Author Topic: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?  (Read 8080 times)

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Offline Jack Gifford

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What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« on: October 18, 2018, 12:42:26 AM »
Reading 1948 Hot Rod Magazine articles, it's clear that SCTA members (of all 37 or so clubs) were anxiously looking forward to a paved venue. After the final El Mirage meet of that year ran a shortened course due to water (with a number of new records), they realized that a paved course of about 2.5 miles would serve them well. Why didn't that happen? :?
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Offline RichFox

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2018, 03:24:16 AM »
Probably money wasn't there

Offline Stainless1

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2018, 10:05:32 AM »
Well Jack they were obviously forward thinkers back in 48...  :-D
I say that because big SAC runways going in during the late 40s - early 50s were about 13000 feet long. 
Those same runways are now being used in mile and 1.5 mile racing  :cheers:
Stainless
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Offline Jack Gifford

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2018, 02:20:27 AM »
I just wondered if possibly the "mood" of the contestants changed over time- morphing into a sort of "dirty Elmo" pride. Otherwise, it seems a so-Cal airstrip could have been used.
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Offline Stainless1

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2018, 10:08:30 AM »
My guess is was about access... they used to run at Muroc too....  Those 13000 ft runways were in use around the clock....
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Offline RichFox

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2018, 11:11:22 AM »
Yon must remember that SCTA did run 1/2 mile pavement meets for several years. I guess access was the reason for ending that. At that time Hot Pods were not looked upon favorably by the press and many government agencys. And it is the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Timing Association. They had a somewhat limited area to look at.

Offline Jack Gifford

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2018, 01:17:31 AM »
Thanks for the comments.
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Offline 4-barrel Mike

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2018, 02:00:39 AM »
From the Bruce Geisler collection.



Mike
Mike Kelly - PROUD owner of the V4F that powered the #1931 VGC to a 82.803 mph record in 2008!

Offline ggl205

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2018, 09:25:50 AM »
Oh yeah, I sure do remember the old Riverside Raceway NASCAR straightaway. It was so long that I had to bring a book to read when racing a Formula Vee. It seemed a little shorter in an old FB car, however.

So, at the end of that straight was turn 9, a long right hand sweeper. Was this part of shut down?

John

Offline jdincau

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #9 on: October 20, 2018, 09:57:59 AM »
No we ran the other direction.
Unless it's crazy, ambitious and delusional, it's not worth our time!

Offline Jack Gifford

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2018, 01:08:17 AM »
What years were the 1/2 mile SCTA events at Riverside?
Did they start it out with open records in all classes?
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Offline Beef Stew

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2018, 11:06:21 PM »
What years were the 1/2 mile SCTA events at Riverside?
Did they start it out with open records in all classes?

I first ran at SCTA's RIR ½ mile drags in the winter of 1958/9. I last ran in 1968. "The original racetrack had a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) backstretch from 1957 to 1968." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_International_Raceway The ½ drags had a lot of non-SCTA cars. Both ¼ mile drag racers and street driven muscle-cars.

Of course they started out with open records, minimums are a recent addition. During the 1960s Bonneville and El Mirage didn't have minimums for new classes.
Former record holder at RIR ½ mile drags, El Mirage and Bonneville.

Beef Stew doesn't have his head where the sun-don't-shine. His head is in SoCal where the unusual is an everyday happening.

Offline Jack Gifford

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2018, 11:34:49 PM »
Thank you "Stew".
What class were you running then?
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Offline Beef Stew

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2018, 01:52:41 PM »
Thank you "Stew".
What class were you running then?

'58/9 was a production class car I ran at the drags. For 1968 it was a big-block stocker owned by a dealer. In-between I ran both production and roadsters.

Larsen and Cummins put slicks on their AAMR and ran about 175mph. At one meet they got too much bite and blew the QC ...shrapnel everywhere!

Sometime during the 1950s SCTA ran ¼ mile at Colton. A NorCal club also ran ½ mile someplace around Reno.

George AFB (Victorville) has a 2.8 mile main runway and another 1.7 mile runway. It was closed in 1992 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_California_Logistics_Airport Could this be a replacement for both Riverside (½ mile) and ElMo (1 mile)? Maybe worth looking into.
Former record holder at RIR ½ mile drags, El Mirage and Bonneville.

Beef Stew doesn't have his head where the sun-don't-shine. His head is in SoCal where the unusual is an everyday happening.

Offline Jack Gifford

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Re: What derailed SCTA's move to pavement?
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2018, 01:41:32 AM »
Is there as much pavemen-desire among Elmo contestants now as there apparently was in 1948?
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