What if both answers are correct? Tradition and reading left to right. Imagine sitting on the outside of a track at the starting gates/finish line. The start and the finish will approach from the left going right.
Cheers Peter Schwar Montreal, Canada
A number of observations have come in about other types of racing. Let's add another. Every horse track that I have ever been to (or seen on TV) races counter-clockwise. I would vote for the old tradition, similar to the tradition that has made modern railroads have the same wheel spacing as Roman chariots. Dick Schoeller
On Sun, 2007-07-15 at 09:00 -0400, Tom Sanders wrote:
>I am wondering why all race tracks that I know of that are either circular
>or oval seem to have the racers going counter clock wise. Is there a
>reason
>for this? My wife speculated that perhaps it has to do with our reading
>right to left and that folks who read left to right may have different set
>ups...I think she is on shaky ground there, but I can't sure say she's
>wrong.