Categories
Lost Track Track Maps of the Past

Lost Track: Greenwood Roadway


Pebble Beach. Torrey Pines. Bridgehampton. Indianola, Iowa?
In a lot of ways, it’s the loss of the tracks of the middle of the country that is all the more tragic than the biggies on the coasts. The lack of artifacts make the memory more distant, the tracks somehow more forgotten. It’s almost as if they didn’t exist at all. Certainly history will remember Bridgehampton, and Riverside, and Palm Springs. The races at the big coastal tracks drew a lot of racefans; they drew a lot of cameras; they were well documented. The bigger racing communities have long reams of newspaper articles and magazines documenting the people and the races of California and the mid-Atlantic.
Greenwood Roadway, however, wasn’t quite as lucky. Thankfully a few corners of the Internet have collected a fair bit of documentation on the track. A track that their program says was so challenging that the national SCCA recommended dropping their drivers’ school because the track was, “too demanding for the novice.” Now whether that’s true or not I can’t say, but the track map looks like a fun one; full of weaving esses and a nice high-speed straight–90°–straight complex.
Photos from the era show that the track hosted a wide variety of events, with representation from many classes of competition. I see a lot of formula vees, but there’s also plenty of larger machines as well in the form of Cobras (and King Cobras) and Jags and 904s.
The racing surface at Greenwood—like our last look at Paramount Ranch—managed to survived somewhat in tact in the years since it stopped hosting events in 1966. Cobra fan Chuck Brandt has some photos of a group of cars touring the track in 2005. Apparently the fact that the track is somewhat isolated and difficult to access has helped keep developers from destroying what remains. I have to say, it looks neglected, but not beyond hope. I know that vintage racers have bigger fish to fry, but I’m all for preserving whatever remnants of vintage facilities we can. What do you say, Iowans, couldn’t you use another track?
Be sure to head over to Chuck’s site for more photos (including the tour in 2005). As well as some posts here, here, and here by HAMB member 3AMideaz, who has posted some photos of Greenwood that his father took. GreenwoodRoadway.com gathers more information, as well as a recent arial photo of the track.

Categories
Grand Prix Video

Swiss GP. Bremgarten. 1953

The shot here of the grid—complete with Fangio, Ascari, Hawthorne, and Lang(!)—pulling away just look incredibly close. This was no special press area either, it looks like the cameraman is just sitting in the front row. Madness.

Beautiful, beautiful madness.

Categories
Historic Racing Photos

Atmosphere


This is a shot any contemporary ad designer would kill for.

This photo has been sitting on my hard drive for years. There’s something about the mood of it that I find mesmerizing. Whether it’s the moment captured, the perfection of the composition, or simply the colors—that Jag and the Baracuta-ish jacket are almost a perfect match.

Every once in a while I try to find the source of this photo again, that mountain makes me think this might be Palm Springs, or maybe Riverside. But I must admit that I’m at a loss. I guess where it was doesn’t really matter to me, what does is how this captures a spirit, an emotion, an atmosphere that makes me want to be in this photograph.

Update: Commenters seem to unanimously think that the venue is likely Pomona, and I’m inclined to agree. Martin wrote in with, “The C-type belonged to Carlyle Blackwell, who was a CalClub racer, and that looks very much like Lance Reventlow in the red jacket.” What do you think? Is that Lance?

Categories
Automotive Art For Sale Racing Ephemera

Gorgeously illustrated Muscle Cars Poster

Amilcar de Carvalho Fernandes’ beautiful poster of muscle cars from ’60—’74 is perfectly executed. Seeing the images close-up is what really sells it for me. Often these ‘lineup’ posters leave me lacking a bit, but the quality of the illustrations is so high that it feels so much better than other posters I’ve seen that use the same basic layout. Available from Amilcar de Carvalho Fernandes’ site. Looks like €20 well spent to me.

Those Mopar stripes get me every time.

via Ralf Becker

Categories
Grand Prix Racing Ephemera

Ok. Not EVERYTHING in F1 Has Gotten Worse.

Wolfgang Von Trips passes a Martini Billboard. 1961 Dutch GP
Jessiqa Pace’s Martini Billboard Monaco GP 2009


Graphically, I prefer the 1961 version, but everything-else-ly, I prefer the 2009.

Categories
Porsche Restoration

Reader Restoration Update: Shane’s Outlaw 356 is Finished, Amazing.

Shane Balkowitsch's Porsche 356

Shane Balkowitsch’s Porsche 356 Outlaw project that we wrote about back in September has returned to the street, and looks set to turn heads everywhere it goes.

When we last checked in on the project, the bodywork and paint were complete—and stunning—but we hadn’t seen much about the performance upgrades that would boost the stock powerplant’s 95hp to an estimated 150hp (dyno test to come later). That’s a pretty substantial upgrade; thanks to a race crank, bigger jugs, and performance cam. Shane’s shared the details (and more shots of the car mixing it up with some modern Ferraris on her maiden voyage) on his project page. It’s a marvelous document of the build, and I hope to one day create something similar myself.

Congratulations again, Shane!

Have a restoration project, interesting car in the shed, or racing story to share? Drop me a line.

Categories
Video

Alfa, BMW, Fiat, Volvo.. Datsun?

Marvelous video of the SCCA 2.5 Trans America Challenge effort of the BRE Racing Datsuns. I’ve long been a fan of the Datsun 510, and this video only reinforces that sentiment.

Thanks for the heads up, Mandy!

Categories
Lost Track Track Maps of the Past

Track Map of the Past: Elkhart Lake

Elkhart Lake track map

I’m sure if we catalog everything wonderful about yesterday’s track maps—of which this map of the 1952 Elkhart Lake street course is a perfect example—we could come up with some tips for contemporary track map designers. I would definitely add a few items from this map to the list. The cartoon cars traveling the track for one. The illustrations of people enjoying the recreation on and near the track. the isometric angles with the sketches of prominent landmarks (like the Blatz grain elevator in this map) that can be identified by people at the venue for orienteering purposes. The duotone color palettes. The variation in line-weight. I could go on. Absolutely marvelous.

Hey track map designers! Take your hand off the mouse; turn off AutoCAD; and pick up a brush.

Of course, part of my affinity for this particular map might be my love of Elkhart Lake in general. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad race weekend there. Just looking at this map makes me long for a Spotted Cow at the Siebken’s bar.