DUNDROD, NORTHERN IRELAND
7.5 miles of public country roads west of Belfast, closed for race meetings. Narrow, bumpy, blind apexes, sudden dips and drop offs, roadside ditches. Very fast and very dangerous.
A circuit which hosted several rounds of the World Long Distance Sports Car Championship and the British TT in the 1950's, with works entries from Jaguar, Maserati, Mercedes, Porsche and M.G.
Stirling Moss won the 1955 race in a Mercedes 300SLR from Juan Fangio and Wolfgang von Tripps. However tragedy struck during that race with two separate fatal accidents before Cochranstown and at Tournagrough, in which three drivers died. Road racing in sports cars was subsequently abandoned at Dundrod, but the bikes and sidecars continued to race and still do so twice a year in the Ulster Grand Prix and Dundrod 150.
DUNDROD 1955 for GPL
Compared to Dundrod 50, Dundrod 1955 has much more accurate graphics, elevations and layout.
Compared to Dundrod (1965), this 1955 version contains variations to the graphics; for example a revised horizon to the west and some historically correct object additions, such as corner markers, two more overhead bridges, advertising banners and no centreline markings.
Corner radii, elervations, bumps and dips and the track layout have been changed almost everywhere. These changes are often subtle, but again, they are more accurate as I have far better information now than when the other two tracks were built. That said, I have no intention of changing the physical layout of Dundrod ( 1965 ) only the graphics refresh already done ( more to come ) so that racing / driving records continuity in GPL can be maintained for that original Dundrod ( 1965 ) track.
As an option, the original RAC Trophy 1955 Sports Cars Dundrod TT program cover ( provided by Gliebzeit ) is included as an option in your track folder. ( See SIERRA/gpl/tracks/Dund1955.....instructions in a separate readme. Also included is a GEM+ image.
SPECIAL NOTE: The video posted to accompany the release of this track was driven in part using a Vanwall F1 from 1955, which I thought was fitting. However it is pertinent to note that the only way I could complete a lap without experiencing complete brake failure / fade at the hairpin, was to go easy on the brakes at the preceeding corners at Wheelers and into Tournagrough, trying to brake with down shifts as much as possible there. You have been warned!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to;
Stefan Roess for hosting the download.
Graham and Michael Turner for permission to use Michael's Painting of Stirling Moss in his winning but damaged Mercedes at the 1955 Dundrod TT, as my program cover.
Enjoy
Jim Pearson
2nd April 2021
DOWNLOAD is here https://jrpearson.hom...dDownloads.html
UTube Video is here https://youtu.be/3KU16HFShLA