GREAT LOST CIRCUITS
Stories of racing at Bridgehampton, a challenging and exciting road circuit on New York’s Long Island, always bring a smile to the face of not only an American race fan but also those of us from across the pond who visited.
Racing came to Bridgehampton long before the road course was created in 1949. The first track, active from 1915-21, used local roads and included the Montauk Highway and Ocean Boulevard to form a three-mile circuit around the town where the early road racers and local drivers competed.
After World War II, amateur racer Bruce Stevenson was looking for somewhere to compete with his MG and, along with fellow enthusiasts, formed a committee to revive racing at Bridgehampton. A new four-mile circuit was created using local roads and the first event, for sports cars, was staged in the summer of 1949. It was a huge success, attracting 50 cars and drivers, and by 1952 Bridgehampton was on the SCCA’s National Sports Car Championship calendar.
In 1957 a new circuit was built following a decision by New York State legislators to ban road racing on the grounds of safety following a spate of accidents involving spectators at Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen. That went down badly with local businessmen and landowners who set about creating a new track further north overlooking Sag Harbor. The new course, over 2.8 miles, had plenty of elevation changes, 13 corners with a banked hairpin, and a blind first corner, all of which tested the bravest driver.
Stirling Moss, no less, described the place as the most challenging of all the circuits he raced in America. The sight and sound of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme blasting through the turns in Echo Valley in their Can-Am cars remains with all who saw these at Bridgehampton.
