Langesoe

(Long Lake)

Terrain track.

Facts:
Track name: Langesoe Terrain track
Track owner: Fyens Motorsport.
Length: 1020 m.
Surface: Soil / Grass and gravel
Open: 1933
Closed: 1950

Langesoe (Long lake)  Manor is located in a large forest area 15 km. west of Odense beside the lake, which has given the area its name. In addition to being the home of the noble family Berner – Schilden –  Holsten,  the estate also operates an intensive forestry..

In 1933 Fyens Motor Sport got allowed to rent an area belonging to the estate, located at a small road from the village Slukefter by the Rugaard Road leading to the forest. Here the club opened a motor track, which quickly gained great popularity from both spectators and riders / drivers. The track was defined as a terrain track, and as such it contained large differences in height and a gravel pit to drive through. Although the race direction overall was counterclockwise the track shortly after start had a nearly 180-degree right turn.

The track could best be compared with the nearly simultaneous terrain track at Ganlose in North Zealand, but unlike this the Langesoe track survived the war and continued after 1945 until the lease expired by the end of 1949.
The last meeting got absolved in 1950
A more contemporary counterpart to the track might be the Nissering at Naestved, which also contains a right turn.

Despite the track design both standard motorcycles and methanol powered speedway bikes like Rudge and JAP were in action on the track, as well as sidecars  with the two famous riders Knud E. Mogensen and Einar Bruun Larsen from Odense and H. Skov from Copenhagen and many others.

  langesø0002
Riders’ autographs from one of the first meetings.
E. Bruun Larsen’s handwriting big as the man himself.

Several car racing was also run. This webmaster recalls, about 13 years old to have watched a race in which Morian Hansen should have participated in the car class.
However, he was unable to drive, but Orla Knudsen from Copenhagen, who was participating on a motorcycle, resolutely removed license plates and head lamps from his beautiful cream-colored roadster (probably a Plymouth) and raced instead of Morian.
I do not remember the outcome, but was very impressed by the fine car that almost silently flew over the bumps and gravel pit.

Fyens Motor Sport operated from 1930 to 1932 the dirt track in Odense, and also had booked meeting days in 1933, but canceled them all to devote themselves to the operation of the Langesoe track, and were well rewarded for this by the audience

langesø0001

Private cars was then not everyone’s owning, but a privately operated railway line went from Odense via Brenderup on West Funen to Middelfart and served the many small towns along the Rugaard Road, and as it ran close past the track, it was easy to establish a temporary halt there, so it was easy to get there from Odense and Middelfart.

Second World War stopped all activities, but when the track as one of the first in the country was reopened, spectators streamed in an overwhelming number of approx. 15,000.  The organizers money boxes at the entrance quickly became too small. It is told that they had to carry money away in great milk cans.

Langesø 001 (3)
This programme cover most likely
is the last from the track.

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