what golf course replaced bridghampton race track

When did the original Bridgehampton Race Track close?

The track closed permanently in 1999. Bridgehampton was renowned as a fearsome course, requiring the utmost of driver skill. The first road races in Bridgehampton were held on public roads around the hamlet of Bridgehampton from 1915 until 1921.

What happened to the bridge golf course?

Stirling Moss called it the “most challenging course in America ” and routinely it embarrassed world class drivers during the heyday of the Can-Am, Trans-Am and international sports car races. It was a place of wonderfully diabolical natural beauty. The Bridge is no longer. It’s a private, luxury golf course now.

What is millstone turn on a golf course?

The circuit had four vertical elevation changes totaling 130 feet and eight distinct corners, including a banked hairpin curve around a hillock at the lowest point of the course. A flat-out straightaway nearly 3/4 of a mile long suddenly disappears into a hair-raising decreasing radius downhill curve, known as Millstone Turn.

What is Bridgehampton famous for?

In its early years, Bridgehampton was host to major international series, including the World Sportscar Championship, Can-Am, and NASCAR Grand National. By the early 1970s, the track was used mostly for amateur events. The track closed permanently in 1999.

When was Bridgehampton Race 2012?

What was the name of the race track in the 50s?

What happened to Bridgehampton race track?

The Bridge is no longer. It's a private, luxury golf course now. Key portions of the track have been preserved however, and if you listen, you can almost hear the roar of the groundthumpers flying into Millstone corner at 200 mph to the whoop of 80,000 fans. This is your site.

Where was Bridgehampton Race Circuit?

Sag Harbor, New YorkBridgehampton Race Circuit was a race track located near Sag Harbor, New York, United States. The circuit opened in 1957, following a series of road races held from 1949 until 1953.

When was the first road race in Bridgehampton?

Bridgehampton street circuit (1949-1953) The first road races in Bridgehampton were held on public roads around the hamlet of Bridgehampton from 1915 until 1921. The course ran counterclockwise on an approximately 3-mile (4.8-km) rectangle, beginning on Montauk Highway, then turning left onto Halsey Lane, left onto Pauls Lane, ...

What was the Bridgehampton Road Races?

The Bridgehampton Road Races Corporation did not have the money to upgrade and maintain the tracks infrastructure to world-class standards. The track's land had appreciated to several million dollars in a few decades. Locals began complaining about noise in the mid-1970s, and in 1983 the town passed an ordinance limiting noise and effectively ending any chance of big-league racing returning. Plans were announced in 1994 to turn the property into a golf course. Races continued until 1997, and a racing school and club meets lingered until 1998. A portion of the course, including the Chevron Bridge, are preserved on the grounds of the golf course.

When did the road race end?

The road races came to an end in 1953, after a driver was killed in practice and three spectators injured during the race. These events, combined with a spectator death in a crash at Watkins Glen in 1952, led the State of New York to ban racing on public roads.

Why was the Friends of Bridgehampton formed?

The Friends of Bridgehampton (later to become the Bridgehampton Racing Heritage Group) aimed to persuade the new crowd of wealthy amateurs to buy out the by-now elderly existing stockholders in the hope of tipping the balance away from those who wanted to sell out. They had a high-profile supporter in actor Paul Newman, for whom The Bridge had become a favourite haunt for his own racing exploits.

What is Bridgehampton shaped like?

It was once rather memorably described as being "shaped like an abstract whale". No less than Sir Stirling Moss described Bridgehampton as "the most challenging course in the States", with its fast and plunging first corner in particular proving a major test of any driver's mettle.

What state banned road racing?

New York State legislators were soon to act, passing a bill which banned road racing altogether. Undeterred, the Bridgehampton set began planning a new home for their activities, when the Bridgehampton Road Races Corporation (BRRC) was formed to develop a permanent circuit in the area.

How fast did the racers go?

Slow by modern standards, the racers hit average speeds of up to 50mph as they traversed the course. Racing continued through to 1921, when World War One brought the curtain down on this first chapter.

What did Rubin do if the town council didn't want to support racing?

Eventually, Rubin had enough and announced that, if the council didn't want to support racing, he would build a golf course and housing on the site.

When was the first race in New York?

The first race was held on June 11, 1949, with more than 50 entrants, including a veritable who's who of the contemporary racing scene. The presence of Briggs Cunningham, George Rand, the Collier brothers and George Weaver in sleek sportscars drew in the crowds and a plethora of New York celebrities, establishing the event early doors as ...

When was the Bridge presented by Richard Mille?

Rubin has, however, been able to organise the vintage sportscar event he once craved. ' The Bridge presented by Richard Mille ' launched in September 2016, bringing together nearly 60 post-war sports and racing vehicles on the greens of the golf course.

The Early Years: daredevils on country roads

New York's internationally celebrated sports car racing circuit, once described by England's World Champion Sir Stirling Moss as "the most challenging course in the States", was the product of 95 years of sports car racing on New York's Long Island.

A New Idea: a purpose-built road racing circuit

That fateful summer of 1953, a rare melding of captains of indsutry and urbane New Yorkers came together with local merchants, farmers and shade-tree mechanics to begin planning America's first purpose built road racing circuit. The Bridgehampton Road Races Corporation (BRRC) was authorized to issue stock on November 30, 1953.

Historical Note

Public roads in the Bridgehampton area were used for races in the periods 1915-1921 and 1949-1953. After the tragic accident at Watkins Glen in 1952 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, racing on state maintained roadways in New York came to an end. The Town of Bridgehampton began searching for a new site, and located a parcel near Sag Harbor.

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Getting There

Take the Long Island Expressway east. Leave the LIE at Exit 70, and turn South (right). Follow this road until it comes to a T with Route 27 (the Sunrise Highway.) Turn East (left) on the Sunrise Highway and travel on it for quite a long time; at the T (Car dealers all about) keep to the left to remain on Route 27.

When was Bridgehampton Race 2012?

October 2012: The annual BHRG celebration of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit and rally through the backroads of the Hamptons took place on October 6, 2012, a beautiful autumn day. Click here to view Bridge Days 2012 Photos by Andy Hartwell. …. CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

What was the name of the race track in the 50s?

BRIDGEHAMPTON - THE DUST AND THE GLORY. It stood at the pinnacle of American car racing during the golden age of the sport in the 50s and 60s. They called it “The Bridge” and mostly they loved and feared the place. Stirling Moss called it the “most challenging course in America ” and routinely it embarrassed world class drivers during the heyday ...