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29-577: The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing and is a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island , surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road . The capacity of the venue is 55,000. It was first built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people in Hong Kong. The area was previously swampland, but

58-512: 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

87-571: 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

116-427: 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

145-569: 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

174-478: Is now located on the second floor of the Happy Valley Stand of the racecourse. There are four galleries in the museum: There is also a cinema and a souvenir shop in the museum. 22°16′22″N 114°10′56″E  /  22.27278°N 114.18222°E  / 22.27278; 114.18222 Racecourse A racetrack is a permanent facility or building. Racecourse is an alternate term for

203-949: 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

232-719: 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

261-611: The Panic of 1873 . He leased the track for races until 1881, when it was purchased at auction for $ 25,000 by J. B. Barnaby. Barnaby formed the Narragansett Driving Association and sold stock. The association hired Seth Griffith from Fleetwood Park Racetrack to rebuild the track and spent $ 5,000 on building repairs and plumbing. In 1883 the track joined the Grand Circuit . In 1884, Jay Eye See broke

290-620: The fire that ensued at least 590 people died. Over the years, facilities have been added and extended, including extensively in 1995. The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of two racecourses in Hong Kong used by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for horse racing meets, the other being the Sha Tin Racecourse . Races in Happy Valley usually take place on Wednesday nights and are open to the public as well as members of

319-759: 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,

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348-556: The Club. The Happy Valley Racecourse and its seven-storey stands are capable of accommodating approximately 55,000 spectators. The inner field of the course contains sports and leisure facilities such as football (a total of 11), hockey and rugby fields, managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department . The Hong Kong Jockey Club Archive and Museum (or Hong Kong Racing Museum) was set up in 1995 and opened on 18 October 1996. It

377-552: 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 Narragansett Park (1867%E2%80%931924) Narragansett Park

406-557: The mile trotting record of 2:10 at Narragansett Park. However, due to poor attendance, the association lost money and was unable to pay interest on the mortgage it took out to fund the repairs. In 1884, the track was once again put up for auction. On December 6, 1884, a syndicate led by Henry L. Fairbrother purchased the property for $ 30,000. The Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Industry began hosting fairs at Narragansett Park in 1867. The society purchased

435-540: The only flat ground suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island. To make way for the racecourse, Hong Kong Government prohibited rice growing by villages in the surrounding area. The first race ran in December 1846. Over the years, horse racing became more and more popular among the Chinese residents. On 26 February 1918, a temporary grandstand collapsed, knocking over hot food stalls that set bamboo matting ablaze. In

464-475: The park featured a 30-foot high archway with two large towers on each side that served as ticket booths. The park's main building was four-stories high and contained a covered entryway where ladies could be picked up or dropped off by carriage. The first floor contained a pool room, a concession area, and a private office. The second story was open to the track and contained a 5,000-seat grandstand as well as two large rooms, one for men and one for women. A large hall

493-410: The park. Due to the harness racing's decline in popularity, the corporation was unable to make its mortgage payments and ownership reverted to Perkins. On September 7, 1896, the first organized oval track race held in the United States took place at Narragansett Park as part of that year's state fair. Four of the seven cars were able to run at the required average speed of 15 mph. The race winner

522-433: The property in 1886. The Rhode Island State Fair Association, led by Frederick E. Perkins, took over control of the state fair and the property in 1890. Perkins was the first to present vaudeville as an attraction at an agricultural fair and in 1896 organized the first oval track automobile race in the United States. The final fair took place in 1898 and Perkins sold the property to a corporation that staged harness races at

551-437: The race but there was a lack of seats due to the grandstand and all of the five bleachers having been deemed unsafe for use. A month earlier, track ownership had come under fire for leasing the property to group of Roma for use as an encampment. On April 14, 1924, a grass fire caused $ 20,000 to the track's buildings. The following year Narragansett Park was sold to a developer, who demolished remaining buildings to make way for

580-426: 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

609-574: 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

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638-548: 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

667-709: 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

696-529: Was a Riker from Brooklyn , which completed five laps on the one-mile track in 15 minutes, 1 3 ⁄ 4 seconds. Second was the entry from the Electric Carriage & Wagon Company, and third was a Duryea . In 1907 the track was resurfaced with clay. Automobile races were held sporadically at the park until 1914, when Perkins closed it for renovations. In 1914, Perkins converted the former harness park into Narragansett Park Speedway. The track

725-509: Was an American horse and motor racing venue in Cranston, Rhode Island . Narragansett Park opened on July 31, 1867. The one-mile track was located on a 37-acre parcel of land 3 miles outside of Providence, Rhode Island . The park was constructed by Amasa Sprague , who previously operated Washington Park in Providence and decided to build his own park after falling out with his business partner Edward Babcock over gambling. The entry to

754-405: Was located on the third story and the top floor was home to the president's office. There was also a three-story judge's stand with a weighing room and offices on the first floor and the judge's room on the second floor. The top floor was reserved for the use of female spectators. The property also contained five carriage houses and three stables. Sprague's financial fortunes deteriorated following

783-623: 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

812-429: Was paved with asphalt and graded. The curves were graded at 27.5% and widened from 80 feet to 125 feet. A 9-foot concrete retaining wall was built on the outside of curves to keep cars from running off. A pit lane was constructed on the inside of the track. The grandstand was remodeled and bleachers were constructed to bring the total capacity to 10,000. The opening meeting was held on September 18, 1915. The feature race

841-487: Was won by Eddie Rickenbacker in a Prest-O-Lite Maxwell . In 1916, the speedway was purchased by Paul Castiglioni, Antonio Capelli, and Fred Suter. Narragansett returned to the AAA Championship Car schedule in 1917 . Tommy Milton won the 100-mile and 25-mile races and Ralph Mulford won the five mile race. The final race occurred on August 5, 1923, and was won by Ira Vail . 12,000 people attended

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