Boreham Airfield
Real UK Airfield Track 1949-1952
Boreham, Essex.

Track for GPL by Pete Bennett
Started: July 2021
Completed: June 19th 2022

2nd July 2022 - V1.03
includes:	haybale_FIX
			TreeClip_FIX
			Updates by db312
			Ginetto's updated AI

This is my first track for GPL. Please be nice in your critique.

In July 2021 I knew nothing about track building. I thought that it was some dark art understood only by wizards and aliens. Don't get me wrong, it's not been easy, but once you've got your head around the various tools needed and the order in which to use them, it's actually quite simple. Think 'time-consuming', rather than 'difficult'. The real skill lies in the hands of the track-building-tool makers. You know who you are. Thank you.

Shame on me. I've lived about 8 miles away from Boreham Airfield for the past 20 years and I knew nothing about this track's existence until I stumbled upon Ozpatia's wonderful track map on SRMZ. https://oscarplada.blogspot.com/search?q=boreham I then got excited having seen some 1951 and 1952 footage on Youtube. Some great racing in the pouring rain. Lots of research and photos later, I started to build a track. It's been a fun year and I've learnt a lot. Thank you. Please do send your comments on SRMZ. 

Enjoy!

Pete (aka Tobodestroyer)

HISTORY:
Boreham Airfield Race Circuit opened in the second half of 1949 and held races on its perimeter road until 1952. Approximately three-miles in length, it comprises five corners connected by five straights and at the time was one of the fastest tracks in the country.

Most of the car races were organised by either the West Essex Car Club and the motorcycle events by the Chelmsford & District Auto Club.

The track followed the airfield perimeter road.

The circuit was given character with names such as 'Hanger Bend,' 'Tower Bend' and 'Dukes Straight' and attracted drivers of the calibre of Mike Hawthorn, Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Luigi Villoresi and Froilan Gonzalez.

In 1951, the venue was also the location for a young John Surtees to ride in his first solo race. He would go on to become the only man to win titles on both two and four wheels.

Unlike today, drivers would race a variety of cars in one day; from single seaters made by Cooper, ERA and Connaught; sports cars such as Lister-Jaguars and Allards, and GT and saloon cars from marques such as Austin Healey, Aston Martin and Sunbeam.

GPL:
This version of the track is NOT intended to be historically correct. It is my vision of how the track may have looked if still in use in the mid 1960s. Many of the objects and textures used are borrowed from tracks of a later era. The racing surface is probably smoother than anything the real-life drivers of the day would have encountered but I did keep in a little bump as you turn onto the front straight. The track was lined with straw-bales and what appears to have been some sort of hard, barrel or block. I've positioned them in order to keep drivers on the track. These must have been very daunting, and unforgiving, in real-life. 

The track is fast and wide with some great heavy-braking zones. I hope that it's as much fun to drive, especially online, as it was to build.

INSTALL:
There is a folder containing a SERVER VERSION. Simply drop these files into the track directory if you wish to run on your dedicated server. Simply remove them again to return to a standard installation. 

Alternative Program Cover: Simply rename page0_ALT.pbf to page0.pbf to use. This is from the Daily Mail Trophy Race of 1951

BUGS:
I'm sure that there are some. Please be nice and point them out gently. I'll do my best to fix, but if you're rude about it, I probably won't.

DEDICATION:
To the men and women of the USAF who gave so much during their time at the airfield (Mar 1944 - Mar 1945). Not only were they brave and selfless people, I'm sure that they would have raced around this perimeter road in their vehicles. I include a war memorial at Orchard Bend in their honour, (My first ever attempt at 3do building). This memorial is still near the site of the airfield today. From it, you can walk a short distance and see what little remains of the track: A short section about 200m long at Tower Bend. The control tower is still in use by Essex Police helicopter unit. The rest has been dug up as the site is a gravel pit.

THANK YOU:

Ginetto - help with EVERYTHING. Especially the .trk file and for creating the AI.
Jani Posta - for help with the program pbfs and online testing. 
Paul Skingley - Use of some objects and textures from Leaside. Much appreciated. 
Phil W - General beta testing, advice and for help with the pit lane camera positioning. 
Jim Pearson - words of encouragement.
Axel Cookie, Phil Thornton, Evil Clive, Dave Curtis - my friends at UKGPL for online testing and providing the opportunites for the screenshots.
Everyone on SRMZ Repository for their kind words of encouragement and support. 
My family for tolerating this silly hobby of mine.

The brilliant GPL community for keeping this sim alive.

Now, onto my next track...