
Gothenburg
Anderstorp

The Swedish tracks are very tight and technical much like a lot of the smaller English tracks....they're pretty awesome.

[vikiradTG2007]

Brazil:

Interlagos
Curitiba
Circuit Virgilio Tavora
Autodromo Nelson Piquet (in Brasilia, the one in Rio is set to be demolished)

I haven't got quite a high opinion of Curitiba. And the only other one I knew was Rio, and I know it's about to disappear off the face of the Earth.

Netherlands:

Zandvoort
Assen

Damn it! Forgot about Assen. It is indeed a good track.

[PaperBiro]

England and not the UK? The people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be upset. Knockhill is a pretty nice circuit.

[WillDAQ]

Off the top of my head:

Silverstone
Donnington
Brands Hatch
Knock Hill
Castle Combe
Rockingham
Oulton Park
Croft
Thruxton
Santa Pod

You just don't get that density of good tracks anywhere else. Plus we have Dunsford.

[motogpboy]

England and not the UK? The people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be upset. Knockhill is a pretty nice circuit.

The topic was Country and not collection of countries

Yeah Knockhill's cool and all but it's the only FIA approved circuit in Scotland.

[Spiral Tap]

Sebring
The Glen
Laguna Seca
Sears Point
Road America
Road Atlanta
Mid-Ohio
VIR
Miller Motorspots Park
Barber Motorsports Park

Quite a few countries have one or two better road courses than the US, but we have the most depth.

[motogpboy]

Good point...and from a few of my motorcycle buddies from back east...New Jersey Motorsports Park is only adding to that list now.

[stevanford1]

All the tracks i can think of in Australia.

-Bathurst.
-Eastern Creek.
-Oran park.
-Wakefield park.
-Calder park.
-Phillip Island.
-Mallala.
-Barbagallo raceway.
-Hidden Valley raceway.
-Sandown.
-Winton.
-Symmons plains.

[MadCat360]

All the tracks i can think of in Australia.

-Bathurst.
-Eastern Creek.
-Oran park.
-Wakefield park.
-Calder park.
-Phillip Island.
-Mallala.
-Barbagallo raceway.
-Hidden Valley raceway.
-Sandown.
-Winton.
-Symmons plains.

Isn't Oran Park closing? If it is, that's a shame because it's really unique.

[stevanford1]

Isn't Oran Park closing? If it is, that's a shame because it's really unique.

It is closing but not until sometime in 2010.

[Spiral Tap]

Good point...and from a few of my motorcycle buddies from back east...New Jersey Motorsports Park is only adding to that list now.

I'm looking forward to the AMA Superbike season-ender there. I've heard good things about the track