Elhart Lake 1964 - wow

[Bardahl77]

Highlight is an onboard lap in a Corvette with Roger Penske describing the circuit. Trees were really close back then!

https://youtu.be/8KUOqC28VGI

[Dave Harmison]

Trees, hell, there are people standing at track edge.

I appreciate that the actual track configuration is the same as it’s ever been.

[E1pix]

Still a great course, but was even greater back then. My first race there was a year earlier, when 35 months old. And I still remember it.

Adding the Andrew Craig-demanded fencing to hold CART races really took something away.

[provamo]

racing!

[Jerry Kehoe]

Another track to consider was the one in Vancouver, actually Coquitlam in BC called Westwood. One of the really fast turns looked like a big open field that if you went off wasn't going to be a big deal until driving the crew around the track in the evening I found that that big open field had 3' high tree stumps, and around a jumping off point called Deers Leap you could see christmas sized trees off to the left except they were not christmas trees but were the tops of very large trees and a big drop off, same true of the esses. One other detail was the deer and bear warning light system as they seemed to like the sound of the cars and would to decide to invite themselves to the track. Best FA races in the series, not unusual then for a FA pro race to draw 50,000 fans to the race and the corner workers were fabulous with the steak BBQ Saturday night. Now it's a subdivision, too bad!

[Bardahl77]

Another track to consider was the one in Vancouver, actually Coquitlam in BC called Westwood. One of the really fast turns looked like a big open field that if you went off wasn't going to be a big deal until driving the crew around the track in the evening I found that that big open field had 3' high tree stumps, and around a jumping off point called Deers Leap you could see christmas sized trees off to the left except they were not christmas trees but were the tops of very large trees and a big drop off, same true of the esses. One other detail was the deer and bear warning light system as they seemed to like the sound of the cars and would to decide to invite themselves to the track. Best FA races in the series, not unusual then for a FA pro race to draw 50,000 fans to the race and the corner workers were fabulous with the steak BBQ Saturday night. Now it's a subdivision, too bad!

I never made it up to Westwood before it closed, but I wasn't too excited to go there, friend of mine got killed in a FF when a deer ran onto the track, back in about '83 I think.

I DID get to work a race at Western Speedway on Vancouver Island - silly road course crafted out of the woods and using an oval course as part of it. Less than 1 mile in length.

[Bob Posner]

I never made it up to Westwood before it closed, but I wasn't too excited to go there, friend of mine got killed in a FF when a deer ran onto the track, back in about '83 I think.

I DID get to work a race at Western Speedway on Vancouver Island - silly road course crafted out of the woods and using an oval course as part of it. Less than 1 mile in length.

Steve Phillips deer strike on the Deer's Leap in 83. My first ever race in 82 sitting in my fv waiting for one minute to sound. Several rifle shots followed by the advice that the five minutes was cancelled and the shots were to scare the bears off the Deer's Leap..trial by fire for me who was already petrified.

[RussMcB]

Highlight is an onboard lap in a Corvette with Roger Penske describing the circuit. Trees were really close back then!

https://youtu.be/8KUOqC28VGI

Awesome video(s). Thanks for posting, David. Great few minutes to spend a lunch time.

[Dougie]

PRW (Pacific Raceways) Kent, WA still has plenty of trees throughout the enter back straight. No guard rails or amaco barriers, just large trees and a steep dirt embankment.

https://youtu.be/MgavoXjISuk

[Dougie]

PRW (Pacific Raceways) Kent, WA still has plenty of trees throughout the enter back straight. No guard rails or amaco barriers, just large trees and a steep dirt embankment.

https://youtu.be/MgavoXjISuk

[Jorma]

My dad was in this race in an Elva 7.
Mike M.

Highlight is an onboard lap in a Corvette with Roger Penske describing the circuit. Trees were really close back then!

https://youtu.be/8KUOqC28VGI

[stownsen914]

My dad was in this race in an Elva 7.
Mike M.

Very cool. Do you know which car or color one? I noticed a few in the race. Do you know what the powerplant was?

[Jorma]

I looked in the video and didn't see it. It was a blueish silver with a Holbay Ford engine. His co-driver buggered the gearbox and my dad was able to jam it into 3rd gear with a hammer out on the track so they could finish the race. RA is not a place to be stuck in 3rd gear. The big boys lapped him every 3 laps, but they ended up finishing 3rd in class.
Mike M.

Very cool. Do you know which car or color one? I noticed a few in the race. Do you know what the powerplant was?