January 13th, 2020                                                		Version 1.1
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Title           	: Sepoong, South Korea
Filenames		: Sepoong_South Korea_1999.dat
			  Gp2form.txt (This file)
			  14 Jad files
			  convert.exe
			  KO-Sepoong.bmp (bigger track map)
			  KO-SepoongF.bmp (smaller track map)
Authors          	: Ponk, Tim de Klein & Antonio Pessoa
E-mail			: ponk4@hotmail.com, ap1981@gmail.com
Description     	: Sepoong was a project for a Formula 1 circuit in the late 1990s. Placed in Gunsan City, western coast of South Korea, the 4.571 kms (2.84 miles) circuit designed by famous engineer Harvey Postlethwaite had begun its construction works around 1996-1998, as the photo on map proves. But, due the 1997 Asian financial crisis which also hit hardly South Korea's economy, the works on circuit's construction stoped, and was never completed.
More than ten years before the real first F-1 Korean Grand Prix in 2010, the South Korea had an opportunity to host a Formula One race. In April 1996 was announced the deal between F-1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Sepoong Engineering Construction Co Ltd., a South Korean construction company which would carry the reponsability to build the F-1 circuit in Gunsan. Initially, the first F-1 Korean Grand Prix would be in 1998 F-1 calendar, but some delays in the circuit's construction led the organizers to wait for the 1999 F-1 calendar. In October 1997, South Korea and several other Asian countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and some others) was affected by a huge financial crisis. Due that crisis, Sepoong's construction was delayed during 1998 and 1999. Ultimately, the F-1 Korea Grand Prix in Sepoong was never part of any official Formula One calendar. In 2000, Ecclestone and Sepoong Engineering went to a court for settle some financial disputes over the contract, ending any chance of a F-1 Korean GP in Sepoong for the future. The Sepoong project for a racing circuit was cancelled, and the started works was abandoned for some years. Indeed, the construction works would never reach the point of any asphalt layer over the circuit, which really was in subgrade and sub-base layers when stoped. Also, no buildings was erected on the construction works, hence, Sepoong was nothing more than a gravel circuit, never used for any kind of competition. In 2005, the abandoned gravel circuit land was razed to make room for a golf course, the Gunsan Country Club, which means the Sepoong Engineering Construction Company permanently gave up to build any racing circuit there, disappearing the vestiges of Sepoong circuit drawed on that plot of land in Gunsan.

The history of this GP2 Sepoong track: During the late-1990s, the same years of the first attempt to schedule a Formula 1 race in South Korea, the GP2 community was very large, and new tracks was created weekly by dozens of trackmakers. This Sepoong GP2 track was made by Ponk in 1998! He made the track layout (actually, a little bit larger than the real circuit project, Ponk's track has 4.988 kms (3.118 miles) versus the 4.571 kms (2.84 miles) of the real circuit), and also he made the cc-line! When I discovered this track, some years ago, I got the idea to merger this track with some scenery, to recover the memories of Sepoong track. The best GP2 track scenery to fit Sepoong is Seoul-Intsjon, a fictional Tim de Klein's track, made in mid-2000s. I chose don't move any sector on Ponk's track layout or cc-line, respecting his original work. And also, I chose don't made any change in TdK's JAMs and objects of Seoul-Intsjon, just using the same JAM files, textures and objects for Sepoong's scenery. The merging of Ponk's Sepoong with TdK's Seoul-Intjon creates a interesting track, making an idea about how Sepoong could look if finished. My modifications on this track was mostly the position of objects, definited by imagination, since no real buildings was made on Sepoong during those years, and changing the track width in some turns and straights, to make the racing line more real (Ponk's cc-line had some parts where the cc-cars made the turn's apex far from a ideal racing line).
Actually, this Sepoong GP2 track is a semi-fictional track, since real-life's Sepoong was never finished, was just a gravel track in the mid of nowhere near Gunsan from 1996 to 2004.


Other Works     	: More than a handful 
Thanks to       	: Paul Hoad for the Trackeditor, Object editor and Jam editor.
                  	  Geoff Crammond for making Grand Prix 2.
			  Andreas Schulz for grandprix2.de
			  Tim de Klein for Seoul-Intsjon.
			  Ponk for late 1990s Sepoong for GP2!
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* Construction *
Base            	: Ponk's Sepoong (track based on Microprose original Imola)
Editor(s) used  	: Jam Editor, 
		  	  Track Editor,
			  Objecteditor,
			  MS Paint (XP)  
Known Bugs    		: Nothing serious. You won't notice them.
Build Time     		: More than 20 years!! Ponk made the track layout and the cc-line in 1998. Tim de Klein made Seoul-Intsjon in 2004. And Antonio merge Ponk's track layout and ccline with TdK's scenery of Seoul-Intjon. This work took only two days in early January 2020.


