POSTED BY

Rob Beschizza

AT 6:57 AM
Friday August 7, 2009

Vehicles

scalextric

James May to rebuild Brooklands race track ... with Scalextric

brooklands.jpg

Top Gear's James May is to build the world's largest Scalextric track, modeled on Brooklands. From the BBC:

May will use 20,000 separate sections of track to match the original 2.75 mile (4.42km) circuit and beat the current record of 1.59 miles (2.56km). Brooklands, in Weybridge, closed in 1939 and the track will have to cross a river and roads to complete a circuit.

Brooklands was the world's first custom-built racing track, with enormous banked corners. It was closed during WWII and never re-opened.

May to attempt Scalextric record [BBC]

Photo: John Chapman

0

7 Comments

mistercharlie

#1 – 8:25 AM August 7, 2009

My grandparents used to live around the corner, and I'd play there with my brother when we were small. It was already derelict, and the biggest danger was the jobsworth security guard who worked at the industrial estate there.

DSMVWL THS

#2 – 11:35 AM August 7, 2009

I guess I'm supposed to know what "Scalextric" is?

cmdrfire

#4 – 2:28 PM August 7, 2009

I live about fifteen minutes away from Brooklands. There's a shopping centre in there now, and Mercedes-Benz World UK (or whatever they call it) just 'round the corner.
The iconic banking has actually got a big cut in it to allow a roadway to the shopping centre, which I've always found very sad.

SuperMario__Galaxy

#5 – 4:14 PM August 7, 2009

There's also a museum which contains, amongst other things, a Concorde.

ashleigh

#6 – 2:06 PM August 16, 2009

my grandad was that security guard :/

and i live around the corner from there :D

ashleigh

#7 – 2:11 PM August 16, 2009

my grandad was that security guard...

Leave a comment