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24-749: Broadmeadow Racecourse is an Australian racecourse for horse racing in the Newcastle suburb of Broadmeadow . It was opened on 27 April 1907 by the Newcastle Jockey Club on land acquired from the Australian Agricultural Company . It replaced a racecourse at Hamilton . Notable races held at Broadmeadow are the Cameron Handicap , Newcastle Gold Cup , Newcastle Newmarket Handicap , Spring Stakes and Tibbie Stakes . Racecourse A racetrack

48-512: A racecourse , is a nonpermanent track for sports, particularly road running , water sports , road racing , or rallying . Many sports usually held on race tracks also can occur on temporary tracks, such as the Monaco and Singapore Grands Prix in Formula One . Some evidence remains of racetracks being developed in several ancient civilizations. The most developed ancient race tracks were

72-519: A competitive running track is 400 m (1,312.3 ft). Some tracks are not built to this specification, instead being a legacy to imperial distances such as 440 yd (402.336 m), equivalent to a quarter of a mile. Prior to rule changes in 1979, distances in Imperial units were still used in the United States. Some facilities build tracks to fit the available space, with one of

96-803: A higher standard, making a Mondotrack one of the most expensive systems to use. Examples of Mondotracks were used for the 1996 Summer Olympics (since removed from the Centennial Olympic Stadium ) in Atlanta , Georgia , United States; 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens , Greece ; 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , China; 2012 Summer Olympics in London , United Kingdom and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . Another player in

120-427: A short course and a longer course which uses part of the shorter one, usually the main straight, such as Brands Hatch . The Le Mans road race venue is centred on a smaller permanent circuit within its complex. Surfaces include: Race tracks are primarily designed for road racing competition through speed, featuring defined start-finish lines or posts, and sometimes even a series of defined timing points that divide

144-569: Is Nardò where high-speed manufacturer testing often takes place, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Some oval tracks are variations on an oval shape, for practical reasons or to introduce varying difficulties such as Talladega (a tri-oval). Most race tracks have meandering circuits with many curves, chicanes and changes in height, to allow for a challenge in skill to the competitors, notably motocross and touring car racing – these tend to predominate throughout most of

168-646: Is a permanent facility or building. Racecourse is an alternate term for a horse racing track, found in countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates. Race tracks built for bicycles are known as velodromes . Circuit is a common alternate term for race track, given the circuit configuration of most race tracks, allowing races to occur over several laps. Some race tracks may also be known as speedways , or raceways . A race course , as opposed to

192-481: Is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, various forms of dirt, rocks, sand, and crushed cinders were used. Many examples of these varieties of track still exist worldwide. Starting in 1954, artificial surfaces using a combination of rubber and asphalt began to appear. An artificial warm-up track

216-435: Is called Mondotrack . The surface differs from the particles stuck in adhesion techniques, in that they are more of a rubber carpet, cut to size then tightly seamed together (in the linear direction along the lane lines). This form of construction gives a more consistent bounce (or energy return) and traction. Because of the tight fit specifications required for manufacture, construction surrounding these sites also has to be of

240-886: The Earl of Derby created a horse-racing course on his estate at Epsom; the English Derby continues to be held there today. Racecourses in the British Isles are based on grass, known as turf tracks. In the United States, the race tracks are soil. With the advent of the automobile in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, race tracks were designed to suit the nature of powered machines. The earliest tracks were modified horse-racing courses. Racing automobiles in such facilities began in September 1896, at Narragansett Park in Cranston, Rhode Island . The Indianapolis Motor Speedway

264-719: The Monaco GP , and the Circuit de la Sarthe circuit in Le Mans , France. These are not permanent facilities built for racing (although parts of the Circuit de la Sarthe are purpose-built, and closed to the public). After World War II , many wartime airfields, particularly in Great Britain, were left without further use. This coincided with a post-war boom in motorsport, and many airfields were converted to race tracks, where

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288-759: The hippodromes of the Ancient Greeks and the circuses ( circi ) of the Roman Empire . Both of these structures were designed for horse and chariot racing. The stadium of the Circus Maximus in Ancient Rome could hold 200,000 spectators. Racing facilities existed during the Middle Ages , and records exist of a public racecourse being opened at Newmarket , in London, in 1174. In 1780,