* Installation *
1. 
(if you already have new tracks on the game jump to STEP 2): 
patch the game with a util that obliges the game to read the tracks
from the harddisk. These utils are gp2nocd or trakonhd. 
Search for one of them on the net and install it. This program will 
create a new directory called "circuits": you have to copy there 
ALL the 16 track files (F1ct01, F1ct02...........F1ct16)

2. 
Place the 'sepoong' directory from the ZIP file into the Gp2 'gamejams' directory.

3. 
Place the Sepoong_South Korea_1999.dat file in the circuits directory. It runs the best in slot 15, others slots was not recently tested.

4. 
Start Gp2 and drive...........

* Copyright / Permissions *
(c) Copyright 2020, Ponk, Tim de Klein and Antonio Pessoa. You can use this track free. Currently few people plays GP2, so, if you use it as a base to create other track, please, give us our credits. Just it.

* Disclaimer *
If your pc breaks, goes slow, or the files harm your machine it's not our fault!!!


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Ponk, TdK & Antonio Pessoa, 2020

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	Original Ponk's GP2Form.txt:

Sepoong South Korea

Here's another new track from Ponk.
(originally stored on my Track Site http://www.fortunecity.com/underworld/descent/152/index.htm)

It's a preview of the currently build circuit in S Korea.
Due to the financial crisis there's some delay.
It could be on the F1 calendar in 1999.

It's a relatively slow track with lots of 2nd gear corners.
CC is quick, hard to hold on to them!!!

Thanks to Paul Hoad for the editor!!!

Ponk


This is provided as is. Be sure to have a backup of your original files!!!

februari 7 1998

You may provide this track freely, aslong as there are no alterations made, and my name is included.
If you update the track, just mail your update!!!

See ya.
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	South Korea's problems to host international racing series events:

After Sepoong's failure to host a Formula 1 race, South Korea had a complex history in attempts to host international motor racing competitions. Despite some successful Formula Three races in a street circuit in Changwon from 1999 to 2003, held anually one week after the traditional Macau Grand Prix, the Korean Super Prix in Changwon had a short-lived stint. In the mid-1990s, Samsung opened Everland Park, near Seoul, with a permanent racing circuit only for domestic races. In the early 2000s, another permanent circuit opened in eastern South Korea: Taebaek, a very short circuit for international races.

In 2003, CART ChampCar Series announced plans for a race in a 1.5 mile (2.414 kms) street circuit in Hangang Park in Seoul, which would host a Indycar race in October 2004. The event was cancelled in mid-2004, after some disagreements between the organizers and the local Seoul authorities. The South Korean organizers tried again, and a permanent facility was built in Ansan, a city near Seoul, with a 1.796 mile (2.891 kms) circuit, which was due to be completed before the first Korean ChampCar race in October 2005. The construction works on Ansan circuit delayed, and for the second consecutive year, ChampCar cancelled a race in South Korea just few weeks before the planned date. For 2006, once more ChampCar and South Korean organizers reach a deal for the race in that Asian country, this time with the finished works in Ansan circuit. Once more the South Korean ChampCar race was scheduled for October, and again the race was cancelled, this time for financial reasons. For three consecutive years the ChampCar Series cancelled races in South Korea. The Ansan circuit was used for few club motor racing meetings for amateurs drivers in South Korea, and no other international series scheduled any event there in the future. In early 2010s, Ansan's main straight was converted in a runway for small planes, operating until 2016, when was razed for real estate development. Like Sepoong, Ansan currently has no vestiges of the former circuit.

In October 2006, Formula One Management announced a deal with the organizers of a future circuit in Yeongam, the Korean International Circuit, for a future F-1 Korean Grand Prix to be scheduled for 2010. As everybody knows, after three years of construction that 5.62 kms (3.49 miles) circuit became ready and held Formula One races from 2010 to 2013. But with some typical Korean drama for hosting international races: the Yeongam circuit delayed its works several times, and some weeks before the scheduled date (October 24th, 2010) the circuit still had no asphalt layer! After several FIA inspections during those months before the race, the Korean organizers set a very fast pace in the construction works, in order to complete the circuit in time for the race. The 2010 Korean Grand Prix was held as planned, despite some construction works finished just few days before the race on the facility. As a circuit placed in a very remote place in far-southern South Korea, far away from Seoul and from other larger cities, Yeongam was criticized as a difficult facility to attract crowds for the Korean Grand Prix. Since 2014 the Yeongam circuit's organizers chose not held any more Formula 1 race there due the high fees paid to Bernie Ecclestone in the previous years. Another problem of Yeongam circuit was its inactivity during the rest of the year, being in use only for the Formula One race in the first years. Since than, was made few attempts to host international races, like the 2012 FIA GT1 race included in the official schedule but cancelled later, and the never materialized attempts to revive the Formula Three Korea Super Prix. Only the Asian GT Series held races in Korean International Circuit, in May 2014, May 2015, May 2016 and August 2019.

In 2013 opened in northeastern South Korea the Inje Speedium, a permanent 3.9 kms (2.42 miles) racing circuit, where Asian Le Mans Series held two events from 2013 to 2014, and the World Touring Car Cup is expected to held a race in October 18th 2020. In May 3rd 2020 the FIA Formula E is expected to race in a street circuit in Seoul. Since South Korea is coming back to international motor racing events, is expected the past of races cancelled in the country be definetly over.

