Hi there,

I have posted some pictures from the Vila Real track in Portugal. These picture were send to me by Jorge Felix. Enjoy! And if you have any details send them to me.

Marco.

Marco,

the pictures of the sport cars race, are taken during the "20º Circuito de Vila Real" meeting. About the picture of Jorge de Bagration's Capri, I don't know if is from a supporting race in the same meeting.

In the thread about "Portuguese Circuits" you'll find various posts covering the results for some of the races held at Vila Real circuit, including the race when this pictures were taken -June/July '73-.

jarama,

I have printed the "PC" tread and taken a look, but my knowledge was not enough to put one and one together. Thanks for the information.

Did the page and the images load OK for you, no problems? Any comments.

Marco.

Marco,

any problem in loading the pictures.

Pictures loaded up OK with a K56-modem, no problem at all.

Great pictures Marco

They're the only ones I know of that great circuit that never had the international recognition it deserved.
Too bad they are too close to the cars and you can't really appreciate the environment.

Here is the link the topographic map of the best track ever in Portugal (already post in the thread "Topographic Trackmaps" :

http://www.geocities.com/martinchel/vila_real-800.jpg

Wow, I hadn't realised that a race used to be held at Vila Real. I visited the area last May. If only I'd known. The main tourist attraction in the area today is the Matues Rose mansion which can be seen on the map. It's a very lovely area.

Anyone have pictures of the Vila Real circuit after 1973?

Some excellent film ( Nearly 30 minutes ) of bikes ( inc Joey Dunlop ) racing at Vila Real back in 1985.

Thanks to Alberto Pires from the Motorcycle Forum

http://vimeo.com/7936218

I remember descriptions of the Vila Real circuit (? from 1960's) included mention of a narrow bridge which was a "no-passing" zone. Is that the bridge in the background of several of the pictures? If so, it is easy to see why it was no-passing! It is very narrow, indeed.

These old street and road circuits (from all over the world) were quite spectacular.

And scarey!

This is a pic of Vila Real being prepared for the 1968 sports car meeting. There were Ford GT40s racing through here!

I thought the place was magical as a race circuit. I did a lap with Willie Green in his GT40, and with a railway level crossing, the narrow bridge over the city's deep chasm, the narrow town section and then a succession of very fast and deceptive sweeping bends past the Mateus section it was quite an experience. The pits backed onto a huge drop into that chasm, and you had to be quite careful not to step back too abruptly without being aware of what might be behind you... I remember mid-race asking David Piper how it was going, and he just glared at me as if I was something just scraped off his shoe and grunted "Why, haven't you been watching?". Other memories from Vila Real in the '60s include intensely hairy drives there and back from Lisbon - Oporto airport having been closed by electrical storms - winding, curving roads with crumbly edges amongst forests of scrubby pine - pretty gruelling hotel accommodation and utterly repulsive food mainly featuring very old, smelly and alternately fibrous or jelly-like 'fish' of some description and the most dodgy spuds and vegetables floating in...well...some kind of limpid, grease-surfaced fluid which looked like lymph... 'Scuse me. Bleeeeaaaaaagggghhhh!

Apart from that - I have nothing but the fondest memories of Vila Real.

DCN

The place is still magic and racing has resumed back to Vila Real since 2007.

Food is still absolutely out of this world, despite Doug’s hilarious and amusing description of what he suffered back in 1969.

The picture is from the 2007 event and shows the fast right-hander at the bottom of the frightening Mateus downhill section.

By the way, the 2010 date has just been set up on FIA’s international racing calendar for the 19-20 June weekend.

The circuit has been shortened quite considerably these days

Herewith a map from Guidos site ( hopefully this link works ) edit - it doesn't but it gets you to his site and just go to Portugal then Vila Real .

http://www.gdecarli.it/php/index.php?var1=2&var2=2

The new section of track is shown in blue and the old start finish area in the town as well as the narrow bridge over the chasm are no longer used though the Mateus section has been retained which I'm sure will meet with Doug's approval.

In car video of the new circuit here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEPRi7F1LEA...feature=related

Still pretty challenging !!!

Do you have a link for FIA inernational calendar? I cannot find it on FIA site-only championships.