312-542: The circuit layout usually combined parts of the runways and the surrounding perimeter taxiways. The famous British track at Silverstone is a former Class A airfield , as are Castle Combe and Goodwood . The long runways were perfect for drag strips such as at Santa Pod Raceway . This type of track also appears on the popular motoring show Top Gear , which is filmed at Dunsfold Aerodrome , in Surrey, United kingdom Running track An all-weather running track

336-492: The governing body for international track and field competitions, publishes very specific regulations for the conduct of Global Championship or International level track meets under their jurisdiction. Since the early 1980s, the manufacturer of the surfaces selected for most championship meets has been the Italian company, Mondo , again the trademarked brand name becoming used as a genericized trademark. Mondo's track surface

360-747: The marketplace is the formerly BASF -owned company Conica, based in Switzerland, now part of the Serafin Group (Munich, Germany), which can boast the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin , Germany (where Usain Bolt improved his 100 metres and 200 metres world records), along with other record hosting venues like Stadio Olimpico in Rome , Italy. The proper length of the first lane of

384-461: The most notable examples of this being Franklin Field , where the 400 metre distance is achieved in lane 4. Olympic tracks in the early 20th century were of other lengths: each lane of the track could (by IAAF rules should) be as wide as 122 cm (4.00 ft), though the majority of American tracks are built to NFHS high school specifications that allow smaller lanes. The IAAF also specifies

408-579: The product and selling it for this first use in the Olympics. An all-weather surface has become standard ever since. Another Tartan track was installed on a temporary basis for the 1968 United States Olympic Trials held at altitude at Echo Summit , California , before being moved to South Tahoe Middle School , where it survived for almost 40 years. There are other techniques that distribute small chunks of rubber then adhere them in place with various polyurethane or latex substances. World Athletics ,

432-426: The same track, or incorporating many tracks in one venue. Commonly, running tracks are incorporated within general use or soccer stadiums, either permanently visible or covered by stands or pitches. Many horse and motorsport tracks are configurable, allowing different routes or sections. Some venues contain smaller tracks inside larger ones, with access tunnels and bridges for spectators. Some racetracks incorporate

456-574: The track into time sectors. A racetrack for cars (i.e. a car track) is a closed circuit, instead of a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads . Race tracks can host individual or team sports. Racetracks can feature rolling starts , or fixed starts, with associated equipment (starting blocks, cages, wheel traps etc.) They invariably feature a pit lane , and usually timing equipment. Some car tracks are of an oval shape, and can be banked, which allows almost universal spectator views or high speed racing (cycling, stock cars). A famous one

480-548: The way of permanent infrastructure other than the track; others incorporate spectator facilities such as grandstands , hospitality or facilities for competitors, such as pit lanes and garages, paddocks and stables. Several racetracks are incorporated into larger venues or complexes, incorporating golf courses, museums, hotels, and conference centres. Some racetracks are small enough to be contained indoors, for sports such as motocross , track cycling , and athletics . Many racetracks are multi-use, allowing different types of sport on

504-709: The world, but especially in Europe. Flatter meandering motorsport courses are sometimes called 'road circuits', originating in the fact that the earliest road racing circuits were simply closed-off public roads. Some car racetracks are specifically configured in a long straight, namely drag racing . True road circuits are still in use, e.g. the Australian GP has been run in Adelaide and continues to be in Melbourne on regular city streets. The most famous of these are

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528-432: Was constructed for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne , Australia. During the 1960s many of these tracks were constructed; examples still exist today. In the mid-1960s Tartan tracks were developed, surfaced with a product by 3M . The name Tartan is a trademark, but it is sometimes used as a genericized trademark . This process was the first to commercialize a polyurethane surface for running tracks, though it

552-623: Was opened in August 1909. Beginning in the early 1900s, motorcycle races were run on high, banked, wooden race tracks called board tracks . During the 1920s, many of the races on the AAA Championship circuit were run on such board tracks. Modern racetracks are designed with spectator safety being paramount, following incidents of spectator and track marshals fatalities. These often involve run-off areas, barriers, and high fencing. Racetracks are used for: Some racetracks offer little in

576-512: Was originally conceived for horse racing. Many Tartan tracks were installed worldwide, including at many of the top universities in the United States. Among that list was a Tartan track installed in the Estadio Olímpico Universitario , home of the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City , which were the first global championships to use such a track. Olympic shot put champion Bill Nieder was instrumental in developing

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